Considering that most golf equipment is on one-year release cycles and most of the rest is reset and refilled every two, it’s absolutely wild that it’s gotten Titleist the best part of nine years to update his Pro V1x Left Dash golf ball.
Launched as a tour-only CPO (custom performance option) in 2017, it took two years for Titleist to realize there was any kind of market for a lower-spin Pro V1x. It turns out—and this may shock you—that average golfers really like to hit the ball farther.
What took so long to create the new and improved model? Given its position as the most played golf ball on the PGA Tour, Titleist always has to balance improving performance with the demands of its staff, many of whom would be perfectly content if nothing changed.
Even the fittest of the lot ask Titleist to make it better, but not change anything.
With mid-bell curve options like the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, I suppose one could argue that Titleist has more freedom to correct and tune, but when you’re dealing with a curve ball like the Left Dash, those options are extremely narrow and it’s easy to make a ball that it was intended for.
This is exactly why Titleist has taken so long to release an update.
The hard part: Improving Dash without breaking it
Titleist began work on the current generation of the Left Dash roughly three years ago with a deceptively difficult question: Can you improve the Dash without changing what makes it a Dash?
At one point, they thought they had something. Left Dash’s “16” prototype was deep into the process and, for a time, it looked like it would be the one to replace the original. That ball offered more spin around the green with a softer feel.
It looked great on paper (and certainly, to some golfers, too), but as testing progressed, Titleist realized that while they had what could be a really good golf ball, it wasn’t the Left Dash.
The team developed a prototype that added greenside spin and cushioned feel—changes that, on paper, would have made the ball more appealing to a wider range of players. In testing, however, it became clear that the ball had crossed a line.
“We had a very workable, very good golf ball,” says Frederick Waddell, Director of Golf Ball Product Management at Titleist. “But Dash players told us, ‘That’s not Dash.'”
The “16” ball spun a lot. It flew differently. In some cases, it got stuck and stuck in ways Dash players don’t want. Some players lost distance. For golfers who play the Left Dash specifically for long game efficiency and a controlled high speed spin profile, this was a drawback.
Instead of forcing the product onto the market, Titleist scrapped it … or at least put it on a shelf for later. The decision underscores how narrowly the company defines Dash’s role — and how important it is to get it right.
A quick refresher: What Left Dash is (and isn’t)
Left Dash was never designed to be a better Pro V1 or Pro V1x. Since its inception in 2017, it was created for players who wanted the absolute fastest, longest ball that Titleist could make and were willing to trade up elsewhere to get it.
“The Dash was created for players who were willing to sacrifice some spin and control on and around the green to have the absolute fastest and longest putt you can make,” says Waddell.
This is the key. This is a first ball with speed and efficiency, especially in the long game. And while the roll profile separates it, the flight window still sits in a high-trajectory space—much closer to the Pro V1x than anything else in the line.
Equally important is what Left Dash was never meant to be. It was never meant to be the most played ball in the tournament or on the market. That role still, and likely always, will belong to the Pro V1 and Pro V1x. Left Dash, like AVX, exists because some players just need something different.
What’s new under the hood
The performance brief for the new Left Dash model was clear: more speed and distance, the same low-spin long game profile, and no significant loss of tournament-level control.
This clarity appears in the changes. It’s faster, flies a little lower, and you can see a little more spin around the green. It’s a delicate balance. Too much of anything (even if it still looks good on paper) and Left Dash is no longer Left Dash.
The core was the first lever. Titleist reformulated its dual high-gradient core to increase ball speed, especially on full shots. I’ve used the “lava cake” metaphor before. The idea is to increase the stability difference between the soft inner cores and the harder outer areas.
A good part of the rate history can be attributed to the outer shell layer (the ionomer layer located between the core and the cladding). The material itself hasn’t changed, but Titleist has slightly increased the thickness. In general, the ply is the strongest (and fastest) material in a golf ball, so using it as a speed lever made sense.
To compensate for this difference, Titleist did not make the ball larger or the core smaller. Instead, it thinned the urethane coating. As it happens, urethane is the slowest (least responsive) material in construction, so the logic here is to add more of what gives you speed, use less of what robs it, and when it all comes together, hopefully you land on a faster ball that rolls a little more around the green.
Look, Left Dash will never be among the leaders in the greenside spin category, and frankly, even with some improvements, it will probably still spin less around the green than most, but it’s still an improvement that doesn’t sacrifice the essence of Dash.
Is this a trade-off worth making?
“This is a legit, tournament-proven golf ball. It prioritizes some things over others—but still has enough control to win at the highest level,” says Waddell.
For the players Left Dash was designed for, the compromises remain acceptable—and intentional.
Left Dash has won at the highest levels including a US Open and a US Amateur. Pinehurst No. 2 – a place that exposes every weakness around the green – was specifically cited as valid.
Updated Aero
Aerodynamically, the 2026 Pro V1x Left Dash gets a new 348 tetrahedral pit pattern. While the dimple count matches the Pro V1x, the dimples have been tuned specifically for the Left Dash with the aim of tightening flight stability and pushing the window a bit lower.
Again, we’re talking about a gentle nudge to lower flight, not something that fundamentally changes the Left Dash equation. It will still fly through a similar window as the Pro V1x, but USGA compliance sometimes requires subtle changes.
Who should play Pro V1x Left Dash
Left Dash is not a golf ball for the masses. It’s a specialized product (Titleist says it fits somewhere between five and 10 percent of golfers) and its benefits are most apparent to a specific type of player.
Pro V1x Left Dash is best suited for players who:
- Generate high ball speed off the tee
- Produce excessive torque with the Pro V1 or Pro V1x
- Prioritize distance and efficiency in the long game
- Like the Pro V1x style trajectory window, but want a lower long game spin
- You’re comfortable giving up some greenside spin in exchange for tee-to-green performance
If your primary goal is to maximize tip distance while keeping spin under control, the Left Dash is built with you in mind. The biggest gains are seen from the driver and in the long game where reduced spin and increased speed can translate directly into yardage.
Golfers who rely heavily on green spin, prefer maximum short game stopping power, or don’t generate the height to take advantage of the Dash’s low spin long game profile are almost certainly better served by the Pro V1, Pro V1x or AVX.
Left Dash is not about providing balance to the masses. It is about specialization.
Tour approval and what comes next
Once the new Left Dash officially launches in January, the previous generation will be phased out. Titleist does not plan to continue production of the original.
This decision reflects confidence in the update and feedback from existing Dash players, who are expected to switch to the new ball.
Play on the PGA Tour will likely remain limited — roughly five or six players per event — but that’s how it always has been.
As for when we might see another left dash, there is no fixed cadence. Unlike the Pro V1 and Pro V1x, Left Dash does not run on a predictable two-year cycle. As you can imagine, the golf ball’s imminent return doesn’t help clarify Left Dash’s timeline.
For now, the new Pro V1x Left Dash gives players more of what they already appreciate without moving toward the middle ground well served by the Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
For the small group of gamers who live on that end of the performance curve, this limitation may be the most significant improvement of all.
Availability and price
The Pro V1x Left Dash will be available starting January 21st. Retail price is $57.99 for a dozen. The price for other golf balls in the Pro V1 family has also increased to $57.99.
The already previous generation of Pro V1x Left Dash marked down to $49.99 while supplies last.
For more information, visit Titleist.com.
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