Srixon is the name used by Japan’s Sumitomo Rubber Industries (Japan’s largest ball manufacturer) for their North American golf balls. In spite of winning many PGA events including seven majors, Srixon is a brand name that is just vaguely familiar to most American golfers. Accustomed to the soaringly optimistic golf ball names such as Titleist, Top Flite, Maxfli, Pinnacle, Pro Staff and Ultra, players on this side of the Pacific have long been reluctant to try any ball with a name as awkward-sounding as “Srixon”. Sumitomo’s strange series of commercials that featured brain-dead, Srixon-loving zombies banging on a golf store door in the middle of the night did little to assuage the discomfort that the name engendered in the average American golfer.
Though no one outside of the company would have any way of knowing it, the Japanese executives at Sumitomo followed the same logic as their American counterparts in selecting this brand name. Srixon stands for Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) Unlimited Dreams for the Future (X) Going Onwards (ON). Undoubtedly, this combination of abbreviations inspired confidence within the cadre of Sumitomo executives responsible for this selecting this peculiar moniker. However, with the American buying public this train of logic has only inspired “Huh?”
Some of North America’s largest equipment retailers, such as The Golf Warehouse and Golfsmith, do not even carry the Srixon line. In spite of that, and the peculiar name, Srixon balls have managed to generate a small but devoted following in the United States. What keeps these players devoted is the special feel at impact for which Srixon balls are known. That feel – soft and sweet, but responsive at the same time – has become Srixon’s trademark. Good performance, great feel – that’s what has traditionally distinguished Srixon balls. Much of this feel comes from Sumitomo’s EGG Core. EGG stands for Energy Gradient Growth. EGG cores are softer in the center than they are in the outer area. This gradation in softness creates a feel at impact that is unique to Srixon balls.
