Srixon Z-Star xv vs Taylormade Tp5x – What’s The Better Ball in 2023?

A premium ball is a premium ball, right? It doesn’t matter which premium grade ball you buy as long as you paid top dollar for it, right?

Not right. While chances are that you will get tour grade performance out of a premium ball, your particular game might not benefit from just any premium golf ball.

Golf gear is all about discretion and self-awareness. You have to know what your goals are as a golfer and what the particular strengths and weaknesses of your game are.

That’s really the only way you can make sure you get the most bang for your buck.

2020 has already seen new balls hit the market and then vanish into obscurity.

So today we wanted to highlight a couple of late generation premium grade golf balls from a couple of the game’s top manufacturers.

Read on to find out which of these two balls is the better buy in 2023.

The Srixon Z Star XV Golf Balls

It seems like we have been talking about Srixon Z Star balls for years now…and that’s because we have. With this latest iteration, Srixon Z Star balls enter their 6th generation of development.

The latest model, the Z Star XV balls, are premium grade balls that build off of the features of the standard Z Stars.

Right off the bat, this ball is not for beginner players or high handicappers. It has a pretty firm compression rating of 102 so you need a fast swing speed to get optimal distance off the tee.

That being said, these balls do perform very admirably all around the course.

The Srixon Z Star XV golf balls feature a 4-piece construction with a gradient core – meaning that the core is firmer in the center and softer in the outer layers.

The Srixon Z Star XV also feature the fourth generation of SpinSkin technology which is essentially a SERMA cover material.

The point is that the cover material was designed to work into the grooves of your irons and wedges for exceptional feel and spin.

And we can say firsthand that these balls deliver on both fronts.

Pros:

  • 338 dimple pattern
  • Great spin around the green
  • Low ball trajectory
  • Good distance for fast swing speeds
  • Comes in both white and yellow
  • Not as expensive as other premium balls

Cons:

  • Definitely not good for players with slow swing speeds
  • Doesn’t sound great off the driver
  • Not the easiest balls to work
  • Outer layer doesn’t seem very durable

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The Taylormade TP5X Golf Balls

Again, we have to start out by saying that the Taylormade TP5X balls are not for beginners.

These are compression rated at 97 so they are a bit softer than the Srixon Z Star XV but still, pretty firm overall. The TP5X balls feature Taylormade’s High Flex Material cover.

The High Flex Material cover, or HFM for short, allows the ball to rebound quickly after impact, which produces more ball speed.

HFM is comprised of cast urethane mostly. The TP5X balls also feature a super-premium 5-piece construction allowing for the most ball speed and spin control.

The TP5X balls are basically an upgraded version of the wildly successful Taylormade TP5 balls which were played by the likes of Ricky Fowler, Dustin Johnson and other high-profile pros. Like the Srixon Z Star XV, the original TP5 balls became a favorite due in part to their gradient core technology.

And you can really feel how well energy is transferred throughout the ball with the gradient core when you go at them with your irons, wedges, woods and driver. The flight pattern is smooth and straight and you get piercing speed.

Pros:

  • 322 seamless dimple pattern
  • Great ball speed
  • Comes in both white and yellow
  • Feels great off the driver
  • You get more feedback and feel with these balls
  • Great feel on putts

Cons:

  • Not very workable
  • Hard to gage consistency with these balls
  • More expensive than the Srixon Z Star XV
  • Not as much wedge spin as the standard TP5’s

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Driver Performance

Srixon Z Star XV

Taylormade TP5X

The Srixon Z Star XV balls held their line better than the Taylormade balls – even into the wind. As far as distance, the difference between these two balls is negligible. But the Srixon Z Star XV provided less feedback off the tee. The great thing about the TP5X balls is they feel great off the tee. You get great sound and feedback off the tee which helped us inform our swings. They don’t fly as straight as the Srixon Z Star XV though and play about as long.

 

Fairway and Green Performance

Srixon Z Star XV

Taylormade TP5X

On approaches the Srixon Z Star XV performed marvelously. We were able to play far-out approaches more aggressively because these balls allow you to bite the green even from 150 yards out. The Taylormade balls also gave a surprising amount of spin control and worked really well with our longer irons. They were overall more effective than the Srixon Z Star XV for getting down the fairway but not so much around the green.

Putting Performance

Srixon Z Star XV

Taylormade TP5X

The Srixon Z Star XV balls have the slight edge in this department because they are firmer so you can feel your putt a bit more. The Taylormade balls performed as well as the Srixon Z Star XV overall but lacked the feel.

 

Price Comparison

You can expect to pay about $38 for a sleeve of the Srixon Z Star XV while the Taylormade TP5X balls will run you about $45 for a sleeve.

Which is Better?

We were pleasantly surprised in almost every arena by the Srixon Z Star XV balls. While they suffered a bit off the tee, they were superb everywhere else on the course.

That being said, the Taylormade balls were also great. They performed almost as well as the Srixon Z Star XV’s in every regard but the Srixon Z Star XV’s were just a bit better. They are our choice so check them out today!

***WINNER***

Srixon Z Star XV

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