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New Titleist EXP-01 golf ball: Giving all golfers the prototype testing experience

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A blank Titleist “white box” of prototype balls always gets a golfer’s heart racing. Fortunately, Titleist is bringing that experience to every consumer with the launch of the EXP-01 ball to select pro shops and retailers in North America starting October 1st.

If you are unfamiliar with the “white box experience,” let me get you up to speed: As the undisputed leader in golf balls, Titleist is constantly testing and prototyping in research and development, and also with players of all skill levels—from professionals to amateurs alike. Unless you are part of the process as a professional, the next best thing is being a part of Team Titleist, where you can opt in to potentially test and give feedback directly to Titleist on sample sleeves.

With the EXP-01, Titleist is being very hush-hush on the exact specs of the ball, and for good reason—they want you, the golfer, to give them as much unbiased feedback as possible and approach testing with an open mind—and I pushed for answers! The initial limited release is very similar to how Titleist first launched the now hugely popular AVX ball—before it was rolled out in full release.

From Titleist

“EXP•01 is being released as part of the Titleist EXP Project, a new and ongoing initiative created to provide golfers the opportunity to experience new golf ball technologies still in the experimental phase. The Titleist R&D and Golf Ball Product Management teams will be actively seeking performance feedback from golfers who play EXP•01 during its availability.”

2020-titleist-exp-golf-ball

Titleist EXP-01: A New Approach

Titleist is approaching the EXP line in a way like the Concept Series of irons but without the premium price point

  • To better understand how new technologies work in the hands of real golfers
  • To get performance feedback
  • To give players of all skill levels the opportunity to be a part of the final prototype process to future products

Titleist has intentionally not provided any clue on where the EXP-01 ball might fit into the current lineup, but it’s safe to make a couple of assumption based on what we do know so far about the EXP-01.

titleist-exp01-ball

$39.99 a dozen puts the EXP-01 in line with the current Titleist Tour Soft ball at $38.99 a dozen, but with one big difference—a urethane cover. It’s not likely Titleist is going to try test selling consumers a $29 ball at $40 because, well, that just not a very good idea (I’m sure much smarter people than me concluded that a long time ago).  It’s either going to be a line extension of the premium line, or it’s going to be a new urethane ball at a slightly less expensive price point vs. the current $47.99 ProV1 and AVX line.

“We want the EXP-01 to be the first of many opportunities for us to work directly with consumers to not only gain personal feedback but also provide golfers with the chance to be a part of the decision making process,” Michael Mahoney, Vice President, Golf Ball Marketing, Titleist

“The EXP Project invites golfers into the early stages of our R&D process and allows us to broadly test experimental materials, constructions and processes that could be integrated into any segment of our golf ball line. EXP•01 is truly an exploratory product and there’s no better way to evaluate our progress than getting it into the hands of dedicated golfers.”

More of What We Know

Without giving any specifics away, Titleist did give us enough information about the specs for us to start looking around and trying to figure some things out.

  1. As mentioned, the Titleist EXP-01 will be a urethane-covered ball, and urethane offers the most amount of greenside spin when paired with proper core and mantle construction.
  2. Speaking to construction, the EXP-01 will be a three-piece ball. There are not many three-piece urethane covered balls that are not designed to absolutely maximize performance from tee to green, so it’s going to be interesting to see how these perform.
  3. MTR Cover system. We were able to get the acronym out of Michael Mahoney, but unfortunately, that was as far as he was willing to go. It’s is a new technology that Titleist has been testing for some time now that offers even more enhanced short game spin and control.
2020 Titleist EXP-01 golf balls

2020 Titleist EXP-01 golf balls

Titleist EXP-01 Feedback & Availability

Each box of EXP-01’s will include an insert card for golfers to go online and provide valued feedback about the ball to Titleist. For example: How they liked the feel, distance, and spin performance among other questions both qualitative and quantitative.

The EXP-01 with be available in October in select pro shops, so check with your local pro shop or retailer to find out how you can get your hands on some.

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Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

18 Comments

18 Comments

  1. Spin Master

    Oct 6, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    I’ve been hitting chips with a sleeve for a couple days. These have no action at all. I’m seriously disappointed. I might as well be playing the new Try Soft ball. This is a waste of a urethane cover.

  2. steve

    Oct 5, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    Just one more example of how the major golf manufacturers have golf enthusiast by the “balls“ ( pardon the pun? ). Convincing people to buy experimental products is brilliant and not surprising in this industry where people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a single club based on keeping up with the Joneses mentality.

  3. Buckwheat Zydeco III

    Oct 2, 2019 at 7:01 pm

    I read the comments below and it is safe to say just about none of you have any idea what you are talking about. You sound like a bunch of guys at a strip club trying to do their “aren’t I cool” act with the dancer they just gave half their paycheck to.

    • Rascal

      Oct 3, 2019 at 12:55 am

      Thanks for sharing your nightlife experience with us. Me, I’d keep that kind of detail to myself really.

  4. Superior Spin Desired

    Oct 1, 2019 at 9:37 pm

    The more it spins around the green the better. I’ve heard the new Bridgestone picks up some serious green side spin. I can’t wait to try these Titleist. I love the AVX off the driver but it’s just not as fun around the greens. This needs to be more skinny than the Pro V1 line.

  5. drkviol801

    Oct 1, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    Tp5 flat out exposed the prov1

    • Juan Baldez

      Oct 2, 2019 at 6:54 pm

      Did you pull down your pants in front of your foursome again?

  6. John J Burns

    Oct 1, 2019 at 7:54 pm

    Titleist is starting to go down that slippery slope of having too many ball options and confusing the consumer!

  7. Mark

    Oct 1, 2019 at 5:04 pm

    OK, nice move but when we can get the other pro V1 and Pro V1x as everyone knows Titlest have 4 balls not just 2 from ProV range for the pros. This could be a great one. I understand the logistics and marketing of 4 premium not just 2 but it can be the right time now.

  8. JP

    Oct 1, 2019 at 12:40 pm

    NXT Tour U

    A urethane covered NXT Tour S

  9. James

    Oct 1, 2019 at 10:56 am

    Replacing the NXT Tour.

  10. Alex

    Oct 1, 2019 at 10:26 am

    Titleist stop taking the Taylormade and Callaway bait. Either you need spin and go for the x or need less spin and go for the regular Pro V1. If you are distance crazed and want another premium ball to be a club longer on every shot get the AVX. Other wise the Tour Soft is the new NXT Tour if you dont want to spend $50 a dozen and the velocity and the tru soft are the glorified range balls.

  11. Richard

    Oct 1, 2019 at 10:20 am

    Will it be a conforming ball?

    • Thomas A

      Oct 1, 2019 at 10:51 am

      Of course not. Why would the leading golf ball manufacturer make a conforming ball to sell to the public and use in competition?

    • APFPilot

      Oct 1, 2019 at 3:22 pm

      It is on the conforming list

  12. APFPilot

    Oct 1, 2019 at 10:16 am

    So it is basically their version of the ERC Soft just with a full Urethane cover?

  13. the dude

    Oct 1, 2019 at 9:25 am

    titleist marketing genius……proto’s you pay for….all the while the lines will be running to put these puppies on the shelf regardless of the feedback. 🙂

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

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Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

 

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

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