Why the 2025 Titleist Pro V1x hasn't lived up to my expectations

I’m a massive fan of the Titleist Pro V1x, so when I heard a new model was launching in 2025 I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. However, that excitement was short lived, and here’s why…

I want to start by saying that I still view the Titleist Pro V1x as one of the best golf balls for me and millions of golfers to play with, and I don’t think the 2025 Pro V1x is a bad ball by any stretch, but it definitely hasn’t impressed me as much as the 2025 Titleist Pro V1.

Typically, I would much rather tee it up with a Pro V1x than a Pro V1, but having played with both of the new models, I don’t know whether I’d be so quick to disregard the Pro V1. That might be more of a testament to how much I think the Pro V1 has improved rather than how much the Pro V1x hasn’t (in my eyes).

The Pro V1 and Pro V1x are undoubtedly two of the best premium golf balls in the game, mainly because of how much success both models have achieved on Tour since they first launched in 2000 and 2003, respectively. Although, the new 2025 Pro V1x hasn’t lived up to my expectations, between the launch of the 2025 models on Tour in October 2024 and the official launch in January 2025, the 2025 Pro V1x achieved more victories than the 2025 Pro V1.

Given how successful the 2025 Pro V1x has been on Tour, and how many Tour pros have made the switch to the new model, it’s hard to argue that this ball hasn’t improved. However, because of how much I enjoyed the 2023 Pro V1x, I had very high expectations of the 2025 model, and I think that ultimately meant I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I was going to be. I’ll explain why now…

Feel and Response

While I understand that feel and response is personal to every golfer, one reason I’ve been such a fan of the Pro V1x is because of how it feels and how responsive it is. However, I don’t think the 2025 Pro V1x is as responsive or feels as nice off the club face as previous generations.

I’m not saying that it feels awful and you get zero response, but for a golf ball I really enjoy playing with, my enjoyment has decreased because of the feel and response. I prefer firm-feeling golf balls, but between the two new models, I much prefer the feel and response of the Pro V1.

I think the feel is somewhat similar but because the response is weaker, it almost mutes the feel. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the feedback is dead, but there isn’t the same feedback as there has been from previous generations, and I think this is the case throughout the bag.

Tee to Green Performance

Regardless of feel and response, it’s very hard to find a negative when it comes to the Pro V1xs performance from tee to green. I did consider offering the 2025 Pro V1x full marks for this category because it works perfectly for my game. However, I understand not every golfer will have the same success (I’ll touch on this more when I discuss versatility).

Being a higher-flying golf ball than the Pro V1, the Pro V1x works better for my game because I struggle for launch. Off the tee, the Pro V1x was traveling through a great window to maximize distance. From the fairway I was massively impressed by how much control I was getting from the 2025 Pro V1x, it felt as though the ball was never flying off the face or struggling to travel far no matter where I was playing from.

Before I headed out on the golf course, I did spend some time on the putting green and at the short game area at Cleveland Golf Club. I don’t want to go back over feel and response, but it was at both of these locations that I first started to have doubts about the feel and response. However, that can’t be said for performance. On the putting green, the 2025 Pro V1x rolled beautifully, and at the short game area, the ball was very high-spinning. It gave me a lot of confidence to fly the ball at the pin.

Versatility

As I’ve already mentioned, not every golfer will enjoy the performance of the 2025 Pro V1x as much as I do. Given how strong the 2025 Pro V1 is, I think that’s a much more versatile golf ball than the 2025 Pro V1x this generation. The pro v1x is great for a golfer who wants the ball to fly higher and spin more, but not every golfer wants that.

Don’t get me wrong, the 2025 Pro V1x isn’t only suitable for elite golfers, it’s great for golfers wanting a high-spin golf ball, beginners and high-handicappers wanting to get the ball flying higher, or mid-handicappers seeking more control. There are a lot of positives to discuss with the new Pro V1x, but it just isn’t as versatile as the Pro V1.

Durability

I’ve definitely seen an improvement in durability with the 2025 Pro V1x compared to previous generations. I took a couple of golf balls with me to the short game area and none of them got damaged even when I was playing out of the bunker.

I played a couple of rounds over the holidays with the 2025 Pro V1x, I played a maximum of 9 holes with one golf ball before switching to another. I only played 9 holes with one Pro V1x to test the consistency of more golf balls. I was never forced to switch golf ball and I would happily have played more than 9 holes with every Pro V1x I played with. It’s neigh on impossible to keep a golf ball from scuffing at some point though, a couple of Pro V1xs did have battle scars, but nothing drastic that impacted performance.

Final verdict

My expectations of the 2025 Titleist Pro V1x were definitely too high. I think I would have found more praise if Titleist released a carbon copy of the 2023 Pro V1x, but that was never going to happen. That’s largely down to feel and response. One thing I’ve learned from playing with the new Pro V1x is that I’m much more of a feel player than I thought.

Performance-wise, I can’t criticize the Pro V1x because it’s brilliant from tee to green. I had too high expectations of this golf ball and it definitely impacted my enjoyment, which I am disappointed with, especially when it’s such a quality golf ball. However, I will say that the Pro V1 blew me away, which might also have hindered my enjoyment of the Pro V1x.

Alternative options

Titleist Pro V1x 2025 Golf Balls

RRP: $54.99 / £52.00

Colors: White; Yellow

Construction: 4-Piece

Cover: Urethane

Dimples: 348