Equipment
Titleist’s new Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls
Titleist’s 2015 Pro V1 and Pro V1x are designed to give golfers all the performance they’re used to from the company’s flagship golf ball brand, but a new cover adds a softer feel, more short-game spin and better durability.
Michael Mahoney, director of golf ball marketing for Titleist, said the improvements to the 2015 golf balls were possible because of the company’s shift to a new cover formulation and paint system in 2013, which was the last time Titleist upgraded the Pro V1 and Pro V1X.
[quote_box_center]“The most efficient path to short game spin control is through cover,” Mahoney says. “The little chip shots, the 20-yard pitch shots, those types of shots are really cover-based events only. If you can focus your material science there, you’re going to get the best performance in short game spin.” [/quote_box_center]
Theoretically, a softer cover should make a golf ball more durable, as forces from the club are distributed across a wider portion of the cover at impact. The increased softness also creates a slightly softer feel, and comes with an added performance benefit. The softer, thermoset urethane cover does a better job of gripping a clubface’s grooves, creating more short game spin.
Still, Titleist spent months testing the balls with its Tour Staff to see if there were any durability issues or performance drop offs.
Sixty percent of the players perceived the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x as having better spin and control around the greens, Mahoney said. More important was an overall consensus that new cover did not compromise performance on shots away from the green or the balls’ durability.
[quote_box_center]“This one’s better for me because that softer cover around the greens allows me to have more spin control and softer feel, without jeopardizing any distance or spin with the long clubs,” said Jordan Spieth, who used the ball for his wins at the 2014 Australian Open and Hero World Challenge. “It’s still long off the tee with more control around the greens,”[/quote_box_center]
Under the cover, the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls use the same constructions as Titleist’s previous generation.
The Pro V1x ($47.99) is a four-piece golf ball with a dual core that offers a slightly higher trajectory than Pro V1.
Notable Pro V1x users: Adam Scott, Jimmy Walker, Hunter Mahan, Ian Poulter and Zach Johnson.
The Pro V1 ($47.99) is a three-piece golf ball that offers a flatter trajectory and a softer feel.
Notable Pro V1 users: Jason Dufner, Joost Luiten, John Senden, Jonas Blixt, Tim Clark, Brendon de Jonge and John Huh.
The Pro V1 and Pro V1x will be in stores Jan. 30, 2015.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Vinny d
Jun 6, 2015 at 3:18 pm
I don’t think the new prov1 is as durable as last years version. They almost don’t even last a full round without getting beat up. Anyone else experiencing this?
Andy Mira
Jan 26, 2015 at 10:19 pm
Just wondering which version of the ProV1 is longer with a 105 mph swing speed? I have seen articles that say the ProV1x should only be used by folks with a swing speed of 115-120mph to get the most distance…a little confused at this point.
MM
Jan 25, 2015 at 8:10 pm
Dont rip me apart on this but…. from a think I read a couple days ago the players (pga) didn’t want much change “why change something that works” I guess ya its a revision. but a little bit more spin and penetrating through the wind a bit more! little additives but its a pretty good ball!
Keep it in the short grass!
Progolfer
Jan 25, 2015 at 6:12 pm
Sorry, that was in response to “yaisaidit”.
Progolfer
Jan 25, 2015 at 6:11 pm
Yes. Because the V1 is softer than the V1x, the grooves will grab the ball more and the ball will spend more time on the club face. Because it spends more time on the club face, it will follow the club head’s path slightly longer than the X (the club head moves more horizontally than vertically) and start lower, then spin upward in the air. That’s why some people actually hit the V1 longer than the V1x– they get more penetrating trajectories and good spin numbers. I would say the vast majority of Tour players use the Pro V1 more than the X for that reason, and they get more spin around the greens.
Mark
Jan 24, 2015 at 5:38 am
If only the non US price was $48….discount price in UK at least 15-20% more than that…and they wonder why people are switching to Z-stars en masse…
golferjack
Jan 23, 2015 at 3:51 am
Titleist have just revised the same ball again, will probably still get a prize for “Innovation”.
They will still be number one on all of the tours worldwide due to their tour policy and lots of amateurs will buy the ball due to this fact. The Pro V1 and V1x are certainly good golf balls but look for example at the offerings from Callaway, Bridgestone and Srixon in the last few years. The Pro V1 and V1x is probably not the best ball for lots of amateurs anyway, especially when one take Price/ Performance into account. Titleist is riding on it’s Name and Reputation but the competitors are passing them by in the real world.
Johnny Miller
Jan 23, 2015 at 12:49 am
Save this article golfwrx and publish it again in two years
-Titleist R&D
T-MAC
Jan 22, 2015 at 10:50 pm
I use to play nothing but Titleist ProV’s. Then they started having durability issues a few years back and I went to the Bridgestone B330S. I still buy a dozen new ProV’s when they come out every year to see if I will like them better than the Bridgestones but so far the B330S has beaten the Titleist’s every year. It’s longer off the tee, better feel and spin around the greens, and VERY durable. We’ll see what happens in this years contest when I buy the new ProV’s and put them against the Bridgestones, but I’m not holding my breath that I’ll be kicking the B330s out of my bag. IMO Titleist is falling behind other companies and getting by on advertising and name recognition only. That won’t last forever.
Busterpar
Jan 22, 2015 at 6:29 pm
No thanks. I’ll keep my extra 20 yards with Srixon, and they also DON’T turn off white after 3 holes. Improve the ball, not the hype and marketing.
slider
Jan 22, 2015 at 7:08 pm
wrong again bud
Johnny Miller
Jan 23, 2015 at 12:55 am
listen to the man busterpar. he’s an expert on your game and what golf ball you should play.
yaisaidit
Jan 22, 2015 at 2:48 pm
wait pro v1x has a higher trajectory than pro v1? so confused.
WarrenPeace
Jan 22, 2015 at 11:56 am
I tested the new Prov1 last fall and found it to be actually too soft for my liking- I tested it in a tournament and just didn’t care for it at all except chipping- even on the greens, it felt mushy and too soft off the face. I much preferred the Prov1x in the new prototype ball as it feels more like the older Prov1’s around the green but with better launch and less spin off the driver- a great combination. The older Prov1x, IMO was a little firm around the greens and felt heavy compared to the old Prov1 (hard to stop)- not really great for feel around the greens. It also dropped and lost trajectory on colder days- much like the TM TP5 did but super LONG on HOT days. When they are available, I will be buying the New Prov1X as it is a really nice feeling all around durable ball now. For now- I’ll stick with the older Prov1’s until they are gone.
Mike Oxbig
Jan 22, 2015 at 10:45 am
NEW eh? REVISiON is more like it. There were grumblings that the previous models just FELL out of the sky. There was an article about the complaint/comparison.
Zak
Jan 22, 2015 at 1:38 am
3-piece ball? More of the same from Titleist. They need to progress the ProV1 instead of keeping it (essentially) the exact same. There’s a reason that 99.9% of tour players that use Titleist balls play the ProV1x (4-piece ball).
I agree that if only 60% of tour players could tell the difference (only slightly over half), then the vast majority of amateurs won’t tell the difference at all. Titliest isn’t moving forward like other companies (like Nike with RZN, Bridgestone with dual dimple, Srixon spin skin, etc). If you don’t start moving forward you will be left behind.
Zra
Jan 22, 2015 at 12:09 am
so out of 10 people, six found that the new Pro Vs are better but the other four didn’t?
simon
Jan 21, 2015 at 9:02 pm
60 percent of the worlds best golfers noticed a difference…cool.. so that would make 99 percent of the amateurs wouldn t notice anything at all .the good news is now you can buy last years stock cheaper .
YJ
Jan 21, 2015 at 4:58 pm
Under “Notable Pro V1x users” you include Ping staffer Hunter Mahan but not Ping staffer and 2 time Masters champion Bubba Watson? Not Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, or Lee Westwood?
Derehk
Jan 21, 2015 at 4:36 pm
“Sixty percent of the players perceived the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x as having better spin and control around the greens”
Did the other 40 percent perceived the new balls as having less spin and control around the greens or just the same? Could you please ask Mr. Mahoney that question, thanks.
austin
Jan 21, 2015 at 2:07 pm
These are the real deal only ball I play
Chomper
Jan 21, 2015 at 1:45 pm
Speaking on the opportunity to test this ball (ProV1) back in the fall when the prototypes were out. Overall the ball is VERY similar to the prior ProV1. And to me, this is a GREAT thing. I did notice the sound off the putter and chip shots to be MUCH softer. Numbers are numbers, but I could see myself transitioning from the old to the new ProV1 without any worries. However, I still have about 4 dozen from the end of 2014 that I will use before buy any new ones.
Golfraven
Jan 21, 2015 at 1:41 pm
ok, ok I buy it. Newer, better – hope those will not fly towards the water.
Fuzzy bear
Jan 21, 2015 at 12:00 pm
“Sixty percent of the players perceived the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x as having better spin and control around the greens”
so most likely that number is 56-57% Under whelming even at 60%. You would think they would reference launch monitor #’s in the article
Scooter McGavin
Jan 21, 2015 at 2:47 pm
Because it would perform the same. Titleist just makes some phony story up about something they improved. With the last release, it was that the ball was more “durable”. It’s the same ball. Of course, to their credit, why would they change it? People love the ProV1 and are willing to pay a lot of money for them. It’s in their best interest to keep the ball the same and keep raking in the money.