titleist golf ball factory tour

Titleist Launches Virtual Tour of its Famous Ball Plant 3 Facility

While back, we had the good fortune of taking an in-person tour through Titleist’s Ball Plant 3 facility . And yes, this is the exact spot where the Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls we all love are made (right here in the U.S.A.).

Our Inside Look at the Titleist Ball Plant Ever wonder how the Titleist Pro V1, Pro V1x, and the new AVX golf balls are made? We certainly did, so we took a trip up to the Titleist Ball Plant 3 in New Bedford, Massachusetts to find out.

It’s also a little-known fact that anyone can register to take a tour through the plant.

Well…that was before COVID-19 hit anyway.

But the good news is that as of today, you can make your way through the Titleist’ manufacturing facility without leaving the comfort of your couch.

That’s right, Titleist’s new Titleist Ball Plant 3 Virtual Tour , which is hosted by Golf TV’s Iona Stephen, puts you right inside this 200,000+ square foot facility. 

One thing I can tell you from experiencing the tour myself is that a lot more hard work and detailed engineering go into golf ball manufacturing than you might think. But even more striking to me was the level of pride Titleist employees put into what they do.

Their passion for producing the best golf balls is truly tangible, and one remarkable fact that stood out to me is that some Titleist Ball Plant 3 employees had been working there for over 50 years!

The Virtual Tour takes you through every aspect of manufacturing, including showing you the multiple points of quality control that are baked into the process.

Not only is this entertaining from a sort of “engineering marvel” standpoint, as a golfer it also leaves you feeling confident that a lot of love and attention went into making that golf ball you’re about to tee up.

So do yourself a favor…pour yourself your beverage of choice, sit in your favorite chair, and take a virtual tour through the plant .

Oh, and if you do want to see the place “in person” like I did, the good news is that Titleist will be reopening the experience as soon as it’s safe to do so. To sign up to be notified when the tours resume just go to Titleist.com/TourBP3 to register. 

And make sure to tell the team I said hi while you’re there!

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Take a tour inside ball plant 3, where titleist golf balls are made in massachusetts.

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At a Massachusetts factory, the No. 1 golf ball in the world rolls down the production line at a rate of 1 million per day.

The 225,000-square-foot facility, known as Ball Plant 3, is operated by the Acushnet Company in New Bedford, maker of Titleist golf balls and gear. The business dates back to the 1930s when founder Phil Young missed a putt to win a match and decided to create a better ball.

"A lot of the technology that we use today is literally the evolution of 87 years of learning and perfecting how to make golf balls," said Dan Gendreau, vice president of manufacturing at Acushnet.

These days, Titleist is the most-played golf ball by professionals on tour.

"The demand for our product is unprecedented right now, particularly with the Pro V 1 model," Gendreau said.

The Pro V 1 model debuted in 2001. It's Titleist's most expensive, high-end ball and it's also the most dominant in sales.

Balls start with a flat roll of rubber, which is squeezed into little logs and then sent into a compression molding system.

"Basically, we're transforming the material from the uncured state to the cured state," Gendreau said.

Several proprietary steps follow before the dimpled sphere finds itself imprinted with the familiar name and is packaged for distribution to golfers all over the globe.

"How many jobs and industries can you be in where you can turn the TV on, on Sunday, and see the best people at their craft play the product that you make?" Gendreau asked.

Tours of Ball Plant 3 are open to the public.

X-rated models uncovered: Why Titleist’s Pro V1x is no longer the hottest ball in the business

Published: 11 September 2024 Last updated: 11 September 2024

What is the best premium tour-level golf ball on the market in 2024?

What we learned from pitching the Titleist Pro V1x against its rivals on a robot, and what it means for your game.

Ok, so it might not be as raunchy as it sounded in your head, but the results from our 2024 Golf Ball Robot Test still make for a stimulating read in our opinion, offering several objective findings that continue to help shape our buying advice when it comes to choosing the best golf ball for your game.

Once again, this year’s findings reaffirmed why we believe club golfers seeking a premium tour-level ball should head straight to the firmer ‘X’ style models instead of their softer counterparts.

As TG Equipment Editor Simon Daddow says: “Time and again our robot tests highlight the difference between regular tour and firmer X style golf balls, and every time I’m left scratching my head as to why golfers choose anything other than an X style ball.

“If you play a softer tour-level ball I’d urge you to try a firmer model and ask yourself if you can sense the difference. If you can and feel there’s a benefit to going softer then fair play to you. If not our data spells out firmer X style balls are highly likely to give your game an extra degree of score-ability.”

Our head-to-head comparison of Titleist’s flagship balls was a case in point here, demonstrating the potential performance advantages to your game. Our data showed that the V1x produced higher spin rates on approach shots into greens with both 7-iron and pitching wedges by 4-5% without sacrificing distance or notable differences in peak height and descent angle. And with the majority of club golfers requiring more stopping power, the V1x should be an easy sell, provided you’re happy to pay $4.50/£4.00 a ball!

The market-leading Pro V1 franchise, used by upwards of 70% of professional fields every week , are not the only models pitching themselves at this premium price point, however. Also retailing in the same ballpark are the Callaway Chrome Tour X, TaylorMade TP5x, and Wilson Staff Model X, doing their utmost to chip away at Titleist’s market share and prove they have the game to match.

But do they? To answer this question, we took a closer look at how each model performed on the robot…

How do the specs compare?

Jump To: The Data

Carry distance

• Final verdict

Player Profiles: What the manufacturers say:

All four models in our lineup are tour-caliber urethane-covered balls designed as firmer, faster, and higher-flying options to their lower compression siblings – Pro V1, Chrome Tour, TP5, and Staff Model. Traditionally, X-style balls would have been considered lower spinning, although our testing has shown this not always to be the case.

We should therefore expect a lot of similarities from each of these balls given their target market, but surely each has its own X-factor? Here’s what the brands themselves had to say about their model X…

Titleist Pro V1x

The No.1 ball on tour is billed at players who prioritize total performance. The Pro V1x is engineered to fly higher and spin more with irons and in the short game, while still offering low spin on longer shots to maximize distance. Titleist recommend the V1x for players who naturally hit the ball with a low trajectory and would benefit from a higher flight and more stopping power.

• Read our full Titleist Pro V1x golf balls review.

Callaway Chrome Tour X

Outstanding distance, workability, and spin are what Callaway’s direct alternative to the Pro V1x promises. Callaway says their offering will outperform Titleist on ball speed and distance. The X is also the highest-spinning Chrome Tour model from driver all the way down to wedge. With over 100 million proof points, Callaway also emphasizes their trust in the ball’s consistency of performance.

• Read our full Callaway Chrome Tour X golf balls review.

TaylorMade TP5x

Rory McIlroy’s choice of ball is TaylorMade’s fastest, longest, and highest-launching five-layer tour ball. TaylorMade says this ball is now half a club longer, delivering low spin with driver while maintaining exceptional greenside control. It will best fit golfers seeking less driver spin and wanting to hit shots a fraction higher through the bag.

• Read our full TaylorMade TP5x golf balls review.

Wilson Staff Model X

With a compression of 104, the Staff Model X is one of the highest compression balls on the market, offering a firmer faster feel than the 95 compression standard Staff Model ball. Wilson says players should expect a higher launch and ball flight than the standard Staff Model ball you’ll also get maximum shot shape potential from this offering.

• Read our full Wilson Staff Model X review.

The Data: Pro V1x vs Chrome Tour X vs TP5x vs Staff Model X

When averaged over the three driver speeds (85, 100, and 115 mph), the Staff Model X came out as the fastest ball by 0.4 mph over the TP5x and Chrome Tour X, with the Pro V1x another 0.5 mph slower. The Wilson also edged out its rivals for ball speed with 7-iron and wedge, meaning we can confidently say that it was our fastest ball on test, and produced the fastest ball speed at 100 and 115 mph across the wider 22 model test.

For golfers with average swing speeds, the Chrome Tour X and TP5x remain competitive, with the Callaway better matched to driver swing speeds of 100 mph and below. Despite being the faster of Titleist’s flagship balls, the Pro V1x produced the slowest ball speeds across our three-club test.

A consistent trend from the backspin data was the TP5x spinning less than its competitors across each club, most notably with 7-iron, spinning 725 rpm less than the Chrome Tour X. Conversely the Callaway consistently offered the most spin with the Staff Model X competitive for backspin across all three shots.

The Pro V1x delivered results in agreement with Titleist’s claims that the ball spins more with short irons, while still offering low spin on longer shots to maximize distance. It was the only other ball to exceed 8,000 rpm of spin with a wedge. The Callaway and Titleist products produced the first and second-highest spin rates with pitching wedge across our whole test, demonstrating their stopping power proficiency.

With several variables contributing to carry distance such as launch angle, ball speed, and backspin, it’s not surprising that all four-premium tour-level balls were closely grouped across each club with 4.0 yds separating the longest and shortest balls with driver, 3.7 yds with 7-iron, and just 1.1 yds with pitching wedge.

Despite the highest spin rate with driver, the Chrome Tour X was the longest ball off the tee with the Staff Model X and low-spinning TP5x both within 0.6 yds. The Pro V1x gave up 4.0 yds on the Callaway when averaged across the three driver speeds and 3.2 yds on the TaylorMade with a 7-iron. The TP5x was the longest model with iron and pitching wedge, reflecting its nature as a firm, fast, and low-spinning ball.

As mentioned in our golf ball construction comparison, the dispersion data was the metric that posed the most questions in terms of repeatability for both us and Loughborough University. Our results didn’t report any consistent trends when looking at the average shot area of each ball across the three clubs with no overwhelming support for any model being the most accurate.

The Pro V1x reported the largest shot area when averaged across the three driver speeds, although this data was skewed by the 115 mph swing speed that observed significantly higher carry drop-offs and off-center dispersion compared to slower testing speeds. The Staff Model X was the most accurate ball when averaged over 7-iron and pitching wedge, and while the Chrome Tour X reported the smallest shot area of the test (2.0 yds 2 with wedge), it also reported the largest with 7-iron.

Other metrics

The Chrome Tour X was the only ball to average above 50 yards in height with driver, helping contribute to its performance as the longest ball in this test. The Pro V1x recorded the shallowest launch and decent angles off the tee, providing the most penetrating ball flight.

With 7-iron, the TP5x achieved the highest flight, although the Staff Model X fell at the steepest descent angle, adding to its stopping power potential. All four models achieved comparable peak heights with a wedge, with the TP5x launching and falling at a steeper gradient, helping counteract its low-spin nature and boosting its ability to hold greens.

Which ball was the most consistent?

We ranked all 22 models in our 2024 testing for consistency of performance for ball speed, backspin, and carry distance. Of the four X-style balls in this analysis, the Wilson Staff Model X ranked the highest (4th overall), with the second most consistent set of ball speed results across the whole 22-model cohort.

The Titleist Pro V1x (8 th overall) was the second highest ranked for consistency in this comparison, followed by the Callaway Chrome Tour X (13th overall) and TaylorMade TP5x (18 th overall).

Final Verdict

As we saw in our Pro V1 vs Pro V1x head-to-head , Titleist’s X model is without doubt in our minds a more favorable choice for those adamant on playing the No.1 ball on tour.

However, against the strong competition in this premium tour-level ball comparison, the Pro V1x left a lot to be desired going solely off the numbers. It was the slowest ball off the face, delivered the shortest carry off the tee, and didn’t match the accuracy of some of its rivals. The area it did compete hard was spin rate with a pitching wedge, one of only two balls in this category to exceed 8,000 rpm.

Not only did the Callaway Chrome Tour X outgun the competition with driver for carry distance, but it produced the highest backspin levels across the board which should be music to the ears of those looking for distance off-the-tee combined with serious stopping power from the fairways.

Jon Rahm’s chosen ball also produced the third smallest shot area across our 22-model test with the 2.0 yds 2 achieved with a wedge being the smallest across our entire 2024 testing. In all, the Chrome Tour X can only be considered an exceptional tour-level golf ball, but be warned, it comes with a tour-level price tag to match.

If cutting driver spin is your goal then TaylorMade’s TP5x should be firmly on your radar. If you have sufficient swing speed then this five-piece model will reward you with more distance in the long irons than its rivals, although is not the longest off-the-tee.

Its low-spin performance may be a concern if you struggle to hold balls on the green so you really need to put a premium on ball speed and distance through the middle of your bag to vindicate opting for the TP5x over the competition. Worth noting that TaylorMade has dropped the RRP on the TP5 family by $5/£5 per box, giving the ball a healthy boost in value for money.

Undoubtedly Wilson’s offering has the X factor when it comes to ball speed, topping the charts at 100 and 115 mph, finishing second only to its softer sibling at 85 mph. It was also the longest when averaged out across each speed with driver meaning if you are in the market for a long and fast ball in 2024, the Staff Model X should be on your shortlist.

Add to that a very competitive backspin performance with 7-iron and wedge, and this lesser-used tour-level ball is starting to look more and more like a diamond in the rough. The only catch is that if you were hoping for a bargain, you won’t find it here as Wilson is asking near enough top dollar, and who can blame them with this type of performance?

Which premium tour-level ball has the X factor?

The 64-million-dollar question…or 50 dollar at least. The two premium tour-level balls that have shined the brightest in our comparison are the Callaway Chrome Tour X and Wilson Staff Model X.

Callaway’s X-style offering may not be the fastest off the face, but thanks to its greater peak height than the competition with driver, still produced the furthest carry off the tee when averaged across the three speeds. And perhaps more importantly for club-level golfers, this ball produced the highest spin rates of our four-ball head-to-head. If holding balls on the green is something your game needs, this ball should be right at the top of your list. It’s also worth remembering that the ball comes in a choice of multiple visual aids which could swing your decision.

But as an alternative, yet not much cheaper option, the Wilson Staff Model X has impressed once again. Not just holding its own against the tour-popular trio but outpacing all of them off the clubface and offering extremely competitive spin rates in parts of the bag that you need them. A further nod must go to the brand’s ability to produce repeatable results. The Staff Model X and regular Staff Model ranked fourth and second respectively for consistency across our whole 22 model sample. If you hit a bad shot with them…it’s really not the ball’s fault.

So why is the Pro V1x used by so many tour pros?

With over 180 PGA and LPGA tour pros gaming the V1x and a further 150-odd opting for its three-piece namesake, Titleist’s flagship balls undeniably remain the No.1 ball in the eyes of the game’s elite, irrespective of what cold-hard numbers produced on a robot may say.

Of course, we can’t quantify ‘feel’, which we can only imagine adds significant weight to equipment decision-making at this level. But also, tour pros aren’t necessarily looking for the highest or lowest-scoring ball in a particular metric. It’s more a question of finding the right balance of characteristics to match each player’s requirements, and seemingly the Pro V1 franchise continues to walk that tightrope better than the competition.

Finally, golfers of this caliber place a huge emphasis on repeatability and consistency of performance, something the V1 and V1x have become synonymous with over the years. Even our sample showed evidence that the V1x produced less variability in ball speed, backspin, and carry distance than the TP5x and Chrome Tour X.

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Ross Tugwood – Senior Digital Writer

Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.

Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for  British Athletics , the  UK Sports Institute , and Team GB.

He is an  NCTJ-accredited  journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.