BOSTON, Mass – The Titleist research and development team regularly experiments with new materials, resources and designs to improve its most popular and best-selling golf balls – the Pro V1 and Pro V1x. Typically, in testing new products, Titleist creates prototype balls and asks PGA Tour staff players to use them and give feedback.
In a new twist to its marketing strategy, now any golfer interested in trying experimental Titleist golf balls can do so, as the first product in the brand’s new EXP Project has just been released, the EXP∙01 ball.
Titleist said the goal of the program is to allow golfers to have a chance to try new products that are in the developmental stages of production. These products will have limited runs. In this case with the EXP*01, pro shops and golf specialty shops will receive only six to 12 dozen boxes of EXP∙01 balls and probably won’t be able to re-order the balls after they sell out. The company anticipates the EXP∙01 golf balls will be gone by the end of 2019.
Normally when a new golf ball is released, the manufacturer touts features and benefits, but Titleist is not doing that with the EXP∙01 because everyone who buys a box is being encouraged to provide the company with feedback. Boasting about things like a faster core, softer feel or redesigned cover could affect the feedback.
What we do know is the EXP∙01 is a three-piece, urethane-covered ball. That makes its basic construction similar to the Pro V1 and the AVX. The Titleist Pro V1x, which has a four-piece construction, has a firmer feel than the Pro V1 and spins more, so it flies higher. The AVX ball is designed to be the softest-feeling of Titleist’s premium balls and create the least amount of spin, so it flies the lowest.
The new balls will be USGA conforming for tournaments but Titleist said it does not anticipate the EXP∙01 to be used by players on the PGA Tour or other professional circuits.
Titleist noted the EXP∙01 has 346 dimples, so it will have a different cover pattern than the 352-dimple Pro V1 and the 328-dimple Pro V1x.
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