Evolution of a Golf Ball
August 19th, 2011 | 
Author: 
Four Generations of Titleist Golf Balls
I was recently handed a pristine collection of older model Titleist golf balls. It included a dozen Tour Balata 100′s, a dozen Professional 90′s and a dozen early model Pro V1‘s. There is no arguing that Titleist has held the upper hand in golf balls for almost 30 years and if you have played golf long enough you have no doubt had the pleasure of maneuvering one or all of these models around the course at some point. After a second of thought, the golf geek in me wanted to take them out for a test drive – see how far they go and what they might feel like. After all, it’s been a long time since I had dented a Tour Balata.
Thankfully, wisdom prevailed and I decided to get some real numbers on the balls with the help of Trackman. I realized that, including the most recent model of the Pro V1, I had access to four generations of Titleist golf balls. I had balls from the ’80′s, ’90′s, 2000′s and today and I wanted to experience first hand what the differences might be.
I needed a very consistent driver of the golf ball and the best man at hand was Zack Brady from Atlantic Golf Club. Zack is an exceptional golf professional who can really play. He also happens to be one of the better drivers I’ve seen. I sacrificed six balls from each generation and had him hit them on a rotating basis going Balata, Professional, Pro V1 and new Pro V1. I did this to negate the effect of any changes in swing or weather. Zack hit twenty four shots on the Trackman and the average from the six shots with each model was calculated. Here are the results with each set of balls:
The victims...
Tour Balata 100
Titleist Tour Balata 100
- Total Distance 261.6 yds
- Carry 224.7 yds
- Clubhead Speed 110.1 mph
- Ball Speed 160.7 mph
- Smash Factor 1.46
- Attack Angle -0.4 degrees
- Spin Loft 9.0 degrees
- Launch Angle 6.5 degrees
- Spin 2789 rpm
Professional 90
Titleist Professional 90
- Total Distance 262.1 yds
- Carry 251.9 yds
- Clubhead Speed 110.6 mph
- Ball Speed 161.4 mph
- Smash Factor 1.45
- Attack Angle -1.1 degrees
- Spin Loft 6.9 degrees
- Launch Angle 6.5 degrees
- Spin 2915 rpm
Pro V1 – 392
Titleist Pro V1 - 392
- Total Distance 286.4 yds
- Carry 251.9 yds
- Clubhead Speed 110.1 mph
- Ball Speed 164.7 mph
- Smash Factor 1.50
- Attack Angle -3.0 degrees
- Spin Loft 10.8 degrees
- Launch Angle 6.5 degrees
- Spin 2739 rpm
Pro V1 New
New Titleist Pro V1
- Total Distance 298.4 yds
- Carry 271.1 yds
- Clubhead Speed 110.8 mph
- Ball Speed 167.2 mph
- Smash Factor 1.51
- Attack Angle -3.1 degrees
- Spin Loft 11.7 degrees
- Launch Angle 7. degrees
- Spin 2850 rpm
Things you should be aware of: The numbers listed above are an average of the six shots struck with each ball. Each ball was only hit once. The golf balls, while all pristine and “new” are very different age wise. The balata balls have been waiting in their sleeve for more than twenty years for someone to play with! The balls had all been stored in an air-conditioned space and were stored together. The weather was a crisp 74 degrees with a slight left to right breeze blowing – lovely for August! Zack used a Titleist D3 9.5 driver with a Diamana ‘ahina X shaft by Titleist.
Points of Interest:
- Obviously the distance gaps were what interested me most and there were no real surprises there, other than the “upgrade” from the early Pro V1 to the newer model – almost a 5% increase!
- The huge leap in distance off the tee on the PGATour in 2000 is due to only one thing – the introduction of the Pro V1. An increase in distance of almost 10% over the scuff resistant Professional.
- I thought the spin rate on the wound balls (Balata and Professional) would be through the roof. Not so! The balls sounded very soft off the face and seemed to struggle to get into the air – almost as if they were unhappy to be put into play this late in the game! Zack said it felt like he was hitting ping pong balls.
- I was very interested in the fact that the smash factor was lower with the two softer balls. It almost seemed as if it was more difficult to get the smash factor up due to the softness/compression of the ball. BTW, smash factor (generally speaking) is the ball speed divided by the clubhead speed and it measures the efficiency/quality of the strike.
- The older/softer balls definitely curved more than the more modern models. This was noticeable even to the untrained eye.
- Since the study I have gone back and weighed each model of golf ball measured. I have long been under the impression that all golf balls weighed 46 grams. The Tour Balata (43gr) and the Professional (42gr) were much lighter than the others (46gr). Not sure if a ball can “lose weight” or were they made at that weight?
On a side note: I also had Zack hit six older model Pro V1X – 332 balls. I kept this data out of the study as I wanted to key in on four separate generations of Titleist balls and this model was a relative of the early model Pro V1 we studied. Interestingly enough this was the ball that traveled the furthest - a whopping 307.3 yds! (All the additional clubhead numbers were similar to the other models). I took from this that it is important to play a golf ball that fits your clubhead speed/game. With a driver speed in the vicinity of PGATour average (112mph), Zack currently plays the new Pro V1X and this study confirmed that the X is the right ball for him.
If your driver clubhead speed is below 95mph you should use the Titleist NXT or equivalent. With speeds between 95mph and 105mph you should be using the Pro V1 or equivalent ball, and above 105mph you should be using the Pro V1X or equivalent.
The moral of the story is that when it comes to golf balls, new technology fitted to the appropriate golfer makes a real difference. Take the time to chat with a teacher or professional you respect and get some sound advice as to which ball might make a difference for you. Oh, and that pristine logo-ed dozen you’ve been saving for that special course, remember the one your buddy bought back from Augusta for you in ’78 – eh…not so good.
Posted in Equipment | 
Tags: atlantic golf club, ball fitting, distance, driving distance, early pro v1, golf ball distance, golf ball fitting, golf ball study, golf ball testing, launch angle, pro V1, prov1, prov1 study, smash factor, spin rate, Titleist, titleist d3 driver, titleist golf ball, titleist professional ball, tour balata, trackman, trackman testing, weight of golf ball, what is smash factor, zack brady
Though I doubt, as you do, that the “old” balls are quite as fresh, and think that accounts for a fair amount of their distance, I have seen other studies which pointed out that mixing old+new (old balls, new driver) results in worse performance than mixing old+old (old balls, old driver).
Also, a good bit of the distance gains comes from more than just the golf ball – graphite shafts and lightweight, longer drivers with massive faces have accounted for an average swing speed increase on the PGA Tour in the past 20 years of about 11 MPH. That’s nearly 30 yards alone.
Great piece. Thanks.
Hi Erik,
No doubt that the clubs have made a difference over time in the distance top players are hitting the ball, but from 2000 to 2001 (when the Pro V1 was introduced) the average driving distance increased more than it has in any other year since 1992. I would attribute the vast majority of that change to the ball – no?
Thanks for reading.
Andrew
The ball is one piece, but no, I’m not sure I agree. Golfers are SWINGING THE CLUB 11 MPH faster. They’re longer, lighter, and with larger faces. Golfers are working out and are capable of higher speeds. That accounts for a good bit more speed too. Look at John Daly in 1991. Realize that John Daly isn’t still 30 yards longer than everyone. He was hitting the ball far with faster clubhead speed, now everyone has faster clubhead speed.
The ball’s a big part of it, but I wouldn’t say the majority let alone the “vast majority,” no.
Very interesting reading. However, there is one part that has me puzzled and that is where you talk about the relation of swing speed to which Titleist ball you should be using. Here’s the deal. My wife (a 7 handicapper) hits the ProV1 farther than she hits any other ball including the so-called distance balls and her swing speed is in the 70′s. If someone else was just telling me that I would probably have a hard time buying it but, of course, I’ve seen it with my own eyes and we’ve actually measured it with GPS. So I’m not trying to question what you say but was just curious as to your thoughts on why she is able to hit the ProV1 as far as she does. Thanks.
Johnny
I think you have misunderstood what I am saying – I said the vast majority of increase in distance from 2000 to 2001 was due to the ball. Please reread the article and my earlier response to your initial comment. Nowhere do I say or imply that the ball contributed to the vast majority of distance gains over time.
Sorry, over-reaction due to constant discussions on other sites about how we can blame the golf ball for the distance gains the game’s seen.
Johnny, a harder ball will always have a higher ball speed. The “slow swing balls” mostly have more backspin to help keep the balls in the air longer.
Hi Johnny,
Thanks for reading. In certain situations your wife will benefit from the harder ball, yet in others the ball’s resistance to compression, and thus spin and carry, will hurt her. She will benefit on a hole where there is nothing but fairway in front of her and there is no premium on carry. She will however struggle on a longer par three (120+ yards), where she might be able carry a wood onto the green, but the lack of spin and height will not allow the ball to stop before going over the green. As with all equipment fitting there is a balance that must be addressed – in your wife’s case it is more ball speed vs. more spin/ carry and control.
Hope this explains it.
Andrew
Nice study and cool to see the balls.
The pro VI vs. PV New is interesting.
Some of the increased distance is from the new ball, some from the clubhead speed, some from the increased ball speed, some from the higher spin rate and some from the higher launch angle.
Did you have any individual ball stats that had fewer variables?
Cheers
Andrew,
While playing yesterday I happen to find a ProV1X 332, extremely discolored. Just for kicks I hit it off the tee on several holes along with 2 other current balls (non-titleist). I was amazed! The 332 was a good 20 yards longer. I noticed it had a “dot” before the word Pro and a “dot” after 332. I found one in my shag bag that didn’t have the dots. Do you know what, if any, performance differences there were between the 332 with dots and the 332 without dots?
Thanks.
Hi Johnny,
Interesting that the old ball went so far! The dots obviously indicate a subtle change from Titleist that they did not want the public to be aware of but more so that they could tell the difference. I know the company did that with the old 695 MB irons when they changed their standard lie angle from 60.5 degrees to 62.5 degrees. The sets after the change had a dot between 695 and MB. Generally not much info online about the changes to the ProV1 balls over the years.
Sorry to be of no help.
Its sad and frustrating that data like this is hardly ever made available to the public. But I would prefer to see the same test with a controlled swing robot. Humans never swing the same twice.
Agreed Todd – that’s why the best thing I could come up with was a really good driver and the average of six different shots.
Interesting set of stats. It looks like your selection of test “driver” was very consistant, producing an average of 110 MPH club head speed on all balls. At the time that the original overall distance standard for golf balls was published in 1976 the test was conducted with Iron Byron that produced a 109 MPH club head speed. At the time that the test was first implement the standard was 280 yards plus 6% (296 yds). At the time the test was implemented initially the balata was in play, and the USGA stated that no ball exceeded the 280 yard mark. It would be intesting to know what the test results were on the Tour Balata. At 109 MPH I suspect that the overall distance was much greater than your result of 261 yards, and would suspect that the overall distance was about 275-280. I would suspect the 2 yard per year decline comes into play here (about 20 yards in total). The stat that is clearly affected by the age of the golf ball is the carry distance of 225 yards. From memory tour pros I had the fortune to play with who probably produced 105-110 club head speed could carry a balata 235-240 yards in no wind with ease. Too bad these balls deteriorate so much with age. They were the perfect performance ball.
Thanks for your input Ron
Ok. Here is the result of my very scientific, two-ball experiment. Ordered some Tour Balata 100′s off ebay. Got out my Wilson Staff persimmon driver. Got out behind my house on three holes that run in a loop. Got a little warmed up. Got to the 431 par 4. Landing area has a very slight upslope that doesn’t allow extreme rollout. Ground conditions were medium with a 0 club to 1/2 club wind quartering from right to left. Was able to put the ball way up in the stance like we used to have to do and was able to hit a solid draw and then accidentally hit a solid cut shot. The draw went 275; the cut shot went 255. Temp was about 72. That’s pretty close to what I do with new technology. The difference is when I don’t hit it perfectly solid the difference would be about 40-50 yards. BTW, I forgot how nice those Tour balatas felt when putting. It’s like hitting a lump of butter.
Interesting article. Thank you.
I wonder how lake balls (or found balls for that matter) versus new balls compare in a similar test. A lot of the balls I play with, I have found on the course myself, and some are relatively old and some might have been lying in water for some time as I don’t know where the previous owner got it from.
Any ideas or links to tests?
Hi Nicolai,
Thanks for reading. I have not seen any tests, but I can only imagine that being immersed in water for any length of time is not good for the elasticity of any ball. Now balls found on the course (in the rough etc.) might be fine….but no guarantees.
Andrew
I would also like to point out that golf balls are developed for the golf clubs available, ie currently higher ball flight and less run after landing. Therefore, your data is invalid unless each ball was hit with a driver from that time period also. Technology of clubs and balls enable the longer distances, and I think the larger 460cc drivers enable the golfer to swing at higher speeds due to the increased hitting area. I still love the balata’s and the professionals best of all. I love wound balls and the soft covers. Barring the problem of only getting a few holes out of a ball before it goes out of round, I would play them today if they were available.
I have 12 dozen professional 90′s, 2 dozen 100′s, 4 dozen tour balata 100′s, and 6 dozen Slazenger balata’s. I have several of these in logo over-runs etc and play them periodically.
Come on GLeb – the data is the data – how can it be invalid? Larger drivers do not allow anybody to swing at higher speeds – would love to hear your reasoning behind that…? And I’d love to see you out there with your persimmon driver and a 384 Tour Balata mashing away against my titanium 460cc head with a ProV1. Can you say carnage….?
Really interesting article. Just doing some research on the subject as been given a few dozen like you. Good job.
Through my calcs, the balata should fly around 245 and the final prov around 265. I found this using flightscope’s traj optimizer software. Not sure where the 20 yard discrepancy between the balata’s carry and its expected carry are.