We had a robot hit them
We sent Moon Shot, Moon Shot Pro, Titleist Pro V1 and Titleist Pro V1x to an independent lab. A robot hit all four. Here's what it measured, including the numbers where Titleist came out ahead.
The short version
At amateur swing speeds, Moon Shot grouped tighter than both Titleist balls, and Moon Shot Pro carried farther off the tee. With a 7-iron, both Thick Golf balls rolled out less than either Titleist ball at both swing speeds.
| Ball | Beat both Titleist balls on |
|---|---|
| Moon Shot | Grouping with a driver at 95 mph and a 7-iron at 80 mph. Roll-out with a 7-iron at 80 and 92 mph. |
| Moon Shot Pro | Carry with a driver at 95 mph. Grouping and roll-out with a 7-iron at 80 mph. Roll-out with a 7-iron at 92 mph. |
At tour speeds (110 mph driver, 92 mph 7-iron), both Titleist balls carried farther and grouped tighter than both Thick Golf balls. The full results below show all four tests.
Not sure which one fits your swing? Find Your Ball.
Who ran the test (not us)
Golf Laboratories, Inc., based in San Diego, ran the test. The lab has tested for every major manufacturer in golf. Its robots have been bought by the USGA, the R&A and nearly every major equipment maker (golflabs.com).
Here's how we kept it fair:
- An outside lab ran it. We shipped the balls to Golf Laboratories. The lab set up the robot, hit every shot, and emailed us the results.
- Same robot, same speeds, same day. All four balls went through the same four tests on May 20, 2024.
- The lab set the speeds. We asked for our tour speed and one amateur speed per club. Golf Laboratories picked the numbers.
- Radar did the measuring. A TrackMan radar tracked every shot.
- Flat rate. We hired the lab for a day of testing. The price was the same no matter which ball won.
- You see all four tests. The full results include the numbers where Titleist came out ahead.
How the test worked
Four balls, two clubs, two swing speeds per club, one robot.
| Test | Club | Swing speed |
|---|---|---|
| Tour speed | Driver | 110 mph |
| Amateur speed | Driver | 95 mph |
| Tour speed | 7-iron | 92 mph |
| Amateur speed | 7-iron | 80 mph |
- Balls: Moon Shot, Moon Shot Pro, Titleist Pro V1, Titleist Pro V1x
- Lab: Golf Laboratories, Inc., San Diego, CA
- Test date: May 20, 2024
- Shots per ball, per test: 10
- Measured with: TrackMan radar
- Numbers shown: each ball's results from the lab's summary for each test
What the numbers mean:
- Carry: yards the ball flew before it landed.
- Total: yards to where the ball stopped.
- Roll-out: total minus carry, or how far the ball rolled after it landed. The lab reported carry and total; we did the subtraction.
- Dispersion: how tightly a ball's shots grouped, in feet, measured where they landed and where they stopped. Smaller is tighter.
Moon Shot: the tightest group at amateur speeds
Moon Shot is the one for most people, and at amateur swing speeds it grouped tighter than both Titleist balls. If your driver speed is closer to 95 mph than 110, the amateur-speed tests are the ones closest to your swing.
Moon Shot is a three-layer ball with a urethane cover. Here's where it beat both Titleist balls:
| Test | What the robot measured | Moon Shot | Pro V1 | Pro V1x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver, 95 mph | Dispersion at landing (ft) | 2.41 | 2.63 | 2.71 |
| Driver, 95 mph | Dispersion at rest (ft) | 3.22 | 3.41 | 4.07 |
| 7-iron, 80 mph | Dispersion at landing (ft) | 1.66 | 1.95 | 1.91 |
| 7-iron, 80 mph | Dispersion at rest (ft) | 1.86 | 2.27 | 2.21 |
| 7-iron, 92 mph | Roll-out (yd) | 4.08 | 7.38 | 6.79 |
| 7-iron, 80 mph | Roll-out (yd) | 5.94 | 7.65 | 8.10 |
In plain terms, the robot's Moon Shot shots landed closer together. With a 7-iron at 80 mph, Moon Shot's landing spread was about 15% tighter than Pro V1's. Its 7-iron shots also stopped closer to where they landed.
Where Titleist led: both Titleist balls carried farther than Moon Shot in all four tests, and grouped tighter at tour speeds.
Moon Shot Pro: the longest carry at 95 mph
Moon Shot Pro carried 212.85 yards with a driver at 95 mph, the longest of the four balls. With a 7-iron at 80 mph, it also grouped tighter and rolled out less than both Titleist balls.
Four layers, urethane cover. Here's where it beat both Titleist balls:
| Test | What the robot measured | Moon Shot Pro | Pro V1 | Pro V1x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver, 95 mph | Carry (yd) | 212.85 | 208.99 | 211.79 |
| 7-iron, 80 mph | Dispersion at landing (ft) | 1.80 | 1.95 | 1.91 |
| 7-iron, 80 mph | Dispersion at rest (ft) | 2.03 | 2.27 | 2.21 |
| 7-iron, 92 mph | Roll-out (yd) | 4.56 | 7.38 | 6.79 |
| 7-iron, 80 mph | Roll-out (yd) | 5.58 | 7.65 | 8.10 |
Roll-out is how far the ball kept going after it landed. With a 7-iron at 80 mph, Moon Shot Pro rolled about 2 yards less than Pro V1 and 2.5 less than Pro V1x. Less roll-out means an approach shot finishes closer to where it lands.
Where Titleist led: both Titleist balls went farther in total distance in all four tests, and carried farther in the other three. At tour speeds, both also grouped tighter.
The full results
All four tests, all four balls, including where Titleist came out ahead. Bold marks the best number in each column, whichever ball got it. For 7-iron roll-out, least is best; driver roll-out isn't bolded, since extra roll off the tee isn't a bad thing.
Driver, 110 mph (tour speed)
| Ball | Carry (yd) | Total (yd) | Roll-out (yd) | Dispersion at landing (ft) | Dispersion at rest (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Shot | 245.29 | 260.34 | 15.05 | 4.43 | 5.06 |
| Moon Shot Pro | 251.37 | 264.31 | 12.94 | 7.48 | 8.24 |
| Titleist Pro V1 | 254.80 | 277.08 | 22.28 | 3.29 | 4.44 |
| Titleist Pro V1x | 260.45 | 279.41 | 18.96 | 3.01 | 3.51 |
Driver, 95 mph (amateur speed)
| Ball | Carry (yd) | Total (yd) | Roll-out (yd) | Dispersion at landing (ft) | Dispersion at rest (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Shot | 202.91 | 227.59 | 24.68 | 2.41 | 3.22 |
| Moon Shot Pro | 212.85 | 234.18 | 21.33 | 3.83 | 4.93 |
| Titleist Pro V1 | 208.99 | 236.87 | 27.88 | 2.63 | 3.41 |
| Titleist Pro V1x | 211.79 | 237.74 | 25.95 | 2.71 | 4.07 |
7-iron, 92 mph (tour speed)
| Ball | Carry (yd) | Total (yd) | Roll-out (yd) | Dispersion at landing (ft) | Dispersion at rest (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Shot | 154.22 | 158.30 | 4.08 | 3.24 | 3.47 |
| Moon Shot Pro | 155.94 | 160.50 | 4.56 | 3.36 | 3.59 |
| Titleist Pro V1 | 166.12 | 173.50 | 7.38 | 1.64 | 1.91 |
| Titleist Pro V1x | 164.85 | 171.64 | 6.79 | 1.66 | 1.82 |
7-iron, 80 mph (amateur speed)
| Ball | Carry (yd) | Total (yd) | Roll-out (yd) | Dispersion at landing (ft) | Dispersion at rest (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Shot | 141.78 | 147.72 | 5.94 | 1.66 | 1.86 |
| Moon Shot Pro | 142.69 | 148.27 | 5.58 | 1.80 | 2.03 |
| Titleist Pro V1 | 150.06 | 157.71 | 7.65 | 1.95 | 2.27 |
| Titleist Pro V1x | 148.92 | 157.02 | 8.10 | 1.91 | 2.21 |
Fine print
- Testing by Golf Laboratories, Inc. (San Diego, California) on May 20, 2024, at the swing speeds listed above.
- Results come from one day of robot testing. Your numbers will vary with your swing, your clubs, and the conditions you play in.
- This test ran in May 2024. Titleist released new Pro V1 and Pro V1x models in January 2025 (Titleist), and those weren't part of it.
- Roll-out is Thick Golf's calculation: total distance minus carry distance.
- Titleist, Pro V1 and Pro V1x are trademarks of Acushnet Company. TrackMan is a trademark of TrackMan A/S. Thick Golf is not affiliated with Acushnet Company, TrackMan A/S or Golf Laboratories, Inc.