The Early Years:

In 1910, MIT graduate Phillip “Skipper” Young founded Acushnet a rubber company in—and named after—Acushnet, MA, that took advantage of a rubber reconstitution process he had developed. By the end of World War I, his company was the largest supplier of reclaimed uncured rubber in the world.

In the early 1920’s, the price of rubber dropped by 99%, and Young needed to find a new focus. He was very fond of golf, and blamed a bad round on a wobbly Haskell golf ball. It so frustrated him that he took the ball in question to a doctor friend to have it X-rayed. He found that the core of most balls was off-center, which gave them inconsistent trajectories.

The Haskell ball had been the gold standard for 20 years, with its rubber-thread-wrapped rubber core, which which was covered by a gutta percha shell. However, as Phillip Young discovered, the construction was imprecise.

Titleist was the name given to the high-end golf ball Young created in 1930. Sold only by golf course pro shops, the Titleist was the first “dead center” ball, and was made by a machine Young patented that could wind rubber string more uniformly around a rubber core. To demonstrate the new ball’s effectiveness, Young developed a mechanical golf-swing machine with two club heads that could compare balls side-by-side.

World War II:

During World War II, Acushnet temporarily stopped producing golf balls, and instead focused on the war effort. They made torpedo gaskets and were the sole supplier of molded gas masks for the Allies (holla! -ed). After the war, Acushnet resumed production of golf balls, and in 1949, Titleist became the most-played ball in the U.S. Open.

The Last 50 Years:

From there, Acushnet bought a few golf companies, including Foot-Joy, and was bought by Fortune Brands (then American Brands). Acushnet history then becomes fairly corporate, with lots of takeovers and renamings, but there was a lot of materials science and aerodynamic study going on as well.

In 1996, Tiger Woods dropped out of Stanford to turn pro, and signed with Titleist, as well as Nike. For four years he used Titleist balls, before Acushnet initiated a detachment because they couldn’t justify a high-seven figures contract for non-exclusive advertising rights, especially since Tiger was becoming more a spokesperson for Nike than a product-endorser. Titleist sales dropped off-slightly, but they still held a third of the market.

However, with general malaise in economic conditions, golfers played less frequently and the worldwide demand for balls decreased. Acushnet laid off 500 workers in the next three years and even closed the original Acushnet, MA ball-making plant which had opened in 1932 (the equipment was transferred to New Bedford, MA).

It sounds like bad news, but Nike just fiscally outmuscled Titleist for Tiger—and besides, most golf-related companies suffered from the economic downturn. Now, the balls Titleist makes are better than ever.

Review of Titleist Pro V1 Balls

By Kevin Woodward

“Don’t let anyone tell you that playing with the right equipment doesn’t make a difference in your game, because it does. Getting a set of affordable custom-fit clubs was the key for me in finally getting my index down into single digits … along with a few lessons and some serious work, of course.”

“Similarly, the difference between playing a professional ball like the Titleist ProV1 and a low-cost, low-quality alternative adds up to anywhere from 1-2 strokes per round, if not more.”

“If playing your absolute best and posting the scores to show for it isn’t worth paying a few extra dollars to you, then fine. But it is to me, even if these days I’m lucky to play once every couple weeks or so.”

“The real decision is whether to choose the softer, more forgiving ProV1 or the longer, less workable ProV1x. Both are professional quality … which one is right for you depends on your game and preferences.”

“Although I’m past 50 years of age, height and distance have never been a problem. I’ve never been one to rip it 300 yards, but am consistantly in the 250-275 range when I hit it on the screws. Over the years I’ve learned the lesson of the “drive for show, putt for dough” mantra. Course management and short game are the secrets to going low.”

“Which is why I prefer the ProV1. It’s plenty long for me, but the real deciding factor is the soft feel off the putter and around the green. It does spin — in fact the first time I played it I spun back and off the green when landing pin high twice on the front nine. So it may take some getting used to at first.”

“The ProV1x is a fine ball if you need the extra distance. But after playing the ProV1 it does feel a little on the hard side, especially with the flat stick.”

“Look, 90 percent of the pros wouldn’t be playing these balls if they didn’t deliver for them week in and week out, and in various playing conditions. So the next morning you’re handing over the credit card for green fees and a cart, toss a sleeve of both the ProV1 and ProV1x on the counter and judge for yourself.”

“What do you have to lose besides a few strokes (and a few extra dollars)?”

“Fairways and greens, my friends.”

More information:

Titleist - Home
Pro Info - Which pro golfers use Titleist golf balls?
Pro V1 - Read reviews or purchase from Amazon.com