We’re used to seeing new equipment at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and indeed it’s the tournament at which Titleist has begun tour seeding for the next iteration of the Pro V1 golf ball in the past. This year, however, staffers apparently couldn’t wait until Vegas and “tour validation,” Titleist’s term for the process of tour seeding and feedback, actually began at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship.

According to Titleist, Garrick Higgo, M.J. Daffue, and Gary Woodland, who had tested prototype versions of the 2023 Pro V1 and Pro V1x, were clamoring to put the balls in play. Higgo (Pro V1), Daffue (Pro V1x), and Woodland (Pro V1x) became the first three players to game the 2023 models in competition.

This week, Titleist Golf Ball R&D reps Fordie Pitts and Jeff Beyers will be fitting players at TPC Summerlin.

2023 Titleist Pro V1

Jordan Spieth had this to say about the development process behind the new Pro V1.

“The Pro V1 and ProV1x, as a whole, are the best balls in golf so it’s hard to say, ‘How are you going to possibly make that ball better when it’s already the best?’” said Jordan Spieth. “I think when you think of anything being the best, you’re really going against yourself then. You’re trying to beat your former self versus worrying about the competition. And I think Titleist does that. They continue to push being the best and continuing to stay No. 1 – and that’s a really difficult thing to do.”

2023 Titleist Pro V1x

Reigning Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler, described the paces he’ll be putting the new Pro V1 through:

“First thing I’ll always do is take them to the short game area. For me, that’s always the most important. From there I’ll go to the range and just look at numbers, carry, stuff like that. From there, I’ll go out on the course and just start hitting shots. So same thing I do in the short game area, have a few of my ball, have a few of the new ball and just try and hit the same shot and see how the ball reacts, see what it does in the wind and just go from there.”

“One shot that I’m always practicing is when I take some off of it. I need to see that it’s still the same (distance) gaps between my full shot and when I’m taking some off of it. When I’m practicing on the driving range, if I have a little mishit or if a shot doesn’t feel right…I usually have a really good feel for how far it actually carried. If my stock wedge is 140 and I’m trying to hit at 135, and maybe I catch a little bit off and I’m like, ‘man that really feels like 132,’ if it goes that distance, that’s really important to me. And that gives me a lot of faith in what that golf ball’s going to do.”

Stay tuned to GolfWRX for more on the 2023 Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x.

“White boxes” of 2023 Titleist Pro V1, Pro V1 golf balls at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.