This spring, Titleist added an enhanced alignment guide to its series of Pro V1 golf balls. At first blush, this may not seem like news worthy of its own story, but it should be. Here’s why.
I go out of my way to avoid golf advice, specifically the sort of “tips” and “quick fixes” that populate magazines, websites and even TV shows. Most of the time, they cause more problems than they solve and force you inside your head in ways that are rarely useful on the golf course. There’s been one exception.
Years ago, I skimmed a putting suggestion. It recommended drawing a line on your ball and, after reading your putt, setting the ball down so that the drawn line coincides with your target line. Then, walk around to the side of your ball and stand so that your shoulders and hips are parallel to the drawn line. Having done so, you guarantee that your body is square to your target line, which improves your accuracy.
It also removes one variable, since you don’t have to think about the line anymore, just the speed. That little routine definitely helped me sink more putts. That, and the Pro V1’s status as a top-selling ball every year since 2001, make the aiming aid attention-getting.
Titleist’s Pro V1, long the bestselling ball on the market, now has a 65% longer, thicker alignment guide to help golfers aim their putts. The three versions of the ball have slightly different flight, spin and feel characteristics to fit a wide range of golfers depending on their specific needs.
What we liked about it
Lots of iterations to choose from
The Pro V1 comes in three versions — the Pro V1, Pro V1x and Pro V1 Left Dash — each with its own flight and spin characteristics to fit different types of players. Titleist says the new line on those balls is 65% larger than the alternative, and they do visibly jump off the ball, especially since the line on the Pro V1 is bright red, while the “x” versions have vibrant green lines.
Larger line makes for better alignment
Compared to the previous alignment aid, the bigger, brighter line helps when squatting behind the ball since it extends further over the top, and it also provides a broader visual horizon that makes it easier to get yourself parallel to the ball at address. Basically, Titleist has saved you the effort of drawing a broader line on the ball.
What we didn’t like about it
The price
There’s not much not to like, except maybe the price, which runs to roughly $55 per dozen. However, even that’s hard to complain about. The modern urethane golf ball falls into one of three categories: two-layer, three-layer and four-layer. The latter are the most technologically advanced and best performing, a necessity for players who manipulate spin to curve the ball in the air or draw it back on the green.
The Pro V1 is a four-layer ball, and most of its competition — all the other four-layer balls — come at a similar cost. They do, however, make excellent gifts for golfers.
Bottom line
This is more important than it might sound. Before releasing the new version of the Pro V1, Titleist conducted a survey of players who use its balls and “64% of golfers on the PGA Tour, LPGA, DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour said they regularly use a marking on their golf ball to help with alignment. Of the college golfers surveyed, 73% said they regularly use a marking for alignment.”
Of course, it’s also possible that none of the three is the best fit for any particular golfer’s swing dynamics or bank account (Pro V1s ring in at $55 per dozen). To address that, Titleist has a ball fitting tool on its website, as do other large golf ball brands including Bridgestone, Callaway, Srixon and TaylorMade. There are also independent fitting tools that go across brands. There are plenty to choose from with enhanced alignment or not.
Having read this far, you’re now once again warned to ignore golf tips. Of course, that itself is a golf tip, so do what you want.