Equipment

Early reactions to Titleist’s new Pro V1, Pro V1x golf balls in Las Vegas

Published

2 years ago

Oct 17, 2024

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt of an article our Andrew Tursky filed for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full piece.

Although technically this week begins the official seeding process for Titleist, the company has already been working with some PGA TOUR players to get their feedback. Some players liked it so much that they wanted to put the ball into play for competition a bit early.

For example, Hayden Springer switched into the new Titleist 2025 Pro V1 golf ball for the start of the FedExCup Fall at the 2024 Procore Championship, going on to finish T8 in his next start at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Additionally, Lee Hodges began using the 2025 Titleist Pro V1 at the Sanderson Farms, and he finished a season-best T8 at the Black Desert Championship the following week using the new ball.

According to Hodges, he’s picked up significant speed with every club in the bag, and he’s hitting the ball straighter, too.

“It’s actually an unbelievable ball,” Hodges told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the 2024 Shriners Children’s Open. “It has the same feel that you would want out of a Pro V1, but I’ve noticed 1.5 mph of ball speed with every club. The thing that I’ve loved the most is off-center hits, just seeing it stay on line a little bit longer. There was one [shot] I had in Jackson (Sanderson Farms) when I first put it in play, I hit a driver a little bit off the toe, and instead of going to the left, it just hung in there and caught the left side of the fairway. For me, that was a huge thing to see, and that’s what I’ve noticed with basically every club. Everything has been the same except it’s a little bit quicker, and the mishits have seemed to stay on line just a little bit longer.”

Gaining 1.5 mph of ball speed on each shot is certainly nothing to scoff at, especially on the PGA TOUR where every inch matters.

Golf ball expert Fordie Pitts, Titleist’s director of Tour Validation and Research, is on-site at TPC Summerlin ahead of the Shriners Children’s Open making sure that every PGA TOUR player has the opportunity to test and provide feedback on the new 2025 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls, should they wish.

On Tuesday, GolfWRX.com caught up with Pitts to get his take on how the validation process has been coming along in Las Vegas.

“This is our official launch of the 2025 Pro V1 and Pro V1x,” Pitts said. “We’re very excited to be here. We’re here for a few days to introduce the product to the players. We’ve been talking to them for the past couple months, preparing them for this day, but these are the days to really get into it, hit shots, and see if it’s going to be a good option for them… the goal was to make a consistent, well-performing golf ball that satisfies all the players’ needs. So we look at things like speed, spin and flight windows to try and dial in an even better version of Pro V1 and Pro V1x… every player out here has a machine and they’re looking at numbers so they’re already figuring out what the new product is doing for them…

“This week we’ve got, I don’t know the exact count, but we’re pushing close to 100 Titleist ball players this week, and our goal is to see every single one of them. We have a handful of guys already making the move; they’ve already seen some speed and spin benefits from the product. And we’re anticipating a fairly good conversion rate for the first week with the product.”

Read the full article on PGATour.com.

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

Equipment

Interesting clubs at top of bag – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, users are talking about top of bag setups that are non-traditional or thought-provoking in some way. Original poster @SuperSpurs106 inquired about other members who might use unorthodox set-ups to help with gapping issues or weak spots.

They wrote:

“I currently have a PING G430 driver, TM Qi35 3W and a TM Qi4D 7W. Driver and 7W are fine but can’t get on with my 3W and have always struggling with this club over the years. Thinking of adding a 2H which I know would look odd. Just wondering if anyone else had a weird set up at the top of their bag?”

Our members in the forum have offered up their thoughts and personal experiences with non-traditional top of bag set-ups, and their reasoning for thinking outside of the box to begin with. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

BowMain42: “Don’t worry about what “looks” odd. If the club does what you need it to do, it’s the right club.”
scooterhd2: “I cant hit 3 woods either. Thats why I roll with a unicorn XL Hibore 2 wood. 400 cc head at 16 degrees of loft and its just a monster 3 wood off the tee. Off the deck, we are playing the f6 baffler. 5 wood at 41.75 inches and its easy to control.”
phizzy30: “I had driver, 3 metal, 2/4 hybrid once upon a time as a higher ss player. 4 hybrid is gone and in place is a driving iron nowadays. I don’t think what you’re proposing is weird in anyway, however the yardage gap might be glaringly huge between driver and 2 hybrid. What is it about your 3 metal that has got you all messed up? You could always go 4 metal with shorter shaft and see if that works.”

Entire Thread: “Interesting clubs at top of bag”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Equipment

Members of the Mini Driver Club – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has gone searching for fellow users of a mini driver. In a post, @TightFade asked for other mini driver users to chime in with their weapon of choice, the reason for employing a mini, and what club follows it in the bag.

@TightFade asked:

“What mini are you playing? What spot in the bag did it take over? What’s the next club after it? For me: Elyte mini 13.5. Replacing 3w. Next up club looks like it’ll be 5w.”

Our members in the forum have been sharing their own bag setups featuring the mini driver, and the various reasons they purchased one in the first place. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

RCGA: “Ping G430 Max 12* ‘Thriver.’ Next club is a 4w and 2i (I play a weird course).”
JMB3: “R7 at 12.75 with Diamana BB 63s. 3w replacement. Next Club: Elyte Ti 5w at 17*.”
ColdOkieGolf: “R7 15.5 turned down to 13.5 It replaces the 3w. I found it surprisingly easy to hit off the deck, and it’s very rare that I need or want to hit something beyond 250 from the fairway, so next club is my 7w.”
ChaosTheory: “I’m sub-90 MPH with driver. But I’m able to hit DOD. I have been wanting something like the R7 15.5, so I just ordered one. I have a spot in the bag so nothing has to go. But I could see it replacing my trusty 4 wood, which I never use for approach shots. Just tee shots and lay ups. If I drop the 4 wood, I will turn my 7 wood down to ~20 degrees and will have good gaps. I recently tried a thriver build: 12 degree driver turned to 14, with a heavier 44 inch shaft and added head weight. I hit it great. Very accurate and not overly high, but the problem was that it sometimes went as far as a typical drive. And that’s not what I needed. So I will probably turn the 15.5 up to 16.5 or even 17.5. It’s all theoretical at this point. ?”

Entire Thread: “Members of the Mini Driver Club…Check In.”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Whats in the Bag

Chris Gotterup WITB 2026 (June)

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Chris Gotterup had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Drivers: TaylorMade Qi4D (8 degrees), Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @8), Ping G440 LST (7.5 degrees)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS T1100 Handcrafted 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g