As much as you might enjoy a good snowball fight (or not), when there’s a cold snap you don’t want to get stuck playing with a snowball instead of a golf ball. When it’s cold outside you can put on a jacket, hat, and gloves, but what can you do about your golf ball? Did you know that for roughly every ten-degree drop in temperature a golf ball loses 3 to 5 yards in distance? Golf balls just don’t travel as far in cold weather. Luckily, some balls are specially designed to maintain their performance regardless of temperature. Two factors affect your cold-weather golf game: the outdoor temperature and the temperature of your ball itself. Cold air is denser than warm air, which causes more aerodynamic drag on the ball. In other words, in “thicker” cold air more energy is needed to get the ball moving and to keep it going. Cold weather also means that your golf ball will be colder than when you’re playing in beautiful, seventy-degree weather.

You wouldn’t walk onto the course with a hat that’s too small or a club that’s too long, but have you ever thought about how well your golf ball fits you? Savor the peace of mind and confidence that comes from playing with the right golf ball by learning about the four basic types, and finding the one that corresponds to your game qualities like handicap and swing speed. First up on the tee is the two-piece golf ball, engineered for a casual round for fun rather than competition. With a large inner core and cover, it has great durability and distance with every shot. Because of the soft feel of the club face, fast initial ball speed, and flight consistency, all manufacturers have a two-piece ball in their line. Two-piece golf balls are best for golfers with a handicap of 15-36 with a swing speed in the range of 70-85 mph, not for tour players because of their softness. If you would like to get a feel for a few on a hole or two before committing to one ball for the whole course, you can try a sample pack of the newest two-piece offerings from Titleist, Callaway, Srixon, and TaylorMade, here and here.

Team Titleist introduced industry’s most popular golf balls Pro V1 on October 11, 2000. On the heels of its record-setting success, a second model – the Pro V1x – was introduced three years later in 2003. Today, roughly more than half of all TOUR pros tee up a Pro V1 or Pro V1x.

Updated 2/28/17 SUMMARY: The history and technology of the Titleist ProV1—and how to know whether it’s the right ball for your game.