Like "woods" made of metal, there is an entire generation of golfers now who have never played a wound ball, let alone one with a balata cover. (If' you don't know what balata is, please Google it!)

One of those players is named Jordan Spieth. The same day the 2015 model of Pro V1 and Pro V1x were introduced, he spoke to an auditorium full of Titleist's staff professionals at the PGA Show in Orlando. Titleist equipment means a lot to him, and he's an excellent ambassador for the brand. You might say he was feeling pretty good about his game, coming off back-to-back with the new Pro V1x at the Australian Open and Hero World Challenge. He won those events by a combined 16 strokes. 

Spieth called his final round 63 at Australian Golf Club the best of his life. And as for the new Pro V1x?

“It obviously performed well,” Spieth said after the round. “I used the same ball the entire day today and it still flew perfectly. The changes to the new golf ball have been big for me and I’ve been playing well since changing.”

So let's take a look at the changes. I'll start off with the technical facts that come directly from Titleist, and then give you a little of my own feedback, after playing more than a half a dozen rounds with the Pro V1x and trying the Pro V1 as well.

TITLEIST OFFICIAL INFO

Pro V1  has a softer feel, slightly more long game spin and a more penetrating trajectory for a shallower angle of descent for more roll than Pro V1x.

• Pro V1 is a three-piece, multiple component technology with a very soft compression ZG process core, ionomeric casing layer, softer thermoset urethane elastomer cover, and spherically-tiled 352 tetrahedral dimple design. 

Pro V1x has a slightly firmer feel and lower long game spin and launches higher with a steeper angle of descent than Pro V1. 

• Pro V1x is a four-piece, multi-component technology with a ZG process dual core, ionomeric casing layer, softer thermoset urethane elastomer cover and spherically-tiled 328 tetrahedral dimple design.

THERMOSET COVER

There is a unique property to the cover material of the Pro V1 and Pro V1x that allows Titleist to dial in the softness, spin control, and durability. The thermoset urethane cover formulation on both Pro V1 and Pro V1x is created by a chemical reaction that takes place during the sophisticated casting process. Liquid materials specifically formulated by Titleist R&D are combined and react to form the solid cover. This urethane is termed “thermoset,” meaning that the cover, once formed, will not re-melt. Most competitive urethane-covered golf balls use a thermoplastic urethane (TPU), supplied by an outside vendor and usually formulated for another non-golf product, which is melted and then reformed to create the cover.

“We do a lot of testing, says Michael Sullivan, Titleist's Vice President of Golf Ball Development. "We test the urethane on the ball and test it off the ball. In fact, we do so much material testing before it even gets onto a golf ball that by the time it does, we have a solid understanding of how it’s going to react. With the new 2015 models, we tested hundreds of formulations. You simply can’t do that with TPU. In the end, our iterative prototyping process ultimately improves performance for golfers.”

ON COURSE TEST RESULTS

I found the Pro V1x softer, on all shots from putter to driver. From a feel perspective, Pro V1x seems to stay on the club longer, especially on drives. Around the green, it's clear if you drop the previous model and 2015 version next to each other on the green and roll a few putts that the new Pro V1x feels softer and sounds a little less "clicky" and I can't imagine anyone who won't like that. In short, I can't see anyone who likes the current Pro V1x not liking the new one better, but you've really got to try it for yourself.

The Pro V1 continues to feel great, but being a low-ball hitter it's not as well suited to my game. In my opinion, players currently using the Pro V1 will have the most to think about. Now that the Pro V1x is softer, all Pro V1 players should take out a sleeve or two and see what happens. If you've gone back and forth between the two you might find yourself leaning towards Pro V1x or making the switch altogether.

SUMMARY

I like Titleist's new TV spots, that focus on the company's history of quality and their team that brings the balls from design to market, with hundreds of "check points" along the way. Titleist is a company with an amazing history, which all started when a man named Phillip Young made a great stroke on an important putt during a match at New Bedford (Mass.) Country Club. The ball deviated from it's line in such a way that Young was convinced that the ball was to blame. He brought the ball to a dentist friend who offered to x-ray it for him. What they discovered was a distorted core, which resulted in a ball that could not roll or fly perfectly true. It took three years for Young (who worked in rubber processing) and his college roommate to perfect a process that involved freezing a liquid core -- resulting in a ball that was perfectly round. The name Titleist was chosen for the brand, and the logo to this day is based on the handwriting of Young's secretary, Helen Robinson. What a story!