'Number 1 for 25 Years'... Curious About the Secret

Titleist Maintains Top Usage Since 2000 Launch
Relentless Innovation by 75-Member Golf Ball R&D Team
Over 5 Million Data Points Analyzed Annually, Player Feedback Prioritized
Commercialized Only After Passing More Than 90 Quality Inspections

There is a golf ball that has maintained the 'Number 1' position for an impressive 25 years. It is the Titleist Pro V1. As soon as it appeared on the tour in 2000, it quickly rose to the top and has firmly maintained its status as the strongest golf ball to this day. Although 25 years have passed since its launch, still three out of four tour players worldwide choose the Pro V1, and it holds more than half of the market share in the golf ball industry. Recently, the 2025 models of the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, featuring faster speed, precise control, and enhanced spin, were newly introduced.

Since the launch of the Pro V1 in 2020, Titleist has firmly maintained its overwhelming status as the 'Number 1' golf ball through the efforts of its R&D team. Photo by Titleist

The introduction of the Pro V1 brought revolutionary changes to the golf ball industry. According to the American research firm Darrell Survey, over the past 25 years, it has been chosen more than 97,000 times on the PGA Tour alone. This is an overwhelming record, showing more than six times the difference compared to the second-ranked brand. Last year, the usage rate of Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x on the PGA Tour reached 70%, with a total of 34 wins. This shows a tremendous gap compared to the second-ranked brand, which had 5 wins.

The secret to Pro V1 maintaining the number 1 spot for such a long time lies in thorough research and development (R&D). The Titleist golf ball R&D team is an Avengers-level expert group consisting of 75 members, including aerodynamicists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians, computer engineers, and engineers. They are responsible for the entire process from product testing and analysis to development and implementation, continuously conducting research for the highest quality and performance.

To create better golf balls, the R&D team collects and meticulously analyzes over 20,000 data points daily and more than 5 million annually at the Titleist Performance Center (TPC) and Titleist Performance Institute (TPI). They also design, manufacture, and test more than 2,500 dimple patterns, applying optimized patterns for each model to maximize distance and trajectory. Currently holding over 1,700 patents related to golf balls is further evidence of Titleist's technological prowess.

Titleist obtains accurate data not only through robot testing but also outdoors using launch monitors. Photo by Titleist

The Titleist headquarters is located on Manchester Lane in Massachusetts, USA, where 'Ball Plant 3,' producing Titleist golf balls, and the TPC are adjacent, enabling rapid research, development, and testing. Every Pro V1 must pass more than 90 rigorous inspections, and the Pro V1x, which has a dual-core structure, must pass more than 120 inspections before release. Especially during the product development process, players' feedback is prioritized.

Titleist golf balls are produced in three factories operated directly by the company, and each Pro V1 undergoes a total of 12 manufacturing steps before it is born. This process involves thorough quality control that takes up to 72 hours.