Titleist marks 25 years of the tour- and retail-dominating Pro V1 golf ball

If you consider yourself an avid golfer in the 21st century, it's a virtual guarantee that you have played several rounds with a Titleist Pro V1 golf ball or its only slightly younger sibling, the Pro V1x, at some point since its launch 24 years ago this week. While other brands have made inroads in recent years, the Pro V1 stands out as the quintessential "better mousetrap" in the recent history of its own industry. It is the iPhone of golf.

Few products in any industry have enjoyed the reputation and decades-long staying power the Titleist Pro V1 instantly established back in October of 2000 in Las Vegas. Unveiled to touring pros at the Invensys Classic at TPC Summerlin, the solid-core, multi-piece, urethane-covered golf ball was a rare no-hyperbole overnight sensation. A total of 47 players switched to the Pro V1 that week, nearly doubling Titleist's own aggressive projections as to its potential to tempt notoriously persnickety players away from the entrenched Tour Professional and Tour Prestige models.

One of those initial converts, Billy Andrade, won the golf tournament, shooting 28-under par over the course of 90 holes. The runner-up, Phil Mickelson, was another of the 47 Pro V1 early adopters. For his part, Andrade was bowled over by what he described as a 20-yard distance advantage over his previous ball off the tee.

I was 11 years old and already an avid and competitive junior when the game-changing golf ball debuted. I remember the sensation around it when it first arrived on shelves in those now-iconic silver-and-copper boxes. The "Pro V1 392" stamp down the slight spine created by the dimple pattern gave the ball an austere and precious look that belied its performance. My friends and I would treasure-hunt during fall rounds for forgotten pellets and make sure to use them on holes where water wasn't in play. There were plenty to find; wealthy high-handicap golfers used them (and still do, whether they need to or not), so the fescue areas in between holes tended to be good places to find one or two a round.

No golf ball has made anything near the jump the original Pro V1 did, both due to a more competitive R&D atmosphere and the fact that golf balls are already near performance limits set down - and soon to be adjusted, thankfully - by the USGA and R&A. As a result, there is an entire category of golf balls that has cut into the Pro V1's performance to such a small advantage that reasonable golfers can disagree over whether, say, the TaylorMade TP5 or the Bridgestone B Series are best. In just the last few months, I was particularly impressed by PXG's new golf ball, and played several good rounds using it.

The PGA Tour returns to Las Vegas this week for what is now the Shriner's Children's Open, still at TPC Summerlin. As Titleist refreshes the Pro V1 and Pro V1x for retail in odd-numbered years, the 2025 models are being seeded amongst the pros again. After advance testing at the company's facilities in Massachusetts and California, three pros - Hayden Springer, Zac Blair and Lee Hodges - have already played the new ball in competition. More will follow this week.

I don't have access to the 2025 Pro V1 or Pro V1x golf ball yet - I will review them when I do - but as the annual slate of local fall golf tournaments spins up where I live, I have already stocked up on my preferred Titleist Pro V1x (2023 model) and will hold some pro shop credit in reserve for when the new version comes out in February - just like you probably will.