We spend a lot of time talking about clubs and how they perform for golfers, but we don’t usually discuss the other really important piece of equipment every golfer needs — and I don’t mean funny looking pants. That other vital element is the ball. Sure, a ball’s a ball’s a ball, right? Not even a little. Even among Titleist golf balls there’s a great deal of difference between models.
Titleist is the biggest manufacturer of golf balls, but they only manufacture four major lines of balls. From Titleist Pro V1 golf balls to Titleist DT SoLos, each ball is made with different players in mind. Choosing a ball is in part a matter of feel, which can change from player to player, but here are the basics on Titleist balls:
Pro V1 and V1x
These balls look a lot alike, from their white urethane casing to their tetrahedral dimples — and for some players, they may even feel a lot alike. Both are made with fairly soft cores (though the Pro V1 is the softer of the two), produce long drives and are really at home in the short game, but they have one major difference — spin. The Pro V1x produces much less spin than the Pro V1, making the Pro V1 a better choice for most casual golfers wanting a medium to soft ball.
NXT Tour and Tour S
If you read the specs on the NXTs and compare them to the Pro V1 and V1x, they sound a lot alike. In fact, they are a lot alike. The NXTs were meant to be an equal to the Pro V1s in performance, with a different feel for golfers who don’t love hitting the Pro V1s. The softer, thinner Fusablend cover and low compression cores make for a very soft ball that gives players increased confidence in their ball control. The Tour S is the super soft option in this series.
Velocity
The initial release of the long-awaited Velocities were the longest balls off the tee in the Titleist line, but a lot of golfers didn’t care for their hard feel. The new and improved Velocities have been slightly tweaked to be softer, but still have that massive distance that made their predecessors very popular. They fly a little lower and roll a little further than the original Velocities, but play very similarly.
DT SoLo
DTs are an old favorite at Titleist and they’ve been very hesitant to make many changes to the line. Today’s DT offers much that the former lines have, namely distance, low compression and extremely soft feel. You won’t see these balls on Tour, but they’re great for casual golfers with swings of less than 90 miles per hour, providing lots of distance and speed balanced with good short game control.