Titleist set the standard for golf ball performance. The overwhelming choice of players at every level of competitive golf, the best selling-models Pro V1 and Pro V1x, have set the standard through research and development innovation and industry-leading manufacturing process since their launch in 2003.
Given that history, the fact Titleist claim the new 2017 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls are the most advanced and best performing golf balls ever stamped with the Titleist script should make everybody sit up and take notice.
Michael Mahoney, Vice President of Titleist Golf Ball Marketing, explains:
Every time we set out to develop new Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls, our challenge is to set an even higher benchmark for golf ball performance.
We are constantly in the field talking to golfers of all skill levels about what we can do to help them shoot lower scores. At the same time, the Titleist Golf Ball R&D and Operations teams are working together to develop new golf ball technologies that deliver performance golfers may not yet realise they need.
It’s because of this ownership and commitment at every step of the process that we’re able to deliver meaningful performance improvements and make the best golf balls in the game even better.
The 2017 models see a number of modifications to the balls to provide all round performance for every player and deliver unmatched quality and consistency.
The three-piece 2017 Pro V1 has been re-engineered with a Next Generation 2.0 ZG Process Core that delivers longer distance on all shots through lower long game spin and faster ball speed. This is coupled with a new spherically tiled 352 tetrahedral dimple design which produces a penetrating trajectory for a more consistent flight.
The four-piece 2017 Pro V1x has a ZG Process Dual Core that powers the balls distance and uses a new spherically tiled 328 tetrahedral dimple design that produces a higher trajectory and its most consistent flight ever.
Both balls use the same soft Urethane Elastomer cover to deliver Titleist's Drop-and-Stop greenside control and soft feel. Created by a chemical reaction that occurs during the casting process the cover also provides long-lasting durability throughout the course of play.
In terms of performance golfers will notice the balls differ in terms of flight, feel and spin. The Pro V1 flies lower with a penetrating trajectory and feels softer whilst the Pro V1x flies higher, has a slightly firmer feel, and spins more on iron shots.
Both balls deliver these characteristics with unerring consistency thanks to the precision of Titleist's in-house manufacturing process where mould cavities are used to form the Urethane Elastomer cover and dimple pattern on each ball. As tens of thousand of these mould cavities are needed to supply the Pro V1 and Pro V1x urethane casting lines it is crucial that every mould cavity produces the same result.
To guarantee this level of precision, the Titleist Operations team manufactures the cavities and the tooling used to make the cavities (called “hobs”) in-house. An investment in new equipment to make the master hobs provides even tighter tolerances to ensure the consistency Titleist demand of the balls.