Equipment

Speeding Up with TaylorMade's Latest Golf Balls

May 14, 2019
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Numbers don’t lie. Just ask Jon Rahm. It’s late 2018, and the PGA Tour phenom is on the range at a swanky Florida resort. After hitting a few drives with his regular golf ball, he tries for the first time TaylorMade’s new TP5x. His ball speed jumps. “I’ll be able to attack more pins with this ball,” gushes Rahm. “It’s a dream. I’m carrying it comfortably almost 10 yards further.” And just like that, Rahm has himself a new golf ball. “That’s at least one less club into the green. It’s a dream.” And just like that, Rahm declares that he’s upgrading to the TP5x.

Fellow superstar Rory McIlroy also recently switched to the sibling TP5 ball, claiming “it’s great in the wind, and a far superior golf ball to anything else I’ve played.” No other brand has as many top players using its ball, a list that now includes Rickie Fowler who made the switch from his long-time Titleist to the TP5x and then won the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open the following week. In fact, Rahm, McIlroy and Fowler are among six of the world’s top 14 players who have made the change—a list that also includes Dustin Johnson (TP5x), Justin Rose (TP5) and Jason Day (TP5x).

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Both the TP5x and TP5 can improve every golfer’s game from tee to green, even if they don’t hit the ball like a Tour pro. That’s because they’re packed with new technologies that enhance ball speed, rebound effect and spin rate, regardless of a golfer’s swing speed. An extra-large, soft core is wrapped by increasingly stiff materials, creating a five-layer construction with each outer layer getting progressively faster. That effectively decouples speed and spin. The result is more carry distance off the tee, more control in the wind, and more spin around the green. Both models contain new High-Flex Material that acts like a tightly wound spring which builds energy and then rebounds quickly, generating more ball speed. Bottom line: No other ball is faster or longer. The TP5x is terrific if you’re looking for a higher trajectory with a more piercing flight, while TP5 offers lower compression, lower launch, and more wedge spin to help improve your short game—it’s ultimately more workable with a softer feel. TP5 is also offered in a new Pix finish that improves on-course visibility. A pattern of 12 evenly spaced, two-color images around the ball makes it not only easier to see than a standard white ball but helps golfers witness the ball’s spin while putting and chipping.

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TaylorMade officials are so confident in the performance of these new models that they created a platform for golfers of all skill levels to test their current ball against TP5x and TP5. “We’re conducting 100,000 ball fittings across America this year,” says Michael Fox, category director of golf balls and accessories at TaylorMade. “Come compare your gamer to our new models. You’ll discover why throngs of amateur golfers are gravitating to the new models. Not just adults, but younger players too—so far in 2019, up to half of all American Junior Golf Association members have used either a TP5x or TP5 in the organization’s field invitationals.”

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Indeed, whether you’re a tour pro, aspiring amateur or weekend warrior, the TP5x and TP5 are engineered to help you play better golf. Take it from Fowler, and see for yourself just how good these balls really are.