The Titleist AVX has always been somewhat of a confusing offering for me in terms of its positioning amongst the other balls in the Titleist ball range. When I first heard of it back in 2018, I sorted it in my head at least as the Pro V1 for those with excessive long game spin, which I don’t think was miles off the mark, but it has now been repositioned somewhat, at least from a price point of view.
The Pro V1x Left Dash seems to have taken the mantle as the premium option for those looking to spin the ball less, and the AVX now comes in at a fairly significantly lower price point than the Pro V1 family. Let’s see if it can sit alongside some of the best golf balls on the market…
So what is Titleist telling us? Well, firstly it is suggesting that the new AVX provides more distance than before from a new high gradient, high speed core. Secondly, it claims that the new thin flexible casing layer has reduced spin further than before, while the newly designed soft urethane cover makes it feel softer and provides more greenside spin than the previous iteration.
More distance, softer feel, less long game spin, but more short game spin - this sounds promising…
I am happy to report, I found the long game claims absolutely spot on. The ball flight was as penetrating as anything I have tried and the distance output was admirable. For context, I put the AVX up against the Pro V1x on a fairly long, straight par 5 at Saunton Golf Club and hit twelve balls with each. Both - as you would expect from Titleist balls - delivered very consistent distance and it was almost impossible to separate them on average distance, however the AVX actually produced the longest drive of the bunch.
There was little to no wind when I did this initial test, so I waited until things picked up a touch in the afternoon and found another hole with a decent headwind. Here the penetrating flight of the AVX came into its own, and my longest five drives were all from the AVX albeit only by a matter of 3 or 4 yards.
I enjoyed the feel of the long shots and would again agree with the claims that AVX has gotten somewhat softer this time around, although it is a minimal change.
In terms of the shorter shots, I’m not sure I can corroborate the claims of additional spin. I found them a touch lively for me around the greens and really couldn’t impart the level of grab I wanted all the way from mid pitch shots to short green side chips. I just found the contact a little too jumpy, like the ball wasn’t on the face for quite long enough, and my shorter shots just ran out a few feet more than normal.
Don’t confuse lively with firm however, they do feel relatively soft and produce a nice muted, impact noise which I really enjoyed.
I also found the AVX to be particularly durable. I played 18 holes with the same ball (a rarity for me!) and I could nearly have put it back in the packet undetected! Having hit a good number of wedge shots with grooves only a few weeks old, this was particularly impressive.
Whilst the AVX didn’t necessarily tick all of my boxes, I think it could be my winter ball of choice moving forward. I spin the ball on the higher end of the spectrum and play a lot of my golf by the coast in windy conditions, so I very much fit the criteria to play this ball. I think when the greens firm up a touch I would be looking for a few more rpm on my shorter shots, but while there is still some moisture in them, the AVX looks like an excellent choice for me.
This is no a doubt a niche offering but it is also a high quality ball at a good price point of £42 per dozen. If you struggle to control your spin in the long game, the Titleist AVX is a must try.
