Equipment
What golfers are saying about Titleist’s 2017 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls
We spotted prototypes of the 2017 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, where Titleist’s PGA Tour Staff is testing them.
While Titleist isn’t commenting on the prototype golf balls, the company has sent out test samples to its Team Titleist members as part of its R&D process. Many of those Team Titleist members are also GolfWRX members, and they are discussing the prototype balls at length in the forums. You can join the conversation here.
Below are photos of the golf balls. We’ve also compiled feedback from GolfWRX Members who say they have tested the prototype golf balls.
Titleist Pro V1 2017 prototype
Titleist Pro V1x 2017 prototype
Bdmac79: “ProV1x proto is pretty good in the wind. Nothing ballooned and it held quite well in crosswind.
“I didn’t notice much difference in feel – perhaps even a touch firmer with more of a ‘click’ off of the putter.”
Great insight, Bdmac79. And we appreciate your heightened sense of feel.
mackepa: “So are they doing away with the long arrows for alignment?
“They can claim they’ll be better in the wind all they want but I just can’t see it being any better or worse than their current offerings.”
Noted.
GC70: “The X is great in the wind (25 mph today), but the durability and spin around the green not so much.”
Seems that durability is still a concern to this user, which has been a common complaint about Pro V1’s in the past, whether warranted or not.
mgholda: “Dimple pattern looked similar (maybe a slight variation) to the current Pro V1x in my test sleeve, but the flight was more stable into the wind and it was “clickier” (if that is even a word) off the putter as Bdmac79 mentioned above.”
That’s two votes for clicky off the putter. Interesting. User GC70 chimed back in later in the thread, however, saying “there not that clicky. The only big differences I found compared to the 2015 model is less spin on shorter chips and not as durable.”
Merle33: “I’ve played a few of the ProV1 test balls recently. I’ve played the Nike RZN balls the past few years and most recently the RZN Tour Platinum and loved it. Haven’t played the last 2 ProV versions so can’t give a comparison to prior generation balls. With Nike exiting with equipment, I’m searching for a new ball to play.
“Anyways, I was able to get my hands on a few of the elusive Left Dot ProV1’s right before I received the test balls. Left Dot was an interesting ball for me and definitely noticed a lower trajectory off the tee, distance was good, and had a firmer feel off iron shots and putter than I had expected for a ProV1. The test ball however, seemed to check all the boxes. Lower spin and more distance off the tee and still a more penetrating flight than the X. Also felt very good on iron shots and wedges. Very good greenside control and felt nice off the putter.”
An informative review.
jleduc2200: “I received the test sleeve of Pro V1X’s and thought they played exceptionally well in the wind – Played them 15-20 mph winds, help the line great in cross winds and really penetrated into a headwind. I thought they were more durable as well, which would be nice, not having to go through a new ball every 9 holes.”
Lots of golfers playing in the wind, eh?
Click here to join in on the conversation.
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- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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George
Feb 5, 2017 at 10:17 am
I haven’t tested them but can’t wait to try them out now!
Jimmy Banks
Nov 15, 2016 at 2:44 pm
I’m a low handicap and I found a green Titleist NXT Tour S and shot the best round this year…was always a PROV1x player………go figure…the NXT Tour S felt great and is cheaper than the PROV—
nick
Nov 7, 2016 at 5:05 pm
durability…? everyone wants durability it seems…? as long as ball lasts you the entire round, you should be ok. after abusing a ball for 18, its time to part ways. sure, i can re-use a ball for two maybe three rounds if i really wanted to, but why? ****I only play once week and like teeing up a sparkly white ball each round.
KSigs are my new ball of choice. just played a round this past weekend and she lasted the entire round. just as good as the pro v1 and v1x’s i have in my living room. durability, spin, feel, etc. thank you…
Why Durable?
Nov 6, 2016 at 8:10 am
I can’t figure out why someone interested in playing a premium ball for its premium characteristics is so interested in it being durable. I know they are expensive, but If they spin like they are on a string, they can scuff easily and I’m still happy. Isn’t this what makes playing more fun and scoring more possible?
JR
Nov 5, 2016 at 10:01 am
Why pay $50 a doz. when one can get an equal ball for $15 a doz? I will play the Kirkland from now on. They can have their overpriced ProV’s and others. I thought $20 Gamers and Srixons were a good buy but the Kirklands are even better.
Mad-Mex
Nov 5, 2016 at 12:11 am
NOT ONE person who has posted here can tell the difference between a 5 year old Pro-V1 and this “Prototype”,,,,
cgasucks
Nov 6, 2016 at 9:52 am
I still can’t tell the difference between this year’s version and the 1.0 version…
Mad-Mex
Nov 7, 2016 at 8:35 pm
Right there with you!!!!!
suhdude
Nov 4, 2016 at 2:17 pm
Pro V$48.99X
Jim
Nov 4, 2016 at 2:16 pm
sorry, but i’ll stick with my chrome softs.
M Smizzzzzle
Nov 3, 2016 at 11:39 pm
Acushnet + IPO = Next Taylormade
New stuff every 6 minutes folks
Hello Bridgestone
JOEL GOODMAN
Nov 4, 2016 at 7:44 pm
IT’S ALL BULL EXCEPT THEIR EARNINGS WHICH ARE NONEXISTENT. WANT TO LOSE A LOT OF MONEY? BUY A GOLF CLUB AND BALL MANUFACTURER . WANNA MAKE MONEY? BUY A CLOTHES OR SHOE COMPANY.
rymail00
Nov 3, 2016 at 8:46 pm
I received both the Pro V1 and Pro V1X balls and think they are more durable than current models (played both all year, Pro V1X first half of the season and switched to the Pro V1 last half). I actually found them to very durable, more so than the current Pro V1/V1X. I tried to hit a low, hard punch under and through two trees about 30 yards from me, to the green 150 yards away and hit the trunk dead on, and the a drive landed on the cement cart path 4 holes later. I switched between a single Pro V1X and a single Pro V1 every hole, for 29 holes that day and other than having the very slight discoloration from using a new ball over basically a full round the cover was as good as new.
Also I found the Pro V1X to have a bit softer feel on full and partial iron shots, and wedges.
Anyways just my $.02 on the test balls.
Rimjob
Nov 3, 2016 at 6:42 pm
Titleist knows how to make you spend money on their not-so-long-lasting balls
Brian
Nov 3, 2016 at 12:53 pm
$48 per dozen? No thanks.
Double Mocha Man
Nov 3, 2016 at 12:52 pm
Funny story. My favorite bar/restaurant ordered, from Amazon, $75 worth of magnetic strips to hold knives in their kitchen. Amazon accidentally sent them 7 dozen brand new Pro V1’s! They told the restaurant not to send them back… easier just to keep them, and they wouldn’t be charged. Over a gin & tonic I offered to help them out by buying 3 dozen for 50 cents on the dollar. I’m now set for golf balls for the winter.
COGolfer
Nov 3, 2016 at 10:50 pm
Golf balls for someone that doesn’t play are absolutely useless. I think you hit the lotto on that one.
JustTrying2BAwesome
Nov 3, 2016 at 12:25 pm
But do they compare to the KSigs?? WE NEED TO KNOW!!
Brian
Nov 3, 2016 at 12:50 pm
Personally, I’ll be playing the Kirkland. Titleist can cram their $48 per dozen patent infrigements.
Double Mocha Man
Nov 3, 2016 at 12:54 pm
I played a Kirkland-Signature (KSig)… was not impressed. Others may be…
cgasucks
Nov 6, 2016 at 9:56 am
http://www.golfballtest.org/2016/10/2016-costco-kirkland-signature/
Dj
Nov 3, 2016 at 12:25 pm
Lol the same comments literally on every release. Oh it holds its line better in the wind and doesn’t balloon as much. With those comments every release, every shot should be going dead straight and unaffected by the wind! Hilarious
Ian
Nov 3, 2016 at 2:57 pm
They are. And now I don’t just find the middle, I find the centre of the middle. Thanks Titelist, you’re the best!
Travis
Nov 3, 2016 at 3:20 pm
WARNING! Never play these balls on a calm day!! They are so erratic without the wind to help hold their line.
Jack
Nov 3, 2016 at 11:47 pm
LOL. There’s Pro V1 NW version for that. You just have to buy both and be ready for any conditions. Also a Pro V1 R for rainy days.
cgasucks
Nov 6, 2016 at 9:50 am
I can’t wait for the Pro V1 anti creek version..