TaylorMade TP5 & TP5x: What’s the difference?
The TP5 and TP5x golf balls are the two premium ball offerings from TaylorMade and are the balls used by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Colin Morikawa and Rickie Fowler to perform on the PGA Tour. Despite both the TP5 and TP5x retailing at the same price, they offer very different performance characteristics to suit different styles of golfer.
In the video below, we discuss these differences with one of TaylorMade's lead Tour fitters, Chris Trott. He explains how the performance varies and which golfers are suited to which ball.
Both golf balls are made up of a core and then another 4 layers that differ in thickness to make up the two different balls and ultimately provide different spin and launch characteristics. Both balls are finished with a soft, yet tough cast Urethane cover, but it is the three layers between the cover and core that allow these balls to perform differently. The TP5 golf ball is the softer of the two premium golf balls which will create a larger amount of spin with the wedges, making short sided up-and-downs and tricky tucked away pins more accessible.
Chris Trott is a TaylorMade Tour fitter who works with some of the best players in the world to dial in their equipment. Despite the majority of golfers wanting to purely gain distance from the tee and often achieving this through a lower spinning golf ball, Chris references the fact there are key benefits of a ‘stalling ball flight’ when striking a TP5 golf ball with irons.
“The ball is going to peak and come down steeper and therefore stop quicker with this golf ball” explained Chris.
The higher spin and rising ball flight of the TP5 will not suit everyone though and that is why the TP5x golf ball is perfect for those who deliver the club a little steeper, generate a lot of spin and could use the firmer outer layers of the TP5x to help keep the spin rates down.
Chris continues by explaining that not one of the balls is better than the other, they are just built to suit different golfer’s spin and launch profiles - “I’m in the TP5x as I launch the ball fairly low with a lot of spin, but Colin Morikawa, arguably the best iron player in the world sits here, in the TP5”.
The two balls ultimately fall into two categories of speed and control and while both the TP5 and TP5x offer an abundance of both, each ball excels in one of those two categories slightly more than the other. For those seeking low long game spin, with speed and distance in mind, you are most likely to want to use the TP5x golf ball. The HFM (High Flex Material) Speed Layering system creates a rebound effect throughout the ball, creating the perfect combination of fast ball speed, spin, lift and drag.
While the TP5 golf ball is certainly the softer of the two off the putter face, the TP5x is extremely popular out on the PGA Tour and among TaylorMade Tour players, largely due to a combination of low driver spin while remaining very responsive when struck with wedges and around the greens. Rickie Fowler has played his way into contention for a Ryder Cup spot this year through a lot of good play and for the majority of the time playing with a TP5x PIX. Both the TP5 and TP5x are available with the Pix ClearPath Alignment technology which aids golfers with putting alignment through cleverly designed optics that provide immediate feedback on how purely the ball is rolling.
Rickie Fowler with some Team USA themed TP5x Pix balls at the Presidents Cup in 2019
If you are in the market for some new golf balls, spending some time thinking about your own game first is the key. As Chris explains in this video, a lot of those comes down to your swing speed and also your angle of attack. If you can get an understanding for whether you're a high or low spin player, you should be able to match the right ball to your game.
