The Titleist Pro-V1 is the most popular ball on all the professional golf tours and a top seller for amateurs; but, ladies, is it the right ball for you? Well, the answer is it depends on your swing speed. Take a look at the following graphic from Sports Sensors, Inc. that shows how swing speed affects ball distance.
As you can see from the graph, there is a direct correlation between swing speed and distance. You will also notice how drastically different the swing speeds are between tour players and average amateur golfers. The table below shows a further breakdown between women & men.
One factor not accounted for in the information shown above, but, of utmost importance, is ball compression. Why is ball compression important to swing speed? Well, while you may not have the swing speed of a Lexi Thompson, 105 mph BTW, being able to compress the ball like her will guarantee you maximize the distance for your swing speed.
Let's look at the graphic below that shows how ball compression affects distance.
As you can see, being able to compress the golf ball is an important aspect to maximizing driving distance. It's rare that someone is playing a ball that's too soft for their swing speed, but quite common to have too hard a ball in the bag. Golf ball advertising rarely adds caveats to their "Longest Ball" or "Most Distance" claims. That's why it is so important to know your swing speed and understand the best ball compression for you, but how?
Many of the club fitting companies have a TrackMan or other analyzer to help you find your swing speed, and understanding your swing speed, will help you find the right compression ball. Check with your PGA teaching professional to see if he/she has access to swing speed measurement tools to assist you. Finally, you can do it yourself with a golf ball compression device like the ProCheck compression gage, review here.
At the end of the day, knowing your swing speed and proper ball compression are equally important components to selecting the proper golf ball and maximizing your distance.
So back to our original question: is the Pro-V1 the right ball for you? If Tony Finau and Bubba Watson are playing it and you're a 15+ handicapper, probably not!
Find YOUR swing speed and find the right compression ball for YOU!