The Potential Reasons Why Rory McIlroy Has Switched To This New Golf Ball Revealed

In a bid to challenge Titleist’s dominance of the premium ball category, TaylorMade claims to have solved an "invisible" problem on its new TP5 and TP5x balls for 2026. The latest iteration of the ball family used by Rory McIlroy introduces a new Microcoating technology said to create more consistent ball flights.

TaylorMade’s R&D team found by using new micromeasuring capabilities, which could see parts of the ball as close to the tenth of the thickness of a human hair, existing finishing processes meant excess paint had a tendency to pool in the bottom of the dimples. This then created an uneven application across the ball’s surface, resulting in inconsistent ball flight performance out on the course.

This was confirmed with a new DART (Downrange Aerodynamic Radar Tracking) system, featuring five Trackman launch monitors positioned all the way along the range at The Kingdom, measuring the entire flight of the ball within 3-inches of accuracy.

With those learnings, TaylorMade developed a Microcoating process which ensures an ultra-thin, even application of paint across the entire surface of the golf ball.

The new application process includes precisely controlling cure times and temperatures, and optimised atomization to the one-millionth of a gram of how much total paint is used.

The tangible result for golfers, TaylorMade says, is one of the best premium golf balls and a predictable full-shot dispersion which includes: optimised peak height, consistent distance, a tight range of left-to-right misses, and reliable overall performance, especially in the wind.

Other changes include a slightly bigger core and smaller mantle layers made of new material outside of that. The dimples themselves have more of a U shape to them with modified edges to assist the paint application process and the trajectory.

The TP5 is the softer-feeling, lower-launching ball used by McIlroy and Collin Morikawa that benefits from an updated Tour Flight Dimple Pattern that creates a more penetrating flight said to be up to five yards lower than the previous generation TP5.

The TP5x is TaylorMade’s lowest spinning, fastest five-layer Tour ball that provides a firmer feel and higher peak height.

For those that need help with alignment on the greens there is a new Stripe version, which features a new 360° Tour ClearPath Alignment system that is narrower (down from 28mm to 20mm) and with fewer rows of dots (down from 4 to 2).

“Golf balls are they only piece of equipment we hit on every shot, but they are also the only piece of equipment we change in a round,” Mike Fox, Senior Category Director, Golf Ball, TaylorMade, explains.

“Until now, applying paint to a golf ball to protect its appearance has carried with it the potential to adversely impact ball flight. Now, with Microcoating, we have a process that solves what was once an invisible problem, and allows golfers to experience greater consistency in how their shots perform from tee to green.”

Both the TP5 and TP5x are available for preorder online and available to purchase from February 12th at an RRP of £47.99 per dozen (£49.99 for TP5 and TP5x Stripe and pix).