Playing Titleist’s New AVX Ball

Word is spreading quickly, so you may have heard rumblings about a new Titleist high-end ball on the market. The rumors are true. The ball, coined the AVX ($62), is in fact only available in Florida, Arizona and thankfully, California. And of course, because it’s out on a limited basis, people are reselling it on eBay by the sleeve for more than its retail value. Regardless, I was able to get my hands on some to test out.

First chance I had, I went to La Costa Resort to try the AVX. On paper, it’s reminiscent of the Pro V1 – described as delivering “premium distance, feel and scoring control” to your game. It has a high-speed, low-compression core for distance and soft feel; a proprietary urethane cover for scoring control, soft feel and durability; a high-flex casing layer that enhances speed and controls spin; and a 352-dimple design for optimal flight consistency. During my round, I consistently out-drove my usual landing spots. Impressive, but where the ball really shined was around the green: I was hitting wedge shots that bit the green right where I wanted them to – something I hadn’t done in years. It happened six times. And on long approaches, the ball still landed with liveliness. All throughout, the feel was heavenly soft – as billed. If you can find them, try them.

Veteran golf writer Scott Kramer has covered the golf equipment market full-time since 1990. His career has spanned senior editor positions at both Golf Pro Magazine and GOLF Magazine. He now works on a freelance basis for many consumer and trade publications, including the SCGA’s FORE magazine.