Titleist brings all consumers behind the scenes with their newest experimental golf ball offering, secretly named the EXP-01 (‘EXP’ standing for ‘experimental, naturally). A unique approach to say the least, Titleist’s newest golf ball upgrade is a crowd-sourcing pilot test to which we are all invited.

Background and Technology

There’s a thin veil of secrecy wrapped around each EXP-01 golf ball, purposely done by Titleist to allow golfers the chance to test a prototype of new technologies. As Michael Mahoney, Titleist’s VP of golf ball marketing, suggests, this is a unique opportunity for golfers to get involved in the process.

“The EXP Project invites golfers into the early stages of our R&D process, and allows us to broadly test experimental materials, constructions and processes that could be integrated into any segment of our golf ball line. The EXP•01 is truly an exploratory product and there’s no better way to evaluate our progress than getting it into the hands of dedicated golfers.”

The EXP-01 comes packed with a trifecta of new tech features.

• A new 346 dimple design to promote improved aerodynamics and launch — something that will appeal to a wide range of golfers.

• An MTR Developmental Cover is also featured, geared to increase spin in your short game via a thermoplastic urethane material.

• A high-speed core designed to promote low spin rates on long shots and off the tee.

While available to golfers now at $43.00/dozen, it’s safe to assume that customer feedback will determine what stays, what goes, and what gets tweaked in this experimental golf ball. We had the chance to try them out ourselves recently, and were impressed by the results.

Preliminary Results

The cover of the Titleist EXP-01 feels soft to the touch, which oddly is a quality that I always inspect whenever trying out a new ball. The nifty little ‘EXP-01’ logo opposite the familiar Titleist lettering makes you feel like you’re part of the R&D team… without needing to know things like physics or aerodynamic engineering.

At impact, the EXP-01 felt very similar to the ProV1. I’ve always appreciated how Titleist is able to maintain an generally consistent feel across their higher-end golf balls despite having different dimple patterns and other tech under the hood. Obviously your golf clubs have a lot to do with overall feel on a shot, but I found the EXP-01 to feel quite familiar to their flagship.

Distance off the tee was solid, however not monumental. As you all know I game a competitor’s golf ball on the regular, and I found the EXP-01 to be comparable in distance. Yes, there were a few shots where I found the EXP-01 to be five to eight yards longer in total distance, which will need further testing to determine if these were outliers.

Accuracy off the tee and on long shots, however, was impressive. My dispersion with the EXP-01 was tighter and more consistent than my gamer in my initial test. This is likely due to the lower spin rates on longer shots I experienced with these golf balls, which at times were as much as 800 rpm lower. This may not seem to be a significant number, but finding the fairway more often is always a good thing.

On shorter shots and around the green I did not see a significant difference in feel or spin. The EXP-01 cover feels fantastic on chips and pitches, and the ball reacted exactly how you’d want upon landing. The softer feel remained on putts as well, which is a quality I prefer.

Overall Impression

With the golf season quickly dissipating in the Midwest, my time with the EXP-01 in 2019 will be limited. However, initial thoughts are positive due to the increased consistency I noticed in longer shots.

As someone with average driver swing speed (100 mph) for my handicap level, I might not be the ideal player in mind to see the biggest benefits from this golf ball as-is. Faster speeds might experience bigger differences in spin rates on either end of the spectrum.

That stated, I did notice a slightly tighter shot dispersion off the tee, which to me is not insignificant. Depending on what becomes the final product after Titleist concludes this experiment, I’d be disappointed if they switched out the dimple pattern to something different.

For more information on the EXP-01 experimental golf ball by Titleist, visit their website here.