FIRST LOOK: Titleist releases limited quantities of Tour-only Pro V1 Left Dot ball

The esteemed-yet-mysterious Titleist Pro V1 “Left Dot” prototype golf ball is no longer a Tour-only option.

For years, a small percentage of Tour players have used a Titleist Pro V1 prototype golf ball, called the Left Dot, that’s made for uniquely lower spin than the retail version of the Pro V1. Since the prototype was made available to Tour players around 2013, the Left Dot has been a Tour-only offering that retail consumers did not have access to.

Now, however, Titleist has announced that it’s making Pro V1 Left Dot golf balls available to the public for the first time, albeit in limited quantities.

If you keep up with golf equipment news and rumors, you may have already heard rumblings about the Left Dot golf ball. While details on the design have remained minimal, the Left Dot design has garnered acclaim from Tour players and helped produce results.

Throughout the golf ball’s existence, players such as Jason Dufner, Henrik Stenson, Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger and Tony Finau have used the Left Dot, and the ball has helped bank 24 PGA Tour wins and 409 top-10 finishes, according to Titleist. The company says Stenson used the Left Dot to win the 2016 Open Championship, Reed used it to win the 2018 Masters, and Finau used it to win the recent 2021 Northern Trust.

So, what is this Left Dot exactly?

The Left Dot golf ball prototype is something Titleist refers to as a CPO, or a Custom Performance Option. These CPO’s are a category of golf balls that offer specific flight, spin and feel variations compared to the retail Pro V1 and Pro V1x models. Another CPO, for example, was the Left Dash golf ball released in 2019.

Balls

“CPO models are designed to fit players with very distinct needs and preferences,” said Jeremy Stone, Vice President, Titleist Golf Ball Marketing. “They might launch in a slightly different window to fit a player’s eye, offer slightly more or less spin, or feel softer or firmer. CPO’s give us more tools in the toolbox to optimize and personalize performance for a small percentage of the hundreds of players we work with weekly on Tour.”

Specifically, the Left Dot ball is made for players with “unique launch conditions of high initial launch with high spin,” according to Titleist. In layman’s terms, that means the Left Dot is for high-speed golfers who spin the ball too much and want a lower flight.

Compared to Titleist’s AVX golf ball, which is also made for lower spin, the company says the Pro V1 Left Dot “has similarly low spin and flight off the tee, but will have more spin with irons and wedges for better greenside performance.”

Compared to Titleist’s standard Pro V1 golf ball, the Left Dot has 36 fewer dimples (352 for the Left Dot, 388 for the Pro V1), as well as a different core formulation and casing layer. With the mid irons, golfers can expect to produce about 200-400 rpm less spin with the Left Dot compared to the retail Pro V1, and have a shallower angle of descent, according to Frederick Waddell, Titleist’s senior golf ball product manager.

“Spin will be most similar off the tee as the current Pro V1 and be most noticeably different (less spin) with full short irons,” Titleist said in a press release. “It is the lowest flying Titleist Pro V1 golf ball.”

By introducing the Left Dot golf ball to the public, Titleist hopes to gain useful feedback from real golfers about the design, and how it can incorporate those designs into future products.

“The original innovations that led to Pro V1 Left Dot also contributed to core technology advances in the last three generations of the Pro V1, providing continued evidence that the CPO program provides valuable insights and education for our R&D and Tour Leadership teams,” Stone said. “It’s continued usage on tour, as well as the success of previous CPO Pro V1x Left Dash in the marketplace, encourages us to test this golf ball with dedicated golfers for them to evaluate and provide important feedback.”

How do you know if the Pro V1 Left Dot golf ball is right for you to test out? Here’s a brief checklist:

Titleist’s Pro V1 Left Dot golf ball will be available on Titleist’s website and at select retails shops starting on September 1. They will sell for $49.99 per dozen, while supplies last.

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