Join us for a tour inside the global centre of Titleist golf ball technology and manufacturing. It’s 250,000 square feet of engineering innovation. Built on an enduring commitment to the process. And a promise to golfers:
To go above and beyond.
On every single step.
The Pro V1 manufacturing process begins by building the engine of the golf ball. In Ball Plant 3’s three-story mixing mill, carefully-selected raw materials and powdered agents are mixed and heated along with the main ingredient of the core – Polybutadiene, a high-energy synthetic rubber – producing a mixture that will be transformed into a powerful core.
The core mixture is gravity fed through 7-foot wide, chilled rollers that flatten the material into a dough-like sheet. Samples are extracted from each batch and tested to ensure it meets our stringent performance specifications. The material is then rolled onto large spools and cooled in a low-humidity conditioning room.
Temperature, pressure and humidity
are all closely regulated throughout core mixing and conditioning operations to ensure that the physical properties of the core material is consistent from batch to batch and in an optimal state for molding. After cooling, 3-inch wide strips of core material are fed into an extruder machine, squeezing it through a long tube. The material – at this point still soft and spongy – is then sliced into small cylinders (called core preps) and loaded into trays.
There is a direct correlation between the way a golf ball is manufactured and the way it performs on the course.
This is why Ball Plant 3 is designed with a dedicated Quality Assurance lab, where our engineers manage the numerous quality control checks that are implemented at every step in the process.
We closely inspect raw materials and test samples from every assembled component and batch of mixed material that we produce. If any sample falls out of specification in any test, production is halted until the root cause is discovered and corrected.
In addition, our automated systems constantly monitor and regulate process temperatures, pressure, humidity, and the precise timing of chemical reactions involved in curing and conditioning operations. All told, there are well over 100 quality checks in the making of a Pro V1 that make sure that every golf ball in your dozen delivers the same consistent, high performance on every shot.
Core preps are placed into a large compression molding assembly, which is then loaded into the mold press. The preps are heated under pressure at precise temperatures, for very specific duration times, transforming the spongy core material into hard, resilient cores.
The timing of this process is key.
Overheating or underheating the cores would cause variability in the curing process. Titleist’s proprietary ZG Process technology guarantees uniform hardness not only within each core, but from every core to core within the press. Once finished, the molded cores are stored in large totes where they cool for several hours.
If a golf ball core is just 4/100ths of an inch off-centre – about the thickness of a credit card – shot dispersion for every club in your bag can double. That’s why we’ve developed patented technology and a proprietary process that is particularly important for balls with dual-core constructions like Pro V1x. Time, temperature and pressure are meticulously controlled so that during curing, the inner center bonds uniformly with the outer shell of the core.
Every golf ball we make is made by Titleist associates in Titleist owned and operated facilities. Our world-class Operations team consists of more than 1,100 associates with an average tenure of more than 21 years.
That’s over 23,000 years of collective
golf ball making experience.
We entrust quality to ourselves and we insist on owning and overseeing every step of our manufacturing process. Because a Titleist golf ball must perform exactly the way we designed it – and exactly the way you expect it to on the golf course. Every ball. In every dozen. Every time you tee it up.
A high-speed casing layer is applied through a sophisticated injection molding process.
This extremely resilient thermoplastic ionomer material protects the core from moisture while enhancing speed and fine-tuning spin.
A high-speed casing layer is thinly molded around the core, protecting it from moisture while preserving and enhancing the core’s performance characteristics. Applied through a sophisticated injection molding process, the casing layer is made from extremely resilient thermoplastic ionomer materials that add speed to the construction. By modifying the blends of ionomers and the proportions used, we can also use this layer to adjust and fine-tune the spin rate of the golf ball.
A golf ball with uneven dimple depths - off by as little as the width of a human hair - can turn a good swing into a bad shot, and cause your ball to fly offline. That's why Titleist manufactures every single one of the golf ball mold cavities used in the process that forms the cast Urethane Elastomer cover and dimple patterns for Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
A "hob" is the machine tooling used to create a cavity.
Every hob is also manufactured in-house through a process that utilises advanced machining technology. (To make one hob, it takes 24 hours.) Tens of thousands of cavities are required to sufficiently supply our urethane casting lines. It’s a difficult and expensive process, but it’s the only way to ensure that every single mold cavity produces the same precise result, providing golfers with consistent flight and ball-to-ball consistency.
Titleist Golf Ball R&D houses many of the game’s brightest minds and most experienced golf ball designers. Meet the team that comes to work every day with a singular goal:
To make the #1 ball in golf even better.
The thermoset urethane cover formulation on both Pro V1 and Pro V1x is created by a chemical reaction that takes place within the mold cavities. Liquid materials specifically formulated by Titleist R&D are combined and react to form the solid cover. This urethane is termed “thermoset,” meaning that the cover, once formed, will not re-melt. Thermoset urethane is very difficult to work with, but it gives us complete control of the chemical composition.
The quality we achieve using this method results in the highest-performing urethane cover in the game, ultimately providing the consistency, high spin and responsive soft feel that you need in order to control your shots into and around the green.
Our precision buffing machinery is like a giant manicure operation - cutting, sanding and electronically inspecting the surface of each golf ball. This buffing process completely removes the excess urethane material left around the parting line after the cover has been cast on the ball – a critical step because it results in a uniform and aerodynamically symmetrical surface that optimises the flight characteristics of the finished ball.
We thoroughly clean the surface of the golf ball to ensure that no fine dust or fibers are present on the surface of the golf ball before it heads to paint spray operations. It’s very loud in this room, as balls pass through the rapidly-vibrating cleaning apparatus filled with ceramic stones, a mild detergent and water.
This process only affects the final cosmetic appearance of the golf ball – not performance – but it’s important to us to deliver the most pristine paint application possible.
Upon arrival in the paint room, the golf balls are spun on an automated carousel and sprayed from above and below at precise angles. This ensures uniform coverage over the entire surface of the ball, preserving the aerodynamic consistency of the dimples. Paint also plays a critical role in protecting the urethane cover from UV rays and contributes to the ball’s outstanding durability.
This is where a golf ball truly
becomes a Titleist.
After the painted golf balls have dried, they are transported to pad printing operations where the Titleist script, play number and side stamp are imprinted on the ball, before receiving one final clear coat of paint. Optical recognition technology is used to read the dimple pattern and precisely position the ball in the exact orientation necessary for proper print placement. This is why Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls look the same every time you put a new one on the tee.
From start to finish, we're guided by a belief that a better process will result in a better quality and performance product. This, along with an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement, has been constant throughout Titleist's history.
And now that you've seen how the #1 ball in golf is made, it’s time to add some to your bag.
Interested in visiting Ball Plant 3 in New Bedford, Mass. in person? While tours of the facility have been currently suspended, we do look forward to reopening the experience and welcoming golfers back to BP3 at the soonest appropriate time. Follow the link below for more information and to sign up to be notified when our behind-the-scenes tours have resumed.
Iona is a professional golfer, sports broadcaster and Titleist Global Ambassador currently based in London. After joining our team as a global ambassador, one of Iona's first visits was to Ball Plant 3 to see how the #1 ball in golf was made. And when we saw how excited she was during every step of the tour, we knew she would be the perfect fit to help guide you along this experience.
She first picked up the game of golf while at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and immediately knew she wanted to reach the professional ranks. Within 4 years, Iona worked her way to a +3 handicap and made her professional debut on the Ladies European Tour in December 2016 at the Qatar Ladies Masters.