2025 first look: the lowdown on the new Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls
The domination of the Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls remains one of the great equipment stories in the history of the game.
Before they came out at the end of 2000, balls either had a small liquid core with wound pieces of elastic material that went all the way around that core which was then covered with a plastic material. Often this would be Balata which was great at generating spin for elite players but didn’t go very far.
Otherwise you would have a solid core ball that went a long way but you couldn’t spin it.
The Pro V1 merged these things with a large rubber core, a pretty firm veneer casing layer and a urethane cover. In 2003 the Pro V1x was released to provide a higher-flying, lower-spinning alternative to the Pro V1.
These days 70 per cent of the players on the PGA Tour use a Pro V1 or Pro V1x ball which compares to the nearest competitor at 11 per cent. The ball won 34 times in 2024, more than six times the nearest competitor.
When was the previous Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x launch?
Titleist has released the Pro V1 and Pro V1x on two-year cycles so the previous version came out in 2023.
Two years ago the story revolved around a high-gradient core in the Pro V1 which was firmer on the outside with the new core getting progressively softer towards the centre – all of which meant faster ball speeds and long-game spin.
In terms of the Pro V1x the main improvement was a new high-gradient dual core which gets softer as you move to the centre. In 2023 the inner core was made 44 per cent bigger which reduced spin in the long game and increased speed to provide a more stable flight.
What are the key differences between the Pro V1 and Pro V1x?
Pro V1 offers the greatest combination of speed, spin and feel in the game, with mid-flight trajectory, low long-game spin, maximum short-game spin and soft feel.
Compared to Pro V1, the Pro V1x will fly higher, spin more on full swing shots and have a firmer feel.
It’s worth remembering here that the Pro V1 is a 3-piece construction (core, casing layer and urethane cover) while the Pro V1x is a 4-piece (dual core, casing layer and urethane cover), which allows for a higher launch and lower spin on long shots.
What is different in the new Pro V1?
“The 2025 Pro V1 and Pro V1x produce more speed off the tee, more control with irons, more spin with wedges and more opportunity to shoot lower scores.”
This sounds familiar but, given this is the Pro V1 and Pro V1x and what goes into Titleist’s Research and Development (R&D), this is a big part of the product launch calendar.
The story again revolves around a new faster high gradient core, which produces more speed along with increased iron and wedge spin for more control. Its spherically-tiled, 388 tetrahedral dimple design optimises distance and delivers a penetrating and consistent flight.
Titleist have what they call an eight-second story and, for the new Pro V1, it is: “The greatest combination of speed, spin and feel in the game with long distance and penetrating flight.”
What is different in the new Pro V1x?
The new Pro V1x features a new faster high gradient dual core and this helps deliver more speed as well as increasing spin on approach shots.
The Pro V1x’s spherically-tiled 348 tetrahedral dimple design is optimised for high flight with even more consistency. This is a ball that features “high flight, precise spin and control with long distance for total performance.”
What makes the Pro V1 and Pro V1x so special?
A typical day of data collection accumulates approximately 20,000 data points which extends to more than five million per year.
Over 1,700 golf ball patents line the walls of their R&D department with a total of 34 patents going into the creation of the original Pro V1. More than 125 patents have been implemented on subsequent generations of Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
Since the original Pro V1 was introduced the Titleist R&D team has designed, manufactured and tested over 2,500 dimple patterns.
Every Titleist golf ball model has a unique dimple pattern to optimise flight and distance and every Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf ball must pass more than 90 quality checks, while the dual-core Pro V1x must pass more than 120.
What are the players saying?
Following 2025 Pro V1 and Pro V1x’s official introduction on the PGA Tour, more than 40 players made the move to the new models in the first five weeks including several winners on tour.
Ludvig Aberg has always played a Pro V1x and he already has the 2025 ball in his bag.
“I’m not a big fan of changing too much so I really took it to heart and try to make sure that, if I do change anything, I want it to perform better. And I could definitely see a difference with the spin numbers consistently with my driver,” explained the Swede.
“The heely ones didn’t go up as much as it used to and the toey ones didn’t go down as much as it used to. So I think, just to tighten that window a little bit, was a big deal with the driver. And then just a little bit softer and more spin control, I think, around the greens.
“The game at our level is so tight and a good season can be separated by just a couple of points here and there. So if you can find just a little bit that will make you a little bit better, a little bit more consistent, or a little bit more control, I’m going to be up for it.”
Will Zalatoris also plays the Pro V1x and he loves the way the new ball performs in the wind.
“The biggest improvements that I saw was about a mile an hour faster with the driver and it fought the wind a lot better than what I was playing previously,” said the American.
“Any week where we have some wind, and I know that if I hit a club 190 yards, and I know that it’s going to go 190, it’s a very confident feeling. And I was loving how from the 40-60 yard range, I was able to add just a little bit more spin.”
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