Alignment assistance is an underrated piece of golf ball technology that seems to be making its way to almost every company’s lineup. Examples are varied, ranging from understated, to overt, and beyond. Even Titleist, long known for their subtle, classic designs, has dipped their toes in the alignment aid waters, with both an off the rack solution in 2021 and a custom stamping program. The 2021 Pro V1 and Pro V1x were both available with “Enhanced Alignment”, which consisted of two straight lines framing the standard bi-directional sidestamp, but the concept never really took off with consumers or Tour Staff.
Rather, it became evident to Titleist that a long, straight line, applied with a marker, was the most popular alignment aid on Tour. Staff players like Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark, and Matt Fitzpatrick all employed this simple and effective modification to their golf balls. Seeing an opportunity, the company is announcing Performance Alignment, a stamped line available in four different colors, and it’s available on the 2023 versions of Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
“I use a black line, because I cannot putt without this,” said Pro V1 player Viktor Hovland. “I literally cannot aim. I’ve just never been good at just standing over the ball and being able to aim that way,” Hovland said. “I’ve found it’s really helped my putting, especially on the short ones, when there’s not too much break involved. I just did a blind test with a line on and then without a line, and I just aimed it miles better with a line on.”
Titleist Performance Alignment resembles a typical Sharpie line but is actually a subtle arrow shape in either black, red, blue or green. It spans 105 degrees in length, so slightly less than 1/3 of the golf ball, and is approximately 60% longer than a standard Titleist sidestamp.
“Performance Alignment emulates how many of the best players in the game mark their Titleist,” said Jeremy Stone, Vice President, Titleist Golf Ball Marketing. “The benefit of players marking their golf ball with an alignment aid – specifically a long, straight line – is evident across all levels of competitive golf and plays a significant role in helping them improve their aim and accuracy.”
Details
- Available at www.titleist.com and authorized retailers in the US and Canada.
- $59.99 per dozen
- Custom options are still available for an additional charge.
