TaylorMade has unveiled the latest iterations of its tour-level golf ball range, the TP5 and TP5x.
The latest update to the franchise includes a new dimple pattern which is improves aerodynamics for greater carry distance. The new dimple design has a unique dual-radius shape that decouples dimple volume from depth to optimise airflow around the ball during flight, reducing drag and promoting distance.
TaylorMade first set out on this path in 2017, when TP5/TP5x debuted as the industry’s only five-layer Tour ball. By utilising a proprietary construction with four increasingly stiff layers wrapped in cast urethane, engineers effectively created the foundation for optimising both distance and spin.
In 2019, the company wove High-Flex Material into the construction of TP5/TP5x to more efficiently convert compression into ball speed. Known as the Speed-Layer System, this design injected a new level of speed into TP5/TP5x compared to the prior generation.
Using insights from tour players such as Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and others – who have used both prior models in competition – TaylorMade’s engineers discovered that some players trialling the new models switched from TP5x to TP5 for the enhanced greenside spin and control in the short game, while others switched from TP5 to TP5x for the added distance and ball speed.
For those reasons, the new 2021 TP5x has a slightly softer cast urethane cover that better grips the grooves on a wedge for increased spin around the greens with lower launch, while remaining the fastest Tour ball in the TaylorMade lineup. The 2021 TP5 now has a larger, more reactive core that delivers more ball speed while retaining the same feel and spin properties of the prior generation.
TP5 still provides a softer feel, increased greenside spin and a lower launch in comparison to TP5x, which is faster, longer and higher launching. The new individual enhancements give golfers performance precisely where they want it the most in both models.
Team TaylorMade’s top athletes have switched into the new TP5/TP5x faster than any product in the company’s recent history. Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa both elected to play the new ball in their respective 2021 openers. McIlroy played the new TP5x at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, while Morikawa put the TP5 in play at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, citing the ball’s wind stability in Maui’s Hawaii breeze.
TP5 & TP5X – PERFORMANCE DIFFERENTIALS
The 2021 TP5 and TP5x offer complete tee-to-green performance thanks to TaylorMade’s proprietary five-layer construction. Both models deliver world-class distance off the tee, with the TP5 having a softer feel and more spin around the greens, while achieving fast ball speeds with a new reactive core that is larger than the prior generation.
TP5x is the fastest and longest ball in the current TaylorMade line up, with a firmer feel and higher launch on iron shots. In addition, it has more greenside spin than the prior generation with a new and softer cast urethane cover.
VISUAL TECHNOLOGY & HIGH-VISIBILITY YELLOW
TaylorMade released ‘Pix’ in 2020 to much fanfare among Tour players and amateurs alike. Being powered by the swagger and appeal of Rickie Fowler certainly helped, but it was the performance and functionality of pix that truly set it apart.
Co-developed in conjunction with Fowler, the ClearPath Alignment system delivered innovation that golfers could see. The 12 evenly spaced graphics enhanced visibility while significantly aiding in alignment on the putting green and helping golfers immediately gauge the quality of their stroke.
For 2021, the visual technology behind pix will not change. However, the performance has been upgraded to match the all-new design of the 2021 TP5/TP5x. The high-visibility TP5/TP5x Yellow will feature a new enriched yellow urethane that provides added durability and while maximising visibility.
The 2021 TP5 and TP5x will be at retail on March 12, with an RRP of £49.99 per dozen. The TP5/TP5x Yellow goes on sale from April 9, while the TP5/TP5x pix will be available from May 7.