2022 Official Member Review: Titleist Pro V1/Pro V1X White Box

[ZMendle10]

Tested the 388 against the Pro V1 on Trackman this morning and there really isn't that much of a difference between the two balls as expected. The only criteria that I had for shot selection was if the dispersion circles were similar after hit about 10+ shots with each. No swings are gonna be exactly the same shot to shot but if the dispersion and delivery is pretty close with misses included than I think it's a fair representation of the performance of the ball. 

 

The only difference that I could see was the 388 was longer than the Pro V1. This is mostly due to on average a lower spin rate. Trackman italicizes numbers if they are not 100% accurate and this is a lot of times applies to spin rates. While its not 100% accurate it is still within about +/- 300pm's of backspin (if its more than that please feel free to correct me) which will make up some of this difference in gap. 

So according to the data lets assume the italicized numbers were consistently 300rpm's less than that spin rate is pretty damn close to the RCT ball which given the standard deviations they overlap nicely. 

 

The PW and 7i there is virtually no difference other than my swing influencing these numbers. The peak heights for the PW might be a huge difference at first but again the spin rate was higher and more accurate on the RCT as well as i hit a few low ones with the 388 to knock that average down.

 

[PeterHenric]

I have around today in a couple hours. I plan on comparing the 388 to the current V1. It’s windy out so I am hoping to see if there is any discernible difference between the 2 balls as far as wind performance. That was rumored to be a benefit of this new ball. 
 

Normally on windy days I stick with my low spin AVX or Tour Response but I’ve gotta do what I can for the test.

[mikeanthony]

6 hours ago, ZMendle10 said:

Tested the 388 against the Pro V1 on Trackman this morning and there really isn't that much of a difference between the two balls as expected. The only criteria that I had for shot selection was if the dispersion circles were similar after hit about 10+ shots with each. No swings are gonna be exactly the same shot to shot but if the dispersion and delivery is pretty close with misses included than I think it's a fair representation of the performance of the ball. 

 

The only difference that I could see was the 388 was longer than the Pro V1. This is mostly due to on average a lower spin rate. Trackman italicizes numbers if they are not 100% accurate and this is a lot of times applies to spin rates. While its not 100% accurate it is still within about +/- 300pm's of backspin (if its more than that please feel free to correct me) which will make up some of this difference in gap. 

So according to the data lets assume the italicized numbers were consistently 300rpm's less than that spin rate is pretty damn close to the RCT ball which given the standard deviations they overlap nicely. 

 

The PW and 7i there is virtually no difference other than my swing influencing these numbers. The peak heights for the PW might be a huge difference at first but again the spin rate was higher and more accurate on the RCT as well as i hit a few low ones with the 388 to knock that average down.

 

This is really good stuff! Well done.  

For me, the biggest difference has been ball flight/height off the tee with a driver and greenside behavior/performance. 

[PeterHenric]

2 hours ago, mikeanthony said:

This is really good stuff! Well done.  

For me, the biggest difference has been ball flight/height off the tee with a driver and greenside behavior/performance. 

Have you tried to compare the current gen balls with the prototypes? Like for like?

I can tell a difference between the 348 and 388 but I cannot hardly tell a difference between the new and old balls. It’s kind of bumming me out that I can’t tell a difference. If I had to do a blind test, I’d say I got a placebo.

[ZMendle10]

3 hours ago, mikeanthony said:

This is really good stuff! Well done.  

For me, the biggest difference has been ball flight/height off the tee with a driver and greenside behavior/performance. 

Much appreciated on the compliment and there will be plenty more to come in the next few weeks. I'll do the same test for the 348 and Pro V1x hopefully sometime this week 

I'm planning on playing 18 on Sunday and possibly taking a half day on either Thursday or Friday to play 18 as well. Because of daylight savings time i can no longer play any rounds after work like I did for my first impressions

[vandyland]

Big Test day today. I went to the Trackman setup and hit the following looking for 5 well struck shots for each (3 with driver as am not an Iron Byron so I needed to delete at least one shot with each):

50 yd 1/2 wedge (58*)
Full Gap (50*) wedge)
Full 7 iron
Full Driver

I used the 348 and 388 Protos AND I also used my current gamer Snell MTB Black and occasional (especially when it is cold) gamer Taylormade Tour Response. The Tour Response being the significant outlier in terms of compression, etc. I wondered first if I should just show the blind Driver stats to see if anyone cares/wants/is interested in guessing blind. But I don't want to derail the thread. 

Overall, I think driver may be a *tad* inconclusive since I don't hit the same, exact shot over and over with my driver. My irons and wedges are MUCH more consistent shot shape. Also, my clubhead speed jumped around a bit as you can see I had everything from 105.6 mph to 100.9 mph but for the driver the 2nd set of data *seems* to be the best ball just based on driver. Carries well, spins fine (they, surprisingly all spun about the same except for one wacky 3,000 rpm'er in the 3rd data set), launches in a good window and maintains good ball speed. 

 

Edited November 8, 2022 by vandyland

[PeterHenric]

So my guess would be Tour Response, MTB Black, 388, then 348. How close am I?

All of those spin rates with the driver are actually closer than I would have guessed.

[vandyland]

1 minute ago, PeterHenric said:

All of those spin rates with the driver are actually closer than I would have guessed.

Honestly EVERYTHING was closer than I would have guessed as well. You managed to not get any right, haha, but that also just goes to show how close these numbers are. Thanks for trying, I would have guessed largely the same as you and I think the main complicating factor is my club head speed changing by a significant margin in the test. 

[PeterHenric]

9 minutes ago, vandyland said:

Honestly EVERYTHING was closer than I would have guessed as well. You managed to not get any right, haha, but that also just goes to show how close these numbers are. Thanks for trying, I would have guessed largely the same as you and I think the main complicating factor is my club head speed changing by a significant margin in the test. 

If you go back, I would like to see official comparisons between the current release V1 and V1X to the 388 and 348 prototypes. In my experience thus far, I don't think I can tell a difference between new and old.

[vandyland]

34 minutes ago, PeterHenric said:

If you go back, I would like to see official comparisons between the current release V1 and V1X to the 388 and 348 prototypes. In my experience thus far, I don't think I can tell a difference between new and old.

I will go back and I will do that. I think at this point I can see the difference between my current gamer and these balls quite clearly, now to see if there is any numerical difference in the old ProV1 vs the Proto balls. I might do a Proto vs ProV for the ball I like better. And if I am only comparing 2 balls I can hit 10 shots to get a larger sample. Testing 4 balls across 4 different shots was a bit much. Also, I hit several hybrids and utility irons since I was in a golf galaxy and....you know...I wanted to. 

To level set, I had an average driver swing of 103 mph in this test and 7 iron swing of 86 mph. Average driver carry was 261 yds and rolling out to 281 yds. Driver is 10.5* Radspeed with a stiff shaft that is cut to 44". 7 iron is a Ben Hogan PTxPro that is 34* with KBS Tour 120 Stiff in it. 

A lot of data to parse through, here we go:

Even though it has a huge impact on my game, I am not overly concerned with the driver numbers. They are quite tightly grouped EXCEPT for dispersion which I attribute just to putting 3 good swings on the Tour Responses, though the Snells seemed to have the widest dispersion across most all swing types so that is concerning (on "curve" a negative value is a left (draw) curve and positive value is right (fade) curve). I am paying most attention to GW and 1/2 wedge swings. 

Gap Wedge Full Swing:
The spin rate is tightest with the Snells here. 631 rev difference between the max and min wins but the spin seems a tad low to my eye. The Proto 348 kicks up to about 9000 revs on average. Tour response is all over the place and the Proto 388 has a fairly wide spread as well. 348 obviously has the most stopping power so that is appealling. 

1/2 Wedge Swings:
I love how tightly grouped the spin rates are on the Proto 388. The difference between the Median and the average is like .6 revs and the max vs the min difference is 433 revs. Crazy. Overall it looks to hold its numbers quite consistently. The Snell spin rates were all over the place and even the Proto 348 was a tad wider than I wanted. Also the Proto 388 had the highest peak height and launch angle which could be good or bad depending on what windows I am trying to hit but since we don't have much wind here in nashville I think it is a good thing.

So then the tie-breaker, so far, will be the 7 iron:
Well, what do I want out of a 7 iron? I initially think some spin consistency. And maybe not too high of a peak on it. Proto 348 has the tightest spin consistency (to my eye) and a 110 foot peak height. I seemed to hit less "low spin nukes" with this ball and the dispersion was fairly tight. So I guess I am a Proto 348 guy for the time being. 

 

Edited November 8, 2022 by vandyland

[PeterHenric]

I am having a hard time telling a difference between the new vs old. Some of that is definitely my lack of experience. My personal opinion at this time is there isn't really that much different between them. I've got a friend who "says" he can tell the difference between balls and I'm going to put him to the test. He will get the blind shot and see if he can tell any difference. I think the performance between the new vs old is more of a small change than a rework.

[ZMendle10]

On 11/7/2022 at 4:42 PM, mikeanthony said:

For me, the biggest difference has been ball flight/height off the tee with a driver and greenside behavior/performance. 

I'm hoping to see some of that today out on the course. It's probably going to be the last day in the 60's here in NJ for a while so I'm taking a half day and playing Farmstead Golf and Country Club up in Lafayette, NJ. I will mostly be testing the 348 next to the Pro V1x and hopefully see how it fairs in the wind.

I'll also most likely be doing some trackman testing this weekend as well for the 348 and Pro V1x.

Edited November 11, 2022 by ZMendle10

[ZMendle10]

Played 18 holes yesterday at Farmstead Golf and Country club and was able ton put both balls through 9 holes of testing. The conditions were in the mid 60's with a slight breeze up to 10mph. Nothing crazy but probably one of the last days I will get to play in these conditions for the year. I played the Proto 348 on the front 9 and the Proto 388 on the back.

 

Proto 348 Front 9: Wind was probably at its strongest for this 9 but was not breezy by any means and it was faint but noticeable. Unfortunately for the Proto 348 this slight wind made my front 9 a really tough round. Any kind of cross wind this ball was at the mercy of the breeze and I felt hopeless to do anything about it. Gentle fades looked like huge slices and one of my drives started straight down the middle and a right to left wind slowly pushed it out of bounds left. There wasn't much of a difference in flight into or down wind from what I could tell despite a higher ball flight than what I am used to but it never ballooned up. Around the greens I saw about what I expected from the Pro V1x with no real changes in performance. 

 

Proto 388 Back 9: Unfortunately the wind had died down by the time I played this 9 so I was unable to do a complete assessment on wind performance. However everything that I was seeing from my previous round of testing was being confirmed all over again. Approach play was still appearing to be spinier than the previous generation but the flight window remained the same. Ample spin with full wedges and partial wedge shots as well. Off the tee the ball flight is super penetrating and provided a beautiful balance of carry and rollout. The Proto 388 feels soft of the long irons and wedges but firmer on the shorter irons for me. 

[mikeanthony]

Was able to get out today and squeeze in somewhat of a quick 9 with the 388 and I’ve gotta say, I reeeally like this ball. 

It was incredibly blustery today out at the Muni and I def felt like the ball behaved really well in the wind. My game has been confident as of late, but at the same time, my comfort level with the 388 is high as well. 

2 holes that stand out to me were both of the par 3s, with both into a strong two club wind. The first one involved the 4h, which for me, generally flies rather high and is prone to ballooning at times … not so here. Pulled it slightly left, but was left impressed with the ball flight. 

The second par 3 required the 3h, and I did have the benefit of playing from a slightly elevated tee, so it was a 3qtr punch and follow thru and the ball flight was phenomenal. Low and piercing, onto the the middle of the green and rolled off the back edge. 

Wanted to get another 9 in for my game was feeling it today … but alas, had to get home to wrap up work items.

[Mr. Mushball]

On 11/7/2022 at 1:42 PM, mikeanthony said:

This is really good stuff! Well done.  

For me, the biggest difference has been ball flight/height off the tee with a driver and greenside behavior/performance. 

Haven't gotten into this part of my testing yet, but want to focus on these aspects as well.  For the most part of my game the tee and the approach/short game are key. Sometimes I have many approach shots. For the stuff close in, be it a pitch or a chip, matters a lot.  Your particular game matters a bunch on these shots. However, a good penetrating, well flighted tee shot can make a big difference on longer holes.

FWIW, at this point in my game I think that ball choice may actually have a bit to do with how well I can score.  I'm a very high handicap, but am close to a few different breakthroughs that should drive my HCP down a bunch.  I've played pool with a similar system and know where the skills to break through are.  Being a transitional player makes data collection and analysis a bit more challenging, but can see both sides of where a player at this level should be and what gear they should be looking at.

I've updated my intro, but should be posting in the regular forum more often from here and will likely repost my update so as to keep discussion active.  First time tester, and an overall idiot.  Peace.

[Mr. Mushball]

6 hours ago, mikeanthony said:

 

The second par 3 required the 3h, and I did have the benefit of playing from a slightly elevated tee, so it was a 3qtr punch and follow thru and the ball flight was phenomenal. Low and piercing, onto the the middle of the green and rolled off the back edge. 

 

Question here about club choice more than ball flight.  Why take a 3/4 swing with a hybrid when there should be a mid iron that gets the same distance?  The flight should be better for a downhill shot and give you better sticking power.  Was it due to the wind?

Do you think you were making the choice due to how the ball was playing?  Still haven't tested the 388 yet, but I somehow feel like it may be more susceptible to the wind.  I'll find out as we usually have a Veteran's Day storm around here and will be playing the 388 this weekend.

Edited November 12, 2022 by Mr. Mushball

[Mr. Mushball]

The testing has begun!

I've finally been able to start my testing of these new Titleist balls.  I was able to ignore my duties and take two afternoon 9 hole rounds this week.  The first half I played with an old V1 I had picked up somewhere but was in good condition.  Probably had a few rounds on it but was no worse for wear.  Don't know which year it's from, if someone can help identify it I'll make a note for comparison.  The second half I played with one of the balls from the box labeled PROTO 348, which I believe to be the V1x.  I will play another round this weekend and test the PROTO 388 (V1).  I'll also work on some putting and chipping evaluations as I have time.  I may have to find another dry day later next week to get all of that plus some pitching in.  I'm going to compare these new balls to older versions of the V1 and V1x, as well as the Top Flite Gamer HD, which is my standard gamer ball.

Could I tell a difference, I believe yes.  However, a few qualifying notes:

• I am still figuring out how to swing the damn driver.
• I made a significant swing change during warmup before my second half.  This led to straight shots that maybe pulled a bit.  With range balls I was carrying 150 yds or, every now and then I'd get one that would go 175.
• It's been rainy here so the ground is VERY soft.  Very little roll out, so basically playing carry distance.
• Temp was 47°F both days.  Very clear so also low humidity even though there was mud and the grass was wet.  Makes it fat shots less painful, love winter play.

So, what did I notice?  A great many things, glad you asked.

First, the new V1x was flying much straighter than the old V1.  For most of my drives the darn thing stuck a bee line to it's target.  It seemed that the flight of driver hits was flatter than the found V1 or the Gamer, but that could be due to my change in swing mechanics.

Not only that, but I got many yards out of it.  When struck well I was getting 192-204 carry.  Remember at the range the best I could get was 175.  And it's cold.  My typical max carry was 180, with a Shot Scope P-Average of 206.  Didn't get any roll out, maybe a yard.  I hit a sky ball on #6 and it plugged at 132.

Can't say much about the irons, I was hitting them so badly.  I feel that my H5 was getting quite a few more yards than usual.  I'd say overall if I had been hitting well I think I would have gained distance. 

Wedges were excellent! Nice flight and great spin.  Much better than what I've been getting out of my Gamer.  They flew high and dropped nicely with only a small amount of rollout.  I don't swing fast enough to get them to roll back, but they were looking close.  I feel like I could target well with this ball.

Putting was a bit hard as the ball EXPLODES off the face.  Using my normal putting stroke I was getting 20-30% more distance from the ball.  It kept the line well on chips and puts and definitely felt lively off the putter face.  Not a downside, just something I'd need to adjust to.  We'll see when I can get to the putting test.

Pictures to come.  At Fire on the Mountain eating wings and working over a phone hotspot, so media uploads have to come later.

[yungkory]

I know they say you should start from the green and work your way back when choosing a ball, but I honestly don't really notice a difference performance wise around the greens. The only difference between the two in the short game is the feel.

I've been a V1x user for a few years as I mentioned previously, because I needed the height and spin. Admittedly, I never seriously tried the regular V1 because of the marketing saying it's the lower flying ball. After I found out that my previous irons weren't spinning enough for me, which resulted in the lack of height, I've found that I don't really need the extra spin after finally getting a proper fit. 

Played today in 20mph tradewinds with slightly stronger gusts, basically a two club wind for the most part. Since I know pretty much how the V1x/348 will perform, I chose to play the 388 since I have very little experience playing the "regular" V1. In short, I'm probably going to switch to regular V1 after this.

Off the tee the V1x/348 is noticably higher and launching through a higher window. The V1/388 is flatter, but seems to move forward more, rather than arching like the 348 if that makes sense. They both go the same total distance, and I'm not gaining distance over last year's V1x. The V1 just gets there differently, and in a round like today where it was blustery, it was very welcome.

[JerryB]

You guys are doing some good work.  I, on the other hand, am starting to feel like this:

[GolfSpy BOS]

9 hours ago, yungkory said:

I know they say you should start from the green and work your way back when choosing a ball, but I honestly don't really notice a difference performance wise around the greens. The only difference between the two in the short game is the feel.

I've been a V1x user for a few years as I mentioned previously, because I needed the height and spin. Admittedly, I never seriously tried the regular V1 because of the marketing saying it's the lower flying ball. After I found out that my previous irons weren't spinning enough for me, which resulted in the lack of height, I've found that I don't really need the extra spin after finally getting a proper fit. 

Played today in 20mph tradewinds with slightly stronger gusts, basically a two club wind for the most part. Since I know pretty much how the V1x/348 will perform, I chose to play the 388 since I have very little experience playing the "regular" V1. In short, I'm probably going to switch to regular V1 after this.

Off the tee the V1x/348 is noticably higher and launching through a higher window. The V1/388 is flatter, but seems to move forward more, rather than arching like the 348 if that makes sense. They both go the same total distance, and I'm not gaining distance over last year's V1x. The V1 just gets there differently, and in a round like today where it was blustery, it was very welcome.

Good stuff!  I’ve also been an X user for many years

now but will occasionally use a regular Pro V1. I have to agree around the green performance seems to be more feel than anything, but off the tee I see a big difference in window just as you did.

I feel like I get more distance out of the X, and maybe a bit more control, but I have no data to back that up so it may just be perception. 
 

With how similar these have been the past few generations I’m curious if they’ll differentiate them a bit more with this revision.