Titleist’s PGA Tour seeding for its new 2023 Pro V1 & Pro V1x golf balls started at the 2022 Shriners Children’s Open, Las Vegas. However, several pros had already begun using them at the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship.
We didn’t know the pricing or technical changes at the time. The early feedback from pros who had already begun testing the new golf balls was all we knew.
Charley Hoffmann switched to the 2023 Pro V1x ball at the Shriners during Tour Launch Week. Hoffmann spoke with GolfWRX.com at Shriners to compare his experience with the Pro V1x golf balls to the Pro V1x left dash ball he was using previously.
Hoffmann stated that he just began hitting the Oceanside course and found it to be very fast. The Left Dash is a Trackman ball. It has all the same numbers as Trackman but you do lose a bit around the greens. The ’23 golf balls are, I would say is a very fast ball. Although it spins slightly more than the Left Dash, you can still get the best launch conditions and low spin with your driver. It’s tight with the irons and is great around the greens. That’s what I love about it. It has a slightly soft feel and is not as clicky as the Dash or traditional X golf balls. It has a quieter sound and is really, really good on the greens. Titleist’s ’23 golf balls em> has solved the problem of keeping the driver at a distance and maintaining good ball flight.
Fordie Pitts is Titleist’s Golf Ball R&D Tour Consultant. He confirmed that Titleist wanted to make the new Pro V1x and Pro V1x golf ball “a little longer,” by decreasing spin on full shots at high speeds. Pitts and his team tried to maintain the same short-game performance within 100 yards, in order not to make a compromise on performance.
Titleist revealed exactly how they went about making the desired improvements during today’s retail announcement.
Titleist claims that the company developed a “high gradient core” in order to achieve faster spin speeds and lower spin. Both the cores of golf balls have been made to be more rigid on the outer parts, becoming progressively softer as the core reaches its center. Particularly, the Pro V1x golf balls saw their inner core grow by 44%. The larger, softer core works with the high-gradient design to reduce spin and increase stability as the ball moves through the air.
The 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x versions have soft urethane casings and firm casing layers, just like the previous Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball models. This helps to maintain maximum greenside spin.
Titleist was able to reduce spin in the long and full game, increase distance on full shots and maintain the short-game spin to which they have become accustomed in recent years through the combination of a soft outer casing, a firm inner casing and gradually softer inner cores.
2023 Titleist Pro V1 vs. Pro V1x
Let’s now get to the important question: Which golf club should you choose – the 2023 Pro V1x or the 2023 Pro V1?
Let’s look at the differences.
Titleist 2023 PRO V1 golf ball features 388 dimples, a black number. It has a three-layer construction (urethane casing, core, and cover). The Pro V1 has a lower long-game spin, and more penetration ball flight. It also has a soft feel.
Titleist 2023 PRO V1x golf balls have 348 dimples. It has a 4-layer construction (urethane, casing, core), and has a 4 layer construction. The Pro V1x will provide slightly less spin during the long game, and a higher level. It also has a more firm feel than Pro V1.
The new Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf ball designs by Titleist will be available at retail stores starting January 25th for a minimum advertised price (MAP) $54.99. Both are available in white (numbers 0, 1-99, and high-optotic yellow (numbers 1 & 4)
