Find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for that special somebody in your life whose idea of a romantic day is playing 36.
Surprise! Valentine’s Day is almost here.
If you’re tired of giving flowers and chocolates, make sure your golfing partner is gifted something he’ll love and actually use.
From high-tech watches to polos to golf balls and more, we have everything covered so you can get your favorite golfer exactly what he wants or needs to make this Valentine’s Day one he’ll remember.
If your man is stocked up on all the latest gear and apparel, surprise him with one of the newest drivers or iron sets that are David Dusek-approved.
The 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x retain their greenside spin, and now each has a gradient core designed to help boost distance.
Gear: Titleist Pro V1, Pro V1x (2023) Price: $54.99 per dozen Specs: Three-piece construction with cast urethane cover (Pro V1); Four-piece, dual-core construction with cast urethane cover (Pro V1x) Available: Jan. 25
Who They’re For: Golfers who want more distance off the tee and from the fairway with the maximum level of short-game spin.
The Skinny: The 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x retain their soft urethane covers and greenside spin, and now each has a high-gradient core designed to boost long-game distance.
The Deep Dive: Titleist ran the table in 2022 at the men’s majors, with Scottie Scheffler (Masters), Justin Thomas (PGA Championship), Matt Fitzpatrick (U.S. Open) and Cameron Smith (British Open) each winning with a Pro V1 or Pro V1x ball.
For 2023, Titleist is releasing updates to the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, the most-played golf balls on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA, NCAA Championships and every major amateur championship. The Pro V1 remains a three-piece ball with a large core inside a casing layer covered with a 388-dimple cast thermostat cover. The Pro V1x remains a four-piece ball with a dual-core design inside the casing layer and a urethane cover. The most significant change to the balls is how the cores are designed.
For 2023 the Pro V1 and Pro V1x have a high-gradient core designed to be soft in the center and grow progressively firmer toward the perimeter.
The 2023 Titleist Pro V1 is a three-piece ball with a gradient core and urethane cover. (Courtesy of Titleist)
Titleist made the core of the Pro V1x Left Dash and 2021’s limited-release Pro V1 Left Dot with high-gradient core technology without calling attention to it. After listening to player feedback and tweaking the design, the brand decided to add it to the Pro V1 and Pro V1x this season.
Titleist said a large differential between the rigid outer portion of the core and the soft inner area produces less spin on long-game shots because it transfers more energy, more efficiently, to the inner portion of the core.
In other words, the gradient core allows for more energy created by your swing to become forward thrust on long-iron, hybrid, fairway wood and driver shots instead of creating spin. However, because the soft cover of the Pro V1 and Pro V1x is easily pinched between the face of your wedge and the stiff casing layer, golfers can generate greenside spin on slower-swinging short-game shots.
The four-piece Pro V1x feels firmer and creates more spin than the three-piece Pro V1. (Courtesy of Titleist)
In the dual-core Pro V1x, the inner core’s volume was increased 44 percent, and now it has a gradient core. The outer core, which is slightly thinner, was made marginally firmer.
In a higher-compression ball such as the Pro V1x, more spin is typically created with longer clubs, but using two cores creates a hardness gradient that allows for more speed. The new gradient core amplifies that effect, so the 2023 Pro V1x retains its firmer feel but can now deliver more speed.
While Titleist is not touting that the updated Pro V1 and Pro V1x feel softer because of the gradient cores, PGA Tour reps did hear that as a comment from some players during the seeding process in the fall.
In addition to providing more distance off the tee and with long clubs, Titleist said that in testing the 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x created tighter dispersion because overall spin is reduced, so the effect of hooks, slices and wind are diminished.
The relationship between the two balls has not changed with the update. The 2023 Pro V1x should fly slightly higher and generate slightly more spin than the Pro V1, while the Pro V1 will still feel softer.
Caution: double black diamond golf gifts – experts only.
We all know at least one serious golfer. If you can’t think of anyone, chances are that you’re the serious golfer in your weekend foursome.
We also know that serious golfers can be hard to shop for. That’s why we’ve taken the time to curate a list of gifts that would satisfy any serious golfer, even if they already have one of these items.
If you’re wrapping up your holiday shopping or are someone who waits until the last minute, Golfweek has you covered. We have lists for every type of golfer. From men’s apparel to new gadgets and women’s apparel to personalized items, we’ve curated some of the best golf gifts to give this holiday season.
Your guide to every type of golf gift for the 2022 holiday season.
With our calendars making the turn to November, the holiday season is officially upon us.
Not to worry, Golfweek is here to help your holiday shopping stay stress-free! We’re compiling the best golf gifts for all types of golfers this holiday season. Whether you’re looking for a parent, spouse or child, a high handicapper or scratch golfer, we’ve got you covered.
From quarter zips to shorts, golf balls to rangefinders, and everything in between, you’ll be done with your holiday shopping so fast, you can even hit the links yourself!
Golfweek will be publishing more specific gift guides throughout November and December, so be sure to check back and grab the perfect gift, even if you’re just treating yourself. Happy holidays and happy gifting!
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Titleist updates two golf ball models aimed at players looking for high performance at a lower-than-Tour price point.
In some ways, golf balls are like wine. If price is not a consideration, there are plenty of wonderful things to try. But in reality, many people look for something good that comes at a price that is easier to handle.
Titleist is best known for making the most-played golf balls in the game, the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, but in addition to outstanding performance, those balls come with a price tag of around $50 per dozen. For many players, that puts them out of reach. The Fairhaven, Massachusetts-based company also makes several other balls that are less expensive, and many of them have technologies and features that make them appealing to many golfers.
The Titleist Tour Speed and Tour Soft are two examples of balls designed for players who want a high-performing ball at a slightly lower cost, and Titleist just released updates of each.
Whether it be Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a birthday, a corporate outing, or anything in between, personalized golf balls are a great gift for any golfer.
Personalized golf balls run the gamut from top-tier balls like a Pro V1 to something more colorful and eye-catching. Either way, this list has you covered.
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Titleist enlarged the core of the TruFeel to give it more speed.
Gear: Titleist TruFeel golf balls Price: From $24.97 per dozen (at PGA Tour Superstore/Walmart) Specs: Two-piece, Surlyn-covered balls available in white or yellow
When it comes to Titleist golf balls, the Pro V1 and Pro V1x hog the spotlight. They are the most-played balls on the PGA Tour, LPGA and at every elite tournament such as the NCAA Championship.
However, with a retail price of about $50 per dozen, they are simply out of reach, financially, for many golfers. The company understands that and for years has offered balls at lower prices that still provide golfers with good performance and Titleist-level quality. The TruFeel, at $24.99 per dozen, is a prime example and has been updated this year to give golfers more distance.
The 2022 TruFeel was designed with a larger, low-compression core designed to boost ball speed. The analogy that golf ball designers like to use is the core is a ball’s engine, so the larger the core, the more speed potential a ball can have. The TruFeel’s core is 1.6 inches in diameter, which means the core takes up all but 0.02 inches of the ball’s total diameter.
Titleist TruFeel is a two-piece ball with a large core. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The compression of the core has not changed and the ball still creates a low-spinning trajectory that can help reduce the severity of a slice or a hook. Because the soft rubber core is larger, the new TruFeel feels softer to many golfers.
The 376-dimple, tetahedral-patterned cover has not changed for 2022, but the TruFlex cover itself is thinner. It should help golfers obtain better performance around the greens. It won’t produce the spin with wedges that a Titleist Pro V1 can, but its spin and control is solid.
The third generation of the Titleist AVX is designed to increase greenside spin and feel softer without giving up distance off the tee.
Gear: Titleist AVX golf balls (2022) Price: $49.99 per dozen Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered golf balls in white and yellow Available: Feb. 4
Last January, Titleist updated the Pro V1 and the Pro V1x, the most-played balls on every professional tour and at events such as the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur and NCAA Championships. They are the most popular balls among recreational golfers, too.
The company said the three-piece Pro V1 and the four-piece Pro V1x will be a good fit for most golfers. However, for golfers who want a softer-feeling ball, who place a greater emphasis on distance and who want less spin off the tee, since 2017 the brand has offered an alternative to the V and the X balls: the AVX. Get it?
Titleist is now releasing the third update of AVX and trying to give those golfers who use the AVX more of what they asked for without sacrificing what they like. That means adding spin around the greens without making the ball spin more with long clubs, while making it feel softer too.
The AVX is a three-piece ball with a urethane cover. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Titleist said that for a ball to reduce spin with a driver and long irons while providing significant spin on approach and greenside shots, it must have multiple layers with different degrees of firmness.
When you hit a driver or a long-iron shot, energy from impact compresses the ball against the face before launching it forward. The softness of the cover material does not factor into the spin rate, but a stiff casing layer over a soft core keeps spin rates down.
On a slower-swinging shot such as a 40-yard pitch, things reverse. You compress the ball less than with a driver, so the softness of the core is less critical. Spin comes from the grooves of a wedge pinching a soft cover against a firm casing layer.
The soft, thin urethane cover that encases the firm casing layer helps the AVX generate more around the greens. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
With the updated three-piece AVX, Titleist has utilized a new core formulation designed to be softer in the center and grow progressively firmer in the outer areas. The company’s designers say this allows them to precisely control the relationship between the core and the material while helping to soften feel.
At the same time, the cover of the new AVX was created using a softer urethane formulation. The result is the AVX ball maintains its low-spin profile with woods and long-irons while now spinning more on approach shots and with wedges.
Titleist gave the AVX a new 348-dimple tetrahedral catenary cover pattern to enhance performance further. It has dimples of seven sizes and covers more than 80 percent of the ball. Titleist said it makes the AVX more stable in the wind and more aerodynamic for increased distance.
Over the past several years, slowly but surely, more and more golfers have started to buy their golf equipment after getting custom fit. Instead of walking into a golf retail shop or specialty store, grabbing a club off the rack, and heading to the register, they are taking their time to be sure the new driver, irons, or putter fits their swing and their game.
Most golfers, however, still do not take the time to test golf balls to see which might help them to get better performance on the course and shoot lower scores. They either instinctively buy the same ball they have always played or go with something that fits their budget and has exciting buzz words on the box.
In reality, testing golf balls is every bit as important as testing clubs before you buy them. Golf balls can create varying degrees of spin around the green, height on iron shots, and trajectories off the tee.
To help golfers find a ball that suits their needs, Titleist offers several different tools. The company’s website has a golf ball selector feature that asks users 10 questions, then makes a recommendation based on the answers. Golfers can also schedule a virtual, one-on-one golf ball consultation with an expert to determine which ball could be the best choice.
Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x. (Titleist)
The highest level of golf ball fitting is an in-person, one-on-one experience that the company refers to as a Tour Level Fitting. Typically hosted by golf clubs, these events allow golfers to sign up for time (often 90 minutes) and work with a golf ball expert. Using a TrackMan launch monitor, players are asked several questions, then have an opportunity to try the Pro V1, Pro V1x, AVX, Pro V1x Left Dash and in some cases, the Pro V1 Left Dot. Just like a driver fitting, the numbers don’t lie and different attributes of each ball become clear.
Golfweek’s David Dusek recently had a chance to go through a Tour Level Fitting at the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, California, and captured the experience on video. Watch the full evaluation above.
