Ball Lab: Srixon Z-Star Diamond (2023)

MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of golf balls. Today, we’re reviewing the 2023 Srixon Z-Star Diamond. To learn more about our test process, click here.

About the Srixon Z-Star Diamond

Perhaps all you need to know about the Srixon Z-Star Diamond is that it’s “Brooks’ ball” — the ball Brooks Koepka played during the 2023 PGA Championship. It was his first major victory with a Srixon ball.

Srixon says the Z-Star Diamond offers the highest iron spin rates of any ball in the Z-Star lineup. Driver spin is listed as mid, which is also the highest of any Z-Star ball.

While Srixon has factories in Japan and Indonesia, all of the Diamonds we’ve tested have been made in Japan. The data we’ve collected suggests products produced in the Japanese factory tend to be a bit more consistent.

Srixon Z-Star Diamond Construction

Like the other two models in the current Srixon Z-Star lineup, the 2023 Srixon Z-Star Diamond is a three-piece golf ball with a 338-dimple urethane cover.

Compression

On our gauge, the 2023 Srixon Z-Star Diamond has an average compression of 91. That’s four points softer than the previous version. For comparison, that’s the same compression as the Kirkland Signature V2 and just a point or so different from the 2019 Maxfli Tour X and 2019 Titleist Pro V1.

Given that the Z-Star Diamond is a legitimate Tour ball, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that it qualifies as firm relative to the database as a whole. By Tour standards, I’d describe as a mid-firmness offering.

Compression Comparison Chart

We’ve had requests for a standalone compression comparison tool. As it turns out, that tool exists. We created it as part of our Golf Ball Compression FAQ page. At some point, we may merge the two charts but, for now, the plan is to include this chart in future Ball Labs.

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Diameter and Weight

All of the balls in our 2023 Srixon Z-Star Diamond sample were under the USGA maximum weight limit of 1.620 ounces.

Likewise, all of the sample met our standard for roundness. This is notable because roundness is an area in which we’ve occasionally identified issues with Srixon in the past.

Inspection

Centeredness and Concentricity

As with roundness, we’ve occasionally identified layer concentricity issues with Srixon golf balls. For the most part, the Srixon Z-Star Diamond exhibits excellent concentricity, though we did identify a single ball with significant variation in mantle thickness. Accordingly, we flagged that ball as bad.

Core Consistency

As is typical for Srixon golf balls, a fair amount of regrind was visible in the cores of our Z-Star Diamond sample. That said, color was generally consistent with nothing of note in the composition.

Cover

No cover defects were identified.

Srixon Z-Star Diamond – Consistency

In this section, we detail the consistency of the 2023 Srixon Z-Star Diamond. Our consistency metrics provide a measure of how similar the balls in our sample were to one another relative to all of the models we’ve tested to date.

Weight Consistency

Weight consistency for the Srixon Z-Star Diamond fell within the Average range. The first box was a bit heavier than the other two, though only slightly so.

Diameter Consistency

Diameter consistency was also in the Average range. The largest and the smallest balls in the sample were both found in Box 2.

Compression Consistency

Compression consistency for the 2023 Z-Star Diamond rated as Good (above average) The compression delta across the entire sample was only 5.5 points, among the best in our database. Box 1 was the firmest with average compression in the 93-94 range.

Summary

To learn more about our test process, how we define “Bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.

Srixon Z-Star Diamond (2023) Golf Ball Quality Summary

The takeaway here is simple. If the performance characteristics of the 2023 Srixon Z-Star Diamond golf ball are right for your game, there are no quality concerns that warrant looking for an alternative.

The Good

Average or better for every metric we measure Extremely tight compression delta No roundness issues

The Bad

A single ball had a concentricity defect.

The Score

The True Price for the 2023 Srixon Z-Star Diamond is $49.36 That’s a three-percent increase over the retail price of $47.99

At the time of testing, the 2023 Srixon Z-Star Diamond receives a Ball Lab score of 84. While narrowly missing a Ball Lab Quality Award, it is nevertheless an excellent result.

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