The ifrothgolf review
A genuine premium, three-piece urethane-covered tour ball, and the one most people overlook because they default to the obvious two names. The latest version uses a reworked FastLayer DG Core 2.0 that starts soft in the middle and firms up towards the outside, wrapped in a thin urethane cover with a Spin Skin+ coating to bite into wedge and chip shots. Compression sits around 88, which is properly soft for a ball pitched at better players.
What's great
The feel. Off the face it is noticeably softer than almost any other premium ball, and around the greens that soft, grabby cover gives you the kind of control that makes flighted wedges and delicate chips a pleasure. It still delivers tour-level greenside spin and a strong full-shot ball flight, so you are not trading performance for that softness. And it typically lands a few quid cheaper per dozen than the headline tour balls, which over a season is real money.
Worth knowing
It spins a touch more off the driver than its stablemates and rivals, so on robot numbers it can give up a handful of yards of carry off the tee, call it eight yards versus the longest premium balls. If you swing fast and chase every yard, that matters. The soft feel is also a preference thing: players who like a firmer, clicky strike off the putter and irons may find it too muted. And at premium pricing it is still a waste of money if you lose three a round, a cheaper ball won't cost you shots until your contact is consistent.
The verdict
One of the most underrated tour balls on the market. If you value a soft feel and serious short-game control, and you are not obsessed with squeezing the last yard out of the driver, the Z-Star competes with anything at the top, often for less. An easy recommend for low-to-mid handicappers who put a premium on feel.
