Titleist Associates Review Pro V1 Left Dot

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By Rick V., Team Titleist Staff

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  1. Rick V., Team Titleist Staff

    Rick V., Team Titleist Staff
    Duxbury, MA

    Team Titleist Staff

    Titleist Associates test Pro V1 Left Dot

    Hi, everyone.

    It's been an exciting several weeks for us inside Titleist. Leading up to this week's limited release of Pro V1 Left Dot, the golf ball product management team provided everyone in golf ball marketing, myself included, with some advance samples of Left Dot. Our team is full of dedicated golfers, so this was some very happy news. For our group, there's not much that can beat an opportunity to play some golf, enjoy each other's company and test drive a new custom performance product.

    As Frederick Waddell, Director of Golf Ball Product Marketing explained to us, getting feedback on Pro V1 Left Dot was an important component of the sampling. He asked that we be detailed in our feedback, critical and, whenever possible, that we try to compare Left Dot blindly, side by side against our current gamer model.

    A few days later, two groups of us had an opportunity to do just that. We went out for a round of testing at Dedham Country and Polo Club, a fun and demanding layout that requires you to hit every club in the bag – perfect for testing golf balls. 

    After our rounds, I reached out to my colleagues to compare notes and the results were very interesting. Here are just a few reactions:

    " No longer was I getting a cramp in my neck from looking up so high to see my previous moon shots off the tee. Instead, (with Left Dot), it was this perfect, low rocket that would hit the ground and actually roll out instead of almost spinning back."

    " Pro V1 Left Dot just cut through the wind and was really stable."

    "Left Dot had some serious stopping power on approach shots and was almost indistinguishable from my Pro V1 around the greens."

    Check out our full reviews in the comments that follow. As you'll see in the feedback, Pro V1 Left Dot is not designed for everyone. But for those of us who launch our shots a little higher than ideal or who spin it more than we'd like, Left Dot delivered immediate and easy-to-see gains.

    Have you had a chance to play Pro V1 Left Dot? If so, please add your feedback to our reactions below. We'd love to hear what you think of our lower-launching, lower-spinning Pro V1.

  2. Dave S., Titleist Manager, Creative Content

    Dave S., Titleist Manager, Creative Content
    Bristol, RI

    Team Titleist Staff
    Insane.

    For me, that’s the word I would use to describe Pro V1 left dot.

    For a while I was playing 2021 Pro V1x because I was getting more short game spin around the greens compared to the Pro V1 I was playing. But I quickly realized I was gaining more spin throughout the bag – short irons, mid irons, and off the tee. I was happy to get that increased spin in the short irons, but I hated it off the tee. My drives were baloony and got caught up in the wind causing shorter drives than I was used to. This meant hitting more of those dreaded 3, 4 and 5 irons into greens instead of the pupil-enlarging-I-know-I’m-going-to-stick-it-close clubs (short irons and wedges). Because of this, I switched back to playing 2021 Pro V1, which was definitely helping, but when I was introduced to Pro V1 left dot, everything changed.

    Left dot was always this living legend in the golf world because of its status on tour, but I had never seen one in the wild. When Joe Hafera gave me a sleeve to test, I immediately pulled out my blue sharpie, gave it my standard marking, and pegged it into the ground on the first tee – a long par 4 with a creek running through my normal landing area. To my surprise, I easily cleared the creek, and knew this ball was something special.

    Never in my life have I driven the ball so well off the tee. Longer and straighter than ever before. No longer was I getting a cramp in my neck from looking up so high to see my previous moon shots off of the tee. Instead it was this perfect, low rocket that would hit the ground and actually roll out instead of almost spinning back.

    Also, with all of my approach shots, I was flying so many more greens compared to coming up short. Normally this would be an issue, but I quickly realized I could take less club into every green allowing more height and a steeper decent angle causing more stopping power. This definitely gave me that one-hop-and-stop action I love so much.

    All-in-all, this ball is a huge game changer for me. I’m hitting it longer off the tee, using more short irons and wedges into the greens, and got that buttery soft feeling back. Gimme-gimme that low-low (low flight, low spin) all day.
  3. Emily B., Titleist Staff

    Emily B., Titleist Staff

    Team Titleist Staff

    I’ve played a Pro V1 for as long as I can remember. It doesn’t fly too high for me (or too low), the feel is great and the greenside spin and control is perfect for my game. But most importantly - I find it to be extremely stable in the wind, which is the biggest difference that I see when testing our different premium performance models.

    I was lucky enough earlier this summer to take the Pro V1 Left Dot for a spin (in great company, I may add!).

    First reactions? Everything seemed similar holding the ball in my hand. I teed it up and played several holes with it, and to be completely honest - I really couldn’t tell a difference between the Pro V1 Left Dot and my tried and trusted Pro V1. The flight was optimal, my distance off the tee seemed to be similar to that of my Pro V1, and I had complete control of the ball around the greens. It was a pretty windy day, and the ball was extremely stable in the wind (which I also find with my Pro V1). That being said, I've never been one to struggle with too much spin off the tee which is what I've heard is the secret sauce with Left Dot.

    I also didn't hit any on a Trackman, which may have influenced my opinion.

    All in all, I've heard rave reviews from friends and colleagues (including Dave who commented above me) on how it's the best ball they've ever played! I definitely recommend giving it a try if you get the chance.

  4. Rick V., Team Titleist Staff

    Rick V., Team Titleist Staff
    Duxbury, MA

    Team Titleist Staff
    I was excited to try Left Dot because on my poor swings I tend to launch the ball a little too high. I'd love some help bringing my flight down, and I also think a lower launching ball could be especially helpful in windy conditions. I started my testing round playing 2021 Pro V1, the model I usually play, to get a baseline for how I was hitting it that day, how high my shots were launching and how I was spinning it around the green. I wasn't razor sharp but consistent enough so that I could give Left Dot a fair evaluation.

    OFF THE TEE
    After a few holes I teed up a Left Dot on a Par-5 that doglegged a little right. I made a pretty good swing, trying to hit a fade. The ball took off on a very similar trajectory that I would expect from Pro V1 and curved right, just as I had hoped. But... at the peak of its flight, it descended differently than my Pro V1. It appeared to me like it was falling out of the sky, not hanging in the air and carrying. The drive came up a little short, in a fairway cross bunker. Could have been me entirely, but I made a mental note and paid close attention the next few times I hit driver. On those shots, I saw the same different look on the ball's descent. A couple were a little shorter than I would have expected, most were comparable to where Pro V1 would put me, but one stood out. I caught this drive really solidly and though it had that same look, like it was falling quickly, it bounded forward and easily rolled forward another 25 yards. I never see that with Pro V1. My drives typically come to rest very close to where they first strike the ground.

    IRON SHOTS
    With the irons, I did notice that my shots took off in a lower launch window, but I didn't see the same "falling out of the sky" descent that I saw on drives. Left Dot still carried the same iron distances that I'd see with Pro V1 and the ball came to rest very close to my pitch marks (on the shots where I did hit the green). So, no crazy release and roll-out on those shots, which was great. The one thing that did stand out to me, though, was the feel. At first I thought I might have caught a few irons on the heel, but Left Dot definitely felt firmer to me than Pro V1. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely different on all my iron shots.

    SHORT GAME
    On chips and pitches I saw no difference in spin, grab on the green or rollout, compared to Pro V1. On those finesse shots Left Dot felt exactly the same to me as Pro V1. Because of the feel difference I experienced on iron shots, I expected Left Dot to sound harder, clickier than Pro V1, but even on putts, Pro V1 Left Dot seemed just like Pro V1.
  5. Mike D., Titleist Staff

    Mike D., Titleist Staff
    Ashland, MA

    Team Titleist Staff

    My topline review...

    Awesome ball with really solid performance. Amazing feel throughout the bag and great short game control.

    A little more detailed feedback from my day testing it on the course...

    As Emily mentioned above, it was a pretty windy day when we were out testing and the Pro V1 Left Dot just cut through the wind and was really stable.

    It seemed to have a lower ball flight for me, which I would expect with my game, and it wasn’t flying through the window I’m used to seeing. I tend to hit a lower ball so that’s what I would expect to see from Left Dot and it's also why I typically gravitate to Pro V1x and more recently Pro V1x Left Dash.

    At the end of the day, Pro V1 Left Dot is a really great ball and it was a lot of fun to put it into play. I’ll probably stick with the Pro V1x Left Dash to keep my ball flight a bit higher but Left Dot is enticing!

    Always a blast to test some product and hope you all have a chance to do the same!

  6. @Joseph.Nikolai, Titleist Staff

    @Joseph.Nikolai, Titleist Staff
    Boston, MA

    Team Titleist Staff

    Thank you Rick, and hello Team Titleist. I hope you enjoy the below feedback 

    First, you should know a bit of background about the player writing this review.

    Compared to optimal launch characteristics, my stock ball flight is very high and spinny. This is due to both a non-tour-quality swing with a steep attack angle or delivery of the clubhead, and above-average swing speed.

    I’ve played Pro V1 since 2017, when I switched from X to V for three reasons: the softer feel, the lower spin and flight that the 2017 offered compared to the 2017 X. This switch was a good one, resulting in my stock shots to come down in both flight and spin.

    So when testing Left Dot, I was curious to see if I could take off even more spin and flight the ball even lower with my iron shots, while still maintaining short game control.

    I’ve played a half dozen rounds with Left Dot this summer, and this is what I’ve noticed

    Flight
    For me, Left Dot flies on a flatter trajectory than Pro V1. This results in more shots that reach the target, even if I’m into the fan with a 7-iron. Again, keep in mind that my starting point was above optimal in both height and spin with a 7-iron. So, for me, Left Dot has resulted in more flat, flighted shots. This has led to more confidence on these mid- and long-iron swings.

    Feel
    Pro V1 is the best feeling golf ball out there: the acoustics on all shots are pure, the sensation on wedges and putts is buttery, without being mushy. That being said, Left Dot retains most of these qualities, while still being much softer feeling than Pro V1x.

    Spin
    My major concern with Left Dot was that the previously mentioned 7-irons would be too hot to hold a green, or at least stick the landing with a tucked pin position. After playing a half dozen rounds with Left Dot, I’m confident that I can attack any pin with all the spin and stopping power required. The flat flight is there, but there is still the spin that I need to stop the ball.

    Conclusion
    Will Pro V1 Left Dot stay in the bag for me? The answer is without a doubt, YES. I’m so confident with this golf ball in every part of my game. And I picked up a few aspects of my game that I didn’t have before.

    Consider this: with Pro V1 and my less than tour golf swing, I was a player with higher than optimal flight and spin, meaning I didn’t really have a “low bullet” or even flighted wedge in my game. If I felt the need to hit a low shot, I was resigned to picking a club, sometimes two extra clubs down in loft, and then modifying my swing length and speed to drive a ball lower. The problem with this type of shot is that you lose lots of spin, and sometimes these shots tend to land in the middle of the green, but end up in a back bunker or worse.

    Now that I'm gaming a golf ball that will inherently fly and spin lower than the model I was playing, I now find myself more confident with these flighted shots and playing them more often. And because the ball is designed to fly lower on a flighted 7-iron, I can still hit that low 7-iron from my desired number, without needing to de-loft and alter swing mechanics with a 6- or 5-iron.

    This has made a huge difference in my game this summer, and I look forward to continuing to game Left Dot in 2022 and beyond.


    Joseph Hafera
    GHIN: 197935
    Handicap index – 4.9

  7. Zack R., Team Titleist Staff

    Zack R., Team Titleist Staff
    Fairhaven, MA

    Team Titleist Staff
    To preface, I'm a high spin player. I game a Pro V1 to lower my spin numbers and trajectory because otherwise my ball would balloon into the stratosphere. So I was very eager to try out to Left Dot to see if it would offer any greater advantage in reducing my spinny, high ball flight.

    For a few rounds, I put both a Pro V1 and Pro V1 Left Dot in play side by side. I definitely noticed that Left Dot flew lower, but just as with the Pro V1, I felt that I had complete control around the greens without really sacrificing any distance or accuracy off the tee. Maybe it was just mental, but when I teed up Left Dot, I wasn’t necessarily as worried about losing shots left or right due to the decrease in spin, especially when things got exaggerated playing into the wind. It also helped that the naturally low ball flight kept the golf ball under any wind for the most part. Yet despite the ball feeling a touch less spinny, the ball still had some serious stopping power on approach shots and was almost indistinguishable from my Pro V1 around the greens. I did also notice that Left Dot is just a touch softer on the greens with the flat stick.

    All that said, I still find that the Pro V1 fits my game the best. I get just a couple more yards of carry with my driver and irons simply because I get a little more height — or perhaps just a more optimal trajectory. I also feel that I've already mitigated my spin numbers enough with various shaft/equipment setups, so I get enough roll out with my metals/driver as is. The extra height also allows me to potentially be more aggressive when attacking tough pin positions and/or carrying hazards. It would be interesting to see the numbers on a Trackman.

    Overall, I really liked Left Dot and could see myself putting it in the bag if the conditions were right or if I eventually change my setup. I hope you all have a chance to test it out!
  8. Justin M

    Justin M

    I started off the year playing Pro V1. Then tried left dash and liked it enough to trade in my ProV1.

    Then when left dot came out i bought a couple dozen and I noticed such a drastic difference in the launch and flight with my driver that I had to increase the loft (had it set on 8.75 * moved it to 9.5. Really liked the iron flight and spin characteristics as well as the short game spin, flight and feel is on point.

    It definitely feels quite a bit more muted off the driver which isnt a bad thing for me, I just feel my only thing im going through is being able to fine tune the ball to the driver as I quite enjoy it in every other aspect.
  9. Speedy

    Speedy
    East Coast, NH

    Great reviews all around! Love it, thank you all for sharing.
  10. Tim S

    Tim S

    Hello.

    I received my left dot balls last week and inside the box was a card asking for reviews. I played 18 with the new ball and here are my findings.

    I know all the talk is to slot this in between the AVX and the Prov1 but i have to be honest, i think that is incorrect. TO ME, this ball belongs in between the V1x and left dash or possibly in between the V1 and v1x. This ball from a feel perspective feels more like its in between the v1x and left dash. It feels firmer than the v1x but feels closer to the v1x than the left dash. The balls trajectory is much lower than the left dash and really explodes off the driver. I have to be honest. The left dash is a beast off the driver and the left dot turned out to be better and longer.....i dont know what is in the ball but i hit 4 drives at 300 yards or slightly better. I NEVER hit 300 yards. I had one with the left dash a few weeks back but the left dot rewarded me with multiple drives at 295-305.

    When you flush this ball off the tee, its trajectory and peak height is literally perfect. FOR ME, its the perfect flight.....this ball is the unicorn ball off the tee as far as feel, trajectory and distance. I was swinging really good this weekend so that contributes, but even the guys i was playing with made comments. They had no idea i was testing out a new ball. I heard comments like "what the hell did you eat today?" and "Dude, thats over 300".

    This is the best all around ball i have ever hit off the driver. Explosive is the term i will use. Even if i did not flush this in the middle of the face, it was very forgiving for me. Whereas the BXS (the ball i tested against) would really spin "out of control" for me, the left dot seemed to fly 50% less off center.....on similar strikes i was aligned closer to the center of the fairway than the bxs....sometimes by 30 feet.

    The iron play was a little different than the driver experience. This is where the ball comes back to reality a bit more. Its still long and still hits the trajectory window, but for me, the ball does not hold the greens as well as i had hoped. One example of this was a 6 iron shot from 178. I hit it really good and was right at the pin which was tucked in the back left corner. The shot looked beautiful off the club, flew in the window i really like. I saw the ball hit and from that distance it looked like a great result. I approached the green, saw the ball mark which was 18 feet from the hole and the ball ended up rolling past the pin and off the back side of the green. I was only 10 feet from the hole and got up and down for par but the distance from initial green contact to resting spot was almost 30 feet. That shocked me. This was far different from the regualr prov1 in my experience this summer.

    The very next hole was a par 3, 150 yards. I hit an 8 iron and lifted it very high as the pin was tucked in front right corner. It landed 15 feet from the hole and stopped because the angle of descent was very high. I feel you need to hit it higher on approach shots to limit the roll out. For me, i had multiple shots into the green with 6-8 irons that resulted in longer roll outs than other balls. not that its bad, but i had to adjust my shots a little bit to account for this. from 30 yards and in, the ball did not perform like a normal prov1...it performed more like the left dash. Its not bad, but in direct comparison to a prov1 or the BXS, the left dot is not as comfortable for me in getting up and down if needed. If i were to play this ball full time, i would need to make some adjustments in the short game....with the amount of distance i get off the tee, it may be worth it.

    Anyway, putting with the left dot was great. Its a nice firm feel, but not a clicky feel off my GSS Mills putter. you get what you put into it. I liked it.

    In conclusion, I feel the left dot is a really good ball and for the last few weeks of fall golf, i have to decide if this is my ball moving forward.....the distance off the tee is almost intoxicating for me, just like the left dash.....its a much better all around ball then the left dash but does have some issues with roll out for me...i would say the left dot is a nicer all around version of the left dash. To me, its nothing close to the avx and i feel the slotting near the AVX is misleading because to me the AVX fee is 100% different, the trajectories are much different and the left dot flies much further than AVX.

    I hope this ball come to market because it can be a very good ball for a lot of players. I see the AVX as a niche ball and maybe this one is too but its definitely a ball i would consider to use full time. To me the Prov1 is the best with the left dot a close second.....with the distance i got off the left dot, it really is hard not to tee this up. BRING IT TO MARKET!!!!
  11. Cason M

    Cason M

    Rick V., Team Titleist Staff said:

    Titleist Associates test Pro V1 Left Dot

    Hi, everyone.

    It's been an exciting several weeks for us inside Titleist. Leading up to this week's limited release of Pro V1 Left Dot, the golf ball product management team provided everyone in golf ball marketing, myself included, with some advance samples of Left Dot. Our team is full of dedicated golfers, so this was some very happy news. For our group, there's not much that can beat an opportunity to play some golf, enjoy each other's company and test drive a new custom performance product.

    As Frederick Waddell, Director of Golf Ball Product Marketing explained to us, getting feedback on Pro V1 Left Dot was an important component of the sampling. He asked that we be detailed in our feedback, critical and, whenever possible, that we try to compare Left Dot blindly, side by side against our current gamer model.

    A few days later, two groups of us had an opportunity to do just that. We went out for a round of testing at Dedham Country and Polo Club, a fun and demanding layout that requires you to hit every club in the bag – perfect for testing golf balls. 

    After our rounds, I reached out to my colleagues to compare notes and the results were very interesting. Here are just a few reactions:

    " No longer was I getting a cramp in my neck from looking up so high to see my previous moon shots off the tee. Instead, (with Left Dot), it was this perfect, low rocket that would hit the ground and actually roll out instead of almost spinning back."

    " Pro V1 Left Dot just cut through the wind and was really stable."

    "Left Dot had some serious stopping power on approach shots and was almost indistinguishable from my Pro V1 around the greens."

    Check out our full reviews in the comments that follow. As you'll see in the feedback, Pro V1 Left Dot is not designed for everyone. But for those of us who launch our shots a little higher than ideal or who spin it more than we'd like, Left Dot delivered immediate and easy-to-see gains.

    Have you had a chance to play Pro V1 Left Dot? If so, please add your feedback to our reactions below. We'd love to hear what you think of our lower-launching, lower-spinning Pro V1.

    This is the best ball I have ever used cause I launch high and spin it alot and the left dot doesn't do that and now I can't get anymore so very disappointed that titleist would release to public in such small amount then cut it off and have no more available really hope they put this ball on the market like they did the left dash
  12. Rob_Roth1

    Rob_Roth1
    San Diego, CA

    Will these evetually make it into shops?
  13. jason s

    jason s
    parkville, MD

    I'd try the AVX in the meantime , it shares the low launch low spin profile
  14. Mike M

    Mike M
    Marblehead MA

    This question may have been asked in another thread, but what is the difference in performance, if any,between left dot and left dash ?

    Thanks

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