Titleist Pro V1

Ove the last year or more I've collected no end of golf balls.

Now at my course the golf ball of choice seems to be the Titleist Pro V1.

I've collected loads of them and have them at home.

For odd holes or on practice rounds I've tried the V1's but never played a full round with one.

My normal swing is a fade/slice so I've always thought that playing a Pro V1 would make my fade/slice worse due to the extra side spin I put on the ball.

Well since I had a lesson on driving, it's improved a lot.

My last three rounds on the Priors course at my club have been 81, 83 and 82.  (Par 70, SSS 66, 5551 Yards.)

So today I decided that I'd give the Pro V1's a try.

All I can say is that I was very impressed with this ball.

When I hit it out of the center of the clubface it felt so good and even went that little bit further than the balls I normally use.

The only downside was with putting.

The Titleist Pro V1 seemed to run a bit further than my normal balls, which meant I overhit a few too many putts!

I will certainly be digging out more of these balls from my collection to use again.

Russ

They're a great ball Russ, but I prefer the V1x.  Go a little longer off the driver with a little less spin so go straighter but still feel nice and soft off the putter face.  The only downside is that they are harder to stop on the green unless you hit down on them - as I have a steep downswing with wedges this isn't a problem.

Chris,

You should write a technical paper on golf you know all the lingo & jargon. Hope you can put it into practice Friday.

John.

Thanks for the advice Chrisl.

I'll have a dig around in my carrier bag, I must have some Pro V1x balls in there.

Russ

Thanks lads, i couldn't get to sleep, but have reading this load of ............................................................................................. sorry fell asleep. good night.

Graham,

what's with all the aggression?

what  agression?  

hmmm, giving people a lot of stick for their posts!

ho i see, your taking about the other thread. come on john, football! just to type it in makes me want to go and sit in the dark.

I think there is a lot of 'non-golf' posts on this forum but it's all part of the banter.

I don't think any harm is meant by them & if your really offended by them ask Darren to remove them

 Sorry john.

Has you say, it's all part of the banter.

Graham,

You can give Chris as much banter as you like, I applaud you for it.

John

That's bullying that is. 

As you know John, those who can do, those who can't teach.  I talk a good game because I can't play one. 

Sound advice, Stephen.

Everyone laughs when they see what ball I play with. The Top Flite Z-Balata, but having said that the great David Ley tried one of mine at Wychwood and he hit it just as well as his own preferred choice, which shows that a good player can play with anything. I have always played a a balata ball, even though the are different now to the old ones, as they have superior qualities for shots in and around the green as well as coming off the putter face with a nice feel. I pay £9 per dozen, although it looks as though they may be being phased out of production.

Strange as it may seem, a £3 ball can be lost just as easily as a cheaper one and as  I have not yet found what these expensive balls are supposed to be able to do what other balls can't, I will stick with what I am used to.

V1x's are designed to have less spin than V1's.  Whilst I agree that if I hit the ball properly it wouldn't slice anyway, a high spin profile ball will exaggerate the fault.  I like the feel of a soft ball off the club face (especially with the putter and driver) and can tell the difference when I use a harder ball - tried Nikes a few times and even their soft feel balls feel like hitting a brick. 

For me golf is all about feel and comfort.  I buy clubs that feel best in the swing and on contact with the ball to me, not because they're supposed to be the best  - it's well documented that I won't buy Vokey's or a Scotty because I don't like the feel of them.  I'm looking for new waterproofs at the moment and I'm as concerned that they are comfortable and don't restrict my swing as I am about them keeping me dry.  I buy my balls off e-bay and generally pay around £35-£40 for 50 Pro V1's, so I don't see that as excessive spending to get a feel and performance I like. 

As regards being off 20+, most people who have played with me will tell you I shouldn't be there but I'm too inconsistent and need to take the bad ones out of my game.  Considering I was off 27 in August, I think I'm making progress. 

Of course you are making progress, Chris, you are playing plenty of golf at the moment and your handicap is now indicating the effort you are putting in.

No offence taken Steve, I have skin as thick as John's.  The thought of losing an expensive ball actually makes me a little more thoughtful in my golf and generally results in better course management.  

My aim was to get to 18 by the end of next year (I was playing off 28 in March) and the plan was 5 shots each year.  I now know that one round of bogey golf will see me drop 0.8 and be sub-20 so I'm pleased to be ahead of plan.  Broke 90 twice this year for the first time too so I hope to go sub-85 and lower than 18 handicap by this time next year.

If you like the z-balata, Asda sell them for around £8 for 15. 

I will have to check Asda out, Chris, Thanks for the info as I only have one one dozen box left.

I actually started with LoCo's.  The pro who gave me my first lessons recommended them as a good all-round ball at a reasonable price.  Really liked them and probably the best 'value' ball I have played.  Unfortunately my taste for a softer ball means that I don't use them now. 

I did a little experiment today.

Went to the golf course a bit earlier than I normally do so that I could play with two balls. My playing partner was in no rush so he was happy to let me do this.

One was the Titleist Pro V1 and the other ball was a Calloway Warbird.

There was a two ball teeing off as I parked my car but there was nobody behind us.

Well I shot a 91 with my Titleist Pro V1, two balls into the ponds and three lost balls from the tee!

The Calloway Warbird went around the course in 79, only 9 over par!

I don't know if I was putting extra pressure on myself with the Pro V1's, but it did appear that every time I had a bad shot it was with that ball.

Russ

You seem to be playing some nice golf lately, Russell. Must get over to you next year for a game.

Russ,

Were you wearing your spurs when playing with the Pro V1??

John.

John, you know you're welcome anytime.

Just give me a date and I'll arrange the game.

I'm also going to make sure I get over to your course next year.

Russ

Re-applied the experiment today.

Play a Titleist Pro V1 and a V1+

I shot a 77 (my best ever score on any course) with the Pro V1, after shooting a 91 yesterday on the same course!

The Pro V1+ managed to get me a score of 83, which I'm happy with.

I don't think I'll play two balls again, or if I do it will be two balls of the same type.

If I had a good tee shot I think it put extra pressure on me to beat that shot, who knows?

Russ

Looks as though you are getting deep into bandit country, Russ, great score the 77.

Thank you John, that score and the previouse 79 has knocked my handicap down from 16 to 14!

To be honest John, all summer I've been having lesson and I can really see the benefit of taking them now.

My driving used to be very poor, and although it's not great it's much better than it used to be.

Where before I would be in the deep rough, or worse, now a bad drive is just off the fairway.

Being unemployed at the moment is not very good for the bank balance, but it's certainly helping with my handicap!

Russ