WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Srixon’s fourth generation of its Q-Star Tour has a reformulated mantle layer to produce a softer feel while generating more spin around the greens. A flexible coating of urethane on top of the urethane cover improves the cover’s engagement with the grooves of irons and wedges for additional grab.
AVAILABILITY/PRICING: The new Srixon Q-Star Tour will be available in Australia from February 25 at $46.95 per dozen and offered in pure white
THE DEEP DIVE: Making a ball with tour-like ball attributes but specifically designed for those with non-tour-like swing speeds is a pretty big ask. As such, when you find that elusive formula, it’s difficult to stray too far from it, which is why, although the 2020 version of Srixon’s Q-Star Tour was a major shift in that ball’s construction, its 2022 follow-up delivers improvements of a more incremental nature than a golf-ball design overhaul.
The fourth generation of the Q-Star Tour retains the multilayer, urethane-cover design of its predecessor. The “FastLayer” core starts out soft in the centre and then gradually increases in firmness as you move to the core’s outer edges, in effect acting like hundreds and hundreds of separate layers. That produces a benefit for moderate swing speed players off the tee and with other full swing shots because the low compression core helps launch shots higher and with less spin, compared to most multilayer urethane-covered balls that are typically played on the pro tours.
The mid or mantle layer has been changed to be noticeably softer. This not only produces a soft feel but helps provide more greenside spin on those short pitches and chips.
The cover utilises the same 338 dimple pattern and features an extra, more flexible coating of urethane on top of the urethane cover to improve the cover’s engagement with the grooves of irons and wedges for increased spin – a technology the company refers to as SeRM which stands for “Slide-Ring Material.” The dimples are designed in a manner to reduce drag and enhance lift – an aerodynamically preferable condition. The lower drag allows the ball to move through the air with less resistance, making it less susceptible to the wind. The higher lift allows the ball to stay in the air longer, helping boost distance.
Although the side stamping on the previous version was designed to help those who use it as an alignment aid when putting, the stamp on the new Q-Star Tour is even longer to provide more assistance.
The new Srixon Q-Star Tour will be available in Australia from February 25 at $46.95 per dozen and offered in pure white.
