What is the first word that pops into your heads when you read the word, Titleist?
I’m willing to bet the most common answer will be something to do with Tradition, or ProV1.
Let’s be real, those are exactly the things that should come to mind. Titleist has cemented itself in golf tradition, and the biggest reason for that is the ProV1 and ProV1x. Those two entities have dominated sales for decades now, and that can’t be contested. However, the golf ball market has changed and fitting the broader spectrum has become the name of the game. While once upon a time the story from Titleist was always heavily tilted to the ProV1 and ProV1x being able to cover the gamut of golfers needs, the game has evolved, and we are seeing Titleist evolve with it.
While the release of the AVX turned heads in a big way by being a golf ball for the slimmest of the bell curve, now comes something aimed at the bulk of it, and I honestly never saw it coming.
Today Titleist is introducing the new Tour Speed golf ball, a design aimed at speed through the bag and spin in the short game. More than that though, this is a urethane ball from Titleist, coming to market at $39.99. You read that right.
Quick Take
A fourth urethane ball from Titleist, and at a lower price point is something most of us never thought would actually happen but given the direction of the golf ball market we shouldn’t be all that surprised. The Tour Speed checks the boxes for the majority of amateurs offering speed while finding balanced spin and precision where it is needed throughout the bag, at a much more eye-catching price to boot.
Titleist Tour Speed – Where Does it Fit?
If you would have told me that Titleist would be releasing a $39.99 golf ball this year, it wouldn’t have shocked me. However, if you told me it would be a urethane design at that price point, I would have called you a liar.
Now, understand, this isn’t a slight on Titleist, and more options are always good, but this is a company that for years essentially told us if you are looking for a urethane design then you need look no further than the ProV1 or ProV1x. Since then, we got the AVX which fits a decidedly specific portion of golfers, but still at that top tier price. For Titleist to come in with a $39.99 urethane golf ball and pull no punches saying it is aimed to compete directly with the Chrome Soft’s, Q-Star Tour’s and Tour B RX’s of the industry, that is in my opinion a potential paradigm shift. Why is that exactly? Well, not only is this seemingly the sweet spot for a lot of golfers, but it’s the price realm that has become highly competitive in recent years.
The design itself makes it equally as interesting as the price though, as this one is clearly aimed at the average golfer. With that in mind, one can’t help but wonder if this is a somewhat reactionary release that could actually pull away golfers from their other premium offerings, or perhaps it’s just them truly evolving with the times in grasping that having a broader spectrum of urethane offerings only serves to further solidify their presence? Well, I’ll leave that discussion point up to you all.
As for the golf ball, the Tour Speed is a three-piece design focused on what Titleist describes as “a unique combination of exceptional distance in the long game and precise short game scoring control”. The design utilizes a unique high-speed core combined with Titleist’s fastest ionomer casing layer to generate significant speed in the long game, enough that their testing showed it to be longer than some big-name designs. The Tour Speed is finished off with a proprietary TPU (thermoplastic urethane) cover to offer short game control that they have never accomplished in this segment before. With 346 quadrilateral dipyramid dimples done and the first-class quality and design control that only Titleist can offer, this is essentially a ball for all.
Titleist Tour Speed – Performance
Release information is always a fun time, but the real story comes with putting the product through its paces. For this release, I was lucky enough to get a dozen Tour Speed golf balls in to work with and see just what was going on. Rather than comparing them to other designs in the segment, out of the gates I wanted to see instead just how the Tour Speed stood on its own.
First off, I have to mention that it’s always amazing to me how much cleaner Titleist’s tour golf balls look in hand. For example, to my eye, the legendary Titleist script in non-urethane releases has always looked a little thicker and less sharp. Here with the Tour Speed though, this is the same clean precision I see in the ProV1’s and AVX. I will say however, and you will see it in the pictures, the alignment aid design on this one is really out there for Titleist. The multi-arrow look with bright blue “Tour Speed” text worked well for me on the greens, but I do believe it’s going to potentially be too busy some, though it does help set it apart from the ProV’s.
I decided to take a unique direction with the Tour Speed for this review. As is standard, I used the Foresight GC2 to record data for this article, however, being that the marketing focus on this one is low spin and speed in the longer clubs and more spin and control in the scoring portion of the bag, I steered away from the usual show people a driver and lob wedge methodology. Instead, I thought a better picture of what is going on could be seen by focusing on long, mid, and short irons. Specifically, I worked with the 5i, 7i, and 9i.
Right into it, as you will see in the data above, there was a lot to like about the Tour Speed for me and my swing during testing. What stood out most was what felt like the ease of launch while not sacrificing speed/distance for spin. Hitting 35, 37, and 36-yard average peak heights respectively is something that as a mid-ball hitter I enjoyed seeing. Bigger though, the spin numbers in the 9i were higher than I anticipated as a historically lower spin player, and they tapered off into the lower numbers I expected given the product description in the 5i indicating, for me at least, that it’s doing what they claim.
I do want to mention that I did get some quick numbers for my swing on not just the ProV1 and ProV1x, but also the Tour Soft non urethane design and the Tour Speed sat right in the middle for me. In the 5i, the numbers were spot on with the low spin distance I saw from the ionomer Tour Soft, but in the 9i they were about 500 RPM higher, but still lower than the ProV1x. Clearly, everyone’s mileage may vary here, but I saw enough to feel comfortable with how Titleist is marketing this ball and to what segment it is aimed. Personally, I need a slightly higher spin ball, but I’m also a bit outside the biggest portion of the bell curve of golfers.
What does it all mean? Well, for me I walk away from this believing that Titleist is serious about establishing a foothold in this $39.99 price real and potentially taking some share from the competitors which are already there. The big question for me is not performance, as I think we all knew that Titleist wouldn’t bring something like this out if it didn’t live up to the name, rather I think it is how the masses will respond to a middle tier priced urethane Titleist golf ball which is a contrast to what we have come to expect from them basically forever.
What do you think about the new Tour Speed golf ball? Feel free to jump into the conversation both here as well as on The Hackers Paradise forums and let us know!
The Details
Available: 9/7/2020
Price: $39.99
Construction: 3-Piece with TPU Cover
Isn’t the difference between #1 and #2 golf ball market share like almost most double in sales?
I don’t think anyone is going to learn anything about Titleist balls to refute them being #1 selling. That’s the problem for the rest of the competitors. You can say you’ve made a great ball, and you may have something that fits some golfers better than what Titleist offers, but no one is going to claim they made a higher quality product than a ProV1. Titleist has maintained quality control, high performance, and consistent improvement for years and years. They have earned their perch. It’s like Apple or Nike. Competitors can say we made a ball just as good as that, but until they can honestly say and prove they made something better or Titleist slips up and let’s their quality degrade Titleist will be #1.
I am not sure I agree with this. And that takes nothing away from Titleist as a brand. There are quite a few who would argue quality of cover construction of cast vs TPU (which Titleist just entered). There are many that before AVX would say that they were not near the quality of others in low compression.
I think your comparison to Nike is well made. Lots of love for that brand over the years, but I am not sure any competitor of theirs would say its because they make better or higher quality products.
I will ask this same question a different way. Would you say that Titleist clubs are inferior because they don’t come close to even sniffing the sales of other brands? As a user of those clubs, I would assume the answer is no.
That’s awesome! Look forward to your thoughts!
It’s Grand Canyon like
I didn’t say Titleist makes better products I said no one makes one that is objectively better than their product. If you want to take their spot your product has to objectively beat theirs, not tie it. Only objectively better results will move someone’s subjectivity off of a top brand. I think there are some balls as good as what Titleist offers, but they’re not better which is the problem when Titleist is kicking their ass in branding.
No I think Callaway makes the best products to fire off of a mat with a launch monitor. Not sure who makes the best clubs for the course, but I am playing my best with Titleist gear. I like spin though, it keeps things strait.
I must not have conveyed that message well. Other companies have and do say this very thing. Just about every year.
They also offer them for less money. As the video states, it wasn’t that long ago, Titleist marketed that compression didn’t matter and that all golfers should play Pro V1 and Pro V1x. Bridgestone, Callaway, Srixon, TaylorMade and others very much said they were incorrect and showed data throughout marketing and testing. That changed of course with AVX. Like clubs, there are limits in golf balls and what can be produced.
I say all of that to say that it takes nothing away from their products, which are high quality, but I am a not huge into a correlation between sales and performance as it relates to the golfer (just my opinion). To use an example, the NXT Tour (which is discontinued) was the #3 selling golf ball on the market for a period of time. It was a turd considering its price point. Just about every company had a ball at that price that was objectively better than a 3 piece surlyn ball at that price (at the time, many tour level balls were same price). It was marketed brilliantly and sold because of it, not because of performance.
The Nike example was a good one. It is the same reason in reverse that their clubs have not shared the same success, which is a shame considering how well the current crop of metal woods performs.
Relating it back to this ball, I will be careful what I say the future holds, but it is polarizing in the people I have spoken to. Some believe it will take away Pro V1 or AVX users, others believe it will bring in a different audience that prefers the look or believes there are performance benefits to TPU.
i understand, it may look like i dont but i get what your saying.
i think when names start getting tossed around within one thats being reviewed its easy to start comparing and say otherwise but again i get it.
when do these hit the shelves, i have not seen them yet, maybe our shops will have them really soon?
I believe the article states the 7th.
I think these balls serve the same purpose as the medium popcorn does at the movie theater.
You go in and see prices like this:
Small $3.50
Medium $7.50
Large $8.00
You may only want a medium, but for $.50 more you’re going to buy a large. Theaters actually tested these pricing structures. When the prices looked like they sold more larges than the other 2 combined. When they priced them like the below they sold an even mix of all 3 sizes.
Small $3.50
Medium $6.00
Large $8.00
So the ridiculously priced medium makes the large so attractive that even people who were going to buy a small get a large. Maybe that’s what Titleist is really about?
prov1- elastomer urethane – 3 piece
avx- thermoset urethane – 3 piece
tour speed- thermoplastic urethane – 3 piece
exp01- mtr urethane – 3 piece
tour soft- ionomer – 2 piece
velocity- surlyn – 2 piece
trufeel- truflex – 2 piece
View attachment 8956525
Exp01 is this ball.
Sort of. According to Titleist, a prototype version during testing became this ball.
Yup, I know.
i think weve gone over this before and if i remember correctly there are other brands that are far ahead of titleist clubs in sales, correct?
Yes
Yes that is correct. Depending on category of course. Titleist is currently #1 in wedge sales. That is the only category they are leading in sales right now. In fact not in the top 3 in any Driver, FW, Hybrid or Irons and in some cases not in top 4.
That should not take away from their quality level or even performance. Just my belief that sometimes sales numbers don’t paint an entire picture. If it did, the Tour Soft (not Tour Speed) would be a better ball than a number of 3-4 layer urethane covered balls.
that would be my guess if someone was to compare what the tour speed is against
the "mtr developmental cover system" experiment could now be called thermoplastic as a final name
Of course golf balls are subjective to each golfer. I feel the Bridgestone Tour BX is a better ball now. However it’s tough to get folks to try something new when they are comfortable.
Sales are some function of current quality, past quality, and branding IMO. Titleist balls are leading because they are high quality now, they have have been high quality as long as any golfer alive can remember, and they have the strongest brand in the ball business. Their brand is so strong that underdog lovers refuse to buy them because they are so beloved. Kind of like people hate bands when they become popular or hate on Starbucks because everyone drinks it.
Looking forward to your thoughts. I always liked the ProV1 but I’ve played 2 balls this year that I think are better all around.
Great info there on the new ball.
Thank you!
They should have given it a Titleist name, Club Special, DT, Pro Trajectory.
View attachment 8956990
thing, therefore he/she desires to be available that in detail, therefore that thing is maintained over here.
Also it has fantastic short game spin, I mean, really good. It kinda shocked me. I think It has better wedge spin than AVX. With my Full Face 60° wedge, I got a couple of shots to just stop when they hit the green. Be interested in seeing this ball go through the @Jman wedge test. Felt just fine off my Atlanta Putter.
Saw the Titleist commercial on TV claiming the this ball is faster then CC, RX & Tour Response, I think this ball will give CC and RX a run for their money based on price, performance and name recognition.
When I have to change the color of my golf balls in a couple of weeks because of the falling leaves, I’ll buy them instead of AVX.
Here is a tee shot on a par 3 170yds with a Mizuno CLK Hybrid.
View attachment 8957090
This is a world class breakdown!
Headline: Jack of all, master of none.
This ball is a 7 out of 10 in every category: spin, distance, feel, etc.
Durability is a 3. The cover gets beat up quick from simple sand shots. I did not hit cart paths nor trees, and the cover was shot by hole 3.
Wedge through 3 iron was drop and stop. My wedge would sit in its own ball mark, and the 3 iron jumped forward 8 inches.
Higher ball flight then AVX, lower than ProV1.
I can see why this ball would fit the majority of golfers.
Track man numbers next week.
????
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Thanks for reminding me, I still need to post an update on the CS thread. But I’d love to put them head to head against the 2020 CS (even though all the THP review ones have ben sacrificed to the golfing Gods).
Can you expand on this a bit…this is exactly the kind of feedback I’m looking for about this ball. My observation (based on the EXP-01…haven’t hit Tour Speed yet) is the EXP-01 was basically ProV1 lite in terms of spin profile (with only slightly less spin around the green, slightly more off a driver, and lower spin/more distance off irons…but close enough overall) with a higher ProV1 type ball flight and AVX was generally lower spinning, lower launching, a bit longer, and cut through the wind nicely. That said, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the comparison between the two balls realizing they are quite different.