TaylorMade has seriously invested in its golf ball offerings in the last few years. The 2024 versions of its TP5 and TP5x golf balls are set to be its best yet. So what’s new, and how do they perform? Find out in our 2024 TaylorMade TP5 golf ball review.

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NCG SUMMARY

We see plenty of upgrades in the updated TP5 golf ball. There is a new PIX pattern, a new side stamp, and a new core. You will not recognise this golf ball when you hit it.

I loved the increased trajectory I got with this golf ball, and I’m a huge fan of the soft feel. From an iron it feels like I am able to land the ball softly even on the firmest greens. It is straight in the bag over the previous model.

PROS

More Distance
Amazing soft feel
More height

CONS

Faster clubhead speed players might prefer the firmer feel of TP5x

First Impressions

It can be quite hard to comment on your first impressions of a golf ball, what with them being round and white pretty much every time. But TaylorMade has given us something to talk about! I definitely like the new Pix pattern from triangle to diamond, and I’m pleased TaylorMade have changed the side stamp to a simple black line with text in the middle. With all this new visual technology, having to use a Sharpie to draw a line on the ball would have been such a shame, but this is no issue on the new TP5.

NGC Verdict

I used a TaylorMade TP5 golf ball last year. In fact, every club in my bag is TaylorMade. MG4 wedges, P7MB irons, BRNR mini driver and TP Reserve putter. Although I sound like a TaylorMade fanboy, this set-up isn’t by design. I have just over 12 months accumulated my favourite clubs, and they just so happen to all be one brand, so doesn’t a TP5 ball make sense to put straight in the bag?

Here’s what I need out of a golf ball: more height and more spin. Distance would be a bonus, but it’s not at the forefront of my decision-making. After touring round the TaylorMade ball plant in South Carolina in December 2023, and listening to Mike Fox, the Senior Category Director of Golf Balls for TaylorMade, get so excited about the new Speed Wrapped Core I couldn’t wait to get out and give them a go.

The Speed Wrapped Core has allowed TaylorMade to build a golf ball that feels softer yet goes faster, the perfect combination that has seemed elusive for all major brands. Generally, a softer feel means less speed and a firmer feel means more speed, but tour players are looking for something in the middle, and that’s what they have been able to create.

My TP5 test starts with 50-yard short game shots. I love how spinny the ball feels from the face, and I can actually see the ball reacting as it lands down range. This premium golf ball is designed for increased greenside spin, so this is great to see. The soft cast urethane cover has incredible stopping power from short shots into the greens.

Moving onto the 6 iron long iron portion of the test, I couldn’t believe I was getting up to 124mph ball speed and a huge 184-yard carry distance on a cool 10-degree February day. I was absolutely delighted with that increased ball speed, but it was the trajectory of the shots that was most impressive. I got the ball more up in the air than I’ve seen for a while. You don’t quite believe this is possible from just changing golf ball type, but it was remarkable.

Finishing with my BRNR mini driver shots, I was very pleased with the ball speeds and increased carry the TP5 ball gave me. 157mph ball speed from a 105pmh swing speed is very efficient, and I can tell you that’s nothing to do with the golfer holding the club. All in all, it was a great tee to green performance.

This is a fabulous all-round tour ball that I’m sure will go straight in the bag of many tour players, as well as my bag. I love the flight, I love the feel and the sound. A certain upgrade from the 2021 TaylorMade TP5 golf ball, and it has also come DOWN in price! Get out and give this a test!

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2024 TaylorMade TP5 golf ball review: The Details

Available: Now

RRP: £44.99 (white/yellow) £47.99 (Pix)

More information: TaylorMade Website

Jack Backhouse

Jack is a PGA Golf Professional who specialises in coaching, teaching golf to beginners and top-level amateurs for 10+ years. He also loves his golf equipment and analysing the data of the latest clubs on the market using launch monitors, specialising in blade irons and low-spinning drivers despite having a chronically low ball flight.

Although Jack has no formal journalism training, He has been reading What's In The Bag articles since he started playing at 12 and studying golf swings since his dad first filmed his swing to reveal one of the worst over-the-top slice swings he reckons has ever been recorded, which set him off on the path to be a coach. His favourite club ever owned was a Ping G10 driver bought from a local top amateur with the hope that some of the quality golf shots would come with it (they didn't), and worst was a Nike SQ driver he only bought because Tiger was using it.

Jack is a member of Sand Moor Golf Club and regularly gets out on the golf course to prepare for tournaments. Jack uses a TaylorMade BRNR Mini driver, a half set of TaylorMade P7MB irons, MG4 wedges and a TaylorMade TP Reserve putter.