Titleist Pro V1x Golf Balls

Should I play Titleist Pro V1x golf balls or Pro V1 golf balls? That's the debate a lot of people have with themselves. They don't concern themselves with whether they should be playing a ball made by Callaway, Nike, TaylorMade, Srixon or any of the other golf ball manufacturers. Nope, for them it all comes down to Titleist Pro V1x or Pro V1.

Titleist has been the golf ball market leader for a long time now, and it has made some of the best golf balls the world has ever seen. The current top-of-the-line Titleist golf balls are the Titleist Pro V1x and its sibling, the Pro V1 (without the "x" at the end). They've both been out since around the year 2000, and they took the golfing world by storm when they were released. Since then, both balls have been upgraded, enhanced and improved several times. Now, they're better than ever, and they were already some of the best balls available.

Although the Titleist Pro V1x and Pro V1 balls share some characteristics, they do differ in some ways. This review will focus on the V1x, but a separate review on this site discusses the Titleist Pro V1. Be warned: there may be a bit of duplication between this review and the review of the Titleist Pro V1 we include elsewhere on this site (sorry, but some things about the two balls are the same, so some duplicate information is unavoidable).

Pro V1x balls are primarily designed to deliver two things: low spin and high velocity off the driver and other long clubs for a long, straight ball flight, and what Titleist calls "Drop-and-StopTM" greenside spin control. If your swing speed is fast enough, the Titleist Pro V1x dances on the green, staying very close to where it lands.

Unlike the Titleist Pro V1, the Pro V1x is a ball intended to be played by golfers with tour-caliber swing speeds (115 mph or more) and high launch angles. My 90 mph swing doesn't fit the bill, so it's difficult for me to adequately evaluate some of this ball's playing characteristics - I just don't match up well with the Pro V1x, although my swing is fine for the Pro V1. Clearly, though, Titleist Pro V1x balls are designed for seriously good players who want the best ball money can buy. MSRP is $58 per dozen, although the street price is $10 or $12 lower than that.

The list of Tour pros playing these balls reads like a "Who's Who of Golf" - Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Steve Stricker, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Padraig Harrington, Tom Lehman, Brittany Lincicome and what seems like hundreds of others (it's probably actually a little less than that). At any rate, to say that these balls are popular with professional golfers is more than a slight understatement. These guys (and women) would not be playing them if they didn't believe they were the best balls available for their swing type.

What I can do here is give you a list of some of the playing characteristics the Titleist Pro V1x is designed to deliver. Here's a synopsis of its features:

• Consistent ball flight that cuts through the wind
• Low spin rates off the driver and longer clubs to provide superior distance and directional control
• Titleist's "Drop-and-StopTM" control on the greens (short-game spin control that helps your short iron and wedge shots bite and stop on the green)
• Great feel on all shots, but especially on and around the green
• Improved durability over earlier versions, with a Urethane ElastomerTM outer cover
• Multilayer construction
• A large, high-velocity dual core with soft cover
• An innovative, speed-enhancing, spin-controlling ionomeric casing layer (mantle)
• 328 tetrahedral dimples, spherically tiled
• A side stamp that doubles as a putting alignment aid

Many better players report that the Pro V1x is a slightly hotter, slightly longer ball than the Pro V1 and delivers slightly less greenside spin.

The Bottom Line: If you don't hit your driver at least 250-275 yards consistently, your swing speed is probably too slow for this ball. If you have a swing that's slower than 115 mph (and that probably describes at least 90% of us), you'd be a lot better off playing a Titleist Pro V1 or some other ball. But if you have the game, no ball will bring it out better than the Titleist Pro V1x. Just ask all those pros.

From Titleist Pro V1x Golf Balls to other Titleist golf balls.