The year 2025 represents the 25th anniversary of the ball that changed golf forever. Who would have thought when Billy Andrade (one of 47 players who made the switch that week to a brand new ball) won the 2000 Invensys Classic despite being on the brink of losing his PGA Tour card, it would become one of the most dominant equipment franchises of all time. Now here we are over a dozen iterations later and the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls are upon us. But what has changed and what performance uplift can golfers expect?
Given the market leading position Titleist has with its premium golf ball franchise, you won’t be surprised to hear there has not been wholesale changes made to the design and the main alterations are not visible to the eye. Besides a more filled in side stamp, much of the tech enhancements have been implemented to the core of the three-piece Pro V1 and four-layer Pro V1x. Specifically, the materials that make up the core have been reformulated to increase ball speed and steepen what Titleist is calling the ‘spin slope’ effectively maintaining low spin off the tee while increasing spin with the scoring clubs.
Continuing from the previous 2023 iteration is the spherically tiled, 388 tetrahedral dimple design that optimises distance and delivers a penetrating and consistent flight as well as a soft cast Urethane Elastomer cover for exceptional greenside spin. All these things combine to create one of the best golf balls for total performance on every type of shot.
The feel off the face with Pro V1 remains noticeably different to the 2025 Pro V1x ball. It’s much softer and there’s less audible feedback when pitching, chipping and putting. Not to the level of the very soft Srixon 2025 Z-Star golf ball, but not far off it.
I conducted my main testing in two parts - the first being on the Foresight Sports GCQuad launch monitor and the second out on the golf course over multiple rounds to assess actual playing distance and ball flight. The soft, wintery conditions weren’t ideal but I was able to get a decent sense of how the ball performed.
Nothing about how the Pro V1 performed on the launch monitor blew me away, but there weren’t any causes for concern either. Ball speed output with the driver was solid and the spin around 200 rpm less than Pro V1x. Coupled with a lower peak height, it carried around three yards less than Pro V1x for my 107mph clubhead speed. These trends nearly all reversed for me with a 7-iron in hand as the Pro V1 became faster and higher flying, leading to a couple of extra yards, although the spin remained around 200 rpm less. On a 50-yard pitch shot with a 54° wedge, the spin reduction with Pro V1 widened to 400rpm less than Pro V1x.
So while the launch monitor performance was solid but unspectacular, on the course is where this ball really shone. I’ve always been a Pro V1x user, and I was hurt by the lower flight of Pro V1 with driver in the wet conditions in terms of total distance. But the way the ball cut through the wind really impressed me - I didn’t see the big drop offs in distance hitting into the wind as I was expecting and crosswinds also seemed to have little impact on the trajectory. It is this consistency and reliability that makes outcomes more predictable and when you consider the golf ball is the only piece of equipment you use on every shot, this can only bring more confidence over the ball.
Is the Pro V1 longer than the prior generation? That’s hard to say with any certainty and it will be somewhat player dependent but I’d wager most golfers will be up to a handful of yards further down the fairway with the latest model versus the 2023 version. A ball fitting may well encourage you to switch and with Pro V1x you’ll likely get a little more short game spin as well as a firmer feel and higher flight off the tee if that's something you're after.
Where Pro V1 really excelled for me in testing was on iron shots. I felt in complete control of the ball from a variety of distances and centred strikes were rewarded with consistent carry distances. If this is an area of the game you prioritise, you’ll love what the 2025 Pro V1 ball has to offer.
The new Titleist Pro V1 balls will be on sale from January 30th with an RRP of £52 per dozen.
