New 2024 Titleist AVX ball announced today!

[grochol17]

Titleist has their info page about the 2024 version of the AVX up here:

 

https://www.titleist.com/product/avx/004AVXT.html

 

I've got to say, based on all the things I was reading and from talking to a couple of retail people that talked to the Titleist reps, I was expecting the new version of the AVX to be a completely different ball... some kind of mashup of the AVX and Tour Speed, shifting it to a lower tier Titleist ball.

 

But, the stuff I've read on Titleist's web site and various other places makes it sound like they've made some tweaks to the performance (still low flight, lower long game spin, higher short game spin), so if you liked the AVX before you'll probably still like it.  It also looks like it will be $50/dozen.  I'm definitely excited to try them out as soon as I can.

[dwboston]

I was expecting a little cheaper price.  They did drop it $5, should have been more like $10.

[bodhi555]

Tour Speed has been dropped from the ball selector also, which is a shame. They were long and had 95% of the greenside performance of the Pro V1 for quite a bit less cash.

 

As the AVX is one of my least favourite balls I've ever played I guess I'll have to look somewhere else for cheaper urethane options - or to do as I did when Nike pulled out of the ball market and buy up all the Tour Speeds I can find.

Edited January 17 by bodhi555

[ChrisGio315]

Excited to try this out. If the distance and spin is similar to the Left Dash with a soft feel, count me in for 2024/2025!

[grochol17]

48 minutes ago, dwboston said:

I was expecting a little cheaper price.  They did drop it $5, should have been more like $10.

 

As long as the AVX is still a tour level ball, I think going too much cheaper than the Pro V1s wouldn't make sense.  Since Callaway recently introduced the new Chrome line with a $54.99 price tag, I wonder if Titleist went with $49.99 to try and steal some of the Chrome Soft folks. 

[dwboston]

3 hours ago, grochol17 said:

 

As long as the AVX is still a tour level ball, I think going too much cheaper than the Pro V1s wouldn't make sense.  Since Callaway recently introduced the new Chrome line with a $54.99 price tag, I wonder if Titleist went with $49.99 to try and steal some of the Chrome Soft folks. 

 

Is it a Tour-level ball if no player on any major (or minor) Tour plays it?  Don't get me wrong, I like the AVX and have used it for the past few seasons, but they've clearly merged it with the Tour Speed (which itself was a slightly modified version of the EXP-01 ball from a few years ago) and have taken the AVX somewhat down-market, but are still trying to charge Tour-ball prices.  The Tour Speed is $37/doz, the AVX was $55 per dozen.  Meet somewhere in the middle, sell it for ~$45 and you've got something. 

 

I'm not trying to make too much of this, but it's almost like this is an IQ test for (previous) AVX players.  Titleist didn't drop the price out of the goodness of its heart.  They cheapened the materials/construction/durability of the ball but didn't drop the price commensurately.  I guess we'll see what the market is for a $50 Tour Speed. 

Edited January 17 by dwboston

[INSDAWG]

Is the retail version of the mysterious prov v1 left dot?

[Duffer222]

Just another reason I’ll not buy Titleist balls.  Didn’t like the AVX sure as heck ain’t paying $50+ for it.

[grochol17]

19 minutes ago, dwboston said:

 

Is it a Tour-level ball if no player on any major (or minor) Tour plays it?  Don't get me wrong, I like the AVX and have used it for the past few seasons, but they've clearly merged it with the Tour Speed (which itself was a slightly modified version of the EXP-01 ball from a few years ago) and have taken the AVX somewhat down-market, but are still trying to charge Tour-ball prices.  The Tour Speed is $37/doz, the AVX was $55 per dozen.  Meet somewhere in the middle, sell it for ~$45 and you've got something. 

 

I'm not trying to make too much of this, but it's almost like this is an IQ test for (previous) AVX players.  Titleist didn't drop the price out of the goodness of its heart.  They cheapened the materials/construction/durability of the ball but didn't drop the price commensurately.  I guess we'll se what the market is for a $50 Tour Speed. 

 

I can't speak to the 2024 AVX, but for me, the 2022 AVX was very similar in performance to the 2023 Pro V1, so I'd say that it is definitely a tour-level ball.  The fact that no one on tour used it just speaks to the fact that it is a niche ball and, apparently, there aren't a lot of pros looking for a softer ball with lower flight and spin.  Plus, if they happened to need lower long game spin and lower flight, they had access to the left dot.

 

As for performance and price, the advertising I've seen is that the 2024 AVX keeps the low flight and long game spin, brings up the ball speed, and has more short game spin than the 2022 version.  According to the My Golf Spy ball test, the 2022 Tour Speed had significantly lower short game spin than the 2022 AVX, so this doesn't sound like they are just putting new stamping on the Tour Speed or moved the AVX to a lower tier of ball.  When they come out, I'll pick up a dozen and see how they go... if the don't live up to the performance or durability of the current AVX model I'll just switch over to playing the Pro V1.  But, if I can get better performance from a ball that is $5 cheaper than the ball I was playing, I'll take it.  

 

Regarding your comment about the quality of materials, durability, and price, have you hit the 2024 AVX?  I've not seen any reviews online of anyone that has played it, much less any reviews suggesting it is a poorly constructed ball with cheaper materials that falls apart quickly.  I suspect that they dropped the price partly because they don't actually need to be charging $55 for the Pro V1 line and, with a cheaper AVX, they think they can steal market share from the now $55/dozen Chrome Soft crowd. 

[Pepperturbo]

AVX has been a popular ball for all sorts of skill levels, including me.  Haven't used one in a while, having reserved it for cold wet weather.  Guess, based on what I read, have to pick up a box and give them a whirl.  See if new AVX can replace DASH -ProV1x.

 

PS: Anyone can call it a tour level ball.  Lots of OEM's call certain pieces of equipment tour or player design.  Titleist calls T200 irons tour level.  Whether it is or not, depends on who's uses the new AVX.  It might attract some tour attention, except getting tour players to change irons, wedges or play a 3 piece ball is tantamount to pulling eye teeth.

Edited January 17 by Pepperturbo

[grm24]

2 hours ago, INSDAWG said:

Is the retail version of the mysterious prov v1 left dot?

No. Different number of dimples, different dimple pattern and a different type of urethane cover than the left dot. It's now thermoplastic (TPU) like the Tour Speed. It's no longer cast thermoset urethane (CTU).

[tsecor]

NOBODY uses AVX in relative terms.....im shocked they are continuing to include this in their "premium" lineup.

 

The left dot is coming to retail according to Titleist reps......not sure when

[dwboston]

1 hour ago, grochol17 said:

Regarding your comment about the quality of materials, durability, and price, have you hit the 2024 AVX?  I've not seen any reviews online of anyone that has played it, much less any reviews suggesting it is a poorly constructed ball with cheaper materials that falls apart quickly.  I suspect that they dropped the price partly because they don't actually need to be charging $55 for the Pro V1 line and, with a cheaper AVX, they think they can steal market share from the now $55/dozen Chrome Soft crowd. 

 

The went with a cheaper urethane cover than the one used in the Pro V1 series of balls.  And I never used the words "poorly constructed" or said that it "falls apart quickly".  They're charging $50/doz for a ~$40/doz golf ball.

[grochol17]

51 minutes ago, dwboston said:

 

The went with a cheaper urethane cover than the one used in the Pro V1 series of balls.  And I never used the words "poorly constructed" or said that it "falls apart quickly".  They're charging $50/doz for a ~$40/doz golf ball.

 

In the post I quoted before, you said they "cheapened" the materials, which to me means that you're saying the materials going into the new AVX are lower quality materials.

[grochol17]

2 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

AVX has been a popular ball for all sorts of skill levels, including me.  Haven't used one in a while, having reserved it for cold wet weather.  Guess, based on what I read, have to pick up a box and give them a whirl.  See if new AVX can replace DASH -ProV1x.

 

PS: Anyone can call it a tour level ball.  Lots of OEM's call certain pieces of equipment tour or player design.  Titleist calls T200 irons tour level.  Whether it is or not, depends on who's uses the new AVX.  It might attract some tour attention, except getting tour players to change irons, wedges or play a 3 piece ball is tantamount to pulling eye teeth.

 

That must be why no one on tour plays the Pro V1.

[Pepperturbo]

2 minutes ago, grochol17 said:

 

That must be why no one on tour plays the Pro V1.

LOL

 

I thought ProV1 is the most used ball, and it's 3-piece.  My point was a play on words, getting them to change anything in those 3 categories is.... 

[DrDaveYT]

I'm def gonna give these a test. I love the -ProV1x for the low spin, but I do find the flight off my driver to be a touch too high at times. I often found myself using left dash or 2023 ProV1s last year, so am hopeful this might be the titleist ball for me. 

[dwboston]

1 hour ago, grochol17 said:

 

In the post I quoted before, you said they "cheapened" the materials, which to me means that you're saying the materials going into the new AVX are lower quality materials.

 They are using a CHEAPER urethane cover on the ball.  By definition they have cheapened the materials.

[AnthonyC143]

I tested the new AVX and wasn't impressed.  The cover doesn't last at all.  Otherwise, similar attributes as the last iterations.

[Boognish]

Switched to AVX last year (from TP5X) and love it, especially in the wind.

 

Current model provides plenty of approach and short game spin for me with consistently long carry.

 

I hope the new version doesn't change too much.

[storm319]

@grochol17

 

Looks like your expectation was correct, this is essentially an amalgam of the previous AVX and Tour Speed. While both were previously in a similar overall compression range (high 70’s/low 80’s which I expect this to continue), this new ball inherits the 346 dimple layout/TPU cover of the Tour Speed and the shallower dimple depth/name from the AVX with the price point and target low/low characteristics leaning more towards the AVX (tbh this is probably what the AVX should have been all along).
 

I am going to speculate that they are looking to free up a bit of capacity in ball plants 3/4 to possibly expand the Pro V1 line next year (and in the meantime produce more of the left dash).

Edited January 18 by storm319

[grochol17]

10 hours ago, storm319 said:

@grochol17

 

Looks like your expectation was correct, this is essentially an amalgam of the previous AVX and Tour Speed. While both were previously in a similar overall compression range (high 70’s/low 80’s which I expect this to continue), this new ball inherits the 346 dimple layout/TPU cover of the Tour Speed and the shallower dimple depth/name from the AVX with the price point and target low/low characteristics leaning more towards the AVX (tbh this is probably what the AVX should have been all along).
 

I am going to speculate that they are looking to free up a bit of capacity in ball plants 3/4 to possibly expand the Pro V1 line next year (and in the meantime produce more of the left dash).

 

Yeah... one of the first articles I read was on MGS and they said that the cover was manufactured in the same way as it was before at ball plant 3.  But at some point they updated to clarify that the AVX cover is TPU and made at ball plant 2.  So, definitely sounds like they merged the AVX and Tour Speed.  This wasn't what I was hoping for, but I'll still reserve judgement on whether or not this is a good thing until I get a chance to put some into play.

[grochol17]

15 hours ago, dwboston said:

 They are using a CHEAPER urethane cover on the ball.  By definition they have cheapened the materials.

 

I hope you'll forgive my confusion, but the word "cheap" can be ambiguous since sometimes people mean that something has a low price and other times people use it to mean something is inferior quality. 

 

So, just to clarify, do you think the $50 price is too high because they are using low quality materials or is the issue that they are using less expensive materials, but aren't passing the savings along to us?

[dono]

1 hour ago, grochol17 said:

So, just to clarify, do you think the $50 price is too high because they are using low quality materials or is the issue that they are using less expensive materials, but aren't passing the savings along to us?

At $50 not sure what market it addresses? It replaced a $40 spot? If I played Tour Speed I would move on. Plenty of new balls coming to market this year. On the other hand good news for the AVX players.

[dwboston]

1 hour ago, grochol17 said:

 

I hope you'll forgive my confusion, but the word "cheap" can be ambiguous since sometimes people mean that something has a low price and other times people use it to mean something is inferior quality. 

 

So, just to clarify, do you think the $50 price is too high because they are using low quality materials or is the issue that they are using less expensive materials, but aren't passing the savings along to us?

 

I've already explained it.  They're using the cover formulation they developed for cheaper golf balls on an allegedly "premium" ball and still charging a premium price.  They combined a $55/doz ball with a $37/doz ball and only dropped the price $5.  It's not that difficult.

 

I'm a big Titleist fan and have used the AVX for the last few years.  I liked the most recent version and felt it was almost perfect for my game.  The only ball I liked more was the Pro V1 Left Dot.  If there's one silver lining here, hopefully this frees up ball production capacity to bring the Left Dot to retail.  If not, I'll just play the Maxfli Tour S.  I'm not paying $50/doz for a re-badged Tour Speed. 

[ChrisGio315]

2 hours ago, dwboston said:

 

I've already explained it.  They're using the cover formulation they developed for cheaper golf balls on an allegedly "premium" ball and still charging a premium price.  They combined a $55/doz ball with a $37/doz ball and only dropped the price $5.  It's not that difficult.

 

I'm a big Titleist fan and have used the AVX for the last few years.  I liked the most recent version and felt it was almost perfect for my game.  The only ball I liked more was the Pro V1 Left Dot.  If there's one silver lining here, hopefully this frees up ball production capacity to bring the Left Dot to retail.  If not, I'll just play the Maxfli Tour S.  I'm not paying $50/doz for a re-badged Tour Speed. 

 

If the short game spin is increased over the previous version and the ball doesnt get chewed up like I thought the Tour Speed did, I have no problem paying $50. If those arent true, I'll just deal with the firmness of the left dash and move on.

[elwhippy]

Hope the new version feels less like a marshmallow. These disappear off our local stores shelves but rarely see anyone using an AVX. 

[The Pearl]

1 hour ago, elwhippy said:

Hope the new version feels less like a marshmallow. These disappear off our local stores shelves but rarely see anyone using an AVX. 

Nice Yogiism.  

[storm319]

3 hours ago, dwboston said:

 

I've already explained it.  They're using the cover formulation they developed for cheaper golf balls on an allegedly "premium" ball and still charging a premium price.  They combined a $55/doz ball with a $37/doz ball and only dropped the price $5.  It's not that difficult.

 

I'm a big Titleist fan and have used the AVX for the last few years.  I liked the most recent version and felt it was almost perfect for my game.  The only ball I liked more was the Pro V1 Left Dot.  If there's one silver lining here, hopefully this frees up ball production capacity to bring the Left Dot to retail.  If not, I'll just play the Maxfli Tour S.  I'm not paying $50/doz for a re-badged Tour Speed. 

To clarify, the biggest change is the cover production method from cast thermoset to injection molded TPU (injection molding is the less complex/time consuming method, but the cost difference at full production quantities is not enough per ball to warrant a dramatic retail price increase).
 

Keep in mind that Acushnet, Taylormade, and Foremost are the only manufactures that use the cast thermoset method so if you are going to criticize Titleist here, make sure to also include Bridgestone, Callaway, Srixon, and a few DTCs that have TPU offerings that retail for $50+ / dozen. 

[dwboston]

1 hour ago, storm319 said:

To clarify, the biggest change is the cover production method from cast thermoset to injection molded TPU (injection molding is the less complex/time consuming method, but the cost difference at full production quantities is not enough per ball to warrant a dramatic retail price increase).
 

Keep in mind that Acushnet, Taylormade, and Foremost are the only manufactures that use the cast thermoset method so if you are going to criticize Titleist here, make sure to also include Bridgestone, Callaway, Srixon, and a few DTCs that have TPU offerings that retail for $50+ / dozen. 

 

This isn't a thread about TM, Foremost, Callaway, Bridgestone, Srixon, or any DTC company.  It's a thread about the new AVX.  I don't care what those other companies are doing, as I don't buy their products.

 

The Tour Speed had an injection molded TPU cover, just like the ball it was based on, the EXP-01.  Titleist is passing off a rebadged Tour Speed as the new AVX, with a bunch of marketing-speak about the cores and the dimples.  If folks want to pay $50 for a $37 ball, then more power to them.  I won't be.