Titleist has ruled the “premium ball” roost since, well, since there was a roost to be ruled. In the pre-Tiger era, I remember seeing advertisements that said “The last 47 U.S. Opens have been won with a Titleist ball” (or something like that). Eventually, Tiger and his Nike R&D chums managed to put a stop to that streak, but Titleist still owns darn near 85% of the premium ball market, leaving Callaway, Nike, Bridgestone, and others to pick up the scraps.
Today, a new player officially enters the market: TaylorMade. We covered the launch of TaylorMade’s “Tour Preferred” line of golf balls in several articles (here, here, here, and here), and since then we’ve been playing with both the TP Red and the TP Black.
Here, finally, are our exhaustive thoughts on the newest challenger to the throne the Pro V1 built.
Design and Technology
The name of the game in golf ball design is patents: who has them, who wants them, and who feels that they can sue to keep theirs intact and competitors at bay.
TaylorMade’s last ball effort was as big a dud as the industry has seen in the past two decades. Remember the “InerGel”? These balls came in their very own plastic “freshness guaranteed” sleeves. By most accounts they worked well… for one hole. Then they got, well, mushy.
In 2002, TaylorMade acquired struggling ball company Maxfli and, with it, a long list of patents. Dean Snell, designer of the Pro V1, was already on board having joined TaylorMade after leaving Titleist in 1997. Maxfli’s patents and Dean Snell’s knowledge was apparently a marriage made in heaven, even if did take nine years to see results. (As an interesting aside, Titleist didn’t release the Pro V1 until after the Nike Tour Accuracy and the Callaway Rule 56 balls started to get play on the PGA Tour, falsely believing that Tour pros would not accept a solid-core ball.)
Pro V1 designer Dean Snell, seen here talking with TaylorMade staff member Justin Rose, designed the TP Red and Black.
As you’ll see below, and as you might suspect, the TaylorMade TP balls and the Titleist Pro V1 are quite similar. Where the balls differ (by law) is in the areas covered by patents: formulation of core materials, dimple patterns, and the various processes used to manufacture the balls themselves.
Both the TP Red and the TP Black – which are designed to compete with the Pro V1 and the Pro V1x respectively – are built around a core made of a proprietary rubber compound called NdV4. This material uses the metal neodymium as a means to increase the density and to create what TaylorMade says is a core that is both highly elastic and low in compression, yielding high COR and soft feel. The TP Red has a slightly larger core than the TP Black.
Between the core and cover of each TP ball is a firm ionomer mantle layer that is built to boost ball speed. TaylorMade says that all golfers – at least those with swing speeds of more than 60 MPH – will be able to take advantage of the ball velocity characteristics of the TP balls. The mantle layer of the TP Red ball is thinner than the TP Black’s, giving the TP Red ball slightly softer feel and sound properties. Meanwhile, the thicker mantle layer of the TP Black allows it to slightly “slide up” the clubface at impact, which results in a higher launch angle and lower spin with all clubs – the formula for increased carry distance.
TaylorMade has elected to use a proprietary thermoset urethane material for the cover of the TP golf balls. This is a more durable, yet softer, formulation of urethane than the thermoplastic urethane used in some golf ball covers. TaylorMade says the use of thermoset urethane was crucial to creating the spin, feel, and performance that tour players expect out of a golf ball. The TP balls also have a paint system that is different and more advanced that the system employed by Maxfli balls (allaying our fears of yellowing TP balls).
The dimple pattern of the TP balls is called the Pentangular Di-Pyramid (PDP) pattern. It consists of 322 dimples that have been designed with multiple shapes, sizes, depths, and edging characteristics to increase lift at the beginning of a ball’s flight and decrease drag toward the end. TaylorMade’s goal was to increase the amount of time the ball spends in the air, especially in the last third of the ball’s flight, to increase carry distance.
In the end, the TaylorMade TP Red and TP Black balls each have the same core, mantle layer, and cover materials, but in different thicknesses to create distinct performance characteristics. The TP Red is engineered to create a lower ball flight on iron shots than the TP Black, and both models are constructed to create high-launch, low-spin conditions off the driver.
Some folks may see these balls as updated versions of the Maxfli BlackMAX, and in many ways they are. While the BlackMAX has a neodymium core, it’s not the NdV4 core. A change in the size of the core necessitated a different formulation for not only the core but the mantle and cover as well. And, if nothing else, it’s obvious to anyone viewing two balls side by side that the dimple pattern has been upgraded in the TP balls to alleviate the “wounded duck” third stage of flight that plagued the the BlackMAX.
Feel and Spin
While these balls were undergoing testing, their code names were the “TPV” and the “TPX.” You can imagine which turned out to be which, as both the TP Red and the TP Black are aimed to compete squarely with Titleist’s front-running Pro V1 and Pro V1x. A quick word to the wondering: though the Pro V1x has red numbers (which have historically been used for the lower-compression balls), the TP Red corresponds to the Pro V1 while the TP Black corresponds to the Pro V1x, righting the color-scheme ship that wrecked somewhere off the coast of Fairhaven, MA.
I was able to test the TP Red in early April as several balls marked “SERGIO” were made available to the press at the official launch of the TP balls in Greensboro, GA the weekend before The Masters. We’ve been using the TP Black for the past three weeks.
As of April 1, I played the Pro V1x. I have no problems getting the ball up in the air and generating a lot of spin, so the harder, lower-spinning V1x works for me. Last year, I tried the Pro V1 and, while I appreciated being able to work the ball left and right with ease, I stopped using the ball when I sucked back a 20-yard chip shot. From wet rough. Hop, hop, and suck back three feet. It was actually quite scary…
The Pro V1x, TP Black, TP Red, and Pro V1 feature 332, 322, 322, and 392 dimples, respectively. The TP balls, like the Pro V1 and V1x, are seam-stamped “<TP/RED>” and “<TP/BLACK>”.
With trepidation, I put the TP Red into play in Greensboro. If Sergio could switch from the Pro V1x to the TP Red, I figured, it couldn’t be too bad. And, truth be told, it wasn’t. I found that the TP Red doesn’t spin quite as much as the Pro V1, and that’s a good thing. I could work the ball reliably without over-spinning the ball nearly as much as I can a Pro V1. Don’t get me wrong – I sucked my share of full sand wedges off of receptive greens, but chips and pitch shots behaved far more predictably with the TP Red than they ever had for me with a Pro V1.
Still, I looked forward to laying the TP Black. The lower-spinning ball, I reasoned, should reduce the number of times I impressed my playing partners by sucking a ball 30 feet back off the front of the green and into bunkers. And it did – my playing partners ceased to be awed by the tremendous “suck” I could put on a ball. Instead, my ball would land, hop once, and sit down immediately with nearly every club in my bag, including my wedges. That’s the kind of control I like, making the TP Black a winner in the “spin” category for me.
On partial shots, the same story held: the Pro V1 spun the most, the TP Red followed, and the Pro V1x and TP Black finished relatively close to each other towards the “lower spin” end of the spectrum. Staff member (and scratch golfer) Dave Koster, who helped me to review these balls, feels that the Pro V1x spins a bit more on partial shots than the TP Black, while I feel they’re virtually identical.
Off the putter, the TP Red and Black offer a firm “click” that sounds a bit harder than both Pro V1 models. A significant portion of “feel” is actually auditory, and this points to the Pro V1 and Pro V1x “feeling” softer off the putter than their respective TP cousins.
The TP Black launches a bit higher and spins a bit less than the TP Red.
Distance and Durability
The USGA has an overall distance standard (ODS) that carefully defines how far a ball can travel. Every premium ball goes approximately the same distance, give or take a yard or two.
The “mother” ball in the TP lineage was the BlackMAX, which shares a lot of the same technology in the TP balls. But the BlackMAX had a small problem: it fell out of the air in the third stage of flight (descent) too rapidly, robbing people of distance. The problem may have existed largely due to the BlackMAX’s dimple pattern, because the PDP pattern seen on the TP balls is significantly different than the pattern used on the BlackMAX. The TP’s larger dimples reduced the dimple count from 372 (BlackMAX) to the 322 present on the TP balls.
What does this mean? The TP balls no longer fall out of the sky quite like the BlackMAX, sustaining their height further down the fairway. And while I realize that just about every premium ball goes about as far as the next, I can’t overlook one very simple fact: the six longest drives I’ve hit this year have been with the TP Black. Despite only playing the TP Black for about six rounds of golf, roughly 1/5 of my rounds this year, my six longest drives have been with this ball.
In fact, the drives I’ve hit with the TP Black have been some of the longest drives of my life on certain holes at my home club: I was within 35 yards of the pin on a 360-yard par 4, was within 50 yards of the green in two on a 570-yard par 5, and reached a par five I’ve only ever reached three times in five years of play with a 7-iron (though, I admit, the wind was with me that day). I normally carry the ball about 250 yards, but some of these drives clocked in at over 300 yards of carry and roll. And it’s still springtime where I live, so we’re not exactly playing firm and fast conditions!
Dave, who swings at about 110 MPH compared to my 105, felt that the TP Black was “as long” as the Pro V1x. I must admit that I never quite felt like I was getting everything I could out of the Pro V1x, so perhaps the TP Black performs better at slower swing speeds. In either case, my anecdotal evidence of 320-yard drives should be regarded as such: anecdotes, not scientific proof.
For those who prefer the “spinnier” version of the ball, Dave and I both feel that the TP Red is significantly longer than the Pro V1. As you’ll see in the charts below, we both believe it’s because the TP Red is more similar to the TP Black than the Pro V1 is to the Pro V1x. If you love all the spin the Pro V1 provides, you may not be willing to give that up for a few extra yards with the TP Red.
The TaylorMade TP Red and TP Black feature some of the coolest golf ball boxes you have ever seen.
In addition to pushing the limits of the ODS, the Pro V1, Pro V1x, TP Red, and TP Black have another thing in common: their covers are made of thermoset urethane measuring 0.031 inches. Anyone who’s ever hit a full wedge shot with a $40/dozen ball has seen the “cheese grater” effect modern grooves have on a ball. The TP Red and TP Black, like every modern thin-covered ball, are not immune to this effect. However, Dave felt that the TP Red outperformed the TP Black in this regard, and he played a scuff-free nine holes with the TP Red after going through two TP Blacks on the front nine.
The TP Red is billed as the “lower launch, higher spin” version of the TP ball, while the TP Black is the “higher launch, lower spin” sibling. Though the launch angle off the driver is roughly the same, the TP Black does launch noticeably higher off of irons, while the TP Red starts out lower and rises just a bit. It would be unfair to describe the TP Red’s trajectory as “ballooning,” but I can say that someone who spins their irons plenty will want to avoid using the TP Red in windy conditions. The TP Black, on the other hand, launched high but got through the wind with relative ease. The higher trajectory helped to counter the lower spin rates, yielding soft-landing approach shots with every iron in the bag.
Challenger to the King
I’ve said a few times now that “all premium balls” do one thing or another, like “push the ODS to its maximum.” While that’s true, it’s also true that the Titleist Pro V1/V1x are the 800-pound gorillas in the premium ball space, the kings of the hill.
As such, I thought it would be interesting to share some graphs with you that I hope will illustrate with images how Dave and I feel the TP balls perform relative to those large primates.
These graphs show three things: Driving Distance, Greenside Softness, and Spin from Irons. They use a relative scale of 1-10. This scale has no actual measurements, but for the sake of this comparison, we restricted our consideration to only premium golf balls – the Nike One, the Callaway HX Tour, the Bridgestone B330, etc. Though no balls except Titleist’s and TaylorMade’s appear on the graph, we considered all premium balls in placing the balls along the 1-10 scale.
First off, let’s see how the balls are constructed:
TP Red TP Black Pro V1 Pro V1x Construction 3 pc 3 pc 3 pc 4 pc Core Size 1.510 1.480 1.550 1.550 Core Compression 70 70 70 90 Mantle Size 1.620 1.620 1.620 1.620 Mantle Thickness 0.055 0.070 0.035 0.035 Mantle Hardness 69 69 64 64 Cover Thickness 0.031 0.031 0.031 0.031 Cover Hardness 58 58 57 57 Ball Compression 90 98 82 94 COR 0.815 0.815 0.808 0.808
You can view a more complete chart here (.jpg, 123 KB). As you can see, the Titleist and TaylorMade balls have a very similar construction, right down to the sizes and hardness of the covers, mantles, and cores.
Let’s get to the graphic charts, now:
While Dave feels that the TP Black and the Pro V1x are “equally as long,” my testing leads me to place the TP Black ever so slightly ahead of the Pro V1x. In reality, they should probably be overlapping, but that would make for a sloppy looking graph.
Dave and I both feel that the TP Red is longer than the Pro V1 because it spins less than the Pro V1 and has a higher compression. Dave and I both work hard to reduce the backspin off our drivers, though, so golfers who have trouble getting enough backspin on drives would likely come up with an entirely different looking graph.
The Pro V1 is the spin-winner of the bunch, that’s for sure. The TP Red spins a good bit less than the Pro V1, but Dave and I feel that the TP Black spins nearly the same amount or slightly more than the Pro V1x. The graph holds up pretty well on everything from drives and long irons to full wedges and partial shots around the greens.
The “firm” sound I wrote about above shows up here: off short pitch shots, chips, and putts the Titleist balls feel softer than their respective TP ball. How much of this is audible “feel” versus tactile feel Dave and I can’t say. Combined with the spin characteristics above, though, we’re confident in saying that the Pro V1 will give you the most action around the greens, the TP Red will come next, and the Pro V1x and the TP Black will be very similar to each other in their greenside manners.
Conclusion
TaylorMade gave these balls the coveted “TP” label because, unlike the InerGel or the BlackMAX, they felt that these balls would perform to Tour levels. And, perhaps more importantly, they got Sergio Garcia to play them, validating that belief.
Though it’s impossible to declare an outright winner in the premium ball category, the TaylorMade TP balls exceeded every expectation that I had for them. They’re long, they spin, and they’re durable. I’ve never imagined playing anything but a Titleist, but these balls have changed my mind. I like hitting the occasional 320- yard drive. I like having the option to play a higher-spinning ball (TP Red) that doesn’t over-spin (Pro V1).
And, while I can’t come right out and declare these balls a winner, I can put them in my bag.
The TaylorMade TP Red and TP Black hit stores today and sell for $44.95/dozen.
A few things I wanted to note in the review but, at 3000+ words, I simply didn’t have the space to add:
Quite frankly, I looked for every excuse to dislike these balls. I’ve played Titleist my entire life (except for a three-week love affair with Slazenger balls back in 1994), and the TP Black has done nothing but prove itself worthy time after time.
Thanks for the good, exhaustive review. A little long to read in the office IMO, but there’s no denying the depth of knowledge. Keep it up.
Dave here…
I haven’t found a ball in years that could compete with any Titleist I’ve played since the Professional days…until now. Like Erik, I really didn’t want to like them, but came away torn between the two.
I think the Black is a great ball that has a similar overall feel when compared to the Pro-V1x. The only thing that might, and I stress ‘might’, keep me on the Pro-V1x is how it feels around the green. That isn’t going to keep me from buying a dozen Blacks and giving them more than a chance to stay in the bag. TaylorMade has done an amazing job with this ball and I can easily predict that there will be more than a few defections on tour to the Black and Red balls.
It will be fun to watch…
Great Article!!! This is the first time I have really understood the “players” difference between the ProV1 and the ProV1x along with the new TM’s. I was looking into getting some of the new Taylor Made balls, but was unsure which ones to get until now. Thank you!
Michael Pinto
Edmond, Oklahoma
5 Handicap
Nice review…
I am equally impressed with the TP Black, as it is softer than the HX.Tour that I’ve played, but still has that good play in the wind.
You hit the nail on the head – this may be THE straightest premium ball on the market. I’m in love with this ball.
It’s funny: I play 14 Titleist clubs and now a TM ball. Who’d a thunk it?
Well I swing slow [90-95]hit low trajectory shots with all clubs [swing coach calls me launch deficient]so I went and tried the TM TP Black golf balls [use Pro V1] WOW!! I saw an immediate change in the ball flight for sure, no questions asked! These balls jumped off my driver, flew higher stayed in the air longer and with great distance…finally I can say I hit a drive over 250, my longest of the day was 270 and that’s HUGE for me!! The ball performed excellent off all irons, stayed put on the greens and I shot my best round of the year…so far! Thank you Taylor Made!
The TM TP Black is by far the best premium ball I’ve played. I have a slower swing speed which has disqualified me from the Pro V1’s (even tho I’ve used them a lot) but the TM’s perform incredibly for me. Slice correction is noticable and a square hit goes further than any ball before, and I try them all.
Alan
Which ball would you recommend for someone who likes the Blackmax? I don’t suck it back often, but I do consistently get the drop and stop action with the BlackMax. Handicap = 22, iron swing speed in the low 90’s.
To a 22 handicap, frankly, I don’t recommend spending $40/dozen on golf balls. The BlackMAX at $25 or so is a steal at that price, however.
Last month, I received a promotional sleeve of Taylormade TP Black golf balls. This particular model was recommended for me because I tend to hit high trajectory shots off my driver. I recently played in a fun tournament that gave me an opportunity to try out different models of balls. Faced with a long Par 5 hole, I decided to use a TP Black in place of the 2005 version of the Nike One Platinum I had been using for several holes. The improvement was readily noticeable: not only did my drive carry farther and straighter, but the ball seemed to be totally unaffected by the prevailing winds that day. It also hit nicely off my 2 iron on the approach shot. When I dropped it in with my 9 iron, it behaved well and stopped quickly on the green. The putter roll was very smooth too – something that cannot be said of all “long distance” balls. Sure, it costs twice as much as some balls, but I would say the money is well spent. I not only plan to buy a box, but I am also thinking about trying the Reds when I start experimenting with more of a mid-trajectory drive.
BTW – I have found one fix for the “cheese greater effect” of modern wedges: I prefer to use soft 9-iron shots to hit the green rather than full wedge shots.
I’ve played a dozen TP Reds late ’06 and now onto my 3rd TP Black ball and I can honestly say I will not be playing any other ball for a long, long time.
There’s been a noticeable increase in distance and control with every club, and now I’ve read Erik’s review have realised my drives and long hits also have been remarkably straighter with the TP Black in the wind.
To say that my score has improved dramatically since using the TP balls would be an understatement. Actually, just last weekend just took the cake with my best round ever on Friday (+6 compared to a +10, also a TP), then on the Sunday I shot a +9 with an eagle 3. I’ve improved an average of 6 shots so far over last year, and driving about 30 yards longer… at least.
All the par 5’s now seem easy to reach in 2 and If I’m not on in 2 I’m pretty bloody close! BTW – I’m not a pro or a single-handicapper, actually now on a 14 after flailing about on a 19 for so long.
Two down sides though – the Black cuts up more than the Red, (but way less than ProV1x) and they’re both US$63 a dozen here. Don’t let me hear you Americans complain about the price there ok!
Cheers Erik for a great review and thanks TM for making my golf sane again!
Adrian P of Auckland, New Zealand
Very nice review, it is a very big help to those of us who don’t have the money to go test these balls. So thank you for doing it for us.
Like Erik, the 5 or so longest drives I’ve ever hit have been with the TP Black. I’ve experimented with Nike One platinum, Bridgstone 330, and of course pro v1 and pro v1x. TP Black was noticeably the longest of the bunch and Nike was noticeably the shortest.
I went to golf galaxy the other day and noticed the price on TP black and red is down to $29. They were completely sold out of TP black. Every other ball in the store was fully stocked.
Golf digest having the taylor made balls behind srixon, nike, tit, bridgestone in performance and preference is very supsect. I think the process for equipment testing process for the major magazines is a joke anyways (especially golf magazine). That never stops me from rushing out to try the stuff they praise though, lol!
I just played the TP black and was expecting a soft feel. Off the putter it clicks–which I don’t like–I usually play Pro V1’s and they are soft off any club including the putter. I understand even ther red TP’s click off a putter–with my mid to long irons the black was great–off the driver it felt good too–good distance and held a good line and felt good off the club face. However, with short pitches and chips and with the putter–i hated the click which usually meansd a hard ball–I think I’ll stay with a Pro V1..
Today I played a round of golf at Westminster Golf (Bear Creed). During my round I found a Taylor Made Burner LDP; WHAT A GREAT BALL. Their 18th hole is a par 5 >500yrd I hit my drive just outside the 200 yard marker I’m 60 yrs old. Ended my round with a birdie on that hole. This ball is a great product. I will certainly buy this ball in the future.
‘Tis true these balls play well,
but they do not age well.
After a round of good strikes they look like hell.
I can get 2-4 rounds out of a ProV1 but these get tossed to the shag bag after 1.
Awesome review! I went out and bought a dozen TP Black LDPs yesterday for a couple weekend tournaments I have based on your review alone.
I played on Tuesday and was choosing between two extremes, the regular ProV1 (which was moving to much left or right off the tee, and I was unintentionally and frustratingly backing up on even 20 yard chips) and the Precept Laddie Xtreme (which I seriously hit 10 straight drives around 300 yards and right where I wanted, but release like nobodie’s business on chips and pitches – equally frustrating). I knew the ProV1x were inbetween the two, but I thought think they are still too close to the ProV1. I wanted a ball with lower driver spin and somewhat lower green spin, and from reading this I am confident that I found it in the TP Black.
I too never thought I would use anything other than a Titleist in competition, but it looks like that will change on Saturday.
Thanks!
Great review.
Unfortunately just returned from Golf shop with two dozen Red. On sale two for $50.
Came home to read about them and all reviews are enjoying Black.
I have finally gotten (is that a word?) to the level the last couple years that the type of ball i play matters. I am fairly consistent in my shots so i started caring about how it spins and those touch shots around the green.
The prov1 or x was the bomb.
Then i bought some second hand good quality mix of tp red and black to try.
Oh…my..oh..my. What a great ball. Add in the fact i bought new wedges for the first time in 5 years (cally MD56 and 52) and the combination of sharp grooves with the taylormade balls and wow.
I honestly thought the way pro’s spin the ball was all talent, when in actuality the new wedges and good ball are the biggest part of the equation.
Unlike the prov’s my TP black is often found right next to the divot. My prov’s either rolled out a bit, or spun back, but they were not often right beside the divot, the Tp’s are.
I will also add that in a recent good round i thought i was cemented on my love of the black…only to discover that i had in error played the whole round with only one ball….the tp red….so tm either way has hit a home run.
I am going to use up my prov’s and assorted balls and exclusively use the TP black in future.
I was just recently given a sleeve of TM TP Black’s by a Taylor Made rep and was keen to give them a try. I’m a 4 handicapper and I usually play the Pro V1x. I say usually because after having tried the TM ball I am seriously considering switching. I feel that I am getting more distance and what more, more controllable distance. This is a ball that is easy to hit straight ! Yes, it does wear rather quickly when playing aggressive wedge shots ( much like the Pro V 1x) but scuffs on the ball dont bother me that much ( ie I am happy to play one round with it). Spin to the green is good, they bite nicely without sucking back too much. Overall, it’s a great ball from tee to green and I will definately be getting some boxes ( just have to get through a couple of boxes of 1x’s first !)
Fantastic rewiew!
I have recently tried TP Red against ProV1X based on a recommendation from my pro.
He says that Titleist seem to have rested on their laurels and not invested in R & D unlike TM and Bridestone.
Ironically, he presently does not sell either TM or Bridgstone but I played with him last week and he is using TM. Guess he must have a large stock of Titleist to get rid of before launching to the rest of the members.
Only had one round with the TP Red and found that it was not only longer but draw down remarkably against ProV!X. Not only that, the TM ball still looked brand new after the round whereas, I would have normally have changed balls with the ProV!X after nine.
These balls are fantastic!
Just bought a mixed dozen of TP Red and Black for a golfing holiday in Tenerife next week hopefully the Black’s will perform as good as the Red’s on windy days.
Hey
I am thinking of switching to the tp black for a higher launch but i am concerned I will lose spin on my irons and wedges. If the ball is launching higher won’t it spin more?
So the question is should I use Pro v1 or Tp black
Hey Aaron. You definitely wont lose any spin with your irons.
A couple of weeks ago I played for the first time in a few months and managed to get spin easily with my 52deg wedge – in fact so much on one approach that it landed 3ft past the hole but sucked back a good 15ft and off the green – DOH!
All i can say is buy a 3pack and give them a few rounds.
Adrian P
I just played a round with the new TM TP Black. My old ball was the Bridgestone e6+. I found the following: TM TP Black was definitely longer (maybe 5+ yds on drives but little difference on the irons), firmer feel on drives and putts and a little more than slightly less durable. I played the e6+ to control my draw but I found that wasn’t an issue. The TM TP Black flew with just a slight draw for me. It does make a noticeable sound off the driver. It stopped better on the greens (within 1-2 feet of impact)(less run out). I can’t draw a ball back very often so I can’t comment on that trait. I really like the ball but the firmness will take some getting use to on putts. I got 4 dozen at Sports Authority for $90.10 with their coupon!
Have to admit, I bought two boxes of the TP black for $55 bucks, which is a good deal, but after the round, I traded the one unused box back in for some PV1x’s…I am a 8 handicap and I just couldn’t get the ball flight with the TP blacks…actually was ballooning a lot on me and lost probably 10 yards at least, maybe more…anyway, I know alot of people like them and may suit their swing, but for some reason, they just didn’t fly for me…staying with the ProV1x.
I’ve been playing with the TP Red for about a year now. I switched from the ProV1, because I got tired of the cover being torn up after 9 holes. I have found the TP Red has the same great feel, but is far more durable. I’ve also been able to find the TP’s on eBay for as cheap as $25 a dozen… hard to find Pro V1’s at that price.
I’ve been playing ProV1x’s for quite some time now and to be frank, I’m looking for something cheaper. Modest pension and SS and all that stuff. My friend told me about the TM’s and after looking at all the data, decided to go with the TP Red. My launch angle off driver is high and want to bring it down a bit. Hit Mizuno MX 25’s with Rifle Project X 5.5 shafts so I don’t have a problem getting those airborne either. I’m an 8 so I wanted something with the flight of the ProV1x but softer feel. I just purchased the “New 2009” version of the Red and the difference off the putter between it and the Black is considerable. Much softer feel. At least as soft as the Prov1. Distance is about the same, maybe 5 yards further with the TM. Bottom line is this. If you haven’t tried the newest version of these balls I suggest you do so. By the way, one correction to this excellent article. According to TaylorMade’s website, the 2009 version of the TP Red is a 4 piece and the TP Black is 3 piece.
This is a follow-up to my previous post. Just got off the course after playing a round with the afforementioned TP Red ball. Except for the fact I hit a pure shank into the water on a par 3, I only used two of these balls…the one I lost and one other. When done with the round, there was no discernable wear on the one I used for 14 holes. Although the RED is the lower spin version of this ball I was able to get it to drop and stop, and on a couple occasions even back up about 16 inches which I consider drop and stop. I do not like balls that will back up 25 feet. My distance off the tee was at least comparable to ProV1’s and there was no distance lost or gained off irons. There was a slight drop in ball flight elevation with the irons but again, no distance difference. I have been using “Mint” one hit wonders of the ProV1 off the internet for nearly 4 years now. However, choosing between mint used balls at $26.00/dozen and these at $27.50/dozen brand new from Golfsmith is pretty much a no-brainer. As long as I don’t have to pay suggested retail, this is a done deal.
Played the Pro V1 since its inception. Actually had the opportunity to play the ball before it went to market, as my close friend worked for Titleist. Tried the tp black last month. For me it is as good as if not better than the V1. I am a senior player who can no longer hit the ball out of sight. My need is around the greens, and the black bites and spins as well as the V1. Cost is not a major factor, but at $27.50 I have purchased a years supply. The real question————how long at this price and when will it make a dent in Titileist’s ball business??
Thanks for your indepth analysis of the balls.
Hey,
I’m Joel, 15, I usually shoot 80’s and that’s been playing quite bad. I’m looking to shoot 70’s at least by end of this year and 60’s next. I like to shape the ball a little, and want spin and control, high trajec with irons and low with driver, but mainly controlled short game. What ball TP red/black would suit me best?
Cheers!
HELLO, im no expert like you guys but im very attentive to the balls i play. i am new to the game and have a very good swing, so ive been told bye my instructor. the tp black feels very smushed off my irons,compresses good but still feels diff. shorter atleast 10 yards for me. compared to callaway hot bite! calllaway ball was great but putts very poorly. the tp black feels better than any ball ive putted with. really did make a big diff.
TP Black is by far longer and straighter than existing premium golf balls in the market. 18 HCP and recently drove hole #4 at Tijuana Country Club. More control off driver and long irons. After driving hole 4, I eagled #16 Par 5 with an 8 iron. Drop and stop technology at it’s best. Used Ping Rapure Irons and always dropped and stopped the ball on the green no more than 8 ” away from divot.
Just purchased 6 boxes TP Black today and will use for our upcoming Annual Tournament as there are 6 automobiles up for grabs on par 3s for hole in one and closest to the pin.
TP Black provides me confidence on every shot for distance and trajectory control.
Jose Lopez
FYI- according to what I have read online, the TP Red ball was ruledout of conformity by USGA as 1% exceeded the distance limit. TP Black is still legal and is a great ball giving great distance and spin.