I Played Every TaylorMade Golf Ball On The Market. Here’s Which Ball You Should Use And Why

When I first started playing golf there wasn’t a great deal of choice when it came to golf balls. There were the extremely soft balata balls that the professionals used, and there were a variety of two-piece balls that most amateurs used, including certain 'distance' balls that were so hard it was like hitting a pebble.

Golf ball technology has come on in leaps and bounds since then, of course, and leading brands like TaylorMade produce a wide range of golf balls to suit pretty much every type of golfer. Whether you’re looking for a premium golf ball that is played on Tour by some of the game’s leading players, a great value distance ball or even the best golf ball for a slower swing, TaylorMade has a solution. And with its Vis-Tech alignment options, it’s now easier than ever to ensure your ball is always lined up with the target, whether that’s on the greens or off the tee.

I recently played all of the best TaylorMade golf balls to discover the differences between them and to judge how they perform on different types of shots, and it’s clear that certain models work better for specific levels of player. For myself, the Tour Response Stripe is a perfect fit and I’ve now made the switch to this ball full time. The Stripe feature was the selling point for me, helping me visualise the line of the putt and match up my sightline to it before I take the putter head away. Genius, and yet so simple.

While the the TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x balls also have a stripe option and are the top of the range, five-piece premium golf balls that are played on tour by the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, they're a big investment for average golfers like me who don't play too often or have as much clubhead speed as Rory or Tommy. I enjoyed playing both models of TP5 and I could happily put either of them into play, but my game isn’t of a sufficient standard where the TP5 is giving me something I can’t get from the more affordable Tour Response ball.

The Tour Response is a urethane covered, three-piece ball that contains much of the same cutting edge technology found in the TP5, but it’s softer with a lower compression (70) and is aimed at regular golfers rather than those at the top end of the game.

Scratch handicap players and professionals will notice a difference in performance between TP5 and Tour Response (hence why Tour Response isn’t played on professional circuits), but for most mid-handicap players the Tour Response does everything the TP5 does, in a more wallet-friendly fashion.

Those subtle differences in performance are not going to be noticeable for the average golfer, but Tour pros who are producing a greater consistency of strike and can basically repeat the same shot over and over will certainly be able tell. You could blindfold Rory McIlroy and ask him to hit a TP5 and TP5x and he’d no doubt be able to tell them apart.

So any slight difference in how a ball performs is going to grab the attention of a top player because they are masters of their craft. Earlier this year McIlroy switched from the TP5x to TP5 and immediately won at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am before then adding the Players and the Masters to his resumé. Why did he switch?

"I just started to hit some chip shots with the TP5 instead of the TP5x and I really loved how it felt. I hadn't really tested the 2024 TP5 and I loved how it was reacting around the green.” See what I mean? Most of us wouldn’t really see much of a difference, but at that top level the small details matter much more.

The accomplished golfer should ideally play the TP5 or TP5x, but they are at the top end of the price range and the Tour Response is a very viable alternative that comes in at a lower price, which is why it is my bag now.

That said, I might soon be approaching the stage where I need to switch to the Speedsoft. This is an even lower compression ball (50) than the Tour Response and it is designed to help the slower swingers and senior golfers increase distance and launch.

The Speedsoft is for golfers with a driver swing speed of 90mph or less. If you are higher than that, this isn’t the ball for you and you should be looking at TP5, TP5x or if you are not too much higher, the Tour Response. The Speedsoft does not provide quite the same level of spin and control around the greens but the skill level of golfer it is aimed at will generally not require that anyway.

So what did I learn from using each of the models? There are certain things you should expect from each ball, but generally it will depend on your individual game and swing characteristics. In the long game, faster swingers will get best results from TP5 or TP5x, whereas mid-speed and slower swingers should be looking at Tour Response or Speedsoft.

When it comes to irons, you don’t need to be a professional to benefit from the TP5 and TP5x. Anyone who is a fairly accomplished ball striker will see great results on approach shots with these premium offerings, but the Tour Response will offer similar results, particularly for mid-handicap players.

With the Speedsoft I noticed a higher flight, which compensated for the reduced spin and ensured I was able to stop the ball on the green from all but the worst of lies.

Around the greens the performance very much depends on your skill level. If you’re a magician who can play all of the shots and enjoys applying spin and getting the ball to stop on the second bounce, you’ll need the TP5 or TP5x. Tour Response performs well in this area too, but Speedsoft has some limitations. For the less skilled short game player this won’t really matter and your choice of ball should be based around the long game.

While all of the models in the TaylorMade range come in the standard white or yellow, there are also vis-tech options to help with alignment. Vis-Tech consists of specific markings which can help you align your ball on the green or even off the tee. In the TP5 and TP5x models you have a choice of Stripe or Pix, while the Tour Response offers three color options in the Stripe design. With Speedsoft you have the Ink design, which come in very striking colors.

Pix is a design made famous by Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood, but Stripe is probably the most effective for the average club golfer, as not only will it help you line up your ball, it also provides feedback on the roll so you can see if you are making correct contact with your putts.

Ultimately, whatever your skill level, age, swing speed or compression preference, TaylorMade has a solution for your golf ball needs, while in my opinion the brand is also unrivalled when it comes to golf ball aesthetics.