Equipment
New Pro V1, Pro V1X are longer and softer
Titleist’s new Pro V1 and Pro V1X for 2013 give golfers what they’ve been asking for from the most played ball in tournament golf — golf balls that are longer, softer and more durable than the previous generation.
Pro V1
The new Pro V1 feels softer thanks to a softer compression core, which has decreased from the low 90s to the high 80s. The core change means that it will spin less and have a shallower angle of descent than the 2011 Pro V1 off of long clubs. For most golfers, this means longer carry distance and more roll, meaning the new Pro V1 will be go farther with the long clubs than its predecessor.
“This is the longest and softest Pro V1 we’ve ever made,” said Michael Mahoney, director of golf ball marketing for Titleist.
While the Pro V1 features the same 352-dimple pattern as the 2011 model, it features a newly formulated cover and paint system that adhere better, which makes it more resistant to scuffs and paint chips and actually improves its aerodynamics.
“[For the new Pro V1 and Pro V1 X], we switched to a solvent-borne paint system that flows better,” Mahoney said. “It creates consistent coverage and better aerodynamics. That’s why the dimples on the new balls look sharper.”
Pro V1X
Like previous version, the new Pro V1X is a four-piece golf ball with an inner and outer core. Having two cores allows designers to more precisely dial in spin on long clubs.
With the driver, PGA Tour players affect the extremely soft compression inner core, which results in low-spin shots. But on shots hit with shorter clubs, the firmer portions of the golf ball — the outer core and inner mantle — are the parts that are affected, so those shots are launched with more spin.
According to Mahoney, Tour players liked the amount of spin they were getting with the Pro V1X off the tee, but they wanted the ball to spin slightly more with their long irons, particularly the 4, 5 and 6 irons. That’s why the new Pro V1X has a slightly different ZG Process core configuration, which Mahoney said not only makes for tighter tolerances, but allows for increased spin with the shorter clubs.
The new core configuration also gives the Pro V1X a different sound profile, which many Tour players have identified as being softer than the 2011 Pro V1X. But the compression of the ball hasn’t changed — it’s still about 100.
It has the same 328-dimple pattern as the previous model. But the new cover formulation and better paint coverage give it a more penetrating flight, which Mahoney said will make it longer than the 2011 version for most golfers.
Comparing the new Pro V1 and Pro V1X
Because of the Pro V1X’s dual-core construction, it’s a lower-spinning golf ball off the tee, and thus the longer of the two balls. Its different dimple pattern and construction also make it is also a higher launching golf ball than Pro V1.
Even though the Pro V1X’s firmer compression makes the ball feel harder than the Pro V1, its performance is essentially identical to the softer feeling Pro V1 inside 40 yards. From that distance, the urethane cover — not the construction of the golf ball — drives performance.
According to Mahoney, the Pro V1X is a natural fit for high-speed players like Adam Scott, who can benefit from the low-spin performance with their driver to get more distance off the tee. But Scott has always been a Pro V1 player, choosing to give up a few yards off the tee with the Pro V1 in order to get more spin and better control with his long clubs.
“Players [like Scott] see improved numbers with Pro V1X, but they don’t think it’s going to make a difference in their game,” Mahoney said.
Despite all the changes inside the new golf balls, which debuted on the Tour at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in late October, much of the feedback on Tour has been about the durability of the cover of the new Pro V1 and Pro V1X golf balls.
“Players have told me, ‘I usually play nine or 10 balls a round, but [with the new ball] I just played this round with two or three balls,’” Mahoney said.
Neal Shipley survived “Golf’s Longest Day” to qualify for the U.S. Open next week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and is set to make his first appearance at his national open since he earned low amateur in 2004. So what better time to be featured in another edition of “Building a Bag.”
It’s also a significant time for Shipley to have a breakdown of his setup featured here at GolfWRX, as the Ohio State alum has been through some substantial gear changes over the past few months to combat one thing – over-spinning the golf ball.
So let’s dive into Shipley’s setup:
Big changes start with the ball
Shipley’s major bag update for this season has been a change in golf balls. Initially, in the Titleist Pro V1, Shipley had to remove loft from his long irons to tackle the fact that he overspins the golf ball. But after testing and transitioning to the Pro V1x Double Dot, he was able to find the right numbers and also launch the ball higher.
“I’ve struggled with spin for a long time and I was battling that, especially in my longer irons and had to take a lot of loft off,” Shipley told GolfWRX. “So I struggled when I got the irons in the right spin rates in the right spin windows, not getting enough height. So I was able to go to this ball and add loft, get the lunch I need, without really adding too much spin.”
The lower-launching and lower-spinning Pro V1x variant is a golf ball that transformed Cameron Young’s game and plenty of players have tested it out on Tour, including Kris Ventura and Jhonattan Vegas.
“It’s been nice to kind of launch the ball a little bit more and get some height more with my launch rather than with the ball downfield,” Shipley added. “So it’s been a nice addition. It’s really good in crosswind. It’s great off the tee.”
Soft stepping experiment
From 5- to 9-iron, Shipley plays Ping’s Blueprint T irons, of which he believes are “one of the cleanest looking blades out there.”
The model has been in his bag even before they even went to retail. What’s most interesting about his iron setup, though, is what he’s doing with the shafts.
Shipley plays Dynamic Gold X100 120 shaft, a pretty common shaft out on Tour. What he and the Ping team have begun experimenting with is soft-stepping, for a few reasons.
“Trying and get a little more, just touch, more height and spin on the ball, a little more deflection,” Shipley said on the process of changing the stiffness of a set of irons by putting the lower-numbered iron shaft throughout the set and changing the distance from the first step in the shaft to the hosel. (ie. The 8-iron shaft is put in the 9-iron and so forth.)
Essentially, the shift makes the shaft slightly weaker by cutting more off the butt end of the club. The change aligns with the ball swap, with Shipley’s freedom now to launch the ball higher with loft without it overspinning. Shipley has also done the same to his i240 4-iron.
No need to de-loft
Shipley plays some of the lowest-lofted clubs out on the PGA Tour. His older Ping G440 LST has just 6.8 degrees of loft – yes, you read that correctly!
Now with the ability to add more loft, thanks to the golf ball change, Shipley’s current driver is at 7.6 degrees. The 9-degree LST head is cranked down on Big Minus on the Ping adapter hosel.
It’s still a stout build, however, as Shipley plays a Fujikura Ventus TR 7x that has been tipped at 2 inches. He also uses the heaviest high-density tungsten back weight available at 35 grams.
More than just the stamps
Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley said. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
There’s more to just the stamping. He’s stuck with the S159 wedges since graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour, as he feels confident in the head shape.
“I prefer the shape a little bit more of the leading edge, not as rounded of a leading edge, a little bit more straight on,” Shipley added.
The added confidence helps him with adapting to the different grinds needed week-in-week-out on Tour. Shipley is happy to game three different grinds with his lob-wedge.
“Primarily use the T, the H, and then I’ll do a 58S,” Shipley said. “These are actually at 59 degrees. I’ll do the 58 strengthen to take a little bit of bounce off in the S grind and then we’ll shave some trail edge and heel edge relief. Just helps act as like a higher bounce essentially. So kind of stick with those most of the time.”
Heavier the better
The final piece to Shipley’s puzzle is his custom Ping PLD Anser 4D. It’s somewhat of a gentle giant, featuring a heavier-than-usual head, but a custom aluminium insert.
“It’s a little bit heavier, I think this one’s 355 to 360 grams, so a little bit heavier head,” Shipley said. “So the heavier head I feel like has helped me on some of the shorter putts with a little bit of stability.
“But the insert, I think, has been helpful in some of the longer putts. Just kind of slowing the ball down with the softer insert in the grooves.”
Shipley’s one of the few players left on Tour playing an actual Anser blade, having said in the past that he naturally sets up to the right on putts and allows the face to rotate through. Something which he hasn’t been able to mimic with a mallet.
Shipley’s full bag:
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @ 7.6)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7X (45 inches, tipped 2 inches)
Mini driver: Ping prototype
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 8X
3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (13.5 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore+ 8X
Irons: Ping iDi (3 @ 19.25), Ping i240 (4), Ping Blueprint T (6-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 X100 (4-9 soft-stepped)
Wedges: Ping s159 (46-12S, 50-10S, 54-12S, 60 T or H @ 59)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 X100 (46-50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (54-60)
Putter: Ping PLD Anser 4D
Grips: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (10 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana RB 53 S
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana RB 63 S
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, C1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Designs Tour AD DI-6 SR
Irons: Srixon ZXi5 (4), ZXi7 (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Steelfiber i80 CW
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack (50 MID-10, 56 MID-10, 60 LOW-06)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro 980GH D.S.T. R
Putter: Scotty Cameron Xperimental 3.2 Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: Srixon Z-Star Diamond
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who 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, @Slinger24 is selling a tour-issued Ping G440 LST driver head. The item, verified by the club maker, has nine degrees of loft.
From the listing:
First up is a tour issue PING G440 LST 9 degree head. Head-cover included. Has been verified by PING with the serial number and you can see the spec sheet from PING as well. This thing is an absolute spin killer. I just can’t hit it high enough. Asking $380 shipped in the lower 48 UPS for the head.
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.
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curtiss mull
Jan 28, 2013 at 5:53 pm
A few years ago when i was a volunteer chairman for the BMW nationwide tour golf channel, I noted that the players were using the old Pro V I and X, not the newest ball.In speaking with them about it , they told me that Titleist made them especially for them as they liked the spin characteristics better on the old design. Frankly speaking I have always played the top of the line Titleist ball going back to the balata and can’t say I notice any difference since the Pro v came out other than at some time they stopped putting two coats of clear coat on them which caused the shine to come off quicker. You can’t blame them since if the ball lasts too long they don’t sell as many. Interesting that they changed the paint to help them last longer .We’ll see if that’s the case.
Blanco
May 29, 2013 at 12:37 am
The last gen. Prov1x felt hard to me– much firmer than the 2009 model that are in most of the recycled ball packs. Glad to see it’s more of a high/low profile compared to the low/low ball from 2012.
That being said: lower your price on these balls to $39.99 ala original Penta. I bet you’ll make more money. The Callaway and TM balls are just as good on certain days and always cheaper. The ONLY reason I don’t play the ProV is the price. Cannot justify 50 bucks on a ball– golf is expensive enough as it is.
Izzat
Jan 24, 2013 at 11:52 pm
i must admit i am excited about the new line of products! seems to me that everyone says its better. gonna have to try it out though.
Lenny
Jan 24, 2013 at 10:04 pm
Looking forward to trying the new Pro-V1!!
David
Jan 24, 2013 at 6:28 pm
I got to demo these balls, the cover durability is the thing I noticed most about the new line. Granted they’re not indestructible like a distance ball, but for a pro level ball the cover was a tank. Overall performance of the ball was much improved as well. Just wish I knew if they sent me the regular or x version on the demo.
Rob
Jan 24, 2013 at 5:24 pm
I switched to the yellow srixon z star because of the Pro V1 covers. I was tired of nipping a good wedge and the cover would look like i hit a cart path. I can’t feel any difference between the two and i now love the yellow look.
Jon
Jan 25, 2013 at 9:57 am
found myself having the same problem (usually get a few rounds out of 1 ball if not lost)..but there is no other ball out there that i can move from right-left, left-right and control the spin like a prov1x. best ball in golf.
Troy Vayanos
Jan 24, 2013 at 2:34 pm
I just received an email from my local golf store offering the previous Titleist’s golf ball on special. This was because the new model was coming out.
I’m interested to see if the newer version do make much of a difference because i’ve always been so happy with the current model.
I have found them very durable and the spin rate is just perfect. I’m happy to keep playing them for some time!
Billy
Jan 24, 2013 at 12:55 pm
It must be great to be able to use 9 or 10 Pro V1s a round!!!
Rick Berggren
Jan 24, 2013 at 12:26 pm
I am the tournament director for an annual golf event for our university. Where would you recommend I obtain pricing for the closeout models of ProV1 and/or ProV1x? Please advise.