The evolution of TaylorMade’s tour ball, the TP5/TP5x, has taken a mammoth leap forward in 2024.
Launched in 2017, the TP5/TP5x was golf’s first five-layer tour ball. Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa are among its many current practitioners and the ball’s popularity has grown rapidly with each revision.
Designed for low-spinning length off the tee and high-spinning feel around the greens, the TP5 franchise offers all-encompassing tee-to-green performance. And in the new 2024 TP5/TP5x, there’s been a supersized breakthrough in speed, feel and sound — achieved via a suite of innovative enhancements.
CORE STRENGTH
It all starts in the middle, with a new Speed Wrapped Core the major contributor to the 2024 TP5/TP5x’s stunning performance.
The interaction between the core and mantle layers is how multi-layer balls such as the TP5 achieve varied spin rates through the bag. And with five layers to dabble with, TaylorMade can finetune spin rates more precisely compared to a three or four-layer tour ball.
The new lower density material that features in the Speed Wrapped Core offers a multitude of advantages. Firstly, it gave TaylorMade the green light to increase the variation in stiffness in the TP5x, leveraging a greater speed differential between the core and mantle layers.
What’s that mean for you, the golfer? Less driver and long iron spin for more speed and distance, making the new TP5x the fastest yet. However, the core has an entirely different role in the new TP5 model.
It contributes to a softer feel and quieter impact sound, without impacting any of the existing low driver/long iron spin and super wedge/short game spin benefits.
CONSCIOUS DECOUPLING
The new TP5 franchise has achieved what TaylorMade refer to as “a decoupling of speed and feel”. In essence, it means the connection between speed and feel has been separated.
Previously, chasing speed inevitably led to a deterioration in feel; opting for a softer feel resulted in diminished speed and distance. But the Speed Wrapped Core and progressive stiffness through the mantle layers changes everything.
The new TaylorMade TP5x is now the fastest five-layer tour ball in history, while the new TP5 is the softest.
TP5 VS TP5x
Choosing between the TP5 and TP5x will ultimately depend on which performance attributes a golfer values the most. The new 2024 TP5x and TP5 both offer lower spin rates with the driver and long irons compared to the previous 2021 model.
But the TP5x is the lower spinning of the two and will produce a flatter and lower trajectory with the driver. It prioritises speed and velocity off the club face, however, it offers plenty of wedge spin — just not as much as the TP5.
Players who prefer feel, spin and responsiveness would be better suited to the TP5. It will perform best around the greens but still offers low-spin distance off the tee — just not as much as the TP5x. The 2024 TP5 features a compression of 53 which gives it a much softer feel than the TP5x (71 compression).
TP5 & TP5x PIX
The new TP5/TP5x balls are also available in TaylorMade’s Pix configuration, which has been updated with a new ClearPath alignment system in 2024.
For those who haven’t heard, the Pix model features distinctive orange and black graphics on the cover. When the ball is in motion, the graphics blur together to indicate the quality of the ball's rotation.
On a pure putt that rolls end-over-end, a distinctive white middle section and black centre line will be visible, along with dual orange and black tracks on the outer. However, if sidespin is imparted, the Pix graphics will appear scrambled when the ball is in motion.
To improve feedback and alignment, the orange and black pixelations on the cover of the 2024 Pix have been revised. The Pix is no longer a triangle; it’s now a diamond shape, and a longer centre line has also been added. The orange and black on the Pix diamond have also swapped positions, with the orange now residing nearer to the ball’s centre line.
What’s it achieve, you ask? Better putting, of course! The new ClearPath Pix offers a greater visual contrast that will help golfers roll their putts better in 2024.
The TP5 franchise is also available in the standard white and yellow, with TaylorMade introducing new coloured urethane covers that offer improved durability. The new TP5/TP5x range is available now.