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.”

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.

$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.

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.