WHY THE NAME PRO V1?

It has been 25 years since the launch of the first Pro V1. How did Pro V1 get its name?

In 2000, Titleist Golf Ball R&D was formulating several prototypes until they settled on one for final testing. That golf ball was referred to as Pro V1. The ‘Pro’ was short for Professional, which had been the leading Titleist urethane covered golf ball played on tour at the time and sold in the marketplace. The ‘V’ was for Veneer, which was the thin layer of material that bonded the core and the cover to improve its performance and protect the golf ball from absorbing moisture. And the ‘1’ was simply because it was the first prototype. So, the three combined to form Pro V1.

The Pro V1 nomenclature was only supposed to be temporary. However, a deadline was looming and a name was needed to be submitted to the USGA so the golf ball would be on the conforming golf ball list in time for tour players to use it in competition at the Invensys Classic in Las Vegas in October of 2000. There had been no consensus internally, so the head of R&D submitted it to the USGA as Pro V1. Due to its immediate success on tour and in the marketplace, the name stuck and has forever been referred to as Pro V1.