Finding the perfect golf ball to match your game and budget can be tricky, so here’s a guide to help you find options.
You can’t play the game without a ball, and while many golfers don’t think they are good enough to tell one ball from another, all of them perform slightly differently.
The golf balls used by stars such as Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm are multi-piece balls with urethane covers that reduce spin off the tee to maximize distance, but they spin like crazy for extra control on approach shots, chips and pitches.
However, with prices ranging from $45-$60 per dozen, tour-level performance doesn’t come cheap. Brands know those balls are out of reach for many players, so they offer alternatives at lower prices that cater to specific needs. Some are designed for pure distance, while others have soft feel or enhanced spin.
The best way to find your ideal ball is to think about what you need and how much you are willing to spend, then buy a few three-ball sleeves of a few brands and try them out. Play six holes of an 18-hole round with three different balls and think about how each performed off the tee, from the fairway and around the greens. Many shops also offer two-ball promotional packs of premium balls, which is a great way to see if a tour-level ball is right for you.
Below are many of the golf balls you can test now or that are coming soon in pro shops and golf specialty stores. This is a starting point in your journey to finding your perfect golf ball.
Who They’re For: Players who don’t want to spend a lot of money on golf balls but want a soft feel and distance off the tee.
The Details: Srixon updated the Z-Star, Z-Star XV and Z-Star Diamond golf balls for 2023 and loaded them with premium features. Major winners such as Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley and Graeme McDowell use them, but with a price tag of $47.95 per dozen they might be out of reach for many golfers.
For value-minded players, Srixon offers an updated version of the Soft Feel ball. This is the 13th version of Soft Feel, and it remains true to its mission: to provide distance along with the soft feel at impact that many players like.
The Soft Feel has a large, gradient core. (Srixon)
At the heart of this two-piece ball is a large FastLayer core that is soft in the center and gradually grows firmer toward the perimeter. Srixon said the core’s gradient firmness allows it to compress and snap back into shape quickly for a better transfer of energy, which can produce more distance.
The cover was designed with Srixon’s Speed Dimple pattern, which consists of 338 dimples arranged to create more stability and reduce drag, so the Soft Feel will hold its line through the wind more efficiently and produce a piercing flight.
The Soft Feel comes in soft white and tour yellow, while the Soft Feel Brite is available in bright red, orange and green matte finishes.
Take a look at this list of the best drivers for 2023 for every playing style and handicap level.
In the golf equipment world, drivers are the stars of the show. Everyone wants to hit the ball farther and straighter, and with exotic materials like titanium, carbon fiber and tungsten used to make today’s drivers, the dream of more distance can be a reality for many players.
The best way to discover the driver that is best suited to your swing and game is to work with a good custom fitter who has a launch monitor, try several models (along with different shafts) and see which performs best.
To give you a running start on the process and reveal which new offerings you might want to talk about with your fitter, take a look at this list of the best drivers for 2023 for every playing style and handicap level.
Srixon made unique cores for the Z-Star, Z-Star Diamond and Z-Star XV balls with an improved outer coating for extra spin around the greens.
Gear: Srixon Z-Star, Z-Star XV, Z-Star Diamond golf balls Price: $47.95 per dozen Specs: Three-piece construction with a large core, casing layer and urethane cover. Colors: pure white or yellow for the Z-Star and Z-Star XV; pure white only for the Z-Star Diamond Available: Feb. 15 for the Z-Star; April 14 for Z-Star Divide and Z-Star XV
Who They’re For: Golfers who want tour-level spin around the greens and distance with a choice of firmness off the tee.
The Skinny: For 2023, Srixon has updated its premium golf balls by giving them new cores and improving the spin- and friction-generating coating that is allied to the urethane covers. The Z-Star feels the softest, the Z-Star XV is the firmest and the Z-Star Diamond fits between them.
The Deep Dive: Srixon has released the eighth generation of its premium golf ball family, the Z-Star line, and instead of making radical changes, the Japanese company opted to make refinements to the three-ball stable.
The FastLayer DG cores of the Z-Star, Star Diamond and Z-Star XV are each slightly different. (Srixon)
Each of the three balls has a unique FastLayer DG Core that is soft in the center but grows progressively firmer toward the perimeter. Srixon said the standard Z-Star has the softest mid-layer and lowest overall compression, providing the softest feel at impact. In contrast, the Z-Star XV ball has a soft core that is drastically firmer around its outer area for more distance and long-iron spin. The Z-Star Diamond was made to fit between the standard Z-Star and the XV ball, and it has a firmer feel and higher compression than the Z-Star but will feel softer than the Z-Star XV.
All three Z-Star balls have a 338-dimple pattern on their cast urethane covers to increase stability in the wind and improve aerodynamics.
For 2023, Srixon has improved the Spin Skin coating applied to the cover, referring to it now as Spin Skin+. The coating increases the level of friction created when an iron or wedge hits the ball on greenside shots to boost the level of spin and enhance control on chips, pitches and bunker shots.
Srixon Z-Star Divide for 2023 (Srixon)
In mid-April, Srixon plans to bring a Divide version of the Z-Star and Z-Star XV ball to retailers. Split into a white half and a yellow half, the Divide editions make it easier to track the ball in the air and create a visual alignment aid on the greens. If players line up the seam between the two colors when they putt, a wobbly roll can also reveal when a golfer has cut across the ball on the stroke instead of hitting it squarely, which can help players hone their putting stroke.
As with the other Divide-edition Srixon balls, the Z-Star Divide and Z-Star XV Divide conform to the USGA and R&A’s Rules of Golf and are legal for play.
New muscleback blades for elite golfers, cavity-back irons that blend forgiveness and feel, they’re all here.
In the weeks leading up to the holiday season and throughout January, equipment makers released several new sets of irons designed for players at every game level. New muscleback blades for elite golfers, cavity-back irons that blend forgiveness and feel and offerings made for inexperienced players and slower swingers, they’re all here.
The trouble is finding the new set of irons that will complement your game. The best way to do that is to work with a custom fitter and hit lots of different options under the watchful eye of a launch monitor, but the list of irons below will give you a great place to start your research and narrow down your search.
The Srixon Z-Forged II irons are designed to maximize feel and control for elite golfers with powerful, repeatable swings.
Gear: Srixon Z-Forged II irons Price: From $1,142.84 with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. Specs: Forged 1025 carbon with progressive grooves. Available: Jan. 20
Who It’s For: Elite golfers who want tour-level feel and control in a compact, muscleback blade iron.
The Skinny: The Srixon Z-Forged II irons are designed to maximize feel and control for elite golfers with powerful, repeatable swings.
The Deep Dive: When it comes to designing irons for the game’s best players – tour pros, collegiate golfers, teaching professionals and aspiring club champions – it is as much about what designers leave out as what they add. Golfers who make solid contact shot after shot and want to make the ball curve and bend at their will are not looking for the newest distance-enhancing technologies or sound-improving materials. They want control, consistency and a classic look in the address position.
For those golfers Srixon has updated its muscleback blade and has released the Z-Forged II irons.
Extra mass behind the hitting area enhances feel in the Srixon Z-Forged II irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Forged from a single billet of 1020 carbon steel for a soft feel, the Z-Forged II irons have a compact blade length, thin topline and virtually no offset. They do, however, have PureFrame, Srixon’s new shaping feature that puts more mass directly behind the center of the hitting area, where a good player makes contact. While perimeter weighting and a cavity-back design can boost forgiveness for less-accomplished players, concentrating mass heightens feel and the sensations created at impact.
The Srixon Z-Forged II irons have a narrow topline, minimal offset and a classic look at address. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
As with the new ZX-7 Mk II irons, the Z-Forged II irons have a progressive groove design, with the 3-iron through 7-iron having wider grooves better suited for full swing shots. The 8-iron, 9-iron and pitching wedge have grooves that are narrower, deeper and packed together more tightly to get more edges on the ball on approach shots for added spin and control.
The Tour V.T. Sole increases the bounce to help the Srixon Z-Forged II irons maintain speed through the turf. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Finally, Srixon designed the Z-Forged II irons with the company’s Tour V.T. Sole, which has a seam running through the club’s bottom from toe to heel. The front portion of the sole has extra bounce to keep the leading edge from digging into the turf so the club can maintain speed through the strike, while the back of the sole has less bounce but significant back-edge relief.
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The ZX7 Mk II irons enhance the feel of impact for elite players with the addition of the PureFrame weighting system.
Gear: Srixon ZX7 Mk II irons Price: $1,199.99 with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour shafts or KBS Tour Lite steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. $1,299.99 with UST Mamiya Recoil Dart graphite shafts. Specs: Forged 1025 carbon with progressive grooves. Available: Jan. 20
Who It’s For: Golfers who want tour-level maneuverability and feel in a compact, cavity-back iron.
The Skinny: The ZX7 Mk II irons enhance the feel of impact for elite players with the addition of the PureFrame weighting system while still allowing golfers to shape the ball.
The Deep Dive: While some golfers who shoot in the low 70s (or better) still prefer a muscleback blade iron, many accomplished players prefer an iron design that provides more game-enhancing features than blades typically offer.
For them, Srixon is offering the ZX7 Mk II irons, an updated design that blends several features and a new technology to enhance feel and control.
MainFrame adds more steel behind the impact area to enhance feel. (Srixon)
Forged from 1020 carbon steel, the most significant change in the ZX7 is the addition of PureFrame. While Srixon’s game-improving ZX4 Mk II and ZX5 Mk II irons are made with MainFrame (a technology that involves channels, ridges and cutout areas on the inner-facing side of the face that increase ball speed), PureFrame creates a thicker region directly behind the center of the hitting area on the back of the head. Srixon said making this region up to 80 percent thicker amplifies the feel created at impact, which is critical for golfers who typically generate all the distance and power they need.
The Tour V.T. Sole helps the Srixon ZX7 Mk II irons maintain speed through impact. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To help players maintain speed through the hitting area, Srixon designed the ZX7 Mk II irons with its Tour V.T. sole. It creates a ridge that runs down the center of the sole from heel to toe, with the leading-edge side having extra bounce. The back half of the sole has less bounce but plenty of trailing-edge relief. There are also notches in the heel and toe areas that reduce the amount of surface area on the bottom of the club. All those features combine to help the ZX7 Mk II irons avoid digging and press through the ground more efficiently.
As with the other ZX Mk II irons, the ZX7 Mk II irons have progressive grooves, with the 3-iron through 7-iron having wide, traditional grooves while the 8-iron through attack wedge have deeper grooves that are packed closer together. Srixon said this should help increase spin and precision on approach shots.
Srixon also added a small piece of tungsten in the toe of in the long and mid-irons to increase the perimeter weighting and boost stability on off-center hits.
The Srixon ZX7 Mk II irons have minimal offset and a narrow topline. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
When the ZX7 Mk II irons are set down in the address position, golfers will see a classic shape with a compact blade length, minimal offset and a relatively narrow topline. Interestingly, all the ZX Mark II irons have the same topline width, which can make creating a blended set easier.
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The ZX4 Mk II and ZX5 Mk II irons deliver more yards with an enhanced feel.
Gear: Srixon ZX4 Mk II, ZX5 MK II irons Price: $1,199.99 with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour or KBS Tour Lite steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips. $1,299.99 with UST Mamiya Recoil Dart graphite shafts Specs: 1025 carbon steel body with SUP10 stainless steel face and progressive grooves. Hollow-body construction for the ZX4 Mk II. Available: Jan. 20
Who They’re For: Golfers who want more forgiveness and distance with the feel of a forged iron.
The Skinny: The hollow ZX4 Mk II was designed to maximize ball speed and height for golfers who don’t want a set of miniature hybrids, while the ZX5 Mk II is a game-improvement iron created to deliver more yards with an enhanced feel.
The Deep Dive: Mid- and higher-handicap golfers come in all shapes and sizes, from athletic players who are new to the game to weekend enthusiasts who lack speed and don’t have time to practice. Lumping them all together and trying to design one set of irons that can deliver the performance everyone needs is almost impossible, so Srixon has two sets of game-improvement irons – the new ZX4 Mk II and ZX5 MK II – that share some technologies but are constructed differently and meant for different types of players.
After several new drivers were added to the USGA and R&A’s Conforming Driver list before the start of the first PGA Tour event of 2023, stars like Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele were free to drop all-new clubs into their bag.
As Golfweek reported earlier this week, several major golf equipment makers had new clubs added to the USGA and R&A’s Conforming Driver list before the start of the first PGA Tour event of 2023, the Sentry Tournament of Champions. That included the now-released Callaway Paradym drivers, as well as the yet-to-be-released Cobra Aerojet drivers and the TaylorMade Stealth 2 drivers.
That allowed players in the field, including several marquee names, to make equipment changes and drop new gear in their bag. Next week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, the PGA Tour’s first full-field event of the year, more players will assuredly tee it up with new drivers and irons, too.
Here is a quick look at some of the golfers who have made equipment changes already.
Srixon ZX5 Mk II, ZX5 LS Mk II and ZX7 Mk II drivers each have a uniquely designed chassis that boosts speed and distance.
Gear: Srixon ZX5 Mk II, ZX5 LS Mk II, ZX7 Mk II drivers Price: $499.99 with Project X HZRDUS Black GEN4 shaft or HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip. Specs: 460-cubic-centimeter head, carbon fiber crown, titanium chassis and face, moveable weights and adjustable hosel. Available: Jan. 20
Who They’re For: Golfers looking for more ball speed and a more forgiving hitting area.
The Skinny: Srixon ZX5 Mk II, ZX5 LS Mk II and ZX7 Mk II drivers each have a uniquely designed chassis that allows a more significant portion of the hitting area to flex at impact for increased ball speed and distance. The ZX5 Mk II has extra stability, the ZX5 LS Mk II is a low-spin option and the ZX7 Mk II has greater shot-shaping potential.
The Deep Dive: When you hit a drive, the club’s face flexes before snapping back into place. The greater this trampoline-like effect, the more ball speed is generated and the farther your shot should fly. However, the effect diminishes when you hit the ball outside the center, so your mis-hits won’t go as far as well-struck shots and tend to curve farther offline.
For several years, Srixon has delivered the maximum trampoline-like effect allowable by USGA and R&A rules. And thanks to uniquely designed clubheads, the new ZX5 Mk II, ZX5 LS Mk II and ZX7 Mk II drivers can now do a better job of providing ball speed on off-center hits, too.
Each Srixon ZX7 Mk II driver has Rebound Frame. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The key is a design feature called Rebound Frame. Like other drivers, the seam and area surrounding the face is rigid, but behind that is a ring of more-flexible titanium. Srixon said when a shot is hit, the face flexes as it would for other drivers, plus the Rebound Frame chassis creates a second flexible zone that allows the whole hitting area to shift back and snap forward. The result is increased ball speed over a more significant portion of the face. Golfers not only achieve solid results on center-struck shots, their mis-hit shots will not lose as much ball speed.
The Srixon ZX7 Mk II driver has a clean look at address and a matte-black crown. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The ZX5 Mk II, ZX5 LS Mk II and ZX7 Mk II drivers were designed with Rebound Frame and an adjustable hosel that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the club’s loft by 1 degree and open or close the face angle by as many as 2 degrees. They also have a series of beams under the carbon fiber crown that crisscross, forming a star shape that stiffens the body of the club.
While the ZX5 Mk II, ZX5 LS Mk II and ZX7 Mk II drivers are all 460 cubic centimeters in volume and share those already-mentioned technologies, they were designed for very different players with adjustable sole weights located in various areas on the bottom of the club to produce different ball flights.
The Srixon ZX5 Mk II has a weight in the back to increase stability. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The ZX5 Mk II was designed to be the most forgiving and may appeal to the largest number of players. It has a triangular 8-gram weight in the back of the head that pulls the center of gravity down and back, which boosts stability and encourages a higher-flying shot.
The Srixon ZX7 Mk II has weights in the heel and toe that can be adjusted. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The ZX7 Mk II comes standard with 4-gram and 8-gram weights that go into ports in the toe and heel. When the 8-gram weight is in the heel port, the club has a draw bias, while putting it in the toe port encourages a fade. Srixon said the left and right adjustability is as much as 20 yards.
The Srixon ZX5 LS Mk II has a forward-positioned weight to lower spin. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Finally, for golfers who tend to create excessive spin, Srixon offers the ZX5 LS Mk II. It has the same general shape as the ZX5 Mk II, but instead of having a weight in the back, it is positioned in front behind the leading edge. This pushes the center of gravity down and forward to reduce spin. It produces shots that fly lower than the ZX5 Mk II but slightly higher than the ZX7 Mk II, but with less spin.
