PGA Show: Has Titleist improved on Pro V1 golf ball perfection?

ORLANDO – The Pro V1 brand owns 40% of the ball market, so what the heck is Titleist doing trying to tinker with the people’s choice of balls?

The Titleist crew explained it at a slick presentation in the Chapin Auditorium this morning. Cutting through the technical stuff, here’s how they did it:

Pro V1 … It’s not part of the marketing campaign, but from talking to people, I’m told you can get about 5 more yards with the new model. It’s got more spin, has a lower trajectory and slightly different dimple dimensions.

Pro V1x … Also about 5 yards longer. Only it’s designed to have a little less spin.

Both balls have a stronger, more durable cover. Apparently the old Pro V1 covers were getting chewed up by these high-tech grooves found in most irons.

We’ll see about all that. I’ll be hitting some this weekend.

Oh, and here’s a bit of news: Titleist plans to launch new irons late this year and redesign the grooves in some Vokey wedges.