And now the general public can use them, as Titleist has made them available to the mass market.
"As soon as the ball was ready, I was ready for it," said Love in a promotional video for the company. "When I went out and won, it really wasn't a surprise to me. It was a surprise to many people that you could win with a brand new ball, but as we've seen in the past, the first week out, somebody's got to win with it."
As of this week, more than 50 players on the PGA and European tours are using either the new Pro V1 or Pro V1x.
"Evidence of the overwhelming acceptance of the Pro V1 and Pro V1x among the world's best players is the early-season success and validation of both new offerings on the PGA Tour, as well as throughout worldwide professional tours," said George Sine, vice president of golf ball marketing and strategic planning at Acushnet.
So the balls have quickly become a hit on tour. Now the question is whether members of the general public will be awed, too. Perhaps, if they are among the "serious golfers of all levels" to whom Titleist is marketing the ball.
The ball has two especially notable new features. The first is what the company calls a Staggered Wave parting line. The parting line, which typically runs along the equator of a ball and is where the two halves of the cover meet, is necessary as part of the manufacturing process. Titleist has changed the design of that line to put more dimples on the surface of the ball, to create a slightly higher trajectory and better aerodynamics.
"Our new Staggered Wave design allows us to more densely pack the dimples on the New Pro V1 and Pro V1x, creating the highest surface coverage ever on a Titleist golf ball," said Bill Morgan, senior vice president of Titleist Golf Balls Worldwide. "The combination of the new Staggered Wave parting line, improved surface coverage and dimple dimension changes will provide golfers with greater distance off the tee."
The second new feature is a bit more straightforward. A.I.M. Technology is actually a fancy way to describe markings on the side of each ball showing the ball name and arrows to help in putting alignment.
"Based upon tour player, club professional and amateur golfer feedback, the acceptance and reception to the A.I.M. sidestamp from golfers who have experienced it has been effusive," Sine said.
A simple, but useful, change.
Now, what is the difference between the two models? The Pro V1 is a softer ball, while the Pro V1x will be longer off the tee for most players. Golfers can choose entirely on the feel they prefer off the tee and around the greens. Of 50 pro golfers on men's tours around the world who have been using the new ball, 37 use the Pro V1x.
The balls will be available at retail stores Feb. 15 and will sell for $58 per dozen. As a side note, golfers will be able to purchase balls with numbers 5 through 8 -- not only 1 through 4.
- Construction: Three-piece, multi-layer.
- Core: Polybutadiene, solid, 1.530 inches.
- Casing layer: Ionomer blend, 0.045 inches.
- Cover: Urethane Elastomer, 0.030 inches.
- Dimples: 392 in five different sizes and an icosahedral pattern.
AMATEUR COUNT: The amateurs who play in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am range from corporate bigwigs to celebrities -- busy guys whose first priority is not necessarily golf. But it seems that a lot of the amateurs take cues from the pros with whom they play.
The unofficial amateur counts for the week showed TaylorMade to be the No. 1 name for drivers, fairway woods and hybrids. That mirrors the company's popularity among the pros, where this week, for example, 70 pros used TaylorMade drivers, compared to 47 with Titleist and 23 with Ping.
LPGA START: With the 2007 LPGA season beginning this week, players have been finalizing sponsorships. The latest is Cristie Kerr, who will use United Sports Technologies golf shafts in 2007.
