Titleist Pro V1x vs TaylorMade TP5x Golf Balls: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

Titleist Pro V1x vs TaylorMade TP5x Golf Balls: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

The Titleist Pro V1x and TaylorMade TP5x are undoubtedly among the very best golf balls on the market right now, and many of the world’s top players, including several major winners, swear by them. The Pro V1 range has been the leading ball in the golf industry for a long time now, but the very fact that I’m able to put balls like the TP5x up against it says a lot about the strides TaylorMade has made in the suddenly very competitive arena of golf balls.

Whilst the Pro V1x and TP5x are both undeniably brilliant golf balls, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is a perfect like-for-like comparison. Don’t let the fact that they’re both the ‘X’ version of their respective ranges fool you: it’s actually the Pro V1 vs TP5x and Pro V1x vs TP5 that are the real duels between direct competitors, with the latter pair being the higher-spinning models.

That being said, the differences between these golf balls are subtle given that they’re both operating in the rarefied air of the premium golf ball market. So, I’ll put them up against each other in this test to give you my thoughts on the outstanding 2025 Titleist Pro V1x and 2026 TaylorMade TP5x, which will hopefully help you understand the differences between them and decide which is a better fit for your game.

Technology

If you want to enjoy your golf and make sure that you’re getting every ounce of performance out of your swing, the Titleist Pro V1 series has long been the gold standard. A quarter-century of market leadership means plenty of know-how, and this time around Titleist’s focus has been on the “spin slope,” which you can imagine as a graph of how much spin you get through the bag - the goal being to keep spin down with driver but maximize it in the short game.

The Titleist Pro V1x uses a spherically tiled 348 tetrahedral dimple design and a four-piece construction to accomplish this, and while spin has been brought down from the 2023 model, the 2025 Pro V1x is meant to launch a little higher to compensate for that, with a high-gradient core and amplifying casing layer to boost ball speeds.

The 2026 TaylorMade TP5x is a five-layer ball, featuring a re-engineered Speed Gradient and stiffer mantle layers alongside the company’s largest ever core for maximum energy transfer at impact. However, the headline story here is at the surface level, with TaylorMade’s investment into a new microcoating process designed to iron out any unevenness in the painting process and provide an even more stable, consistent ball flight.

Long game

The Titleist Pro V1x is a very familiar ball to me, and I’m more than comfortable with the higher spin that it offers - although it’s clear that Titleist’s focus on steepening the spin slope is paying off given the reduction in spin off the tee compared to the ball’s previous release. If you’ve dropped down to the Pro V1 from the X purely because of driver spin or height in the past, it might be time to re-evaluate.

Meanwhile, the TaylorMade TP5x goes in the other direction. I was able to generate a lot of ball speed with this ball, and it offered a very different ball flight, low and searing through any sort of breeze. In the right conditions, you could be hitting drives that roll forever with the TP5x, and it’s definitely a candidate to try out if you’re prone to a weak or spinny ball flight off the tee.

Irons

Out on the course, I really enjoyed how the Pro V1x performed in windy conditions. They flew a little lower than I expected with the irons but had plenty of spin, staying on line very impressively despite crosswinds. Flushed iron shots flew beautifully at the flag, and despite the slightly lower ball flight, holding the green was never going to be a problem - I’d back myself to keep the Pro V1x on the dance floor with an iron in hand even in pretty firm conditions.

The TP5x is a lower-spinning ball, and while by no means unplayable, it doesn’t quite suit my own game. It’s certainly powerful, and while I got some excellent flight out of it with my 7-iron, the spin was just a hair too low and descent angle a touch too shallow for me to really believe in my ability to hold a firm green with it. But that’s me - if you see a soft, weak, or floaty sort of ball flight with your irons, the TP5x might give you the added range you’re looking for.

Short game

The lower spin of the TP5x (again, compared to its premium kin) continued when I tested it with my wedges and around the green. A 50 yard pitch with a 54 degree wedge gave me 6774 rpm of spin on average, which translates to plenty of control but still a little bit of roll-out to reckon with. It also launches just a little bit higher than the highest-spinning balls out there might, which is a product of having a little less friction along the clubface through impact.

The Pro V1x, on the other hand, is the sort of ball to use if you want to really make those partial wedge shots grip and zip. A lot of the guys you see on TV couldn’t hit those low, ripping pitch shots that seem to bounce once or twice and then stop on a dime if they weren’t using balls like this one. It’s also got a nice, firm feel off the clubface, with a little ‘click’ as you make contact with chips and putts that a lot of better players look for.

Conclusion

As a player who favors a higher-spinning ball, I’m probably a little biased when I say that I’d sooner put the Pro V1x in my bag than the TP5x. But that’s not to take anything at all away from the TaylorMade ball, which is without doubt a brilliantly engineered product that’ll suit a whole lot of golfers to a T. It’s already very well represented on tour, but I can see it suiting plenty of club golfers too given the solid spin profile and distance gains, not to mention with how powerful and stable of a ball flight it creates in the wind.

The Pro V1x is a classic high-spin premium ball, offering almost unmatched performance and control close to and around the greens. It’s a joy to use in the short game, but also extremely impressive off the tee, with the 2025 model offering tangible distance improvements and more controlled spin compared to previous models.

Which of these balls you should use depends on your game and your swing, as well as the conditions you usually play in. Some golfers could benefit from the lower, more powerful ball flight offered by the TaylorMade TP5x, while others might need the added spin, clicky feel, and greenside control of the Titleist ProV1x. Whichever you choose, it’s hard to go wrong because both of these balls are among the very best in the business at what they do.

Which Ball Should You Choose?

Choose the Titleist Pro V1x if...

- You need a little more spin and launch with your driver

- You like a clicky feel and plenty of spin around the green

- You want to hit low approach shots that check up quickly

Choose the TaylorMade TP5x if...

- You want to maximize your ball speed

- You need a lower, more penetrating ball flight

- You like a firm-feeling ball that offers feedback on strike

For more golf ball buying advice, make sure to check out our guides on the best golf balls for high swing speeds, best premium golf balls, and best distance golf balls.