The most popular ball in golf has undergone another upgrade, and the 2015 edition of the Pro V1 and Pro V1x has already proved an instant hit on the professional circuit.
It doesn’t matter if you play once a week, once a month, or just a few times a year, the chances are you would have put a Titleist Pro V1 in play at some point in your golfing career.
The company’s flagship sphere has been the most popular ball of choice worldwide since the original Pro V1 made its debut on the PGA Tour almost 15 years ago.
The Invensys Classic in Las Vegas in October 2000 proved to be a landmark tournament for the golf industry, as 47 PGA Tour professionals put the Pro V1 prototype in play.
After quickly gaining a reputation for being the best performing ball in the professional game, it took only four months for the Pro V1 to become the best-selling ball in golf shops all over the globe.
Titleist also launched the Pro V1x in 2003, and no other product has come close to matching the popularity of either ball since, in the professional or amateur game.
And now, Titleist have launched the 2015 model which has already proved an instant success. Masters champion Bubba Watson put the new Pro V1x in play last October and scored a thrilling victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
Charley Hoffman won the OHL Classic with the 2015 Pro V1x the following Sunday, and Jordan Spieth used the same ball in his back-to-back victories at the Australian Open and the Hero World Challenge towards the end of last year.
Jimmy Walker continued the trend in his runaway win at last week’s Sony Open, and the new Pro V1x has also made an early impact on the European Tour, with Andy Sullivan and Gary Stal using it to great effect to win the first two tournaments 2015.
Durability
Both the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x will be available to the worldwide golfing fraternity this week, with Titleist promising “exceptional distance with consistent flight, more short game control and even softer feel from a new, patented urethane elastomer cover formulation and long lasting durability”.
Let’s be honest – Titleist have a pretty good track record in this department, and any concerns over their claims of improved performance from the Pro V1 family are usually dismissed within the first few blows.
“Golfers often ask us what sets Pro V1 and Pro V1x apart from other golf balls. You can’t just point to one or two things. The difference is everything,” said Bill Morgan, the senior vice-president of Titleist’s golf ball research and development team.
“We have more people with more experience of designing and making golf balls, the largest intellectual property portfolio and the most sophisticated precision manufacturing processes. The 2015 Pro V1 and Pro V1x are the culmination of all that knowledge and all of that technology.
“The original Pro V1 was revolutionary, no question, but we’ve learned a lot in the last 15 years and these new Pro V1 models are the best we’ve ever made.
“We’re giving golfers everything they’ve previously had in Pro V1 and Pro V1x with some enhancements. They’ll get the extraordinary distance and ball flight they’re accustomed to. But they’ll also get a softer cover, which will add more spin control and feel around the greens.
Improved performance
“The feedback we’ve received on tour and with club professionals and amateurs clearly tells us that players are benefiting from this improved performance.”
One of the main concerns among club golfers over the years has been the durability of their chosen ball, something which Titleist addressed and answered with their revolutionary new cover and paint system first implemented for the launch of the 2013 Pro V1 range.
“The breakthrough we made in durability with 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x really opened up the doors for us in terms of experimentation with our cover formulation,” Morgan added. “Our urethane is so resilient that as we softened it, we were able to increase short game spin and enhance the feel while maintaining its abrasion resistance."
Not convinced? Then it’s worth checking what some of the world’s top players are saying about the 2015 Pro V1 and Pro V1x, starting with Bubba Watson.
“I first tried the new ball about two weeks prior to going to China,” said the left-hander, who memorably made eagle from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole in Shanghai before going on to beat Tim Clark in the resulting play-off.
“I loved it and put it in play right away. It has all the great qualities of the previous generation Pro V1x with improved feel around the greens, which is exceptional. It even goes a little further for me off the tee.”
Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington also found instant success with the new Pro V1x, picking up his first win for over three years at the Indonesian Open.
“After some testing on the practice days, I put the ball straight into play and found it to be a seamless switch,” said the Irishman. “I loved the feel and felt that the ball was spinning a little more around the greens, whilst being just as long off the tee.
“In fact the last time I switched to a new version of the Pro V1x ball in 2011, I also won in Asia the first week out.”
Endorsements from major players cannot be disputed, neither can Titleist’s unprecedented record in the golf ball industry. And rather than rest on their laurels, they remain determined to keep updating and improving their products for the benefit of all golfers – not just the stars we watch on our TV screens week in week out.
Titleist is the No 1 ball in golf, and for good reason.