Thanks to Tour player feedback – including insights from Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, and Rory McIlroy – who have used prior models of the TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x golf ball in competition in the past, TaylorMade Golf has re-engineered its flagship golf ball for 2021 in the all new TP5 and TP5x.
TaylorMade TP5x Golf Ball
TaylorMade TP5 Golf Ball
Engineers discovered that TaylorMade golf balls prompted switches for a variety of reasons. Golfers would switch from the TaylorMade TP5x golf ball to the TP5 for enhanced greenside spin and control, while players would switch from the TaylorMade TP5 golf ball to the TP5x for added speed and distance.
The 2021 TaylorMade TP5x has a softer urethane cover, which helps to grip the grooves on a wedge and boasts a lower launch. The TaylorMade TP5, for 2021, has a larger core that helps to deliver more ball speed – but it still retains the spin and feel from prior TaylorMade TP5 models.
TaylorMade leaned into its approach to distance gains for golfers with its 2021 golf balls by installing a new Tour Flight Dimple Pattern on both the TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x. The pattern was designed to help improve the carry distance and aerodynamics of the golf ball – no matter a golfers’ skill level.
“Since 2017 we have blazed a path to distance and speed with TP5/TP5x – building upon a foundation of Tour-proven performance with the patented five-layer system at its core,” said Michael Fox, Category Director, Golf Ball & Accessories at TaylorMade Golf. “With the development of (High-Flex Material) in 2019 and now the Tour Flight Dimple Pattern, we’ve examined every component of the golf ball to ensure that each layer is functioning at its highest possible level and working in unison to delivery unmatched performance on every shot.”
When the TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x golf balls were first released in 2017, it was the industry’s only five-layer Tour ball. That allowed TaylorMade golf ball engineers to build a ball that had four increasingly stiff layers, wrapped in cast urethane, which helped to build a foundation for both spin and distance.
TaylorMade golf ball loyalists like McIlroy and Collin Morikawa both put the 2021 TaylorMade TP5x and TP5, respectively, in play during their 2021 season openers on the PGA Tour. Tommy Fleetwood, who was just announced as the newest member of Team TaylorMade, switched to the 2021 TaylorMade golf ball even before he signed a long-term contract with the brand.
“It’s one thing to test a new ball, it’s another to put it in play during competition with confidence and ease. The fact that Rory, Rickie (Matthew) Wolff, Collin and Tommy all switched into the new ball for their first event of the year speaks volumes,” said Keith Sbarbaro, the Vice President of Tour Operations for TaylorMade Golf. “The best players in the world have quickly embraced the performance of the new TP5/TP5x.”
But just because the best golfers on the planet have decided to put new TaylorMade golf balls into their bags for 2021, that shouldn’t mean it is intimidating for the weekend warrior.
Golfers at every level are switching to the TaylorMade TP5/TP5x at a record clip, with data from TaylorMade Golf showing that it has become one of the fastest growing golf ball brands in the last few years. The TP5 boasts softer feel and more spin around the greens, while the TP5x has a firmer feel and is the longest and fastest ball in the TaylorMade golf-ball lineup.
The TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x also come in high-visibility yellow and pix – which enters its second year with a ClearPath Alignment system (developed alongside Rickie Fowler) that helps aid golfers when reading putts.
Written and intended to the GlobalGolf.ca audience by Adam Stanley