What Are The Key Differences Between The TaylorMade TP5 And TP5x Balls?

Greater consistency from your ball will help you play and score better – whether that’s predictable launch, flight and yardages in the long game, or high levels of repeatable spin in the short game.

TaylorMade has spent millions of dollars on golf ball research and development over the last five years to ensure the 2026 TP5 and TP5x balls are the most predictable and reliable on the market, helping you to reap the benefits of good shots and enjoy the game even more.

Your ball is so important because it’s the one piece of equipment that you use on every single shot you hit. But even more than that, you also change your ball during the round or every time you play, so it’s vital that it performs consistently from ball-to-ball, as well as shot-to-shot.

TaylorMade has made sure the TP5 and TP5x give you unparalleled consistency with the introduction of a revolutionary microcoating technology. Previously, paint could pool in the bottom of dimples, which would negatively impact aerodynamics and create inconsistencies in your shots.

But this new process ensures an ultra-thin and even application of paint, so dimples perform as designed and your shots go where you want and expect, especially in the wind.

Paint application was the last element of golf ball design and construction that hadn’t been made a precision process, and TaylorMade has overcome that through huge investment in people, equipment and software.

The most advanced range in the world that tracks the entire ball flight to within three inches, and equipment that measures widths 10-times thinner than a hair – the thickness of a red blood cell – are just a couple of the incredible innovations that helped identify and solve this previously invisible problem.

Additionally, distance and spin have been optimised thanks to digital prototyping that has enabled TaylorMade to analyse more than 100,000 variations of the five-layer construction to find the best versions that offer the performance benefits you want with minimal compromise.

Ultimately, both balls deliver fantastic distance and all the spin you need in the short game because they are engineered to produce low spin with the driver and high spin with wedges.

“When you look at how golf balls were painted it just wasn’t a precision process,” explains Michael Fox, Senior Category Director for Golf Balls at TaylorMade.

“We’ve now made it a precision process, controlling everything from how small the paint particles are to the curing process and everything in between to produce more consistent coverage, so the dimple pattern is going to perform in the ideal state that we designed it to do.”

Which ball is right for me?

Finding the right golf ball is about identifying where you need the most help in terms of performance characteristics and how you want it to feel. The golf ball should cater to your game – not the other way around. Which shots do I struggle with the most? What extra could the ball do to help me play better? Is an improved long game or short game going to save me more shots?

Your answers to these questions will determine whether you should play the TP5, like Rory McIlroy, or the TP5x, like Collin Morikawa and Tommy Fleetwood.

TP5

If you want a softer feel and maximum spin around the greens, while maintaining fast ball speeds in the long game, then the TP5 is the ball for you. It launches higher and spins more with the driver and irons, so it also helps if you struggle to keep your ball in the air. That combination of speed, feel and spin is possible because it has TaylorMade’s largest Tour core, which means more energy is transferred from the club to the ball at impact.

Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy switched to the TP5 last year for more spin around the greens, but he realised he needed to flight the wedges down a little more because the extra spin was creating a higher apex.

The 2026 model has an updated Tour Flight Dimple Pattern that produces a lower and more penetrating flight for more stable and accurate approach play. The new TP5 has the same softer feel, same level of spin around the greens, but now significantly faster ball speeds and a lower peak height.

TP5x

If you prioritise ball speed, distance and a more penetrating flight, without a big compromise on short game performance, then the TP5x should be your choice. The lower-spinning profile helps to reduce the curve on errant long game shots and produce a more efficient flight if you struggle with ballooning, weak shots.

The incredible speed and optimised spin throughout the flight is created by a firmer material composition in the three mantle layers. You’ll still be able to generate plenty of spin in the short game thanks to the ultra-thin cast urethane cover.

Collin Morikawa switched to the TP5x prior to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February because he wanted more distance, and he went on to win the title. Similarly, Tommy Fleetwood knew he was world class in most areas of the game, but he targeted finding an extra five yards off the tee as a way of improving his scores. He started using the 2026 TP5x at the end of last season and immediately gained 2.5 yards.

The Englishman uses the Pix version, which helps you aim and set-up exactly where you want with ClearPath Alignment technology, while also providing invaluable feedback on spin and roll.

Both balls are available in multiple visual options, including white, yellow, Pix and Stripe. The Pix and Stripe visual aids are a game-changer if you struggle with aim, especially on the green. To start your journey with the TP5 or TP5x, visit the TaylorMade website.