Tag: Jim Furyk

5 Ways to End America’s Ryder Cup Futility

At the outset the United States was utterly dominant in Ryder Cup play, losing only three times to Great Britain & Ireland in the first 50 years the biennial competition was held. But since GB & I was expanded to include the rest of Europe in 1979, the United States has an unenviable record of 8 wins and 12 defeats, including losses in 7 of the last 9 competitions.

Obviously, the talent level of golf worldwide has grown significantly over the years, so it’s not unexpected to see the Europeans put up such a fight in recent years. What is unexpected, is for the US team to show up in Paris and lay a big, fat egg without looking all that surprised with the result. It’s almost as if they expected to lose. Were it not for a few spirited individual efforts on Sunday by the US squad, the 2018 edition of the Ryder Cup could have been a rout of historic proportions.

Task Force Failure

Following the 2014 loss at Gleneagles and Phil Mickelson’s infamous under-the-bus-throwing of Captain Tom Watson, the US formed some kind of task-force to examine the selection process and figure out a way to regain the edge. Despite a solid win in 2016 at Hazeltine, the United States Ryder Cup team as a whole is still more of a gathering of pampered millionaires than a cohesive team of golfers. I believe the task force is fundamentally flawed, but more on that later.

Team USA’s flaws were on display to anyone that was paying attention at Le Golf Nationale in Paris, France last month. For starters, I saw 2 or 3 players from the US team that seemed disinterested in even being there. From the way he played all week and his general demeanor, it looked to me like Bubba Watson couldn’t get the hell out of Paris fast enough. World No 1 Dustin Johnson is usually pretty stoic on the course, but he seemed particularly apathetic once his putting stroke failed him, and he managed to win only 1 point all week. Jim Furyk’s three captain’s picks went a combined 0-9. In Captain Furyk’s defense, it was nearly impossible for him NOT to pick Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau for the team. DeChambeau won the first 2 FedEx Cup Playoff events and Tiger Woods finished a remarkable comeback season and easily justified his pick by winning the season-ending Tour Championship.

Phil Mickelson was playing pretty bad golf, yet he was picked for the team anyway, probably because he’s Phil Mickelson. Captain Furyk said he is great in the team room and has a lot of experience. Sure – losing experience. And the last time I checked, matches aren’t played in the team room. Sarcasm aside, you can’t win a Ryder Cup if your “leaders” and captain’s picks can’t earn a single point all week.

In the aftermath, we heard stories of players complaining about who they were paired with, players complaining about their position in the Sunday singles matches, and even about players fighting. I’m referring of course to Patrick Reed’s comments about his successful past partnership with Jordan Speith being broken up, and to the reported scuffle between Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, which they both claim never happened. I’m not putting too much stock in these stories, but the overall vibe is one of dysfunction and lack of cohesion. If just one player in the team room has a negative attitude because he’s not happy about who he’s paired with, or has issues with another player, that team cannot be successful.

If you don’t learn from your failures, you are doomed to repeat them. Having said that, I don’t think it is beyond saving. The USA still has dozens and dozens of players that are more than capable of winning on the Ryder Cup stage, and the future looks bright for a whole new generation of young golfers. Here are 5 ideas that I think could help recreate the winning formula for the United States going forward:

Get players that want to be there – The PGA Tour season is long and it can be a grind. All jokes about 5-star hotels and private jets aside, it’s not easy to make a living playing golf. Most players on the PGA Tour don’t fly in private jets and drive Lamborghinis. But most US players aren’t used to playing in a team environment, and the demands of professional golf in the United States encourages more of a me-against-the-world mentality. Perhaps losing is partially responsible for the perceived decline in interest for the Ryder Cup in America lately. Either way, if a player doesn’t really want to be there and can’t commit 100 percent of their mental energy to represent their country for a week, they shouldn’t be on the team. This is why I think we need to change the process by which we pick the team.

Change the team selection process – The Ryder Cup selection process has been tweaked a bit over the years and the captain has another wildcard pick at his disposal, but I believe the captain should have more control over the makeup of the team. Why not let the captain pick half the players or more? The team should be made up of players that are playing well now and can be expected to play well at the host venue. The current points ranking system doesn’t work. Why should your team’s roster be determined by someone who played great 6 months ago and earned enough points to hold on and make the team now? That’s stupid.

The good ‘ol boy network needs to be scrapped and the USA should get a captain that is committed to winning, not just making everyone happy and letting them play with their buddies. Yes, that’s a dig at Jim Furyk who broke up several proven winning pairings like Reed/Speith so that Jordan could play with his childhood buddy Justin Thomas, and who’s pick of a flailing Phil Mickelson was not conducive to winning, given that Phil only played two matches anyway and didn’t earn a single point. Why pick a player to have him ride the bench all week?

We’ve seen several non-golf superstars hanging around the US Ryder Cup squad in recent years, like Michael Jordan, Condoleezza Rice, and John McEnroe. That got me thinking – Why does the captain have to be a golfer? Why not pick a knowledgeable sports figure or proven national leader to manage the team? Someone that will make decisions with the best interests of the team in mind, not egos. I think we should go with a respected leader that these players are willing to follow, and it doesn’t have to be a professional golfer. Think outside the box!

Pick a venue that gives us the advantage – There was a lot of talk about Le Golf Nationale in Paris as the venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup. It was set up almost like a US Open, with narrow fairways and thick rough. It’s no secret that the European squad did this to penalize the long-hitting US players. Our “bombers” are also some of the least accurate drivers of the golf ball on tour, and the Europeans took advantage of this to set up the course in their favor. This goes back to my first point – Instead of having most of the US Team automatically qualified on points, our captain needs to have the flexibility to pick players whose game is better suited for the venue. I think the results could have been very different if Captain Furyk had consistent ball strikers like Matt Kuchar, Kevin Kisner, Zach Johnson or Xander Schauffele on the team instead of Phil, Tiger, and Bubba. And on that note…

Retire the old guard – I’m not the only one who has suggested it and many people don’t dare speak of it, but I’ll say it anyway – It’s time to put Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods out to pasture in Ryder Cup competition. In 12 Ryder Cup appearances, Phil Mickelson has only won more than 2.5 points twice. In 47 matches played, he has only 18 wins. Tiger’s overall record isn’t much better at 13-21-3. While these guys are two of the best golfers in history and founding members of the so-called Ryder Cup Taskforce, they are also part of the problem and proven liabilities in this team format and need to be retired as Ryder Cuppers. Bring them on for a few more President’s Cups (We can still win that easily even with both of them in the lineup), or as vice-captains if you want their leadership and presence in the team room.

Scheduling & preparation – Only one player from the United States Ryder Cup Team had ever played Le Golf Nationale in tournament conditions – Justin Thomas. Is it a coincidence that he went 4-1 on the week and was the best player on the team? I don’t think so. The US team had two years to prepare and play the golf course, and they only had one guy with prior tournament experience there? That’s not only bad preparation, but it fed right into the European team’s strategy and setup. Because of the flawed team selection process, Jim Furyk’s hands were tied. He couldn’t field a team that would be able to drive it in the fairway and neutralize the European advantage. Instead, the United States brought a bunch of guys who can’t hit fairways to a course that puts a premium on hitting fairways. Not the best game plan.

To make matters worse, several US players looked quite weary after playing 4 out of 5 weeks chasing the FedEx Cup. Tiger Woods, in particular, looked mentally and physically drained after his breakthrough win at the Tour Championship just days earlier. Bryson DeChambeau appears to have peaked a bit early, winning the first two events of the FedEx Cup playoffs, but perhaps the season-long grind also got to him in Paris because he looked out of sorts all week. For some reason, the European players didn’t seem as affected by the season-ending playoff grind. I’ll chalk it up to the home course fans lifting their boys emotionally.

In terms of quality of play, I think it would be best for the Ryder Cup as a whole if the event was held at a time of the year where you can give the players at least a week off before the matches. It obviously would have helped the USA this year. The event only takes place every two years – would it be that difficult to give them a week off to rest up and get ready?

Will it Work?

Even if the United States implemented all these changes there’s no guarantee of success, but I think the odds would be much better. The US needs to field a team of players that are fresh, genuinely want to be there, want to play together and whose skills are well suited for the course. Team Europe has taken advantage of our flawed process to tilt the playing field in their favor. They relish the fact that their guys play better in pairs than us, and they consistently field a group of players that accept their role and form a cohesive unit towards a single purpose. It’s time for the USA to revamp their preparation, roster, and attitude towards the competition if they want to remain competitive in the Ryder Cup for years to come.

October 10, 2018
2016 Year in Review

2016 was an interesting year in golf. As it does almost every year, the golf world started the year with great optimism and enthusiasm at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. However, it wasn’t all good news for the game of golf in 2016. Let’s take a look back at the highs and lows of the year in golf.

Major Pro Tours

Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson finally broke through and won majors, Jason Day had another great season and finished the year at #1 in the world, and Justin Rose won the first Olympic gold medal in golf since 1904.

The LPGA Tour continued to be dominated by countries other than the USA, with players from Asian countries winning 19/35 events, and other winners coming from New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Canada, Spain and Germany. Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn won 5 times, including a major and captured the money list, CME Globe and Player of the Year honors. South Korea’s Inbee Park won the gold medal for her country at the Olympics.

As far as records go, it’ll be hard to top Jim Furyk’s 58 he shot in the final round of the Travelers Championship, beating his record tying 59 from 2013 by a shot. He hit all 18 greens on his way to the lowest round in PGA Tour history, made all the more amazing considering he shot a very sloppy 74 the day before, hitting only 5 fairways.

Oh yeah, and some guy named Tiger showed up at a tournament in the Bahamas…

Golf Business

While some great new products hit the market in 2016, the biggest business story of the year was the uncertainty and failure of a couple of big names. After many years with un-Nike-like market share and quirky club design ideas, Nike decided to pull the plug on their golf equipment division, meaning (among other things) Nike staffers like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy & Michelle Wie will be highly sought after for equipment deals. Nike continues to be a major player in golf apparel and footwear however, recently signing Jason Day away to a multi year deal.

Well known golf & tennis retailer Golfsmith went into bankruptcy and was subsequently purchased by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Most Golfsmith stores will close, with only the most profitable locations staying open or being rebranded under the Golf Galaxy brand. Sports industry giant adidas has not-so-quietly been trying to sell off the Taylor-Made/Adams Golf brand, with no takers in sight. Cleveland Golf has been reduced to basically just a wedge company since parent company SRI Sports has focused on building their Srixon brand in the US market.

Golf Equipment & Accessories

Due to the limits the USGA has imposed on performance of golf clubs and balls, we probably won’t see many significant advances in club technology in the coming years, but some great new products surprised me nevertheless.

While not new in 2016, alternative golf transport like the Golf Skate Caddy and the Golfboard started to hit the mainstream. After one round I was hooked and made several trips to golf courses strictly because they had Golfboards.

Putter designer Guerin Rife has been quiet for a few years since his ugly separation from the company that bore his name – Rife Golf. He’s was back in 2016 with Evnroll, a new putter design that is among the best ever tested according to the folks at mygolfspy.com. While we haven’t tried them yet on the golf course (only indoors), I’m very eager to report on their effectiveness in the real world as well.

Perhaps the most impactful driver of 2016 was Knuth Golf’s High Heat driver. You may not have heard of it because they don’t have commercials on TV or PGA Tour pros playing with it, but that’s because it wasn’t designed for PGA Tour pros. It was designed to perform best for average amateur golfers, and that is one promise it lives up to.

The biggest “oopsie” of the year goes to Wilson Golf, who invested heavily in a reality show competition on the Golf Channel that pitted teams of designers against each other to come up with the company’s latest driver. Eventually a winner was chosen and the club was marketed as the Wilson Staff Triton and hit the market immediately after the final TV episode. Unfortunately, the USGA had not approved it yet. While the issue appears to have been related to the timing of the show and the desire to keep the results secret until the final episode, it was pie in the face for Wilson Golf and spoiled their product launch to a degree.

The King

Probably the biggest story in golf this past year was the passing of Arnold Palmer. There’s no need to go into all the reasons why he was so important to the game, because I could fill a page with that alone. The King seemed to touch everyone who plays the game in different ways, and other than maybe Jack Nicklaus, there isn’t anyone in golf that is more universally loved and respected than Arnold Palmer was. His memory and his legacy will live on forever,

Looking Forward

As always, we look ahead into 2017 with hope and optimism. I for one enter 2017 with renewed passion and commitment for the game, as I’ve joined a golf club for the first time ever. I intend to use the membership not only to enjoy the game I love more often, but to take advantage of the club’s unrestricted walking policy (Not an easy thing to find in Florida these days) to lose weight. Walking 9 holes early in the morning certainly beats marching on a treadmill!

The PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando is just around the corner, and I look forward to catching up with my industry friends again. What started as an annual display of all the cool new stuff has now become a yearly social gathering for me. I’m less excited about new products as I am about old friends.

Having taken part in the WAGC’s World Finals in Turkey in 2015, I joined the WAGT in the US and look forward to the challenge of qualifying for Team USA once again, this time in Malaysia!

January 3, 2017
Brian Davis Shows Class In Loss To Jim Furyk At Harbor Town

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Growing up, I was taught that Golf is a gentleman’s game, meaning that it is a game where the players are expected to call rules violations on themselves, and where sportsmanship is the rule, not the exception. Golfers are taught etiquette and proper on-course behavior. While some people certainly don’t always adhere to it, the majority of people who play and respect the game of golf carry on this tradition to others and set the standard for the next generation to play the game.

More and more these days when I turn on Sportscenter I see events in other sports of brutal violence and disrespect. You see fights in Basketball games, people being pushed head first into the boards in Hockey, batters being hit intentionally by 90MPH fastballs and Football players deliberately going for the knees of opposing players. While golf isn’t a contact sport and many people think watching golf on TV is boring, we seldom see any acts that disrespect the game or the players.

Before Tiger’s private life was made public last year, we watched him throw his driver into the crowd in Australia, and before that there were many other incidents of poor behavior on the course. Tiger has since stated that he plans to change and he promised to behave better on the course going forward. I have long thought that one’s behavior on the golf course mirrors that of life. Playing golf with someone can allow you a rare glimpse into someone’s mind. How a person deals with adversity, self-doubt and even success can tell you a lot about them. This is perhaps why so many business deals are made and broken on the golf course!

Every now and then there is a moment in golf that reveals the true character of a player. This weekend Brian Davis showed us all what the game is about. Having just drained a long putt on the final hole of regulation to force a playoff with Jim Furyk at the Verizon Heritage, Davis found his ball in the hazard left of the 18th green on the first playoff hole. Electing to play from the hazard, he noticed that his club may have brushed against some vegetation during his backswing, so he called over PGA Tour rules official Slugger White to confirm on the TV replay. The replay showed that he did indeed brush something on his backswing, which is a two stroke penalty, and immediately ended his hopes of winning his first PGA Tour tournament. "It was one of those things I thought I saw movement out of the corner of my eye," Davis said. "And I thought we’d check on TV, and indeed there was movement." Sometimes the rules of golf seem unfair and harsh, and perhaps this is one of those times. On television we couldn't tell anything wrong had happened. Only upon review in slow motion was the infraction noticeable. "To have the tournament come down that way is definitely not the way I wanted to win," Furyk said. "It’s obviously a tough loss for him and I respect and admire what he did." Calling the rules violation on himself cost Davis almost $400,000, but he gained the respect of many. The Public Relations department at Cleveland Golf/Srixon was flooded on Monday by emails from fans applauding Brian Davis' actions. Both Davis and Furyk are part of Cleveland Golf/Srixon's PGA tour staff. Below are just a few of the many messages regarding the events at Harbor Town Golf Links. Dear Mr. Davis, I am a 38 year old single father of a 15 year old son and have just starting playing golf 3 weeks ago. I wanted to write you and let you know that I was watching my second golf tournament (The Verizon Heritage) today with my son and your performance in sudden death compelled me to write you. I have never seen such honor and sportsmanship from any player in any sport. It was wonderful to be able to have my son see how a true man and sportsman acts during competition when most of what the media shows us is other more well known golfers acting poorly. I have become a very huge fan and will not only be following you and your future endeavors but am going to be supporting your sponsors exclusively. Thanks again for the motivation you have given me to continue to play golf and also the opportunity to educate my son on how to display honor and sportsmanship. Good luck in your future tournaments, [Name Withheld] Hello Brian: Congratulations on your outstanding performance at the Verizon Heritage tournament this weekend. We are dreadfully sorry you did not win, especially under the circumstances, but want you to know how much we admire and respect you for your honesty. You are a giant, Brian, a great role model and you should stand tall and be very proud of yourself. Well done! You are truly the champion of the day and we sincerely hope that you know that is how you are seen! In the words of the great Sir Edmund Hillary: "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." Today, Brian, you conquered in spectacular fashion! Kudos to you!!! Peterborough, Ontario, Canada Dear Mr. Davis, My husband and I were watching golf today like we do on most Sunday afternoons. Before we started our family four years ago, we loved to play golf together. While watching, I'm not much for just sitting there, I'm usually doing chores around the house or playing with our two children. I'll be honest, I hadn't seen much of you before on television, I'm sure only because I wasn't playing close attention :0). I know that golfers pride themselves on honesty, but what I saw today with you calling that penalty on yourself was probably one of the greatest examples of integrity that I have EVER seen! We will never know but probably nobody would have even noticed that infraction and you could have won that tournament. You are truly a wonderful role model and I will mention you to my children when I am looking for modern day people who have been courageous. I think we can both agree that we need more people like that for our children. You have a beautiful family and I'm praying for their good health. Thank you Mr. Davis for what you did today! Blessings to you!! Pleasanton, Texas, USA Brian, I wanted to commend you on the CHARACTER you showed at the Heritage Classic. With all the news surrounding the golf world over the last several months, it was a breath of fresh air. I know losing was disappointing but all the wins in the world doesn’t make up for character and honoring one’s self, family, friends and the game of golf. Congratulations on your top finish. I wish you well moving forward. Good Luck, [Name Withheld] We too want to congratulate Brian Davis and Jim Furyk for a great week. Furyk earns his second victory of the year, and Davis earns a big check, respect, many new fans and made his sponsors proud.
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April 19, 2010
Srixon Z-Star Tour Yellow Golf Balls

I played with a yellow golf ball yesterday. I didn’t find it in the woods or swipe it from a range basket, and I didn’t get it in a 24 pack from the local Walmart either. No, I played Srixon’s new Z-Star Tour Yellow golf ball. New for 2010, Srixon is making their already very hot Z-Star golf balls in Yellow. Why would a company re-introduce a yellow golf ball to the market? After all, yellow golf balls come with a stigma that they are cheap and only for hackers. In fact, when I started rolling the Tour Yellow on the practice green yesterday, a few of my playing partners made some jokes and asked me if I needed more strokes. According to Srixon, the reason yellow golf balls will make a comeback is purely mental.

According to a Srixon press release “Science has proven that yellow is the most visible color in the visual spectrum and psychology has correlated green with calming and stress relief; therefore Srixon has combined the two colors based on these findings to tap into the player’s mind and expand the benefits of playing a better ball.”

The idea is that a player will feel more at ease standing over a 3 footer to win a few bucks off your buddies if the ball is a yellow with a bit of green, rather than white. I may be more receptive than most to the idea that the ball’s color can help you play better, since I was a psych major in college and I take great interest in the mental side of the game. While I can’t confirm or deny the claims that the Z-Star Tour Yellow has a calming effect on the player, I can say that this ball is easier to see in the grass (and, ahem – the woods) and being yellow, there is certainly no confusion as to which ball was mine. Was it just a coincidence that I played my best round in months and made boatloads of putts with it? Perhaps, because I also had two 3-putts. Either way, I’ve been playing the Z-Star X since it came out and always liked being different, so I’ll continue to play the Tour Yellow and see what happens. Plus, it helps that the ball is the same color as my favorite website’s logo!

“The new Z-STAR and Z-STAR X Tour Yellow golf balls are currently being tested by numerous PGA and Nationwide TOUR players, who are presently playing the Srixon Z-STAR series of balls,” said Chris Beck, Brand Manager for Srixon. “The response from our tour staffers has been overwhelmingly positive. We understand that players at all levels of the game want to lower their scores and the Tour Yellow balls have definitely peaked the interest of our tour players, as well as consumers.” Indeed, early word from a high-ranking source inside Cleveland Golf/Srixon is that several Srixon staffers will put the Tour Yellow into play on the PGA Tour this year. Recently at the 2010 Masters Par 3 Contest, Jim Furyk made a hole in one with the new yellow ball, and Tim Clark had some success at the '10 Accenture World Match Play Championships using the ball. It's important to note that the Z-Star Tour Yellow is the exact same ball as the Z-Star. They all use an ultra-thin urethane cover technology, a larger core and a softer cover to improve distance, spin and feel. The only difference is the color. For more on the Srixon Z-Star line, check out our review here. The Z-STAR Tour Yellow golf ball is designed for the low-to-mid handicap players seeking a combination of distance, spin control and soft feel. The Z-STAR X Tour Yellow golf ball is a distance oriented tour-performance ball for players looking for a bit more distance and high-spin performance around the greens. The Srixon Z-STAR Tour Yellow ball lines both feature new Energetic Gradient Growth core technology, which promotes increased ball speed, as well as high launch and low spin. The 324 large seamless dimples also help reduce wind resistance for increased distance, while the new coating on their super-soft urethane cover significantly improves spin performance from the rough according to Srixon. The Z-STAR and Z-STAR X Tour Yellow golf balls will begin shipping to retailers on April 1, 2010 and will carry a price of $39.99.
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February 8, 2010
Ball Review – Srixon Z-Star X

Srixon has been selling golf balls in the US market for a number of years now. Srixon is a spinoff from Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. SRI is a Japanese company also selling equipment in Japan under the market leading Dunlop/XXIO name. They started manufacturing tires in 1913, and then golf balls in 1930. In 1997, SRI founded Srixon USA and started marketing golf equipment. In 2004 SRI Sports was formed to be the parent company of Srixon, and they acquired equipment companies Cleveland Golf and Never Compromise in 2007. Srixon’s golf ball offerings have been gaining ground in the past years with the ZUR line. Jim Furyk switched a few years ago, and several other pros have now joined and play the new Srixon Z-Star and Z-Star X. Some of the names include Tim Clark, Robert Allenby, Boo Weekly, Steve Flesch, John Rollins, Fuzzy Zoeller and Karrie Webb. This year, Vijay Singh switched to the new Z-Star X, leaving Titleist after many years, and he proclaims this fact in a new commercial we are seeing during weekend golf broadcasts.

Let’s test one of Srixon’s latest offerings, the Z-Star X. Geared towards better players, this golf ball features a super-thin (0.5mm thick) urethane cover that allows for a larger core for more distance and spin potential. The Z-Star is the softer of the two models, producing a slightly higher ball flight and more spin on iron shots. The Z-Star X has a firmer feel and lower ball flight for more distance off the tee and is designed for swing speeds over 105 MPH.

Having played the previous versions of these balls, the Z-URS and the Z-URC, I can see there is a big difference. The first difference is the lack of a discernible seam in the cover of the ball. The URS and URC had a pronounced seam marking the two halves of the cover, leaving a small strip around the equator lacking dimples. What effect that seam had on performance is unknown to me, but the new balls are seamless, and that can’t be a bad thing! The new Z-Stars also have 6 fewer dimples than the previous model at 324. By comparison, the Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x have 392 and 332 respectively.

I have to preface this by repeating that I have played Srixon golf balls for over a year, and in that time I found myself switching back and forth between the Z-URC and Z-URS. I thought the Z-URC was too firm around the greens, and the Z-URS felt too mushy and spun too much off the driver. Then, just as I was preparing to run back to the Titleist Pro V1, Srixon introduced the Z-Star and Z-Star X. Since I was previously leaning towards the Z-URC, I picked up a sleeve of the new Z-Star X and put them through their paces. So how does the new Srixon Z-Star X perform? In a word – Brilliantly!

The first thing I noticed with the new Z-Star X is the fact that they have made it softer than the old Z-URC. This is a welcome change for me, as I prefer a soft feel for chipping and putting. It still feels on the firm side, coming off the putter face with a little click, but it is far from the feel of a harder ball like a Pinnacle or even the new Callaway Tour i. The cover feels very soft to the touch and I worry about what modern grooves will do to this ball. More on that later.

I moved from the putter to the wedge and started chipping, and I noticed that this ball really grabs. I crisply hit chip shot skids and checks, then rolls out gently. Flop shots from a tight lie spin furiously, coming to an immediate stop. Balls chipped out of the rough behave predictably.

Moving to the tee box, I was wondering how the thin cover would behave with the driver. Most players demand spin around the greens but want more distance off the tee. In the past with wound golf balls this was a trade off, spin or distance. You couldn’t have both. Nowadays with the advent of 3 piece and even 4 piece balls, it is possible to get high spin around the green and low spin from the driver. The Srixon Z-Star X is a great example of what the new golf ball technology can provide. This ball rockets off the driver with a mid to high trajectory and low spin. It is hard to say if I picked up any yardage compared to the old model. I would need a launch monitor to measure impact conditions and determine if it spins less than other golf balls. What I can confirm is that this new ball performs very well in the wind, especially crosswinds. I hit numerous balls into winds from all directions and the flight is very steady. I hit some cuts and draws into cross winds and the ball stays on line.

Iron shots come off the club with a mid trajectory, and plenty of spin. A solid iron shot will stop quickly on anything but the most severe greens. I am not known as a high-spin player, but this ball can be drawn back with wedges and stops dead with other clubs. I didn’t see too much ballooning into the wind, not as much as the Titleist at least. I have always despised the Titleist Pro V1’s wind performance, so the Z-Star X’s wind performance is a big bonus. As far as durability is concerned, I was pleasantly surprised. I played 18 holes with the same ball with only minor scuffing and wear on the cover. I could easily go another 18 with it, provided I didn’t lose it or hit a cart path!

I am very glad that Srixon released this new golf ball to replace the old Z-UR line. I am making the switch and now play the Z-Star X. It durable, holds it’s line in the wind, I love the way it spins and it feels softer than the previous generation. Overall it’s a great ball for aggressive swingers or players that like a high-spin ball with a slightly firmer feel. The price point is also good, at $39.95/dozen it is unchanged from last year and about $5 less than the Pro V1x, the Srixon’s main competition.

Those who play the Pro V1 and prefer a softer ball will love the Z-Star, which I’ll try to cover in a future post. I will stop short of saying that I hit this ball further, because a recent driver upgrade has helped me also. But for good measure, between the new driver and this new golf ball, I’ve regained 15-20 yards that I lost last year off the tee.

April 21, 2009