Titleist 2027 Pro V1 golf balls receive first player reviews

Titleist officially introduced its new 2027 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan. Early player feedback is beginning to emerge, although the company has not disclosed details about changes from the previous generation.

Titleist has maintained its two-year product-refresh cycle. The new balls first appeared on the USGA conforming list three weeks ago at the Biltmore Championship in North Carolina. Four players used them there, including Neal Shipley, who led after 54 holes and ultimately finished third.

This week in Japan, 12 players were using the new Pro V1. Titleist representatives showed the ball to some competitors on site for the first time. In the 72-player field, the 2027 balls were used more than any other brand’s product. One of the notable users was Jordan Spieth, who confirmed early in the week that he was switching to the 2027 Pro V1.

For Spieth, it was another change in his ball setup. The three-time major winner had played the higher-compression, higher-spinning Pro V1x throughout his career before switching to the Pro V1x Left Dash in late April because of increased iron spin.

“I’ve always played the highest-spinning ball because I thought I needed it in the long irons,” Spieth said at the Cadillac Championship. “Now with my makeup and a little added speed, my spin rates have been fine, if not too high. So it’s actually kind of nice to be able to drop it down a little bit.”

That experiment lasted until the U.S. Open, after which Spieth switched to the Pro V1. The 2025 Pro V1, as is typical in the Titleist lineup, is softer than the X and Left Dash versions, while its spin rates sit between the two.

Shipley had also been using a lower-spinning ball, the Pro V1x Double Dot. Since switching to the 2027 Pro V1, he has posted back-to-back top-10 finishes. Shipley was not playing the Baycurrent Classic, while Spieth sat in the middle of the standings after opening with a 72 and shooting a five-under 66 on Friday.

Sahith Theegala provided some of the most detailed feedback in a video posted by Titleist. He said that on short-game shots from roughly 20, 30 and 40 yards—particularly intermediate pitch shots rather than basic chips—the ball came out slightly lower with a little more spin.

“I feel like I can lean on my short game. When I’m able to squeeze even a little bit more out of something that I feel really good about, it’s a great feeling. Especially when it’s equipment-based, when you don’t have to personally change anything,” Theegala told Titleist representatives.

Doug Ghim, who switched to the Pro V1x in Utah a week earlier and earned his best finish of the season with a runner-up result, said his testing showed more consistent spin.

“I think the windows were tighter,” he said. “Between the spinniest ball and lowest-spinning ball in the groupings we hit with each club, they tended to be tighter. Visually, we also saw that it was curving less. Fortunately, we had some crosswind that day, so it was a good time to test all of that. Overall, watching it tail less in the wind was a big factor.”

Also using the 2027 models at the Baycurrent Classic were Brian Harman (X), Zach Bouchou (V), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (X), Tom Hoge (V), Maverick McNealy (V), Denny McCarthy (V), John Parry (X), Yusaku Hosono (X) and Ren Yonezawa (X). Titleist also posted videos of Max Homa and Ryan Gerard testing the new balls at Yokohama Country Club, suggesting that more players could switch soon.

The equipment report also highlighted Keith Mitchell’s set: a full set of Mizuno Pro S-1 blades from 4-iron through pitching wedge.

Min Woo Lee replaced his Apex UW hybrid with an Apex UT 3-iron.