Titleist’s newest golf ball made its USPGA Tour debut at the Invensys Classic in Las Vegas over the weekend. It was also used by four out of the six finalists in the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St Andrews.
The new ball, prior to full production starting next year, has been provisionally called the Titleist Pro V1 392 and has been much talked about ever since leading Tour pro’s started to test it earlier this year. It lived up to the reputation it has earned when three out of the top four, and six out of the top ten golfers used it during the Invensys Classic.
A total of 47 out of the 144-man field in Las Vegas used the Titleist V1 ball in Las Vegas. Among that number were the winner, Billy Andrade, the runner-up, Phil Mickelson, and Jonathan Kaye, one of the golfers who finished in a tie for third place. The new Titleist Pro V1 392 was also hugely popular at the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St Andrews where a total of 15 used it for the first time in competition. Those included four out of the six finalists, namely Jose Maria Olazabal, Miguel Martin, Ernie Els and David Frost.
Titleist claims that the Pro V1 392 is an exciting addition to the company’s high performance golf ball line, complementing the Professional, Tour Prestige and Tour Balata liquid-filled centre wound golf balls and further consolidating its position as the industry leader in innovative golf ball design
Titleist has been overwhelmed by the interest the new ball has stirred up, not just on the USPGA Tour, but also among members of the public, so much so that it is contemplating bringing forward its launch date, scheduled for March next year.
“The excitement about the ball is prompting us to review the introduction date,” said George Sine, vice president, golf ball marketing and strategic planning. It is envisaged that if the launch date is advanced, it could be no earlier than the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in late January 2001.