In January the new 2021 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x where introduced. Having
played the Pro V1 as my ball of choice for the last several years I could not wait to get it out on the course and give it a try to see how it compared to the Titleist Pro V1 2019 version. Finally, after dusting off the clubs form the winter break, I had the chance too.
I don’t want to spend too much time discussing the exact specs and promotional material that you can get from Titleist itself so I will just pencil in the improvements and specifications that have been suggested and I kept in mind while giving the new Pro V1 a try.
Benefits
- Longer Distance with Consistent Flight
- Very Low Long Game Spin and Penetrating Trajectory
- Increased Drop-and-Stop™ Short Game Control
- Softer Feel
Features
- Softer Cast Urethane Elastomer Cover System
- Faster Low Spin Casing Layer
- Reformulated 2.0 ZG Process Core
- New Spherically-Tiled 388 Tetrahedral Dimple Design
I am a firm believer in always playing the same ball so usually in the beginning of each season I make my decision for this year’s ball of choice and make 1 big order.I still had a box of 2019 Pro V1’s in my golf locker so I placed an order for the New 2021 Pro V1’s to give a try.
The Test
I decided to head to my local course and play both balls from the tee to green for 3 rounds over the weekend. Already warming up into the net I must say I could feel a little more jump from the 2021 Pro V1 vs the 2019 version but I would leave my verdict to how they fared on the course.
The Result
From the Tee
Over the 3 rounds I must say the New 2021 Titleist Pro V1 consistently outperformed the 2019 version in distance from the Tee. It seemed that the flight was a little lower than the last model and since I normally have a very high ball flight, I may have gained a few yards on the roll that I normally wouldn’t. The did not notice anything significant as far as the control gained and both balls stayed on target more often than not, especially given how early it is in my season. What I do want to quantify is YES I believe there is distance to be gained in the New 2021 Titleist Pro V1 but it is incremental. I would say I found an additional 5-10 yards from the Tee and this will of course change depending on the swing dynamics of each player.
From the Fairway
The did feel the new Titleist 2021 Pro V1 being slightly softer and more comfortable from the fairway. I still can’t make too much of a judgment on the advertised increases in drop control since it is still early and both myself and the course are not in mid-season form. But definitely you should the feel is a little more approachable in the newest version.
On the Green
Over the 3 rounds the 2021 version did score very marginally better (2 stokes over 3 rounds) than the 2019 version. To be honest I did not notice anything as for the feel and I did try to alternate first puts on each green to remove the benefit of learning the lie of the green. If you are looking on an improvement for green-play I am not sure there is much to be gained here.
The Scores
The new 2021 Titleist Pro V1 vs the 2019 version did win 2 of the 3 rounds and drawing the other. The extra yards off the tee did prove useful in a couple of situations over the weekend and directly led to better results. Just a fun fact, I have been golfing for more than 25 years and up until this weekend had never had a hole in one. During my testing I dropped the New Pro V1 for my first ever hole in one on a 180-yard Par 3 over the water. I don’t want to make this about the ball since I have had years of near misses but just thought it to be a funny story.
The recommendation
As described the new 2021 Titleist Pro V1 vs the 2019 version does show some real benefits and no noticeable loss in performance. Generally looking for every advantage I can get I have now made my bulk order for this upcoming season. What I would like to point out is that the 2019 Titleist Pro V1 is still a top end ball and there are some very good deals on the market right now while supplies last so for many golfers this may be an opportunity to purchase a Tour ball at a great price.
As initially mentioned, there is also a new 2021 Titleist Pro V1x ball out this year which is advertising similar benefits. I have not tried the new Pro V1x as it made more sense to first give the Pro V1 a try being my ball of choice. After playing the new Pro V1 I have no doubts that similar gains can be found in its sister model.
NEW 2021 Titleist Pro V1
