The Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash ball and how it helped Paul Waring to victory 

Equipment
Paul Waring in Abu Dhabi

Paul Waring’s victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship stands out for many reasons.

The 39-year-old had only won once before, at the 2018 Nordea Masters, and the quality of the field at Yas Links was one of the strongest of the season.

He did it with rounds of 64-61-73-66 to finish on 24-under and two shots ahead of Tyrrell Hatton with Rory McIlroy in a share of third.

His 19-under aggregate for the first two days, after being one over after two holes, is a new record low on the DP World Tour and it helped pave the way to secure one of the 10 spots on the PGA Tour for next season.

On Friday Waring hit the ‘best shot of his life’ to set up a closing birdie after driving it into trouble and he then rolled in a 40-footer on the 71st hole to edge clear of countryman Hatton.

At the last he would hit a driver and fairway wood through the green before adding a final birdie for victory.

He finished second in Strokes Gained: Approach (+1.31 per round) and third in SG: Tee to Green (+1.70 per round), hitting 86% of his greens in regulation (T13) and finished T8 in Scrambling (70%).

Waring did all this using a Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash ball which is less well known than the Pro V1 and Pro V1x but, needless to say, a premium ball with tour-level characteristics.

It first appeared on tour as a prototype as players were asking for a Titleist Pro V1x with maxed out speed and less spin in the long game, all to maximise distance.

Pro V1x Left Dash

How Left Dash differs from Titleist Pro V1x

– The Pro V1x is known for its firmer feel relative to the Pro V1 but is still softer than the Left Dash. It provides a solid feel at impact with a touch of softness around the greens. The Left Dash has the firmest feel of all Titleist’s premium balls and is designed for players who prefer a very solid, firmer sensation, especially on full swings.

– The Pro V1x is renowned for its high spin, particularly on iron and wedge shots, which encourages plenty of control and workability in the short game. It has higher spin than the Pro V1, which makes it ideal for players looking to shape their shots and stop the ball quickly on the green. The Left Dash is lower spinning than the Pro V1x, particularly off the driver. So it’s great for players who struggle with too much spin or are looking for a more penetrating flight without losing too much around the greens.

– Both balls are high launching but the Left Dash has a slightly lower overall trajectory compared to the standard Pro V1x. Combined with the low spin the Left Dash creates that more piercing flight which we would see on repeat from Waring down Yas Links’ closing hole.

– The Pro V1x and Pro V1 both excel for distance but the Left Dash is designed to maximise distance even further, especially for players with high swing speeds. In Titleist’s ball charts the Left Dash is very low for both
driver and irons spin so if you do tend to over-spin the ball off the tee then it might well be worth trying the Left Dash.

In summary the Left Dash is ideal for players who want high flight and spin control to help with extra distance and consistency.

It is both incredibly fast as well as being engineered to be low spinning on full swing shots compared to Pro V1 and Pro V1x.

This reduction in spin can help in the wind, help you hit it further, and help if you tend to be pretty spinny on your approach shots or in the long game.

You might notice a more clicky sound around the green and on putts but it still performs with plenty of short-game control and spin.

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