On paper this week’s Shriners Children’s Open might seem fairly unremarkable but it will see the introduction of the new Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls on the range for every player to test out.
The No. 1 ball in golf was actually introduced at the same course, TPC Summerlin, in October 2000 – the Pro V1x was added in 2003 – and no fewer than 47 players put the ball into play that week, including the champion Billy Andrade and runner-up Phil Mickelson.
The switch to the new ball marked the single greatest shift in equipment usage in the history of the PGA Tour.
This week every Titleist range ball will be a 2025 Pro V1 or Pro V1x model as the players begin to make the move into the new ball.
There are no details over the new ball or any release date but we’ve already seen Hayden Springer and Lee Hodges (Pro V1) and Zac Blair (Pro V1x) make the move after testing sessions.
Variations of the new ball have been in play this season during practice rounds and Titleist’s Director of Tour Validation and Research, Fordie Pitts, brought out one last round of the new prototypes earlier this year before the final selections were made available to tour reps following the Tour Championship.
Going back to 2000 and the Invensys Classic, it was thought that around 20-25 players would put the new Pro V1 into play so Titleist had 60 dozen Pro V1s in their now trademark white box packaging.
But then the ball’s new-found popularity caught them off guard.
“I missed the forecast by about 50 per cent,” said Mac Fritz, Titleist’s Senior Vice President of Tour Promotions at the time.
“Players would come in the locker room and say, ‘Hey, I’m definitely going to play Pro V1 this week,’ and I would say, ‘OK, well, hang on a second.’
“Then I’d go over to two other players I’d already given dozens to and snag a couple sleeves from each of them. We had guys going to the first tee with half-empty boxes.”
Career changing
Andrade, who beat Mickelson by a shot, claimed that the week turned around his career.
“I remember I was not having a very good year entering that event. I was around 160th on the money list and there were only a few events left,” said Andrade.
“I had already sent my check in for Qualifying School. I was desperate.
“I vividly remember the first time I put it into play during a practice round. The ball was 20 yards longer than the Tour Prestige that I was playing at the time.
“I chalked some of it up to altitude but the distance, in addition to the overall performance of the ball, was like nothing I had ever played.”
The new ball was off the charts for both distance and control, helped by its large solid core, multi-component construction and high-performance urethane elastomer cover.
“The Pro V1 responded to the changing nature of the game,” added Titleist Golf Balls President Mary Lou Bohn.
“The arrival of the power game on the tour necessitated golf balls that delivered very low spin in the long game, while maintaining the spin, feel, and control of the premium liquid centre, wound technology golf balls.
“We walked the fairways with players during their practice rounds, and it was amazing to hear so many great players effusive over Pro V1’s performance.
“If you look at the early success of players who achieved record-setting performances, the results spoke for themselves.”
READ MORE: The best new golf balls for 2025
