Today, Titleist is refreshing and enhancing two of its non-tour ball lines – introducing the new and improved 2020 Titleist Tour Soft and Velocity. If you liked the extra distance of the previous iteration but wanted just something a little more, the 2020 versions may be right up your alley.
Titleist Tour Soft
Although I still think it is a bit of a misnomer, Titleist is rolling out the 2020 Tour Soft balls looking to capitalize on the impressive success of the original Tour Soft line. For those new to the line, the Titleist Tour Soft is a two-piece surlyn ball that gained popularity over the last few years and was advertised rather aggressively. Whether it was the strategic marketing, the Titleist name, or “Tour” in the name at a great price, golfers gave the ball a shot and many liked the long distance and soft feel it delivered.
The redesign of the 2020 Tour Soft includes just about everything from the cover to the core. The new Tour Soft now contains Titleist’s largest core to squeeze out even more ball speed without sacrificing the same soft feel of the original. As a result of the new, larger core, the 4CE-grafted cover was made thinner to accommodate. As a result, Titleist says this thinner cover should increase short game spin around the green for added control. Finally, the 2020 Tour Soft has a new “spherically-tiled 342 cuboctahedron dimple design” (go ahead, practice saying that a few times, or like me, look it up) for a penetrating ball flight that golfers love seeing.
Although I like the idea of increased greenside spin, perhaps the most exciting addition here is the new Tour Soft sidestamp that includes a perpendicular line, making what Titleist calls the Tour Soft “T” sidestamp. The simple addition of the perpendicular line to form a “T” provides a fantastic putter face check on the greens and can be used for the same off the tee. Personally, I know that adding a similar “T” marking to my ball has helped me learn to see a square putter face on the greens and apparently Titleist’s research shows I’m not alone in being able to benefit from such a simple addition. Apparently the “T” mark was one of the most popular custom options on the My Titleist customizer and I’m excited to see this mark come stock and possibly eliminate the need for drawing more lines on every new ball.
The new 2020 Titleist Tour Soft comes in both white and yellow and will be available in golf shops worldwide beginning Jan. 22, 2020. MAP $34.99.
Velocity
As the name Velocity implies, every aspect of the new 2020 Velocity golf balls has been engineered for speed. High flying, low spinning speed to squeeze out every last yard on every single swing.
Available very soon, the 2020 Velocity features a larger LSX core than its predecessor to maximize speed off the club and to maintain spin low on full shots, and a “spherically-tiled 350 octahedral” dimple design for higher ball flight and trajectory. The combination of these technologies results in fast speeds, low spin, and higher flight – the perfect combination for maximum distance.
But pure distance is only one part of the game and Titleist was careful to ensure that the LSX core was carefully refined to provide enough spin on approach shots to hold greens for lower scores. According to Michael Mahoney, Vice President of Titleist Golf Ball Marketing, with the new 2020 Velocity balls, “Golfers can take aim from farther away – confident that if they put a good swing on it, they’ll have the extra distance to reach the green with the ball flight to stop it there.”
If adding a little flare to your game (just to make sure you friends see that you outdrove them) is your thing, the 2020 Titleist Velocity also comes in new, vibrant matte colors (Pink, Green, and Orange) that provide plenty of flare and utility on the course. The high optic finish will make your ball stand out from the crowd and draw plenty of attention on the green, in the fairway, or in the rough.
Like its predecessor, the new Velocity matte balls feature the same large LSX core and “spherically-tiled 350 octahedral” dimple pattern as their more traditional companions but also have a durable NaZ+ Cover that Titleist says will provide plenty of greenside feel.
The 2020 Titleist Velocity will be available in stores worldwide on January 22, 2020 and cost $27.99 per dozen.
