If you like to play golf for performance and ball control, there are some golf balls that’ll suit you. Fortunately, these balls are reasonably priced and offer greater flexibility from tee shots, iron shots, and of course putting on the green.
I know you’ll get better performance on premium golf balls. Purchasing them regularly, however, can easily put a large hole in your budget. The current economic climate has also made purchasing used golf equipment more accessible.
So, you can decide to go for used ones, which are even cheaper. No doubt, the new ones are the best. Also, these newer golf balls are much softer and more aerodynamic compared to the golf balls of old. Let’s go into the review:
Titleist Tour Soft vs Pro V1: Review
Titleist Pro V1 Golf Ball
The Pro V1 Golf balls are the best golf balls based on overall performance and price. The Pro V1 was designed for golfers of every level based on the performance and forgiving nature of the ball.
It is designed using an Ionomer layer with a urethane elastomer cover that allows for playability off the tee and around the greens.
The Pro V1 features a mark on the ball where you can line up the ball on the greens to help you cut down on your golf score.
The latest Pro V1 offers a larger core (compared to previous models). The result is a ball that produces greater speed and more distance.
For better spin, the ball comes with a thinner ionomeric casing layer. This will allow you to get better control around the greens.
The Urethane Elastomer cover formulation will also make the Pro V1 long-lasting, thus offering you good value for your money.
Titleist added the soft-center, high-energy dual-core to the ball to increase the ball speed with lower spin. Ball speed is increased due to its ionomeric casing layer, for more yardage.
Overall the Pro V1 is forgiving and produces low spin on impact and has the soft feel to allow you to work around the greens. Pricing on the Titleist Pro V1 golf ball is around $35-$60. Be sure to shop around to find the best deal or sale on the Titleist Pro V1 ball.
Titleist Tour Soft Golf Ball
The Titleist Tour Soft is a 2-piece golf ball with a large core and a lower compression rating. As opposed to 3-piece golf balls, the balls with this construction are great for beginners and average golfers.
If you’re looking for less spin and more distance off the tee, a 2-piece golf ball is your best choice. As opposed to 3-piece golf balls which are designed for advanced golfers to have more control of their shots.
So, if you’re slow speed swinging golfer, this will give you a suitable field of play. Are two-piece golf balls good? Yes, but if you have a handicap of 36 or lower with a swing in the low 80s mph.
As regards the lower compression, that is going to give you less spin so your ball can cover more distance. What Titleist has done with the cover in the Tour Soft is that they made it very tiny and build it on their patented technology.
The cover is the usual ionomer cover, a kind of surlyn cover material found in many two-piece golf balls. So, according to the brand, you can get the soft feeling of the Chrome Soft, while enjoying tour-caliber performance on this ball.
So, for example, you don’t need to spend extra 5-10 dollars chasing after premium golf balls like the Pro V1.
Titleist Tour Soft vs Pro V1: Comparison
Feel
Sometimes manufacturers let us know what kind of balls they’ve made by the name. It’s obvious from the name Tour Soft that it’s going to be a soft one. Other times, it’s generic and we don’t know like the AD333, Pro V1 of this world.
Anyway, in terms of softness, it’s obvious the Tour Soft is aimed at the players looking for a softer golf ball and many golfers have found it to be softer than the Pro V1. You’d have to hit the Pro V1 harder than the Tour Soft, especially when you’re putting with both.
Performance & Price
For the price range, the Tour Soft is a good ball and rivals the Pro V1 quite alright. But when it comes to greenside performance, it will never be able to do as well as the Pro V1.
The ball is soft on irons and woods too. And that’s where the drawback also is. Some players have found it to be too soft and spin more than required when hit with a driver.
Some golfers say they found no differences when playing both balls while some others declare the Tour Soft go longer off the irons than the Pro V1 mainly due to having a lower spin.
Also, you’d probably not be able to get the Pro V1 for the price of the Tour Soft, ever. So, if you’re trying to choose from a financial point of view, the Tour Soft will do since it’s cheaper.
But if you’re all about performance, the Pro V1 is light years ahead of the Tour Soft for what it can offer you. This point is pretty universal among golfers.
Cover
The cover on the Tour Soft is a soft one, so it may not give you that spin you’ll get on the Pro V1. The Tour Soft is great in the feel department but lacking in the performance department.
If you’re after the performance but don’t want to pay a premium for the Pro V1, I’d reckon that the Velocity or Trufeel are closer to it than the Tour Soft in terms of performance.
Compression Rating
Unlike the Pro V1, this ball is built for beginners and those looking for low-budget balls. Moreso, the Titleist Pro V1 has a higher compression rating of over 100 compared to the lower compression of 60 of the Tour Soft.
The Tour Soft is compressed to give you more distance and a softer feel as opposed to the Pro V1, which is built to offer more control and targeted at those golfers with higher swing speed who can compress the ball.
Verdict
In summary, if you’re just starting out, you can go for the Tour Soft. You’ll be able to test the water without paying too much. And as you gain more experience and are ready to spend more money, you can opt for the more expensive Pro V1.
Conclusion on Titleist Tour Soft vs Pro V1
Golf fans know the quickest way to get “oohs” and “ahs” off the tee is to drive one, for distance, right down the middle. But driving distance (not to mention control and accuracy around the greens), isn’t just about the club.
It’s about the ball as well. And with the latest and greatest in golf ball technology, these new balls, from some of the best-known and trusted names in golf, will have your shots flying truer, rolling farther, landing softer and spinning harder than ever before.
Read More: Is Callaway Warbird Better than Supersoft?