The TP5 has a softer feel and more spin around the greens, while achieving fast ball speeds with a new reactive core that is larger than the prior generation. When it comes to the ball flight portion, both perform well. However, we will start with a slight negative for the TP5 which, for golfers with lower swing speeds, or those who already launch it low and need something that helps them get it in the air more, may not be suitable. From driver through to putter, the soft cover felt great and meant that, even when using it for the first time, making the adjustment from another brand was seamless. Ball Flight

Significant shifts in compression from one generation to the next are rare so it’s noteworthy when it happens. To give you a frame of reference, the compression change from the 2019 TP5x to the new model is roughly the same as the difference between a Pro V1x and the standard Pro V1. Simply put, the new ball is appreciably softer. Anecdotally, it’s a bit shorter (though it’s by no measure a short ball). We suspect it spins more around the green and certainly feels a bit softer.

The 2021 TaylorMade TP5x golf ball has a TP5x a softer cast urethane cover for increased short-game spin and an all-new Tour Flight Dimple Pattern, taking aerodynamics and carry distance to a new level for golfers at every level. Read on for our full review…

I tried them out on the course as well and got a little more distance off the driver and the 3 wood. Of course, this isn’t a scientific experiment, but on good swings, I saw the TP5x was consistently about 5 yards farther. While we do run into the occasional odd ball from TaylorMade, generally speaking, the consistency of the TP5 series is as good or better than most. With the new model, diameter and weight consistency fall within the Average range while compression consistency achieves a rating of Good. For the second generation in 2019 the company wove High-Flex Material (HFM) into the construction of their premium balls to more efficiently convert compression into ball speed. Known as the Speed-Layer System, this design injected a new level of speed into TP5x over the prior generation.

The TP5 remains the only five-piece ball on the market from a major manufacturer. While its competitors would no doubt dispute it, TaylorMade’s position is that more layers provide greater opportunity to tune spin performance throughout the bag. Now, for 2021, TaylorMade have introduced the Tour Flight Dimple Pattern. The revolutionary new design has a unique dual-radius shape that decouples dimple volume from depth to optimise airflow around the golf ball during flight, ultimately improving the aerodynamics and increasing carry distance. What I liked about the TP5 was that it fell somewhere between the ProV1 and the firmer TP5x. So if you want all the benefits of a higher spinning tour caliber ball but with a slightly firmer feel then this might be a good choice. The best way I know to test a ball’s distance is to see if there is a difference in the smash factor when using the same driver with each ball. Smash factor can be calculated by ball speed/swing speed.This new dimple pattern is designed to increase aero which results in greater carry distances by reducing drag in the assent and producing a steeper and faster descent for greater overall distance. In total, we flagged six percent of our sample as bad. That’s only two balls which, while obviously not perfect, is a solid result. In one case, we observed a significant layer incursion. These occur when the inner layer hasn’t fully cooled before the next layer is added. Effectively, we’re talking about one layer melting into the next.