The Pro V1 is the most-played ball on Tour. But is it the right ball for you?

The Titleist Pro V1 has been the most-played golf ball on Tour for years. Roughly seven in ten players carry a Titleist, usually a Pro V1 or a Pro V1x.

For a lot of golfers that settles it: if the best players in the world play this ball, it must be good enough for me. But a tour pro plays under very different circumstances than you do, and the ball that suits him doesn't have to be the ball that suits you.

Why do almost all pros play Titleist?

Not because the Pro V1 magically flies further. What a tour pro wants above all is certainty: a ball that comes off the face exactly the same way every round. That trust, built over hundreds of rounds, matters more to him than a few extra yards. Titleist built that position decades ago with the Pro V1, and has barely given it up since. You don't buy that certainty by putting his ball in your bag.

The main challengers come from TaylorMade, Srixon, Callaway and Bridgestone. Rory McIlroy plays a TaylorMade TP5, Xander Schauffele a Callaway Chrome Tour, and Hideki Matsuyama and Shane Lowry a Srixon Z-Star. All good balls, and all chosen to suit a top player's swing, not yours.

Pro V1 or Pro V1x: what's the difference?

The Pro V1 and the Pro V1x are two different balls. The Pro V1 is a three-piece ball with a lower compression: it feels softer and flies a little lower. The Pro V1x is a four-piece ball with a dual core, feels firmer and flies higher. That higher, steeper flight gives the Pro V1x more spin with the irons and wedges, so the ball stops faster on the green. Off the tee the two are close; the difference shows up mostly in the irons and around the green. Which one suits you depends on your playing style and preference, not on who plays it on television.

Do you have enough swing speed for a tour ball?

Most tour balls are highly compressed. Compression is roughly how firm the core is, and how much speed you need to compress it fully. Tour pros generate that speed easily. If you have a slower swing, that is nothing to worry about, but it is worth knowing: if you do not compress a firm core fully, you get less ball speed and spin out of it than you are paying for. A softer, lower-compression ball often does more for your distance.

Why does the cover matter so much?

The biggest reason to play a tour ball is not off the tee, but around the green. Tour balls have a urethane cover, a slightly tacky material that grips the clubface and so produces more backspin on your chips and pitches. A cheaper ball usually has an ionomer cover, which slides across the face more and gives less spin. If you want that greenside control, you will notice the difference straight away. But if you tend to fly your approaches in high and soft without asking for much spin, you are paying for something you barely use.

More expensive does not mean better

Even among tour balls the prices vary widely, though the balls sit in the same category. The most expensive ball is not always the most played, and it is certainly not automatically the best for your game. Every major brand makes a tour ball with a urethane cover, and there are good models to be found for a good deal less than the best-known names.

Which golf ball is right for you?

The advice every fitter gives, and it holds for every golfer: always play the same type of ball. Only when your ball is a constant do you learn how it behaves on a chip or a half wedge, and can build on it. The only question is which ball that should be for you, and that comes down to your swing speed, your short game, your feel and your budget together.

That is exactly what OneGolfBall works out for you. The tool is brand-independent and does not sell any balls itself. You enter your swing and your preferences, and you see which ball fits you best. So you play not the pro's ball, but the ball that is right for you.

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