- Updated: March 6, 2024
Titleist Proto 388 and 348 Golf Balls Preview
The NEW #1 Ball in Golf
Tyler Fitzel
Professional club fitter and author at Independent Golf Reviews
I was lucky enough to receive the white unmarked boxes from Titleist with Prototype golf balls in them; Proto 388 and 348. These respectively are the NEW ProV1 and ProV1x. I played them for 8 rounds on my golf vacation at iGolfReviews AZ headquarters. I will dig a little deeper into the details of the ball itself in a future review, but for now, here are some initial facts and findings from on-course play.
This is the first Titleist Proto 388 and 348 Golf Balls Preview for 2022.
The NEW #1 Ball in Golf – No, Titleist has not been knocked off the #1 spot for its golf ball, they just have a new ProV1 and ProV1x model fast approaching in 2023. We know the Titleist ProV1 model golf balls bring top level performance to the game, but how do you make the #1 ball in golf even better? Experimentation and Innovation is how Titleist works to make a ball that is not just different but better.
Experimentation – The White Box Golf Ball Testing
I’ve been lucky a few times in my years of golf to have opened the mail box and found the White Box of mystery sleeves of Titleist golf balls. Like any golf product, there is a testing phase that companies complete before the final production would go to market. Titleist will do this with all of its products, but the golf ball testing reaches everyday Amateurs and Tour Players alike.
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I open the box, scan a QR code and the first thing I read is why Experimentation is so important: “At Titleist, our main objective is to help golfers play their best. We test and validate the performance of our golf balls with golfers of all skill levels, from Tour players to recreational golfers. Player feedback is crucial to the development process, and ensures our products deliver the on-course performance players need to shoot their lowest scores.” I would categorize my golf as casual competition. I will play about 25% of my rounds in competition for events like State Amateur Tournaments. Nearly all of those rounds are played with a current version of the ProV1x model. My testing of the Proto 388 (ProV1) and Proto 348 (ProV1x) golf balls revealed instant feedback. I prefer the 388 golf ball over the 348 golf ball and it’s not even close.
I tend to have a lower ball flight and very low spin rates for just about every part of my game. For years, I’ve used higher launching and spinning golf balls to help create more control, but was never a fan of the sound the ProV1x makes to my ears. On course, the sound and feel of the 388 ball was quiet, soft and felt explosive on the face of the club. I saw more distance off the tee and iron shots were on target. In launch monitor testing, the 388 had almost the same launch and spin as the 348 ball without the loud clunky feel. I can’t wait to see how the new models stack up again when they hit the store shelves.
Innovation – Technology is About Materials and Application
Stay tuned because we will find out more in the next month about what Innovations have made the 2023 models different from the 2021 models. Core, Layers and Dimple patterns are just a few of the topics we will soon know about the 2023 ProV1 and ProV1x technologies to replace the #1 Ball in Golf.
Summary
The NEW #1 Ball in Golf isn’t changing anytime soon. Titleist continues to innovate and improve their golf ball so that it remains on top of the mountain. The arrival of “White Boxes” means new models are coming soon. Early 2023 you’ll be able to play the production model for yourself. You can see that both the Proto 388 and 348 balls as well as the ProV1 and ProV1x ball models are in hand now. Call me impressed by the new versions of the #1 Ball in Golf.
For More Information: Titleist Golf Website
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About The Author
Ryan Heiman – Founder and Head Author of Independent Golf Reviews
Ryan has over 10 years of experience testing and writing golf reviews of nearly every brand out there.
HCP: 3
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