Titleist Rolls Out New ProV1 and ProV1x Golf Balls

How are you going to mark the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x?

Bag DropIt’s an odd-numbered year and you know what that means: a new Pro V1 lineup courtesy of the folks at Titleist. If you missed all the ads and Jim Nantz voice-overs, you know the flagship ball of Titleist has been number one on every tour and at every tournament since golf was invented (or at least it seems that way).

This year, Titleist has chosen to emphasize speed. Ball speed, that is. Everybody wants more distance and the new Pro V1 and Pro V1x are seemingly up to the task with reformulated cores and other engineering marvels. In addition, durability is given more attention. As we know, when playing with a urethane-covered ball, durability is very important as the modern wedges eat them for a breakfast.

With the ball market, as Titleist goes, so goes the rest. The Pro V1 line has been the best-selling ball since its inception. Is is good marketing? Sure, however it comes down to performance and at any level, golfers demand a ball that meets their needs and to date, the Pro V1 line has delivered. So let’s take a look at the latest incarnation of the Pro V1 line.

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Volume One Hundred Seventy Six

A teenager wins in Dubai, Lefty takes the weekend off, and what in the world is Ryan Moore wearing?

Hittin' the LinksWelcome golf fanatics to yet another volume of everybody’s favorite column, Hittin’ the Links. Although most people have turned their attention to the Super Bowl this past week, there still have been some goings on in the golf world.

In this volume of HTL we first do a preview of the AT&T, then see what happened to Lefty in Phoenix, and find out about a very good teenager winning in Dubai. Also, we investigate the beginning of corporations balking on their PGA sponsorship deals, check out Obama’s golf game, and take a peak at Ryan Moore’s rather unusual wardrobe. All that and an FBR wrap-up, read on!

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Titleist 909H Hybrid Review

Titleist’s second generation “true hybrid” improves greatly on the first and challenges for the title “best.”

Titleist 909H HybridMy history with hybrids is a bit different than most. I still carry a 3-iron and can’t see giving it up any time soon. I generate enough swing speed and hit with the right amount of downward and sweeping action that I can hit a 3-iron just fine. This same swing tends to produce some poor results when I put a hybrid intended to replace the 3-iron in play.

As such, for years, I’ve relegated the hybrid to a spot between my 3-iron and my 3-wood. Hybrids from various makers, from about 16 to 18 degrees in loft, have occupied this slot at various times. The Titleist 503.H, more like a 2-iron than a hybrid, held the role until I moved onto the much-adored TaylorMade Rescue Dual TP. After realizing that I had a hard time keeping the ball down, I switched back to Titleist’s PT 585.H.

The 585.H was a great hybrid: it looked great, it felt great, and most importantly to me, I could adjust the trajectory to suit my needs. If it had a down-side, it’s that it was prone to the occasional snapper, as I often discovered on my home course’s long par-three seventh hole.

So when Titleist introduced the 909H, I was intrigued. As I stated in our widely read Sneak Peek, the 909H improves on the 585.H by offering progressive head sizes, shapes, offset, and CG to further optimize launch conditions across the range. A little birdie told me, too, that the tendency of the club to go left fast was reduced. I was pumped.

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The Stories of 2009

Lie angles, Tiger, the Race to Dubai… Oh my!

Trap Five LogoThe 2009 golf season is underway, despite what the foot of snow and ice outside my door would indicate. Out in Arizona, the Loudest Golf Tournament in the World is underway. Down in Florida, the PGA Merchandise Show is providing first looks at lots of new toys.

It should be an interesting year of golf. Will the younger players continue to win tournaments? Is Sergio about to make good on the promise he’s shown for years? Will Vijay’s success in the FedExCup carry over in 200? Can Kenny Perry continue to win on the PGA Tour as he nears 50? And just how badly will the economy hit the game we love?

These and other questions remain to be answered in 2009. Here are five of what, if not the absolutely biggest, will certainly be among the most interesting stories to watch.

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A Crime of Passion

The following is my elaborate rationalization for spending $400 on a custom Slighter Tacoma.

Thrash TalkI, Benjamin Alberstadt, being of sound mind and body, confess that I did recently spend $399.95 on a putter. Is there any possible justification for such behavior? In this period of economic downturn, is there any excuse for acquiring such a liability? Perhaps not. After all, the unusurpable king of the retail putter market, Scotty Cameron, only charges about $300 for a production putter.

In the world of $500 drivers and $300 greens fees, the average golfer has to make a real effort to spend significant coin on a putter – Cameron Circle T’s, other tour issue, or limited availability models are the common bandits, in that regard. However, I accepted the challenge… and succeeded admirably.

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Golf Talk [Episode 103]

It’s really tough to watch guys playing golf in Hawaii when you’re just hoping not to have to shovel snow again in the next two hours.

Golf Talk PodcastA short episode: John Daly, Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson, Pat Perez, Geoff Ogilvy, Golf Channel’s “coverage”, and a little bit more in this episode of Golf Talk.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 103 as an MP4 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

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Volume One Hundred Seventy Five

Pat Perez gives a long awaited sigh of relief

Hittin' the LinksHello golf fans and welcome to another edition of Hittin’ the Links. I am coming to you a day late this week but still full of all the best stories one might hope to find perusing the golf Internet.

In this newest volume of HTL, we first take a look at Pat Perez’s long-awaited first victory, check in on a guy who has shot his age 100 times, and investigate a very pregnant winner of the LPGA event in Brazil. Also we see what’s brewing at the Hall of Fame, take note of the World Golf Rankings, and listen up to what Bob Vokey has to say. Read on!

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TaylorMade Launches R9, Burner Irons, and Rescue 2009 Hybrids

TaylorMade tosses out enough options to make gear heads drool.

Bag DropTaylorMade Golf has released their 2009 golf lineup and it’s a doozy. Boasting some pretty snazzy technology and giving you enough options to make your head spin, TaylorMade has something to offer to every level of golfer from the high-handicap duffer to the gearhead who tweaks his clubs after every round.

Yes, we quite frequently poke fun at the folks at TaylorMade for releasing a new driver every other week, but once in awhile they release some equipment that causes you to stop what your doing and pay attention. And they have some of that with this new lineup. How good is it? Ask Pat Perez who won the Bob Hope over the weekend with the R9 driver in his bag. So join me as we see the latest and greatest from the folks at TaylorMade.

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Nine Holes with Boo Weekley

What’s not to like about a guy who wears camo and fights apes?

ProfilesThe odds-on favorite to win this year’s Verizon Heritage is Boo Weekley. He’s won the last two, so why not add one more?

What’s a little more of a mystery is why he hasn’t won anywhere else. In two full seasons on the PGA Tour, he’s had ten top-ten finishes, but has only managed to finish at the top of the leaderboard at Hilton Head. Obviously, the course suits him. It’s a ball-striker’s layout, it’s in the South (where Boo grew up), and with its small greens, putting is less likely to be the determining factor in a tournament.

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