Titleist Pro V1 vs Pro V1x: Which One Actually Fits Your Game

We tested Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x using our standardized golf ball testing protocol on the SkyTrak ST Max launch monitor.

We use human swings, not robots, so our testing identifies the performance differences that most golfers can expect to see on the golf course, not microscopic differences under perfect conditions.

We use strict guardrails for swing speed and ball speed, delivery dynamics (face and path) and shot quality (measured by strike location and smash factor) to ensure our results represent the golf ball’s performance. These benchmarks also keep our results consistent across every ball we test.

While individual results will vary, the patterns we see across dozens of shots are meaningful. Learn more about how we test golf balls and see the complete list of every golf ball we’ve tested.

You can also see our full Titleist Pro V1 test data here and our Titleist Pro V1x test data here.

That’s exactly what we saw in our driver test. Pro V1x peaked 12 feet higher than Pro V1, and at our driver testing swing speeds, mid-90s, that led to a distance advantage for Pro V1x.

But that advantage may shrink or even flip depending on swing speed. Players with faster swing speeds may generate too much spin and hit Pro V1x too high to get maximum distance.

That’s where the lower spin profile and penetrating ball flight of Pro V1 come in handy. And it’s not just swing speed that influences optimal distance, your own launch characteristics play a role too.

If you lose distance because you hit it too low, consider Pro V1x. If you lose distance because you hit it too high, expect Pro V1 to help.

In our 50-yard wedge test, Pro V1 and Pro V1x once again behaved as expected. 

Pro V1x peaked higher and produced more spin. Pro V1 actually launched a skosh higher, but peaked lower with its signature penetrating flight, and both balls stopped quickly in our 50-yard test.

Sidespin is an ally to some players, and an enemy to others.

Do you want to see your ball fly straight, and avoid trouble? Or do you want to carve it into tight hole locations and shape it around the course?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the opposite of accuracy isn’t inaccuracy – at least not in this context – it’s workability.

With its lower-spin profile, Pro V1 resisted sidespin better overall than the higher-spinning Pro V1x. While both balls are workable compared to the 40-plus balls we’ve tested, players who prefer a bit straighter flight would benefit from Pro V1. Shot-shapers will have more freedom with Pro V1x.

The difference between Pro V1 and Pro V1x, in a nutshell, is Pro V1x flies a little higher and spins a little more.

That largely bore out in our testing.

But what does that mean for your game?

In our test, it helped Pro V1x earn a distance advantage and a dominant performance in our 50-yard wedge test. Meanwhile, Pro V1 proved to fly a little straighter and it’s impeccable stopping power performance remains unbeaten.

While Pro V1x technically racked up the higher overall performance score, the margin tells the real story.

If you didn’t already know it, our testing proves that Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x both deliver better players the performance they demand.

But they do it in different ways, and each plays to the strengths of different players.

• Players who need lower spin and trajectory to maximize driver distance, and prefer a slightly more subtle curve would benefit from Pro V1.
• Players who need more spin and higher ball flight to optimize distance, want high spin tee-to-green, and want maximum shot-shaping abilities fit better into Pro V1x.

You probably know which player you are. The debate was never about which ball is better. It was about which ball is better for you. 

Now you know.