New Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls spotted on tour

The new 2023 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls made their PGA Tour debut last week at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Titleist’s tour seeding and validation process for the next generation of the most trusted golf balls on the PGA Tour and at every level of competitive golf had been scheduled to begin this week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.

However, in the days leading up to last week’s Sanderson Farms, Titleist tour reps received multiple requests from Garrick Higgo, M.J. Daffue and Gary Woodland, each of whom had done extensive testing during the prototyping process, asking to put the new balls in play as soon as possible.

• “I was the first man to win with a Pro V1”

The final Pro V1 and Pro V1x prototypes, manufactured at Titleist Ball Plant 3 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, were delivered overnight and arrived Tuesday morning at The Country Club of Jackson in Titleist’s white box prototype packaging.

On Thursday, Higgo (Pro V1), Daffue (Pro V1x) and Woodland (Pro V1x) became the first three players to game the 2023 models in competition.

The switch paid instant dividends.

Four holes into his first round, Daffue’s new Pro V1x rolled into the hole at the 182-yard par-3 4th for an ace, whilst Higgo led the field in birdies (24), finishing one shot out of the playoff.

Gathering feedback from the game’s best players through every stage of the R&D process and earning their validation under the pressure of competition are critical elements in the development of all high-performance Titleist golf balls and equipment.

• How the Titleist Pro V1 got its name

Today, Titleist’s flagship models are trusted by more than 72% of players across the PGA Tour and major worldwide tours, while the percentages are even higher at the game’s biggest amateur events. Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls were also used by the winners of all four men’s major championships in 2022: Scottie Scheffler (Pro V1), Justin Thomas (Pro V1x), Matt Fitzpatrick (Pro V1x) and Cameron Smith (Pro V1x).

Jordan Spieth, who has won all three of his major championships and 13 PGA Tour title with a Pro V1x, is excited to get his hands on the news balls.

“The Pro V1 and ProV1x, as a whole, are the best balls in golf so it’s hard to say, ‘How are you going to possibly make that ball better when it’s already the best?’” he said. 

“I believe when you think of anything being the best, you’re really going against yourself. You’re trying to beat your former self versus worrying about the competition. And I think Titleist does that. They continue to push being the best and continuing to stay No. 1, and that’s a really difficult thing to do.”

• How to tell what year your Pro V1 is from

Over the next three practice days in Las Vegas, Titleist Golf Ball R&D reps Fordie Pitts and Jeff Beyers will be working with players as they continue to test the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x models, from the short-game area, to the driving range, to the golf course.

The process will continue over the coming weeks and months with professionals and elite amateurs around the world, alongside members of Team Titleist, before the balls make their way to retail in 2023.