It sounds like a slightly strange comparison.
On one side you've got the Callaway Hex Diablo, a golf ball that sits around the $40-a-dozen mark. On the other is the Titleist Pro V1, one of the best-known premium golf balls in the game.
Surely the Pro V1 is just better?
Not necessarily.
I've seen plenty of both balls at Golf 360, and one of our team, Justin, played the Diablo for quite a while despite being a good golfer. I think that sums up one of the biggest misconceptions about golf balls: you don't have to play an expensive tour ball just because you're a decent player.
The better question is what you actually want your golf ball to do.
The biggest difference: spin around the greens
For me, this is where the difference between the two balls becomes most obvious.
The Pro V1 gives you noticeably more control with wedges and shots around the green. You can generate more spin, get the ball to grab quicker and be more aggressive when you're trying to control where the ball finishes.
The Diablo doesn't quite have that same bite.
That's not to say it feels hard or unpleasant. I'd describe the Diablo as having a medium-soft feel, and it's perfectly playable around the greens. You simply shouldn't expect the same level of check and grab that you'll get from a premium urethane-covered ball such as Pro V1.
If short-game control is one of the most important parts of golf-ball performance for you, the Pro V1 earns a lot of its premium here.
Diablo can be a very good full-shot ball
Where the Diablo becomes interesting is on longer shots.
In my experience it tends to produce a stronger, flatter flight with relatively low spin on full shots, especially for players who naturally generate plenty of spin.
That can be a very good thing.
Less spin can mean more distance, and it can also help reduce how far the ball curves offline. If you're adding too much spin with the driver, taking some of that away can keep the ball moving forward rather than climbing excessively or bending further off line.
If excessive driver spin is something you fight, I've written more about why your driver can spin too much and what it does to ball flight.
This is one reason a better player can quite happily use a Diablo.
You're sacrificing some short-game spin, but you may actually prefer what the ball does through the rest of the bag.
What about Pro V1 off the tee?
It's worth clearing up another misconception here.
The Pro V1 isn't simply a high-spin golf ball. One of its strengths is being able to keep long-game spin controlled while still producing considerably more spin with wedges and shorter shots.
That's part of what you're paying for.
A premium golf ball is trying to give you different performance depending on the shot you're playing: speed and controlled spin on longer shots, then more grab and control as you get closer to the green.
The Diablo takes a simpler approach. It's a low-spinning, distance-oriented ball that performs consistently without trying to offer quite the same level of short-game separation.
If you want a broader look at how Titleist's different models fit together, have a read of my guide to the Titleist golf ball line-up.
The Diablo is extremely durable
This is another genuine strength.
The Diablo holds up very well.
For golfers who play a lot, practise regularly or simply don't want to replace a ball because its cover has started looking tired, that's valuable.
The Pro V1 is hardly fragile, but its softer premium cover is there primarily to help deliver feel and greenside control.
The Diablo is the sort of ball you can keep playing.
There's also a significant difference in price
The Callaway Hex Diablo sits at a very accessible price point, which is a big part of its appeal.
The Titleist Pro V1 is a premium golf ball and sits at a considerably higher price point. Due to Titleist supplier pricing requirements, we're unable to display our Pro V1 price publicly online.
If you'd like to see our current price, visit the Titleist Pro V1 product page, click Request Quote, and enter your name and email address. Our current pricing will then be shown automatically.
That price difference is worth considering.
If you lose two or three golf balls most rounds, there's a legitimate question over whether you'll get enough benefit from the additional short-game performance of the Pro V1 to justify the extra spend.
For some golfers, absolutely.
For others, the Diablo represents exceptional value.
Who should play the Callaway Diablo?
I think the Diablo makes a lot of sense if you:
- want excellent value from a golf ball
- prefer relatively low spin on longer shots
- want to reduce excessive curvature or spin
- value distance and durability
- don't need maximum wedge spin
- occasionally lose golf balls and don't enjoy watching an expensive ball disappear into a lake
And importantly, you don't need to be a high-handicap golfer to play it.
A decent player who isn't heavily reliant on spinning wedge shots can get along extremely well with the Diablo.
Who should play the Titleist Pro V1?
The Pro V1 makes more sense if you're prepared to pay for additional performance, particularly from your scoring clubs.
I'd favour it if:
- greenside spin and control matter a lot to you
- you want shots to grab quicker on firm greens
- you want premium feel throughout the bag
- you're looking for more control with wedges and approaches
- you don't lose many golf balls
- you're happy paying more to get those incremental gains
So, is the Pro V1 worth the premium?
No golf ball is simply better for every golfer.
The Pro V1 is a more sophisticated ball and gives you something the Diablo can't fully replicate: low spin when you want it on longer shots combined with considerably more spin and control around the greens.
But whether that additional performance is worth paying for depends entirely on your game.
For a golfer who values distance, durability and lower spin, the Diablo can be a terrific choice. For someone who really uses spin and trajectory control with their wedges, the advantages of Pro V1 become much more noticeable.
If I was choosing between the two purely for maximum scoring performance and I really used spin around the greens, I'd go Pro V1.
If I wanted distance, durability, lower spin and outstanding value, I'd be very comfortable playing the Diablo.
And if you're currently playing a premium golf ball simply because you think that's what a good golfer is supposed to play, the Diablo might be worth trying.
Whichever way you go, I do think there is value in using the same type of golf ball consistently and learning how it reacts. You can also browse our full golf ball range if you want to compare some other options.
Happy golfing,
Scott
