Lower your score with the best golf ball for your game

All players want to shoot lower scores. At Titleist, we design and manufacture golf balls to help golfers achieve their ultimate goal; to score their best. We know that when you play a golf ball that is properly fit for your game, your shot execution will improve and you will lower your score.

Tour players know that changing the golf ball changes every shot. When testing golf balls to find the best ball for their game, their performance evaluation focuses mainly on the scoring shots to the green. Additionally, their golf ball performance evaluation is done on a golf course.

This same golf ball fitting process benefits all golfers. The Titleist approach to golf ball fitting focuses on performance to help you lower your score.

The Titleist Approach

• Titleist Performance Golf Ball Fitting focuses on lowering your score
• The best place to determine the best golf ball for your game is on a golf course
• Golf Ball Fitting is best conducted from green-to-tee, starting with scoring shots

How important is the golf ball to my score?

There’s only one piece of equipment you use on every shot, your golf ball. Every shot counts and so does your golf ball, yet we often hear golfers say they play with “whatever is in my bag.” Performance differences between golf ball brands and models are game changing, especially on short game scoring shots. Playing with the same golf ball model every round eliminates this performance variation and will help you hit more greens in regulation and hit the ball closer to the pin to convert more putts. This is one of the first steps to developing a more consistent game.

Why do the short game shots matter most?

Titleist ball fitting prioritizes the short game shots as this is where you have the greatest opportunity to lower your score. Regardless of skill level, golfers hit their driver only 14 times per round. The vast majority of shots include approach shots, pitches and chips. For example, if you shoot an average score of 90, you will hit more than 40 shots to the green but only 14 drives. Pros and amateurs alike shoot their best rounds when they minimize the number of short game shots. So select a ball that performs best for your scoring shots.

What golf ball is best suited for my swing speed?

Whether you're a PGA Tour player or lower swing speed amateur, you play a wide variety of shots during your round. Since a golf ball only reacts to the force being applied, different shots will require different swing speed (force) in order to execute them properly.

Ball fitting for swing speed is a myth. A golf ball must perform for all golfers of all swing speeds on all shots, otherwise it won’t perform for any golfer. A PGA Tour player’s driver swing speed is higher than most amateurs. Yet his speed on long or mid-irons may be similar to your driver swing speed. A Titleist golf ball will perform as well on your drives as it does on the PGA player’s iron shots. The golf ball just reacts to the force at impact and Titleist golf balls perform for all swing speeds on all shots.

How can a golf ball used by a tour player be a good choice for me?

Tour players make the game look easy. Even though they may have a higher swing speed and more consistently execute good swings, they are playing the same game. They still miss greens in regulation and have to get up-and-down. They, too, want to hit more shots closer to the hole. Whether you regularly shoot 80s, 90s or over 100, you are faced with the same types of scoring shots on your approaches, pitches and chips.

The difference between Tour players and many amateurs is that they prioritize golf ball performance on their scoring shots. Playing with a high performance ball will translate into hitting a few more greens in regulation and shots closer to the hole when you hit your shot the way you intended. Amateurs and pros alike make a higher percentage of 3' putts than 12' ones.

Should I play a golf ball with a lower compression if I don't compress it like a high swing speed player?

There is a common misconception that a player must match the compression of the golf ball to his or her swing speed in order to properly “compress” the ball. Every golfer compresses the golf ball on every full swing shots. In fact, the differences in the amount of compression across driver swing speeds are virtually indistinguishable as depicted in these photos taken from a high speed camera at impact.

Another myth is that lower swing speed players will hit a lower compression golf ball longer. No single element of golf ball design determines the golf ball’s performance or its distance. The Titleist Golf Ball R&D team has a wide range of tools to design our golf balls to achieve specific performance characteristics. Its compression is simply a result of this process. Compression is a test of the relative softness of a golf ball and relates to how firm or soft a golf ball feels to a golfer. While there is no performance benefit to choosing a specific compression, many golfers (regardless of swing speed) do have feel preferences. Golfers who prefer softer feel may prefer lower compression golf balls.

Should I play a golf ball that provides the longest distance?

All Titleist golf balls are long and the distance differences between models is just 4-5 yards. This is true whether you are a high speed Tour player, moderate or lower swing speed golfer. In fact, this small yardage difference is not enough to change club selection on the approach.

Since you will only hit 14 drives per round, prioritizing a ball with the longest distance off the tee will not necessarily help you lower your score. And if you miss the green, you still have to get up-and-down. Playing a golf ball with the best scoring performance will help you shoot lower scores.

How does spin affect my game?

Understanding how spin affects your game will help you choose the best golf ball. On shots with the driver, low spin will provide longer and straighter drives. On shots with your long irons, lower spin produces straighter flight but reduces stopping power. In the short game, more spin provides more stopping power into the green.

There are significant performance differences between golf ball models, particularly on the short game scoring shots. To shoot lower scores, golfers will benefit from a golf ball that provides excellent scoring spin, the spin and control needed to hit more greens closer to the pin with irons and wedges.

Performance plus preference

Titleist Ball Fitting is performance based and focuses on helping golfers score their best. Performance is the result of a golf ball’s design and manufacturing quality and includes distance, spin control and consistency. Pro V1 and Pro V1x offer the best performance in the game for all golfers. That’s why in Titleist Ball Fitting, we recommend either Pro V1 or Pro V1x most often. Some golfers ask us, “so why are there other Titleist golf balls in your product line?” or “if I can’t afford to play Pro V1 all the time, what ball should I play?” The answer to these questions is simple.

Golf Ball Selection is about performance plus preference. While all golfers want performance, some golfers’ preferences also influence their purchase decision. Feel, color, appearance (such as play numbers or markings), durability and the price of the golf ball are all preferences. If having the best performing golf ball drives your selection, we recommend Pro V1 and Pro V1x. If performance plus preference is part of your selection process, Titleist offers the NXT Tour, NXT Tour S, Velocity and DT SoLo to meet different preference needs.

Feel Preference

While many golf ball performance characteristics such as distance and spin control are measurable at any launch condition, feel is a preference choice and is highly subjective. Feel is player dependent. Some golfers prefer softer feel while others like a crisper, firmer feel. Feel is also shot dependent. Some golfers gauge feel on full swing shots where others evaluate it on partial swings or putts. Within Titleist’s line of golf balls, we provide alternative feel options. While feel does not contribute directly to scoring performance, it is an important consideration for many golfers.

Color Preference

There are many elements that contribute to a golf ball’s appearance: dimple pattern, sidestamp, play number, and, of course, color. For players who seek higher visibility against the hues of blue and green (the colors you see during every round of play), we offer two distinct high optic yellow options. These optic colors reflect natural light more powerfully than traditional white golf balls. Color does not impact the golf ball’s performance but can be an important factor in some golfers’ selection process.