The Pro V1x Double Dot is a new custom performance option (CPO) — created in the same vain as the more commonly known Pro V1x Left Dash and Pro V1 Left Dot — to customize performance needs for some of the best players in the world.
Now Bryson DeChambeau, who has long bemoaned about needing a different golf ball that spins less and flies straighter, is putting the ball in play at LIV Golf Chicago this week. DeChambeau won last year’s U.S. Open with the Pro V1x Left Dash — the most commonly known and readily available to the public Titleist CPO — but switched to the latest version of the higher-flying and spinnier Pro V1x this season.
Just last month at the Open Championship, after a remarkable 65 following an opening-round 78 at Royal Portrush, DeChambeau teased that he was testing a new golf ball.
“I’m working with somebody that’s going to get me a ball that works better for my speeds,” Dechambeau, who finished T10 in Northern Ireland, said that week. “Hopefully there’s some more improvements to be made there. That’s something I hope to complete in the next year.”
“I need help out here. I hit it way too high. I’ve tried to lower my flight, but I compress down on it really hard and I spin it like crazy, and then on my wedges, I don’t spin it. It launches high with no spin. I’m working on a few things that’ll help get that launch down while controlling the spin so it’s more predictable out of my wedge shots.
“That’s what I was kind of working on and seeing if there was a more stable ball in windy conditions early in the week. There’s not. But I’m working with somebody that I’ve already seen improvements on. It’s just not ready to be released, unfortunately. They can’t make enough as quickly as they’d like. But it’s coming; it’ll be here, worst case scenario, September, but an iteration of it in the next couple weeks. Not in time for this week, but I’m going to give it my all this weekend.”
At LIV Golf Chicago this week, DeChambeau told GOLF’s Johnny Wunder that the new Double Dot ball flies about 20-30 feet lower with each club than his previous golf ball. He’s also seeing less spin with the golf ball.
A lower peak height and less spin are great for a unique player like DeChambeau who is one of the fastest players in professional golf and frequently struggles with a high ball flight. But what was most important to DeChambeau was that he got a flatter landing angle with the new ball. He wants his ball to come into the greens more like a plane than a rock.
“It’s just been something we’ve worked on over the last nine, 10 months,” Young said Sunday evening, after his breakthrough victory. “It’s very, very similar to what I was playing before, it’s just a tiny bit different. It’s, like you said, a new Pro V1x prototype. I think it definitely contributed to some of the good play this week, so I’m excited about the next few weeks.
“I’ve always been a super high spin person, so it’s really just trying to manage that. And given I hit it pretty hard, so if I hit it hard and hit down on it a lot, that just generates spin, so it’s just trying to manage that.”
Young and DeChambeau aren’t the only players in the new prototype. Tony Finau, who was previously playing the Pro V1 Left Dot, has put the new Double Dot prototype into play. Interestingly, Finau told GolfWRX in a video on their Twitter page that the ball was higher launching and lower spinning for him, which is the “perfect combo.”
“Especially over the last couple of months, I seem to be spinning my driver more than I would like,” Finau told GolfWRX in Memphis. “I made a shaft change about a month ago and that’s helped, but the spin numbers are still a little high. I switched to this ball and it’s a couple hundred RPMs lower, so without changing equipment, that’s a great thing.”
Callaway, TaylorMade pros flock to new wedges
This week saw the launch of two new wedges from two of the biggest OEMs, Callaway and TaylorMade.
SPIN POCKET™ CONSTRUCTION A re-engineered 2-piece construction head design strategically reshapes mass to optimize CG locations. The Spin Pocket redistributes weight higher, raising the CG, and promoting a lower, more penetrating launch. The result is more spin and enhanced control, especially when you need to flight shots or attack tight pins. NEW SPIN GEN 2.0 FACE™ The most advanced face in OPUS history. A new 17° groove angle with tighter pitch spacing delivers more groove edge contact for more consistent spin across a variety of lies. Combined with a deeper cross-hatch laser pattern across the face, Spin Gen 2.0 produces enhanced friction for more bite and stopping power on all types of approach shots. SHAPE 6 – TOUR-VALIDATED PROFILE Trusted by Tour players for its clean, confident look at address, Shape 6 offers precise leading edge shaping and refined sole geometry. Shape 6 is the 6th and final iteration in the Opus prototype shaping phase, validated by Tour players and major champions. OPUS SP introduces progressive shaping in gap wedges to seamlessly blend with modern iron sets—creating a more cohesive setup from top to bottom. X GRIND – VERSATILITY WITH BOUNCE Back by popular demand, the X Grind returns in OPUS SP. Designed for shotmakers who want added bounce for forgiveness, without giving up versatility, the X Grind is ideal for players who like to open the face around the greens or play in firmer turf conditions. It’s the perfect blend of playability and performance in a wide range of shots and conditions.
FORGED FEEL Incredible feel is a must for having a great wedge game. MG5 has been forged from soft carbon steel and designed with geometry to provide excellent feel with great feedback. MAXIMUM SPIN MG5 uses all-new, more aggressive grooves designed to maximize spin. Saw-milled grooves produce tighter tolerances allowing engineers to design steeper walls and sharper radii intended to maximize spin in both dry and damp conditions. PERFORMANCE IN ALL CONDITIONS RAW face with Spin Tread technology channels away moisture to help retain spin. The same way that tire treads help your car stay connected to the road, laser-etched channels redirect water at impact and creates more friction between the club face and golf ball to maintain spin in wet conditions. CRAFTSMANSHIP MEETS CONSISTENCY Crafted by hand and then milled to perfection. Each wedge and sole grind are precision-milled to eliminate the natural human error that comes with hand polishing. Our grinds deliver unmatched consistency and craftsmanship that players can count on every time. CHARCOAL FINISH MG5 debuts a sleek, sophisticated charcoal finish that reduces glare and enhances its aesthetic appeal in the bag.
Callaway’s new Opus SP wedges have already seen strong adoption in prototyping, and the final retail product has been added to the bags of several big name Tour pros.
FedEx St. Jude Championship first-round leader Akshay Bhatia, Thomas Detry, Erik van Rooyen, Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk are among Callaway staffers who have added full sets of the new wedge in the bag. Si Woo Kim and Emiliano Grillo have added new lob wedges and Min Woo Lee and Xander Schauffele put in new gap wedges.
The latter note on the gap wedges isn’t surprising because much of the shaping changes on the new Opus SP line have been to the gap wedges to help them flow from Callaway iron sets.
With TaylorMade’s new MG5 line, staffers Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa are in full sets of the new line while non-staff players Ben Griffin and Chris Gotterup have both added MG5 sand and lob wedges to their setups. Griffin switched into the MG5’s predecessor, MG Proto, earlier this summer, as did Fleetwood.
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
