Ball Lab – 2019 Titleist Pro V1

Hi Tony, do you have a schedule of the balls that you will be putting through ball lab, as I’m wondering when my ball may be done (currently TP5x). Also, I’ve heard good things about the Srixon AD333 and am wondering if you may be putting this on the list of balls you will test? Cost of the 2 piece AD333 is a big win and I’m also guessing that 2 piece construction would greatly reduce the chances of something like an off center core. Cheers Mark

Just read both lab on pro v1 and chrome soft, I don’t get where you get between retail price and tru price on both. On the pro v1 you’re saying difference of $2 against the chrome for about $10. So you’re saying chrome is a better buy even though it has more inconsistencies?

Great information! A helpful, “to the point” review. I always seem to go back to the Pro V1.

I just wanted to say that these are really great Tony. I love them, and I appreciate all your time and effort you put into doing the research for me.

This, to me, is one of the better tests and write ups. Its simple, to the point and proves that all marketing isnt just hyoe. Hopefully you can continue this with the TP5, AVX and other “premium” balls. Good job

Thanks for the study. I played Titleist for years until I went to a Bridgestone ball fitting. Ball fitting was a first for me. I saw improved results and have stayed with Bridgestone since. I would like to see the same study on Bridgestone Tour B RX. The work of MyGolfSpy is one of the best additions to us regular golfers. Keep it up.

“any given week it’s likely to be the softest ball in play.”…?
Isn´t the TP5 softer?

All the TOUR balls while not the “same” all provide a similar level of performance. One ball may match your game and another might suit mine. Just like people are different but still equal. Titleist bases it’s reputation on consistency and apparently that is still true.. My ball of choice is the ProV1x. It tested among the longest at about 90 MPH swing speed and spins well around the green. The fact that they are NOT a box of chocolates and you always know what you are getting is a bonus. If golf balls are not consistent they are useless.

Why is the compression lower than the ball test last year? Gone from 104.2 to 90..

Would like to see a Srixon comparison between a low tier ball like the AD333 and the mid-high tier Q-Star Tour as they are two common choices for mid and low-mid handicappers.

Excellent test. Hope you plan on testing the ProV1x too as that’s my ball choice. I noticed two categories where the Prov1 showed zero inconsistencies yet was rated average. So how does a ball get a better rating? You can’t get better that zero defects. Perhaps move the needle a bit in future tests?

I tested 7 major ball brands 4 years ago. This test required that each ball was rolled down a stimp meter and was measured at the point the ball began to roll ” out of round” The Pro V and Pro V 1 was one of the worst at this test. All 3 Bridgestone balls tested rolled at least 7 feet further than the Titleist. I now play a Bridgestone .

Hi Toney,
Thanks for your great work. I was wondering why you still come out with 2019 model test while we are at the end of third quarter of 2020?

WHITE v YELLOW …. Matt A and Paulo have a point, My preference is the V1x and I find a distinct difference between the white and the yellow.. …. The yellow is both firmer and more durable. …. As an 85 year old 18 handicap hacker I don’t expect my opinion to count for much …. I’m just disappointed that even at my level of play there isn’t another ball that performs as well as the V1x – particularly as the UK cost is equivalent to $62 !
Ray J..

Hey Tony, first off absolutely love these write ups, but was wondering if you noticed a lot of really small letters stamped into your ProV assortment for this test. I know you mentioned pin drops from the paint application, but I always seem to notice small letters embossed across the face in random spots, often times across dimples, I always wondered if it effected ball flght…?

And when you guys are looking at the cover, do you account for how the cover holds up or would that cross over into a performace test and less of this quality control type test?

I personally played Titleist balls all my life. My dad who was a scratch golfer always played them so I simply followed his lead. Once I started getting older, I was noticing a lot of golfers my age and my size were outdriving me by 10-15 yards. I always loved the feel and performance of Pro V’s but I simply didn’t have the clubhead speed to compress the ball in order to take advantage of some of the features of the ball. SO…I started buying sleeves of a lot of different brands…..even some Titleist’s not necessarily Pro-V’s. What I found was that a distance ball wasn’t necessarily as forgiving around the greens and a performance ball wouldn’t get the distance I was looking for. The last couple of years however…..Callaway Chrome Soft started having some of the advantages of both. Then only recently I started using the Bridgestone Tour B RX. It’s soft and long off of the driver, but on approach shots it really holds the green like a Titleist Pro V. I guess to each their own…..but I’d suggest shopping around to find something that fits your game, rather than fitting your game to a specific ball.

This is basically what I would expect for time list. They are, in my opinion, and always have been, a cut above on the quality side. And I love the fact that so many people use AND lose them. I always play new or near-new balls, & I haven’t bought one retail in 12 years. Amazing thing at our course, at least 1 out of every 10 of all balls found (covering all brands, all varieties) are Pro V1’s (or Pro V1X”s).

I appreciate the detailed write-up Tony. I look forward to the Tour B XS review as well. It has been my ball of choice of late, but I toggle between it, Pro V1, and TP5..

Actually I would like a ball that is too small and too heavy. They go farther!

So if I play a Pro V1, I lose the excuse the ball isn’t perfect;y around? I’ll stick with Callaway.

Comparison of this to the Callaway is revealing. Titleist is far superior. I would never play Chrome Soft. I look forward to the same tests on Srixon, Bridgestone, and Taylor Made premium balls.

For those confused by the size/weight consistency numbers where everything was conforming, but the ranking was still “average”, I believe this is because while all the balls passed (none too big/too small/too heavy), there was variance within that passing range, so the balls weren’t identical to each other, which would have raised that ranking.

Thanks, Tony. I genuinely appreciate the time and work you put in to capture and share this information.

Serious question , why is nobody , and I mean nobody doing a comparison on a launch monitor between white and yellow pro vs ? Google it. Nobody has done one

Why are you testing the 2019 model?

Very anxiously waiting for the Snell MTB-X review. Also, isn’t true price only relevant if the golfer physically took multiple balls out of play prior to gaming for inconsistency reasons? IMO most golfers do not remove any balls from the dozen prior to hitting them.

Guess there is a reason why I continue to play this ball. Numbers don’t lie. Thanks for the report! ;

Good write-up! Was half expecting to receive some shocking news on this one, but Titleist delivers as always.

Which ball is next?

Nice teaser, but just in case you guys are wondering—We can’t wait for the next big ball test. The last one gave Titleist an ad Campaign, while handing a –“You need to go back to the assembly line drawing board” spanking to Callaway.
It certainly helped explain the occasional truly weird ball flight I would get from a Cally at times. Seriously, every now and then it looked like I was trying to pull off a trick shot. Theoretically thei’ve been out there saying they’ve revamped their old Top Flite Assembly Lines. We’d love to see you guys show us who, itf anyone, is telling the truth, and to what degree.

I anxiously await any of these that you guys publish! Love the golf ball tests, and appreciate the time that you put into it. It would be great if you could test the Maxfli Tour balls. They are fantastic performers for the price (Two dozen for $50, or $35 for one). Would love to see how consistent the build quality is.

How many unique golf balls were tested for this study?

I dont see how you can say it compares with other balls without naming them.

A ball can have a defect as pictured in your example just from being cut in half by an individual using a hand cutter. Unless a stable, automatic machine is doing the cutting, I would submit this is possible on your sample. As I understand it, Titleist X-ray’s all balls. Maybe their X-ray apparatus was down that day but I doubt it. Titleist is #1 for a reason but now you’ve planted a seed that says, wait a minute, when you buy a dozen Pro V1’s you probably will get one bad ball. I can’t wait to see how you get nothing but perfection with Snell!

Great series, many thanks.

Interesting. Reads like the Pro V1 was not a dominating performer in it’s category. Makes me even more interested for the rest of the line up.

Would like to see the same test results on Vice Pro Plus

I understand that your TruePrice for a dozen of these would actually be the cost of 13, since there was one bad ball in the dozen. However, this assumes that the consumer picks out the bad ball and discards it, like you would with one cracked egg in a dozen. Thats not the case, though. We have no way of knowing which ball (if any) is bad, so we just play all 12. It doesn’t affect the price, it affects the performance in the form of a sliced drive or a wobbly putt. This metric should really be more about the “True Performance” than the true price, as it dosen’t really change our price.

No surprise here, ProV has been the standard to which all other “tour level” balls are measured. It’s the reason it’s been my ball of choice for the vast majority of years that I have been playing.

Quick question. Let me preface this by saying I only play ProVs when I find them or they are given to me. If the ball has 0% of them being too small, 0% being underweight and 0% being out of round, how does that classify as “average”? Is there a chance that a ball can be excellent given that 0% is average? I’m just curious and not attacking at all. Just need some clarification. Thanks for all the hard work!

Tony, can you post a picture of a Pro V1 with concentric issue? Curious how severe/minor this is visually. Thanks!

I’m glad that it looks like the ProV1 lived up to its high expectations.

I have some questions about True Price, though: it seems that you equate consistency of construction to performance. That is, if a ball is consistent in its core, cover, etc., it should perform consistently, whatever it’s particular performance metrics (ball speed, spin, etc.) are. The first problem I see, however, is that there is no way for a ball to have a true price less than its MSRP unless you create a metric where you compare it to al of the other tested balls. The second problem is that the True Price doesn’t actually include performance characteristics. I know different players require different performance characteristics , but imagine a less consistently produced ball has worse performance characteristics when compared to a more consistently produced ball. The True Price makes it seem like the more consistently produced ball is a better value, but it may actually be an overall underperforming ball. Just some thoughts and thanks for all of your work!

About what I expected. Pro V1 is the standard for a reason. Will you be doing a review of any of the Bridgestone tour balls, specifically the B-XS? I keep bouncing back and forth between those and the ProV1.

Great write up Tony! Appreciate the work you put at MGS!