Golf Tips & Quips

Yesterday I talked about winning a dozen Srixon Z-Star golf balls from the Facebook page of Golfballs.com. Thanks again guys. A couple of days ago I had a chance to try them out at Arizona Biltmore Golf Course. I am now a firm believer that the golf ball you play makes a huge difference.

When I first started playing, I just used whatever was cheapest at Target or in the pro shop at the time. Most of these are two piece balls and don't have much to them. Just a core and an outer shell. Technology in golf balls are ever evolving and as my game is improving, it's time for my equipment to improve as well.

Recently I have been using TaylorMade Burner LDP golf balls after reading some positive reviews on the Internet. It is the first three piece ball that I used and the difference was evident. The ball flew a little straighter and it was better around the green, but I still had trouble getting the ball to check like I wanted to. I had to make sure I picked the right club or else the ball would go sailing past my target after hitting the green once.

The Srixon Z-Star golf balls are also a three piece ball but I definitely liked the way the ball felt coming of the clubface with my irons, driver, and wedges. Here are some of the features of this ball as stated on the packaging...

*My iron shots felt crisp as the ball made contact with the club. It didn't have that "tinny" or hollow feeling that comes with a cheap ball. I hit a lot more greens in regulation than I normally do which  set me up with chances to make birdies.

*I hit the ball great with my driver. The ball flew straighter as well as further which resulted in nine out thirteen fairways in regulation. The fairways that I did miss were just off the short grass, so I was never really in a bad spot. Again the ball felt a lot softer coming off the clubface. I could definitely tell when I hit the sweet spot.

*Remember how I was complaining about not being able to spin it back with the TaylorMade ball. Well, there were a few shots that I hit with my wedges that I thought were going to hit once and skip over the green and into trouble. Instead, they skipped twice and checked up, and one occasion, the ball spun back about six feet. This is going to prove very useful.

I had a decent round shooting an 81. The round started out bogey followed by a double bogey, but I bounced back with a birdie on the third and then parred the next six holes to finish two over after the front nine.

The back nine is the tougher of the two and it showed as I carded one double, six bogeys, and only two pars. I was still pleased with my ball striking even though I didn't score as well on the back. I missed a lot of putts that would have made those bogeys, pars. I can only remember three terrible shots during the round which led to my two doubles. I was able to recover from the third bad shot and save what they call "a good bogey."

Only one ball was lost during the round so I have a few rounds left with the balls that I won. Today I'm playing at the Phoenician Golf Resort with Patrick Gibbons. I have played this excellent course once before about two years ago, and I remember it being one of the tougher tracks I have ever played. It will be interesting to see how my game holds up with my improving swing and Srixon Z-Star golf balls.

As always I will be back to tell you about how the round went. My attention before this round will be on putting. If I remember correctly, the greens at the Phoenician are well kept, fast, and undulating. The only thing that held me back from another sub 80 round at the Biltmore were a few missed putts that burned the edges.

If you have used the Srixon Z-Star ball before, I would be interested to hear your opinion. Any stories about other brands that you use are welcome as well. The important thing is that you find a ball that suits your game so that you can have fun and post the best scores possible. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Photo found here.