Yellow balls on Tour?

It has been well documented that yellow golf balls tend to be preferred by higher handicap golfers to help them find their wayward tee shots. Since Greg Norman used an orange version of a ball he was promoting in the 1970s, no self-respecting pro - to my knowledge - has used a coloured ball on Tour.

However, that is all set to change if Srixon can convince the players who endorse their products including Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh to put a Srixon Z-Star or Z-Star X Tour Yellow ball into play on the PGA Tour.

Indeed these balls, with a greenish yellow colour, might even find their way into the bag of another Srixon player, Tim Clark at this week's WGC Accenture Matchplay, even though they are not yet available in retail. The South African is seriously considering using one in his match against Singh tomorrow.

Says Srixon's Keith Patterson: "The ball has a slight green hue to it and studies of colour have shown that green tends to produce a more relaxed state of mind. Even if it's subconscious or very slight, we thought, why not try something like this to see if it helps players over the ball.

"We're also trying to find ways to make it easier for golfers to follow and find their ball. In testing with hundreds of golfers we found a yellow ball makes the game more fun. And nobody wants to lose their ball, go back and take a penalty. That can ruin your whole day."

Besides the colour, Srixon says nothing is different with the Z-Star Tour Yellow or  Z-Star X TY balls. It claims they are Tour-performance balls with thin, softer urethane covers and larger cores. Srixon says both balls incorporate 'Energetic Gradient Growth' core technology, a design that helps to increase ball speed, produce higher launch and lower spin for more distance.

"We understand that players at all levels of the game want to lower their scores and the Tour Yellow balls have definitely piqued the interest of our Tour players, as well as consumers," says Chris Beck, Srixon's US brand manager.

Srixon says it has set April 1 as the shipping date into the US for its Tour Yellow balls with a recommended price of $39.99 per dozen.

Nobody wants to lose their ball, go back and take a penalty. That can ruin your whole day