Welcome to Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour gear report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (more times, if news warrants), Jack Hirsh, GOLF Equipment Editor walks you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.
U The PGA Tour’s favorite golf ball has had an update and the reviews are starting to come in.
After the company’s two-year product refresh cadence like clockwork, Titleist has officially unveiled its new 2027 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls on the PGA Tour this week at the Baycurrent Classic.
Titleist isn’t sharing details about changes or differences between the new balls and the previous generation, but some players have offered suggestions.
The balls hit the USGA compliance list three weeks ago at the PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship in North Carolina, where four golfers, including T3 finisher and 54-hole leader Neal Shipley, put them to use.
This week in Japan, 12 golfers were playing the new Pro V1 with representatives on site showing some the ball for the first time. The 2027 balls alone had more use than any other brand in the field of 72 players. Among the notable players was Jordan Spieth, who confirmed earlier this week that he would be switching to the 2027 Pro V1.
And you, Jordan?
Jordan Spieth has confirmed that he will play the new 2027 Titleist Pro V1 this week.
Spieth started playing the V earlier this year after rolling with the Pro V1x Left Dash from the Cadillac Championship through the US Open.
Before that, he… pic.twitter.com/zm16E0Vygr
– Jack Hirsh (@JR_HIRSHey) October 6, 2026
Spieth makes an interesting case study for what the new golf balls could offer. The triple major winner played the higher compression and more spinning Pro V1x throughout his career so far made a rare mid-season change at the end of April at the new Pro V1x Left Dash. That change was largely driven by their increasing spin rates in their irons.
“I always played the ball higher because I thought I needed it in the long irons,” Spieth said. back to the Cadillac Championship. “Now with this, whatever my makeup is, and then just a kind of added speed; my spin rates have been good, if not too high. So it’s really nice to be able to drop a little.”
That experiment lasted until the US Open when Spieth made another change to the Pro V1 golf ball. The 2025 Pro V1, as is typical with the Titleist line, is softer than the X or Left Dash, but offers spin rates somewhere between the two.
Spieth isn’t the only player using the new 2027 Pro V1 to deal with overspinning. Shipley was previously playing the low-spinning Pro V1x Double Dot and, since switching to the ’27 V has posted back-to-back top-10s.
With Titleist staying mum on the details, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions. Shipley is not playing this week while Spieth finds himself in the middle of the pack after salvaging an opening 72 with a five-under 66 on Friday.
Sahith Theegala actually gave us some of the most detailed feedback on the new golf ball through a video posted Thursday on Titleist’s social media channels.
“I think the thing that I found different is with some of the short game shots – maybe like 20, 30, 40 yards, not even like a basic chip, but like an intermediate pitch shot – I feel like it comes out a touch lower and with a touch more spin,” he later explained to Titleist representatives. “I feel like I can lean on my short game. So when I feel like I’m able to squeeze even a little more from something that I feel really good, it’s a great feeling. Especially when it’s based only on the equipment, when you don’t personally change anything.”
Doug Ghim, who plays the Pro V1x after making the switch in Utah a week ago and earned his best finish of the season with a runner-up showing, said how much more consistent spin was in his test.
“I thought the windows were tighter,” he told the reps. “I think that between the most spin ball and the lowest ball (spinning) in the groupings that we hit with each club, they tend to be tighter. And I think visually we saw that it was curving less. And fortunately that day we also had a bit of cross wind, so it’s a good time to try all the things. So yes, I think that the wind in general was a great less to watch.”
Also 2027 models this week were Brian Harman (X), Zach Bouchou (V), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (X), Tom Hoge (V), Maverick McNealy (V), Denny McCarthy (V), John Parry (X), Yusaku Hosono (X) and Ren Yonezawa (X).
Titleist released videos of Max Homa and Ryan Gerard testing balls on site this week at Yokohama Country Club, so it’s likely more pros are on the brink of a change as well, adding to the storylines for the rest of the PGA Tour’s fall season.
Check this out
This section is dedicated to the fantastic photos we’ve taken recently on the Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. This week, check out Keith Mitchell’s set of Mizuno Pro S-1 irons as he chases his first Tour win since 2019.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Odds and Ends
Some other gear changes and notes we’ll be following this week.
Min Woo Lee submitted his Apex UW for an Apex UT 3-iron.
3 things you should read/watch
A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.
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