It’s hard to believe that Titleist debuted the Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls a quarter century ago – first to PGA TOUR Professionals and shortly after to the public. Ever since, these two ball models have dominated the market. And they’ve also affected clubfitting, how we look at ball spin and ball sales in general. Which is why we talked with some PGA of America Golf Professionals who have witnessed the phenomena since the start.
“The original Pro V1 and Pro V1x were different than every other ball, as they were able to combine the distance of a solid core ball with the feel and control of a wound ball along with a more durable cover,” recalls 2024 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year Tony Pancake, Director of Golf at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana. “The balls caught on very quickly due to Titelist’s reputation and the balls’ performance.”
Ken Weyand, PGA, General Manager and Director of Golf at Grove XXIII in Hobe Sound, Florida, also remembers the craze well. “The balls really didn’t need any time to catch on at all,” he says. “The hype behind what was happening on the PGA TOUR had immediately validated the products in our customers’ eyes. Once we all had a chance to spend time playing them, it was evident that the performance outpaced the expectation. The Titleist Professional had been the ball of the times and its leap in technology from balata was incredible.
“When the Pro V1 came out, it went again to another performance level. Most golf shops had to establish a waiting list for people to be able to get the ball. I remember seeing some on eBay many years ago selling for well over $100 per dozen.”
This ball evolution was coming on at the same time driver materials were changing, club manufacturers began using launch monitors and clubfitting was becoming more widely practiced and accepted.
“At the time, Titleist was not the first to market with multi-layered construction balls,” says Weyand. “Golfers could experience the differences in a ball through playing, but spin was just something you saw a tour player produce on TV. People didn’t know how and why it happened, they just knew they wanted the same thing. Once high launching drives started to come out and you could actually see that spin could be a negative for a player, instructors really started to focus on how ball performance could affect score. The concept of high launch with low spin really came from driver fitting and really pushed mainstream fitting forward.
“Using a Titleist ball was paramount to a fitter’s success, since it was the most consistent product in the market. Every ball needed to perform the same so you could identify if it was the club or the player that was making the adjustment during a fitting. The ball was the only truly consistent factor.”
Adds Pancake: “Before the Pro V1 emerged, spin was considered a good thing to help launch the ball into the air – especially with wooden-headed drivers. With the move to the improved technology of metal drivers and analyzing data from launch monitors, the high launch and low spin combination proved to be a better performing ball from a distance and control perspective.
“My students are always looking for the best combination of distance and control and consistency.”
Weyand claims that spin is still somewhat misunderstood, but that the use of portable launch monitors has really helped educate instructors and consumers.
“Understanding and using spin dynamics in fitting and instruction can help players make swing and club adjustments for better performance,” he says. “Not enough players will go through a ball fitting to really optimize performance. It’s the only piece of equipment you use on every shot, so understanding what it does can’t be overstated.
“The Pro V1 and Pro V1x do such a great job of covering most every player’s needs, but ball performance is most important from 125 yards and in – especially with lower swing speeds. Once consumers understood how important the ball was to their overall score, it drove the industry into a fitting and technology driven space. The rapid invention of launch monitors for consumer use added plenty of jobs in instruction, fitting and innovation in measuring.”
And that’s a huge reason why a fresh approach to ball fitting has been coming on strong. Over the past few years, Pancake and his staff have changed their ball fitting to start from the green and move back to the tee. For many years, ball fitting was done based on driver performance, but Pancake says fitters have learned that players will post lower scores if they choose the ball that allows them to perform at their best around the greens. And that’s because of the Pro V1.
“Players have become more knowledgeable about how the Pro V1 and V1x will help them play their best,” he says. “And they’ve become more motivated to tee up a new Pro V1 each round rather than just playing what’s in their bag.”
Thus, Pro V1 sales have kept steady this whole time. “Every two years, the next iteration of the Pro V1 franchise comes out, and customers eagerly await to see how their games are going to improve – just based on the balls’ performance,” says Weyand. “They continue driving customers into the golf shop.”
• Bridgestone’s e12 Straight ($35/dozen) aims to reduce hooks and slices through a dimple that lessens side spin and increases forgiveness. It features the MindSet icon to help golfers focus on targets.
• Callaway’s Chrome Tour Triple Diamond ($55) promises distance, feel, shot shaping and control. It’s geared toward better players who prefer a penetrating flight, slightly firm feel and low spin on full shots.
• Srixon’s Z-STAR ($50) maximizes greenside spin for control and stopping power. A three-piece construction aims to give skilled players tee-to-green tour performance.
• TaylorMade’s Tour Response Stripe ($46) is wrapped with a 22mm thick, neon digital ink alignment stripe that makes it vibrant. Core density is reduced to dampen impact sound, while fast construction enhances ball speed and distance.
• Titleist’s 2025 Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls ($55/dozen) increase tee-shot speed, iron control and greenside spin. Pro V1 has a faster high gradient core, while Pro V1x features a faster high gradient dual-core.
• Wilson’s DUO Soft TRK360 ($23) with a 37 compression is billed as the world’s softest golf ball. Its new two-color alignment helps aiming on the green, while visibly highlighting poorly struck shots with a wobble.
