Something happened 15 years ago today that changed the face of golf forever

Remember when Billy Andrade shot 28-under to win the 2000 Invensys Classic? No, nor do we. But it was a defining moment in golf history. 

Any idea why? We’ll give you a clue: the answer was small, round and dimply. No, not a rotund child with acne – it was all due to the ball Andrade had in play. 

That tournament saw the debut of Titleist’s Pro V1, which would become one of the most revolutionary products in golf equipment history. Andrade was one of 47 players to put the Pro V1 in play that week, including six of the top-11 finishers. Phil Mickelson finished second, also using a Pro V1. 

“Whilst we expected early adoption, we weren’t certain what the ball count would be, because players only had a day or two of practice rounds,” says Bill Morgan, Senior Vice President for Titleist Golf Ball R&D. “We heard from the players, that for the very first time, they didn’t sacrifice anything in a golf ball. The Pro V1 provided total performance by delivering exceptional distance gains off the tee while providing incredibly soft feel and what we called ‘drop-and-stop’ short game control.” 

The Pro V1 quickly became the most-played ball on Tour. Average driving distance, which had been fairly static for years, shot up by six yards in a single season. Shortly after, the USGA released a statement saying, “any further significant increases in hitting distances at the highest level are undesirable”. 

Today, two out of every three players across worldwide professional tours use a Pro V1 or Pro V1x. 

If you like big numbers, Titleist produce 300,000 Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls EVERY SINGLE DAY at their plant in New Bedford, Massachusetts. They have three plants, between them producing over 1,000,000 balls a day. 

That’s a crazy number of Pro V1s being pumped out, but that doesn’t make it feel any less special when you find a pristine one in the trees at your local club. 

Which ball do you play – and why? Let us know in the comments below.