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

glenmore5 · December 9, 2022

Go you guys....look forward to the tests in the field.

ZMendle10 · December 12, 2022

Took the Proto balls out to the sand to do some durability testing. The range has a lone bunker that has some very gritty sand (if you can even call it that) and can absolutely tear up a golf ball. I used new balls and hit 10 shots out of the bunker with each ball to see how they hold up.

The Proto 388 held up marvelously and didn't have any scuffs or dings at all.

The Proto 348 had a few noticeable scratches but nothing that would deter me from continuing to play the ball out on the course. The black streaks you are seeing are just some black streaks from a bladed sand shot spinning up against the net that was a backstop. I tried to remove them as best I can but couldn't fully get them off.

After the bunker shots I decided to go the unconventional route and threw the balls up in the air and let them bounce around on the parking lot until they came to a stop. I did this three times and while its not the most conventional test but the opportunity presented itself.

This is where the Proto 388 took all of its visible damage and while it isn't worth playing on the course it definitely is still able to be in the shag bag for some short game practice.

The Proto 348 faired a bit worse than the Proto 388 for this part of the testing as well and had a few more cuts a scrapes that would take it out of play for the round but still allow it to be used for short game practice.

Overall the durability is what i would expect with a Titleist golf ball which is a very good thing because they are some of the most durable golf balls out there. I find it interesting that the Proto 348 is a bit less durable than the Proto 388 and it could be because of the firmer golf ball.

Note: Images are having difficulty loading so I will update post with images once the issue is resolved.

JerryB · January 9

Finally got my review up. Not sure how well it came through but I was pleasantly surprised with how these balls performed. Sticker shock still prevents me from spending $50 per dozen but it has convinced me to move away from budget balls and also to stick with one brand/type for a longer period.

Going to take some time this week but I want to see what everyone else thought about the balls. Some really smart and insightful folks in this testing group.

Edited January 9 by JerryB

GolfSpy_APH · January 9

Great reviews so far! Looking forward to the others that will follow!

ChuckZ · January 9

Good reporting from the testers. Congratulations on being selected and thanks for the feedback. I was blessed to get the white boxes in September at a Team Titleist event in Florida and got a jump on testing the balls. I personally found that the 388s did go farther than the previous Prov1 model. Where I noticed the big difference was in the irons, felt they really pop of my T300s. The feel of the 388s was awesome. No issues off the driver, chipping, or putting. I am a feel person and they gave me the best feed back. I was considering changing to the Prov1x left dash and had been testing it prior to getting the white boxes but will stay with the Prov1s with the new ball coming out. The main con with the 348s was that they scuff much easier and do not last as long. Both are good performing balls, but guess I have and will always be a Prov1 guy. Know everyone will be excited when they are released on January 25th and even more excited when the loyalty program is back this year. Buy four dozen pay for three. Whichever ball you chose, Prov1, Prov1x, will be the right one.

vandyland · January 9

49 minutes ago, ChuckZ said:

The main con with the 348s was that they scuff much easier and do not last as long. Both are good performing balls, but guess I have and will always be a Prov1 guy.

Yes, I called it "road rash" but that was what I saw as well. I had one ball that made it through 5 rounds which may be overkill but it looked pretty rough at the end.

ChuckZ · January 9

48 minutes ago, vandyland said:

Yes, I called it "road rash" but that was what I saw as well. I had one ball that made it through 5 rounds which may be overkill but it looked pretty rough at the end.

Think five rounds if is pretty darn good. Imagine it did look pretty rough. Consider myself lucky to get two to three rounds and then into the shag bag from my regular balls.

griffwatt · January 9

On 10/27/2022 at 6:57 PM, yungkory said:

You registered just to post that?

Hello!

I am headed out to Honolulu coming up in March and wanted to hear your recommendations of some good courses on the island!

My handicap is similar to yours and am from Cleveland, OH so these will probably be my first rounds of the year hah

Best,

mikeanthony · January 9

This was hella fun ... review is up!

glenmore5 · January 10

Congrats to all of you.

ZMendle10 · January 10

Forgot to post this yesterday but my review has been posted. Can't wait to field any of the questions that my fellow spies might have for me.

yungkory · January 10

On 1/9/2023 at 6:28 AM, griffwatt said:

Hello!

I am headed out to Honolulu coming up in March and wanted to hear your recommendations of some good courses on the island!

My handicap is similar to yours and am from Cleveland, OH so these will probably be my first rounds of the year hah

Best,

Search "golf in honolulu" we've discussed it a couple of times

edit: found it for you buddy https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/23880-golf-in-honolulu/#comment-417140

griffwatt · January 10

17 minutes ago, yungkory said:

Search "golf in honolulu" we've discussed it a couple of times

edit: found it for you buddy https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/23880-golf-in-honolulu/#comment-417140

Thanks my man!

PeterHenric · January 11

@ZMendle10 well done on your review. I’m impressed.

GolfSpy_APH · January 11

Impressed with all these reviews. Well done crew and thank you for making our selections look good on this. So so much valuable information here for all of our membership!

Lacassem · January 11

Some of the best reviews I have read on this one top to bottom. Shoutout to @vandylandand @ZMendle10

ZMendle10 · January 11

9 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Some of the best reviews I have read on this one top to bottom. Shoutout to @vandylandand @ZMendle10

9 hours ago, PeterHenric said:

@ZMendle10 well done on your review. I’m impressed.

Much appreciated guys. I know I went well over the word count but I'm glad it was still well worth the read.

Lacassem · January 11

27 minutes ago, ZMendle10 said:

Much appreciated guys. I know I went well over the word count but I'm glad it was still well worth the read.

I think with ball testing the data is extremely important and explaining data is not simple or short. Its worth going longer and getting all the thoughts and descriptions out there instead of cutting it short and withholding specific information.

mikeanthony · January 11

On 10/20/2022 at 7:58 AM, ZMendle10 said:

Introduction 10/30/22:

First thing’s first it is a privilege to be selected as a tester once again for MGS and a huge thank you to the moderators for the opportunity. This is my 2nd time testing golf balls for MGS where previously it was a blind golf ball test which had myself and fellow testers see if we could determine the difference between 2 different Titleist golf balls then answer some questions afterwards. Enough about my past experiences let's dive into a little bit about me and my current game.

My name is Zach and I reside in NJ while playing 75% of my rounds at courses in Somerset County. It’s a great mix of courses that has brought me to my current 11 handicap with my biggest downfall being putting and strength being iron play. I play the Pro V1 currently after switching mid season from the Bridgestone Tour BX. I just enjoy the softer feel and slightly lower spin a bit more and it allows me to optimize my iron play. Since Iron play is my strength I like to play a ball that enhances that rather than the conventional method of green to tee.

My current ball flight is high but penetrating. Shots hit a high apex but get there at a steady rate and don’t balloon on me. I have a huge privilege of having access to trackman through a part time job at an indoor simulator facility on top of my day job as a mechanical engineer. This is going to play a huge part of my review as the golf season in NJ starts to come to an end soon. Below is a small but very fair representation of my PW, 7i, and Dr averages and what I will be comparing the 2023 versions to. I’m really looking forward to getting the testing underway and am so excited to begin the process!

First Impressions

I started off with the Proto 388 on the course and after a few warm up holes with the Pro V1 I broke out the Proto 388. And then sprinkled in the Pro V1x and Proto 348 throughout the 9 holes. The first two things I noticed was that the Proto 388 was noticeably firmer than the Pro V1 while also being much spinnier and the Proto 348 felt faster off the driver than the Pro V1x. In terms of feel these two things were the most prominent features of each ball. Off the wedges they had ample spin without being too much and putting I was hard pressed to tell the difference between the two. Overall I was very intrigued with my 9 holes of golf played with these two balls and I was very excited to get my testing underway as well as get them on Trackman.

Looks and Durability

Proto 388 15 out of 15

Proto 348 13 out of 15

First thing’s first Titleist makes the cleanest, most premium looking golf ball on the market in my opinion. There is nothing loud or in your face about the ball and they focus very hard on the simplicity that is a golf ball and letting their name and performance do the talking. Nothing on these golf balls but the Titleist logo, a number, and the ball model in a line straight enough that it can easily be used as an alignment aid.

On the course both of these golf balls passed with flying colors for durability would easily make it through 18 holes despite hitting some trees, branches, and cart paths along the way. One way I decided to do some unique testing was to hit 10 shots out of a bunker at the range with each ball and see what happens. The “sand” if you can even call it that is a 60-40 mixture of large grain sand and super tiny rocks. If it can make 10 shots out of this bunker it can handle any bunker. The Proto 388 passed with flying colors and didn’t have a noticeable scratch on it while the Proto 348 had a mark here or there after the 8th shot but nothing that I would take the ball out of play for.

Pre Bunker Shots

Proto 348 Bunker Test Results

Then just because I can I threw each ball around the parking lot 5 times each to simulate the cart path and this is where most of the damage occurred but again still a lot better than I expected.

Before "Cart Path" Testing

Proto 388 "Cart Path" Test Results

Proto 348 "Cart Path" Testing Results



One last note on durability. It took about 400 shots with each the Proto 348 and Proto 388 to start to effect the cover of the balls while hitting on Trackman. However this didn’t affect performance at all on the simulator and both balls are now at about 400-450 shots hit and while they look tattered they are still producing the same numbers as if they were a new golf ball.

Proto 388 Durability from 400 simulator Shots

Proto 348 Durability from 400 Simulator Shots



Sound & Feel

Proto 388 13 out of 15

Proto 348 13 out of 15

Proto 388

The sound of the Proto 388 is the best thing about the ball that has been consistent throughout the testing. It is muted without sounding super soft and this translates to a great sounding golf ball throughout the bag. The feel of this ball is fantastic only out the middle of the clubface. If you miss the center you get the same firm harsh feeling you would expect from a much firmer golf ball. It does feel a bit firmer than the current Pro V1 and for me this is a bit of a disappointment. Overall it’s a great feeling golf ball and an even better sounding golf ball.

Proto 348

If Titleist themselves told me that this wasn’t a Proto 348 but a Pro V1x i would full heartedly believe them which is a fantastic compliment. It is the perfect sound and feel for someone who loves a firm golf ball like myself. I play a Bridgestone Tour BX and this ball is right there in the feel category for firm golf balls. The only marks against it are that the cover that it has makes it a bit too high pitchy on miss hits with the driver that are high on the face. It is a bit softer than a Left Dash which is something that I enjoy and think a lot of other golfers would as well.

On-Course Performance

Proto 388 35 out of 40

Proto 348 35 out of 40

Proto 388

As mentioned throughout the review the Proto 388 for me played a bit more on the spinier side then I would have liked. That being said this ball performed beautifully on the course once I got used to the spin. The ball had the most important thing for me and that is consistency. I could tell how each shot was going to react based off the contact and seeing that I put on the ball. It has no problem holding any green thanks to that additional spin and performed excellent in the wind. No ballooning when hitting into the wind and no crazy left to right movement in a cross wind. While this is a great ball for out on the course it did lack in distance off the tee, around the greens, and putting. Off the tee it didn’t feel as fast as the Proto 348 and wasn’t getting as much distance as I felt it could have and after comparing the two on trackman my suspicions were right. Around the greens were a bit of a disappointment as well since the ball was so spinnier in every aspect of the game but not where I wanted it most on those greenside chips. And putting was a slight disappointment for a “softer” ball it still felt firm off the clubface.

Some photos of the Proto 388 are below

This shot was a PW from about 135yds uphill and while i caught it a bit thin it still had no problem stopping and bouncing a bit backwards.

From 100yds out this ball had some zip to it. Tough to tell but the pitch mark is circled in red and there was a slight hill it still spun back a healthy amount on some slow but soft greens.

Proto 348

Being a replacement for the Pro V1x i was expecting a firm and spinney golf ball but not too spinney where it’s uncontrollable. This ball delivered in spades as expected and was a strong contender for going into the bag. It was a great firm feeling with being a rock and well struck shots still felt fantastic without being offensive. The only club it wasn’t great feeling off the clubface was the putter but if you have an insert putter this won’t be a problem for you at all. This ball has no problem holding a green and has plenty of drop and stop ability due to the extra height. Around the green this ball has control and I could predict and manufacture the shots I would need to spin but doesn’t have anything that would be excessive. The only blemish this ball has is the wind performance could be much better for a ball that is designed to fly higher and spin a bit more. This ball didn’t fair well at all in a cross wind but didn’t do too bad into the wind or down wind.

100 yd shot for the Proto 348 vs the Pro V1x

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Surprisingly not as much back spin for the Proto 348 compared to the Pro V1x. Both are the Proto 348 and still a bit of rollout from this shot.

My average missed tee shots were about 285 off the tee so again this ball is very long and effortlessly long.

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Miscellaneous (10 out of 10)

In this section I put the two balls to the test on Trackman to see if there were any measurable differences to what I was seeing on the course. I am happy to confirm that what I was seeing and feeling on the course is reflected very nicely on Trackman. The Proto 348 was consistently faster off the driver and launched higher and launched higher than the Proto 388. I will note that on trackman you can clearly see the differences in performance of the ball but out on the course it is a bit more difficult to see the differences. They are top performing balls for sure and you really can’t go wrong with either one.

Below are are the Dispersion and Trajectories of a PW, 7i, and Dr for the tested balls as well as 2021 RCT Pro V1

With very similar dispersions the Proto 348 does have the ability to hit a higher peak height but not by much.

PW Numbers Comparison:

The Proto 348 has a bit higher launch resulting in a higher flight but overall there isn't much to it.

7i Numbers Comparison:

The interesting takeaway here is that the spin for the Proto 348 and Proto 388 is the same and compared to the RCT definitely supports what I was seeing out on the course of a spinnier ball than last year's generation.

Driver Numbers Comparison:

Once again soft is slow and there is a big jump in efficiency from the Proto 388 to the Proto 348. The spin might be high since some of those numbers were italicized but the ball speed is dead on. Every time I would chase some ball speed I had to work for it using the Proto 388 and the Proto 348 just felt effortless.

Game Bag or Shag Bag?

Proto 388 10 out of 20

Proto 348 15 out of 20

For me both of these balls are going to stay in the shag bag now that testing is complete. I was very disappointed with the Proto 388 due to its firmer feel from the 2021 Pro V1 as well as the increased spin off of the irons. Which is an area where the 2021 Pro V1 really shined for me. It wasn’t very long off of the tee and I also didn’t see any improved wind performance on the course. While not a good fit for me this ball could work well with someone who wants a bit more spin than the 2021 Pro V1 but less spin than the Pro V1x.

Conclusion and Final Scores

Proto 388 83 Out of 100

Proto 348 86 Out of 100

To describe the next generation of Pro V1 and Pro V1x in one word I would use the word stagnant. This is by no means a knock on its performance but rather a testament to the idea of making it better but don’t change anything. These are the performance, durability, and quality that you would come to expect from a Titleist golf ball year in and year out. The 2023 Pro V1 might be a touch firmer than some might expect and a bit spinner than last years as well. However These are my findings and by no means is my word the final say on this discussion. I think they might have done this to make room for the Left Dot should it be released this year and added to the lineup.

The claims of improved wind performance that I have found were simply theoretical and if you are a higher ball hitter I wouldn't be putting too much stake in them. Lower ball flight players shouldn’t see any changes in wind performance to the 2021 model but don’t expect these balls to cut through the wind like a hot knife through butter if you get a decent crosswind.

These balls flat out perform and if you are a loyal Titleist golf ball player through and through you are not going to be disappointed especially if you play the Pro V1x. However if you like to experiment with a new golf ball I would not limit yourself to thinking these are gonna be a magic bullet for you. There are plenty of great golf balls on the market and branching out to test other brands is what I would recommend. For me I am gonna be sticking with the Tour BX next season but I might try the official 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x’s when the sleeves hit pro shops later this year.