Sold on the serenity of Srixon's new yellow/green golf balls

First off, I love reaction you get when you tee up a yellow golf ball these days. The assumption is that you’re playing a senior Top-Flite XL, not a premium tour level performance golf ball. A yellow golf can’t possibly spin on the greens, right?

My only conclusion when I get that reaction is that folks haven’t been watching golf on TV lately or they still have black & white sets. Tim Clark and Vijay Singh are a couple of tour players who have been putting the new Srixon Z-Star and Z-Star X Tour Yellow golf balls in play, and early on, they were even catching the announcers by surprise.

It certainly caught my attention, so I had to try it, and see what the difference was between Srixon’s new offerings and the colored golf balls (remember Jerry Pate at the Players Championship) of 30 years ago. (no comparison, by the way)

The very first round I used the new yellow Srixons was on the Azaleas Course at Dancing Rabbit in Mississippi last week. Off the tee, they’re easy to follow. Into the woods (of which there are plenty at Dancing Rabbit), they’re easier to find. And off the green, they seem to be easier to chip. What’s not to like?

Incredibly, I didn’t lose a ball during the entire round, and there were at least three opportunities where I think had the ball been white, it would have been stroke and distance.

Plus, these are performance balls. They felt good off the driver and irons and certainly reacted well on the greens. And here’s the bonus: According to Srixon Sports, they have a calming effect at address.

Yep, that’s right. They “incorporate the science of visual perception with the psychology of color effect on the human brain. Science has proven that yellow is the most visible color in the visual spectrum and psychology has correlated green with calming and stress relief; therefore Srixon has combined the two colors based on these findings to tap into the player?s mind and expand the benefits of playing a better ball.”

Anyway, the balls started shipping in April for an MSRP of around $40 a dozen. I’m really sold on them, so I hope they are successful and don’t go away.

Unfortunately, though, they aren’t un-losable. Hit them into the middle of a pond, and the color doesn’t matter. Hit them into the snake-infested deep thicket, and it’s unlikely you’ll find them there as well. Alas, I eventually managed to do both, and now I’m down to a precious few.