Titleist HVC Tour Reviewed

The evolution of the Titleist HVC range started with the original Titleist HVC “Soft Feel” with a 70 compression. The “soft as butter” ball was inspired by the Volvik Crystal and sported a 440 dimple pattern (comparing to Volvik’s 446).

The HVC “Soft Feel” was one of very few Tetliest balls with a dimple pattern different form the 392 Icosohedral. The ball was obviously not the greatest success of Titleist and basically was a copy cat.

Later HVC “Soft Feel” went through a transformation, with its compression hardened to 90, to make the HVC “Distance”. This attempt didn’t prove to be success either as the 440 dimple pattern made the ball ballooning without much distance gain. The short-lived modification with the 416 dimple pattern didn’t show any exceptional performance either. The Distance balls were quickly retired.

The latest model of the range is Titleist HVC Tour (or also marketed as the Titleist HVC Tour SF). Titleist HVC Tour has the same core as its “Soft Feel” prototype, the spin is achieved with a mixed ionomer/surlyn cover. The Titleist HVC Tour balls have compression of 85, same as many other popular models. The 440 dimple pattern has been abandoned and the standard Titleist HVC Tour has the 392 Icosohedral dimple pattern.

Titleist HVC Tour may not be the best ball for a critical round, neither is it a ball for serious competitions, but this ball would be perfect for a serious player who wants to have fun on the gold course. The Titleist HVC Tour is also ideal for an amateur player whose priority is gameplay and control as opposed to distance.

Short irons and wedges is where the ball performs best due to its high trajectory. It’s durable enough to survive impact with wedges and trees and despite its soft feel, the ball is very hard.

Titleist HVC Tour is a “distance” predecessor to the modern NXT range. It may not be aa a good performer as the NXT, but it offers good value for money. Though discontinued, Titleist HVC Tour balls can be found in Costco, Target and Sports Authority Stores.