Thursday, January 24, 2013

Performance is the 2013 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x

Titleist Introduces New Pro V1 and Pro V1x Golf Balls with More Distance, Softer Feel and Longer Lasting Durability

(FAIRHAVEN, Mass.) – Titleist, the #1 ball in golf, has advanced its flagship Pro V1 and Pro V1x models, the world’s most trusted and best-selling golf balls. Driven by the pursuit of superior performance, Titleist delivers even more distance, softer feel and longer lasting durability in its 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x models through new core and cover technologies.

The 2013 Pro V1 provides even softer feel, making it the softest Pro V1 yet. Golfers will also benefit from the Pro V1’s longer distance due to lower driver and long game spin, and a shallower angle of descent that produces more roll. The 2013 Pro V1x delivers even more distance and more consistent performance with its deep downrange peak trajectory, tight ball flight and outstanding spin control. Both new models feature an improved Urethane Elastomer cover and paint system that results in longer lasting durability while retaining a whiter, brighter finish.

New Pro V1 and Pro V1x also maintain their outstanding Drop-and-Stop control, providing all golfers with the proven short-game scoring performance that contributes to shooting lower scores.

“Performance drives all of us at Titleist,” said Mary Lou Bohn, Vice President, Titleist Golf Ball Marketing and Communications. “While it’s no easy task for our Golf Ball R&D team to improve upon our industry-leading products, new Pro V1 and Pro V1x are the best performing golf balls we’ve ever made and the best performance choice for all golfers looking to shoot lower scores.”

The 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x have been tested and validated by golfers at every level of the game – including the world’s best tour professionals, PGA professionals and amateur golfers of all swing speeds – to resounding positive feedback and success. Among the early converters to the new golf balls were Adam Scott (Pro V1) and Luke Donald (Pro V1x), each player winning convincingly on the worldwide professional tours after putting the 2013 model in play.

“Golfers want exceptional distance in their long game and the best scoring performance for their short game,” said Bohn. “Yet they also value longer lasting durability. With our improved Urethane Elastomer cover system, golfers will not only experience an aerodynamically more consistent flight, they will notice their new Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball looking new and whiter longer.”

Available in golf shops beginning Jan. 25, 2013, new Pro V1 and Pro V1x are manufactured to exacting standards in Titleist’s own world-class facilities. As a result, every Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf ball performs consistently for every golfer, every round and on every type of shot.

NEW PRO V1: Even Softer Feel, More Distance and Longer Lasting.
Using ZG process core technology to create an even softer compression, new Pro V1 delivers softer feel, more distance and longer lasting durability, to accompany the renowned Drop-and-Stop greenside control that golfers rely on to score their best.

“This is the softest Pro V1 we’ve ever made,” said Bill Morgan, Senior Vice President, Golf Ball R&D, Acushnet Company.

“Due to the softer ZG process core technology, new Pro V1 has a lower, more controlled flight with lower driver and long iron spin that results in a shallower angle of descent, providing golfers with even more distance. That softer compression also makes this the best-feeling Pro V1 yet and gives golfers an even greater sense of control with shots into and around the green.”An improved Urethane Elastomer cover formulation and new paint system have increased the durability of the new Pro V1, making the ball look whiter and brighter longer, from shot to shot, hole to hole and round to round. The new cover and paint system also contributes to an aerodynamically more consistent golf ball.

“We’ve made an improvement to the formulation of the urethane cover that retains its out-of-the-box appearance longer, and introduced a new paint system with exceptional adhesion to the cover,” Morgan said. “These two technologies combine to create a far more durable golf ball while still maintaining all of Pro V1’s outstanding scoring performance and the feel that golfers love.”

A responsive ionomeric casing layer and spherically-tiled 352 tetrahedral dimple design also contribute to the new Pro V1's high performance tee-through-green. The 352-dimple pattern has five different dimple sizes and three axes of symmetry that help produce a penetrating ball flight that holds its line in the wind.

NEW PRO V1x: Even More Distance and Longer Lasting.
The new Pro V1x delivers even more distance with a lower, more consistent ball flight along with the same improved Urethane Elastomer cover and paint system that makes both Pro V1 models even longer lasting. A four-piece multi-component design, Pro V1x utilizes a new, very soft ZG process center within its dual core to maintain lower driver spin for exceptional distance while increasing iron spin for control into the green.

“Using ZG process core technology in the center of the 2013 Pro V1x results in a more consistent core hardness and more consistent concentricity. Any time you can improve the uniformity of the golf ball, it translates into more consistent on-course performance for golfers.” Morgan said. “When golfers have less variation in their equipment, they have the opportunity to improve their performance.”  

Pro V1x also produces a slightly different launch condition than the prior generation model, and will fly a little bit lower with a tight ball flight, yet still maintain a deep downrange peak trajectory.

“Player feedback on the distance and flight of the new Pro V1x has been extremely positive. These players like that Pro V1x flies higher than a Pro V1 golf ball, yet they notice and appreciate that its new flight is in their preferred launch window,” Morgan said. “We’ve also been receiving overwhelming response to the improved durability, as golfers can’t wait to show us their golf ball after a few rounds of play.”

With a responsive ionomeric casing layer and spherically-tiled 328 tetrahedral dimple design, the new Pro V1x continues to provide a penetrating ball flight that cuts through the wind along with low long game spin and outstanding Drop-and-Stop short-game scoring performance.

PLAYER VALIDATION
Prior to their official launch in the marketplace, new Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls undergo rigorous machine and player testing. Titleist’s iterative process of listening to golfers’ needs, testing prototypes and further refining ensures the new models deliver meaningful performance improvements. The 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x have been tested and validated by the world’s best tour players, as well as PGA professionals, competitive amateurs and golfers of all skill levels.

On the PGA Tour, the 2013 season began with more players teeing up 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x models than any other golf ball. At the Sony Open, the first full-field event of the year, 62 players relied upon new Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls for their success. Fifty-five players put the 2013 models in play the following week at the Humana Challenge, including champion Brian Gay. Trusting a new Pro V1x, Gay closed in 9-under 63 and won a three-man, sudden-death playoff with a birdie on the second playoff hole. The same day, David McKenzie played a 2013 Pro V1x in winning the Victorian PGA Championship in Australia.

A week earlier, in the first European Tour event of 2013, Louis Oosthuizen trusted a new Pro V1x to victory at the winners-only Volvo Golf Champions event, rallying from five shots back with a closing 6-under 66.

In total, new Pro V1 and Pro V1x players have combined for seven victories on the worldwide professional tours since the start of the tour seeding and validation process, highlighting a period of instant acceptance and success for the 2013 models.

On the same Sunday last November, Adam Scott and Luke Donald registered the first pair of wins for the new golf balls.

Scott, playing the 2013 Pro V1, posted a pair of weekend 67s on his way to a four-shot victory at the Australian Masters, his third consecutive top-8 finish after putting the new ball in play. Donald, playing the 2013 Pro V1x for the first time in competition at the Japan Tour’s Dunlop Phoenix event, opened with rounds of 64-65 and eventually won by five shots. The following week, he tied for third at the European Tour’s season finale, the DP World Tour Championship, playing his first 56 holes without a bogey.

The first week of December, Hiroyuki Fujita posted four rounds of 68 or better for a five-shot victory at the Japan Series JT Cup, his second event playing the 2013 Pro V1 on the Japan Tour. Two weeks later, Angel Cabrera trusted a 2013 Pro V1x in winning the PGA Tour Latinoamerica’s season finale, the Open de Argentina. Cabrera closed in 8-under 64 to win by four shots.

The 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls made their competitive debut on the PGA Tour in early October as the seeding and tour validation process began at the Shriners Hospital for Children Classic in Las Vegas. Eighteen players immediately switched to the new models that week, five of them finishing T-13 or better.

The following week at the Frys.com Classic, Jason Kokrak was one of 21 players that played the new models. Teeing up 2013 Pro V1x for the first time, Kokrak shot four rounds of 68 or better to finish runner-up and earn the best finish of his PGA Tour career. Jimmy Walker trusted Pro V1 to a T-4 finish that included a tournament-best 9-under 62 in the final round.

David Toms played the new Pro V1x for the first time a week later at the McGladrey Classic, where he also registered his best performance of the season, finishing second after a final-round 63. Toms was one of 27 players that week that relied on 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls for their success, as the momentum of tour player conversion continued around the world.

Other players that have put the 2013 Pro V1 in play include: Tim Clark, John Senden, John Huh, Ryan Moore, Jimmy Walker, Ken Duke and Charley Hoffman. The list of 2013 Pro V1x players also includes: Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Nicolas Colsaerts, Matteo Manassero, John Senden, Mark Wilson, Brendan Steele, Scott Stallings, Kenny Perry, Marc Leishman, Ben Crane and K.J. Choi.

Additionally, more than 45,000 golfers around the world participated in the R&D testing process, each golfer receiving new Pro V1 and Pro V1x prototype golf balls and having the opportunity to report their feedback through Team Titleist.

WHAT PLAYERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 2013 PRO V1:
“I’m a guy that likes the softer feel… The feel (of 2013 Pro V1) is unreal. It’s the best feeling ball I’ve played ever.” – Charley Hoffman

“I like to see a slightly lower ball flight on my driver. I feel like when I bring the ball flight down, I can control it a little better. And with this ball I’ve been able to do that, but also keep plenty of distance on it. I also like to see the ball fly a little higher with my irons, so it’s very hard to balance that, but somehow they’ve managed to be able to do that with the new Pro V1 … The new Pro V1 golf ball definitely has a softer feel which is something that I personally like. I feel that the soft feel, especially around the greens, is where I find the biggest benefit. That’s where you want the touch and the nice feel coming back up off the clubface and into your hands and you can really zero in on getting it close to the hole.” – Adam Scott

“It was an easy transition for me. The first thing I noticed was that durability (of the new Pro V1) was better, much better, so I don't have to keep using new a ball. I can use probably one or two balls during a round of golf. The spin rates were really good, and because the spin rates were good, the flight of the golf ball was much better. I really like it and I’m hitting it a little longer.”– John Huh

“I felt like I had really good control with it, and that I could really spin it when I wanted to. I was hitting it very far and I was fourth in driving distance for the week (at the Frys.com Open). The ball was really moving good. It feels good especially off the putter. This has been a really easy transition into the new ball.” – Jimmy Walker

“I really like the trajectory of the new Pro V1. It has a penetrating flight to it yet still has plenty of height and performs very well in the wind. The trajectory fits my eye even better than the previous Pro V1 and it has a nice soft feel with the putter and around the greens. Iʼve been very happy with the performance of the golf ball.” – Ken Duke

WHAT PLAYERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 2013 PRO V1x:
“I put the 2013 Pro V1x into play for the first time last week (at the Dunlop Phoenix) and won on a tight, demanding golf course. From tee to green, I felt I had total control of distance, ball flight and shot shape, and on and around the greens the ball performed just as I needed in order to shoot winning numbers.” – Luke Donald

“The 2013 Pro V1x has all the characteristics I want. You want something that (flies) high but is low spin off the tee, but then something you can control with your wedges and your irons, in particular. When I say control, it’s all about trajectory and spin, so I feel like I can move it both ways and I’m getting the proper trajectory into the greens so that my distances are consistent and the spin is consistent. I’m really excited about it. It feels great off the putter and great around the green with my chipping and pitching.” – Zach Johnson

“I’m a guy that hits my wedge shots really hard, I like to max out my lob wedge and sand wedge, and what I’ve seen is with the cover…I can play a ball a full round now. I can probably play it more than that…. The ball’s durability is great.” – Webb Simpson

“It was instantly great feel, great flight, and it did everything that I could ask out of a ball. … It’s definitely a little bit softer. It has a superior feel and you still get a lot of distance and a really good flight out of it. I’m not a guy that changes that easily so for me to just put it right in play really says a lot about how good it really is.” – Brendan Steele

“It performs better, it does everything that the other ball did but better. It flights better, it’s a little bit softer and it just performs better in all circumstances. … The durability, that’s probably the thing I like the most. I was probably going through five or six balls a round with the other one and I didn’t really like changing that much and this ball holds up through the round better, especially for your average amateur player that’s going to play it. You can play it as long as you want to realistically and the ball still performs.” – Scott Stallings

“I know every time that Titleist makes a new ball, it’s going to be better. It’s going to be just as good, and then, better. There’s no reason to come up with the same ball. So they’re making a product that’s better. It’s going to be good for my game, it’s going to help my game, and help me get better. … When you see that name Titleist on the ball…you know you have confidence in it, you can pull off any shot. The ball’s going to react the way you want it to react. Now it just comes down to me swinging it the right way.” – Bubba Watson

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: The new 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls will ship to golf shops beginning Jan. 25, 2013, with a suggested retail price of $62 (MAP: $47.99).

PLAY NUMBERS: 2013 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls are available in both standard and custom play numbers. Standard dozens include play numbers 1-4 (low) and 5-8 (high). Double-digit play numbers (00 and 11-99) are available for custom order through any Titleist golf shop, with a minimum order of one dozen. Dozens of the same single-digit number (1-9) are also available through custom order. Golfers interested in a custom play numbers should contact their local Titleist golf shop for pricing and availability.

Contact: AmericanGolferBlog@gmail.com

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