Srixon AD333 Ball £25 a dozen
GM Verdict
Srixon’s most popular and perpetual ball franchise has been given yet another makeover for 2021 in an effort to maintain its position as one of the best golf balls you can buy under £30 a dozen.
This time around, the compression has been lowered and the Fastlayer core from the tour-played Z-star balls added, among other design tweaks.
We tested it on the golf course for multiple rounds and it’s worth highlighting that the AD333 looks like it should be more expensive when taking it out of the box.
A few holes in, it was clear for our aboveaverage swing speed that it wasn’t going to quite match the tour-played Z-star XV for distance, but it wasn’t far short of it in some cases. The flight was strong and consistent, even into the wind, and approaches even flew a few yards further with the long- and mid-irons.
With the wedges, the lower compression was more obvious. It feels more jumpy and springy off the face than the previous AD333, with a quieter sound contributing to a softer feel.
It doesn’t check up as much as the Z-stars or even the Q-star Tour, but there’s an element of bite on the second bounce when you catch the ball cleanly.
The thick side stamp will assist golfers who use a line to align their ball on the greens, and with the putter, the ball rolled true with a nice balance of feel and speed.
The durability of the cover impressed, but the same can’t be said for the painting
on the logo, which had near enough worn off after nine holes and a few visits to the sand.
As disappointing as this was, though, it is only a minor complaint about a ball that performs to a high level in all areas of the bag, but in particular long-game shots. Pound for pound, it remains one of the best Srixon golf balls you can buy.
It’s an excellent all-rounder for the average but keen golfer who doesn’t want to cough up premium prices for golf balls that often go unfound.
“WOULD I USE IT? PROBABLY NOT. BUT IT’S ONE OF THE BEST BALLS YOU’LL FIND FOR £25 A DOZEN”
Joel Tadman, GM technical editor