Gear: Titleist Pro V1, Pro V1x (2023) Price: $54.99 per dozen
Specifications: Pro V1x: Four-piece, three-piece construction with cast-urethane covers (Pro V1); Pro V1x: Four-piece, dual core construction with cast-urethane covers (Pro V1x).
Available: Jan. 25
Who they’re for: For golfers who want to get more distance from the fairway and off the tee with maximum short-game spin.
The Skinny Both the 2023 Pro V1 & Pro V1x still have their soft urethane covers with greenside spin and retain their high-gradient cores that increase long-game distance.
The Deep Dive Titleist topped the table at the men’s majors in 2022 with Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas (PGA Championship), Matt Fitzpatrick(U.S Open), Cameron Smith (British Open), and each of them winning with a Pro V1x or Pro V1x ball.
Titleist will be releasing updates for the Pro V1x and Pro V1x in 2023. These are the most popular golf balls on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. The Pro V1 is a three-piece ball that still features a large core in a casing layer and a 388-dimple cast thermo cover. The Pro V1x is a four-piece ball that still features a dual-core design within the casing layer as well as a urethane covering. The core design is the most important change in the ball.
The Pro V1x and Pro V1x are 2023 models with a high-gradient core that is designed to be soft at the center but gradually firmer towards the perimeter.
The 2023 Titleist Pro V1 ball is made up of three pieces. It has a gradient core with urethane covers. (Courtesy Titleist)
Titleist created the core of the Pro V1x Left Dash, and 2021’s limited-release Pro V1 Left Dot using high-gradient core tech without drawing attention to it. The brand added it to the Pro V1x and Pro V1x this season after listening to players and tweaking its design.
Titleist stated that a large difference between the outer core and the inner core produces less spin in long-game shots due to it transferring more energy to the core.
The gradient core means that your swing can generate more energy and create forward thrust, rather than spin, when you use the gradient core. Golfers can also generate greenside spin with slower-swinging short shots by using the Pro V1x and Pro V1x soft covers.
The four-piece Pro V1x feels more solid and produces more spin than its three-piece counterpart. (Courtesy Titleist)
The inner core volume of the dual-core Pro V1x was increased by 44 percent and now has a gradient core. The outer core, which was slightly thinner, has been marginally strengthened.
A higher-compression ball like the Pro V1x creates more spin with longer clubs. However, using two cores creates hardness gradients that allow for greater speed. So the 2023 Pro V1x has a firmer feel, but is now capable of delivering more speed.
Titleist does not claim that the Pro V1 and Pro V1x are softer due to the gradient cores. However, PGA Tour reps heard that comment from players during the seeding process.
Titleist claims that the 2023 Pro V1s and Pro V1x provide more distance from the tee, and longer clubs. Titleist also stated that the Pro V1x and Pro V1x create tighter dispersion, as overall spin is decreased, which reduces the impact of wind, hooks, and slices.
With the update, the relationship between the balls has not changed. While the Pro V1x will feel softer, the 2023 Pro V1x will fly higher and produce slightly more spin than its predecessor, while the Pro V1x will still feel soft.
