Titleist begins its 2026 launch season with the official announcement of the new Pro V1x Left Dash (designated by "–Pro V1x" on its side stamp) after a four-year validation period across professional and amateur golf.

During the process, multiple prototypes were tested across all golfing levels to create a third golf ball to sit in the already successful Pro V1 lineup.

“We won’t introduce a product just because it’s new,” said Mike Madson, senior vice president of Titleist golf ball research and development. “It has to be better, and it has to be validated by players."

So, here’s everything you need to know about the '26 Pro V1x Left Dash and where the ball came from:

Origins of the Left Dash

The first Pro V1x Left Dash began with early prototype testing in 2018 as one of Titleist’s Custom Performance Option (CPO), as players on Tour were looking for a ball to maximize distance off the tee while still maintaining the requisite control and stopping power into and around the greens. The ball saw success with wins at the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship at Pinehurst and then again later in the cycle at the same course for the 2024 U.S. Open. But, as prototyping continued, the ball was becoming too close to what the original Pro V1x had to offer.

“During that testing, we heard a few comments that started to give us the indication that maybe we weren't going down the right path,” said Fordie Pitts, Titleist’s director of Tour research and validation. “The prototype felt great. It had good speed and distance, but the spin was creeping up too high in the short irons. In our minds, all it really was doing is moving the product closer to our stock Pro V1x, and it was straying from Left Dash’s DNA.”

Now, after a four-year cycle, testing the ball on the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour and across the globe, the 2026 Pro V1x Left Dash sits better in the Pro V1 family, providing what Titleist says is “Tour-validated performance for players seeking a high flight similar to Pro V1x with dramatically lower full swing spin and a firmer feel.”

A dashing new formula

Through the CPO and testing process, Titleist decided that the Pro V1x Left Dash needed a newer and faster high-gradient dual core formulation that could create more resiliency for increased ball speed and distance.

With that, to reduce spin in the long-game to separate the ball from the Pro V1x, a thicker, higher-flexing casing layer was produced. To keep the tour-level spin needed around the greens, Titleist also used a thinner cast urethane cover compared to the other balls in the Pro V1 lineup.

With the Pro V1x Left Dash also comes a new aerodynamics package. The design features a “spherically-tiled 348 tetrahedral dimple design,” which generates a more stable ball flight from tee to green with spin specifically for players' needs.

"We learned from players that the path we went down was not going to be optimal for what they were looking for in the product,” Frederick Waddell, Titleist’s director of golf ball product management, explained. “So we started to zero in on why they love Left Dash. It’s the speed, the distance, the low spin. We completely shifted gears to focus our efforts there, resulting in a faster, longer Pro V1x Left Dash, with spin optimized for this player.”

Where does it sit in the Pro V1 range?

The long-lasting staples of the Pro V1 and Pro V1x have cemented their spots in Titleist’s signature lineup. The Pro V1 offers a mid-trajectory flight with low long-game spin and a softer feel than the Pro V1x with has a higher flight with more spin.

The 2026 Pro V1x Left Dash offers a high flight, which is similar to Pro V1x, but differentiates itself with dramatically lower long-game spin and a firmer feel off the face.

The 2026 Pro V1x Left Dash will be available in golf shops worldwide beginning Jan 21.