You should not pick the ball because of distance. But, my ball speed is about 120-130 and I play the prov1 and average right around 245-255 yards. I think that you could play prov1 if you wanted to. Hope this helps. PS. If you have the D2 it can cause the ball to balloon a little bit.

Marc...... I do the same thing with the prov1 off my driver just balloons up in the air thats why i play the prov1x

Hi LaMar,

Have you conducted an on-course evaluation to compare the performance between different golf balls? The best way to figure out which Titleist golf ball will work best for your game is to compare them side-by-side on the course. 

With our fitting methodology, we start fitting players by having them hit partial swing iron shots into and around the green, then followed by full swing iron shots, and finally hitting from the tee with the driver. As you go through the fitting process, take note of which golf ball is performing best for your game on each of the different shots.

This process can be conducted during a normal round of play, by tracking fairways hit, greens hit in regulation and proximity to hole on approach shots. Another option is to play one model golf ball for nine holes and do the same with the secondary recommendation on the back nine. Additionally, feel preference is a part of the on course evaluation process as it relates to confidence in shot making ability. 

In case you are curious, we use the same fitting approach with amateurs and professionals out on tour.

This methodology determines the highest performing ball for a golfer’s total game, not on just one shot. At the end of the day, it's about lowering scores and I personally found the fitting process to be a lot of fun. Let us know how it works out for you.

Hope this helps!

Drive for Show...Putt for $..remember guys, your approach is every bit if not more important than your drive.

Think Luke Donald...not long, but deadly with approach shot..you have to be able to get the ball to stop, where you want it to stop.

At a 22 handicap (been there - done that for too long), lessons will help your ball choice.  More consistent ball striking will let you appreciate how a ball compares.  Trying to see how a pitch checks up is hard to do when you still fire a top hit across the green with more regularity.  How do your longer irons and hybrids/fairway/driver do?  Do you still slice enough to know that urethane tour balls can spin off into the forest faster than a 2 piece distance ball?  As you get more consistent you can try NXT Tour/Tour-S but DT Solo maybe the best choice for now.  When your landings on the green become an issue with the ball stopping, then Pro-V1/X will be an option to work with along side the NXT Tours..  NXT is reliable for me, but has limited market availability.  I just keep noticing that I lose a lot fewer balls per round with the NXT.  Penalty strokes can hurt a score as much as short games leaving 35 foot putts.

Well said, I couldn't agree more. What good will it do to back a ball up on a green if you can't hit a fairway or miss the green because of too much side spin.

Very true, just remember how easy it is to hole a putt when your approach shot is around 10 ft from the pin

I agree with Don.  Need to get consistent with ball striking and also get your short game in order.  I was also somewhere around a 22 handicap  in 2008 (I played very little between 1993-2003 and didn't swing a club until 2005 and started playing golf again in 2006 - I couldn't hit a driver so I used an 11 degree Trimetal fairway wood for about a year).   I generally shoot around 85 on a 6200 yard course and pretty close to par on most exec courses and have been that way since 2009 (despite having trouble with my middle game until recently). I just upgraded my golf setup back in March (retained my driver, putter and gap wedge) so I kind of had a slow start  (also didn't play for 6 weeks because I strained a bicep muscle on my right arm).

Check out Paul Wilson's videos (particularly the anti-slice series) at www.revolutiongolf.com.  Also check out Don Trahan's videos at www.swingsurgeon.com.  Since I have gone to a compact backswing, my ball striking is pretty consistent. 

Importantly, have your clubs checked for fit (including the putter) - that saves a few strokes because "if it fits, it hits" - bottom line. 

Also check your set makeup because the standard 1-3-5 wood, 3H, 4-9 iron, PW-SW-LW setup isn't for everyone and there is no sense busting your tail if this setup doesn't work.   I've simplified my long game to 13* driver, 5W, 27H, 34H (funny thing is I can really crush the 27H and actually hit it just as far as my two 21* fairway woods and 4-21H).  I carry 8-PW, 50-08, 54-14 and 60-10 (the first two are Spin Milled cc and the 60 is SM4 and all are bent 1* strong).

you should go for control. i know that the 1x spins less but i like that. when i play a 1, i can hit a 7 iron and spin it backwards. when i play the 1x, it will spin enough to stop it

With due respect to Titleist and Mr. DePaolo the ball fitting advice about working from the green BACK to the tee works well if all four parts of your game are well balanced and you have no glaring swing flaws like a chronic slice. Also, I don't trust Titleist online ball fitting. I keep getting one of the Pro V1s as a first or second choice as has been complained about by other posters.

So let me break down my on course expereince.

Putting: I prefer a soft feeling ball.
Putting is the easiest way to reduce your score. The DT 90 wound feels the best to me over the SoLo and better than Pinnacle women or men. I've been too cheap to experiment with the Pro Vs and the way I loose balls............. If I average two and a half puts per round I'm happy. So as long as the ball doesn't rocket off my Ping Pal bronze putter I can use most soft balls. I'd rather not play the Pinnacle here.

Short approach shots, 65 yards and less, to the green using a partial swing:
Even from the forward tees this is my predominant iron shot because I'm a short hitter. I can't reach most par 4s in regulation. 

My first goal is just to get on the green since I am often in short rough and with a partial swing with my PW, GW and SW I can do this about 75% of the time. With my waist level, full wrist hinge (to get maximum spin) the DT 90 stops faster but all three are still very usable. My second goal is to land the ball within a circle around the cup that is half the diameter of the green. That leaves me a putt of about 20 to 24 ft maximum and then I need to lag put to three feet or less. Half the time I can do this so half the time I expect to two putt.

If I play a ball that has high spin then I may have lost so much distance from slicing that I've lost its advantage of reduced roll on the green.  When I must use a lower swing, say at my knee but with a full wrist ***, it doesn't matter which ball I use since I can't generate enough back spin. All three run but I still prefer the feel of the DT90.

Full iron approach shots, 110 to 70 yards using a 6, 7, 8 or 9 iron. 
My irons all have high trajectories and the DT90 has highest spin (I think) so it releases the least. But all three balls will leave deep ball marks. The Pinnacle runs the most. My favorite is the DT 90 here. Since I'm lucky to get 180 yards off the tee, I rarely see this yardage range. All three balls will work well enough here.

Full fairway wood shots, 125 to 170 yards using 3w, 5w, 6w and 7w.
At 155 to 125 yards I can get on the green half the time. All three work well but the compromise is the SoLo. I slice the DT 90 more but the Pinnacle tends to be a few yards longer and be at the back of the green. I prefer the feel of the DT90 and I can't tell the difference in distance to SoLos. However all three balls are usable to me.

Tee shots: I don't use a driver so my better drives are 170 to 180 yard three woods and that is about the maximum that I expect from a 75 to 80 MPH swing speed.

I need the Pinnacle here but again all three are very close in distance since my swing is so inconsistent.

My full shots with fairway woods are my SECOND most important shots since I hit them twice (usually) on most par 4s especially if I wind up playing the white tees for some reason. More importantly I need to be straight and playable to set up a SHORT pitch or chip to the green so a high spin ball is too risky. 

My MOST important shot is the putter, since I need to get down to 2 putts per hole on average.

My LEAST important shot is a chip shot from the fairway or fringe of the green.

So what do I play? The DT90 since I love the way they feel off the persimmon woods and they have the best chance of holding the green for a 5 wood or 6 wood approach shot on very short par 4s say around 310 to 290. Longer than that I should tee up the Pinnacles.

Any suggestions for a Titleist replacement ball for me? The V1 and V1x are too expensive unless I can get lucky with X-OUTs or factory seconds but even when I've seen them they were still more expensive the other models.

By the way, has a nice ball fitting web app and it doesn't seem to push you into their most expensive balls. 

great job on the ball comparison. I to did the same thing with my club pro. I found out that I should play the prov 1x as well. the prov1 just has to much spin for me. I feel I can control the prov1x and the not tour better. if you use the 910d2 diver I seem to see the ball ballon little more then I did. when I played with the 983e. But I gained distance and accuracy with y driver by switching. I love the fact tht you can adjust the club to fit. your swing. I current have myrna set to A1.

Marc, you inspired me to conduct my own test. I compared driver distance and then, 5-iron carry. Using a sleeve of ProV1, NXT Tour S, Velocity, B330 RX and E-5. The NXT Tour S "eeked" out a win with the driver (910D2, 8.75 loft setting, 102 MPH clubhead speed) at 266 yards vs 264 for the ProV1 and B330/E5 models. The Velocity lagged behind 12 yards On the 5-iron, the V1 carried 178 and released about 10 feet to a flat green. The NXT Tour S carried 176 and released 13 feet. the other balls lagged 4 or more yards. I am switching to the NXT Tour S once I deplete my supply of ProV1's.