40 GOLF ASIAGOLFING
GEARGUIDE
players used one. By the end of 2001,
not a single player on any of the world’s
major professional tours had won using
a wound ball.
Ironically, Titleist’s Pro V1 release in
2000 was brought forward when Tiger
Woods won that year’s US Open at
Pebble Beach by 15 shots using a solid
core ball that Nike had introduced earlier
in the year. Urged by the company’s
roster of Tour pros to bring the Pro V1 to
market sooner than had been planned,While sales of their balls
have fallen, production at
the Titleist Ball Plant
III facility in
Massachussetts
continues at its
same rapid pace.
‘Titleist launched the new Pro V1 with a
huge advertising onslaught that
focused on technology as the key
point of difference’
Titleist launched the new ball with a huge
advertising onslaught that focused on
technology as the key point of difference.
It was a message that resonated with our
Silicon Valley obsessed times.
“We did a very good job of informing
the market that the ProV1 was the
best ball for all golfers” says Michael
Creighton, Titleist Golf Ball Manager.
‘’Before the Pro V1, golfers had a choice
between surlyn and balata, which is a
choice between a ball that spins a lotand one that’s long off the tee. Then
suddenly, they could have both”.
Titleist still dominates the ball market.
“In the UK, £1 in every £3 spent on balls
is spent on Titleist,” says Creighton. “The
Pro V1 is the most popular ball for golfers.
Second is ‘whatever’s in the bag’.”
The brand’s dominance is due to
being “early to market” with the new
technology says Helge Meyer, marketing
director of Vice Golf, one of the new
breed of golf ball manufacturers. “With
strong testimonials from club and tour
pros, they always attracted a big portion
of the wealthy golfing target group that
want to play what the best players play –
at any price.”
The reference to price is a key point
because in this regard Titleist has been
able to have its cake and eat it. The
biggest selling ball in the market is also
one of the most expensive.