The rise and fall of the Penta

[misterjohn]

if you look at the initial reviews of the TM Penta, they are absolutely glowing. For instance, the review on this site more or less declares it the perfect ball. It looked as if this were finally a giant slayer for the Pro V. Some months later, things have not exactly worked out as Taylor Made might have hoped. Pentas are clearly not selling as well as the early reviews would have suggested since Pentas are now routinely marked down in price. Moreover, there is a vocal community bemoaning the demise of the TP Red/Black LDP line, claiming that it was the perfect ball and the Penta a pale substitute. My question is: what has changed over the past several months. It doesn't seem as if there was some technology breakthrough that led rival balls to suddenly leapfrog the Penta. The only thing that is different is that the Penta is now no longer the new kid on the block. How can the "perfectp ball" have fallen from favor so quickly? Here are a couple of theories: 1. Lack of exclusivity One of the supposed advantages of the Penta was that it was a ball that worked for all golfers. There was no need for separate product lines for slow versus fast swingers or distance versus control people. I actually think this worked against the ball. If you think of yourself as an elite golfer, then you want to play a ball that the ordinary hacker cannot play and get good results with. The fact that the ball works for everyone cuts against the idea that it is YOUR ball. 2. Not perect enough The reviews suggest that the Penta is maybe slightly better than the ProV, but not vastly better. Given the accumulated experience many have with the ProV, there is a kind of switching cost to shift to the Penta. The good reviews probably got many people to try the Penta but, without a vast performance difference, this was not enough to overcome the switching cost. Anyway, that's all the theories I could come up with. I'd be interested to hear other's thoughts about why this product was, essentially, a flop.

[nike_golf]

Well in my opinion I don't think it's a flop by any means.

I feel the Penta is a very solid, good golf ball.  I would rank it 3rd on a very competitive list behind the ProV1x and the 20XIx.

That's obviously just me personally.

As for why the popularity has died?  I don't know.  Doesn't it always w/ new equipment?  That doesn't mean the product is any WORSE than when it was new.

I don't know.  I just think folks tried it, were lukewarm on keeping a new ball that didn't necessarily blow them away, and stuck to what they've usually shot.  (ProV's, Bridgestone's, Nike's, etc etc)

Do you know that sales have dropped?  Or have any information confirming their decline in sales?

[lumpuckeroo]

And personally, I don't mind one bit that the Penta is marked down in price.  This weekend I just bought 3 dozen Penta at The Golf Warehouse for $75.09, what a deal.  I can play a premium ball for $25 a dozen, no complaining on my part.

[newtogolf]

What sells in stores is usually what golfers see being used by pros.  Almost every tour player is using the Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x.   The Penta had gotten alot of press for it's five layers and those that liked the TP Red / Black thought it would be an upgrade but it turned out it wasn't worth the $15 premium.  Until more pro's use the Penta, Titleist will continue to dominate the golf ball market.

I'm guessing the main reason for the discounts now is we're almost at the end of the season and TM probably manufactured too many given it's popularity and projected sales numbers earlier in the year that they are now trying to clear the shelves for next seasons model.

[dtb300]

I have liked the Penta balls and I was playing Bridgestone's.

GG had "buy two doz and get one free", but since I had not tried them, I only bought a dozen.  Glad I did as I was very happy with the distance I was getting, but I was also happy with the spin for both short and long irons into greens.  Putting also had a good feel for me.

[GaijinGolfer]

Id say its just a matter of the honeymoon being over for the Penta and people moving on to whatever the next hyped up ball is.  Personally, I was never impressed by the Penta.  It was a good ball but by no means would I call it perfect.

[clubchamp]

I think the Penta is a solid ball but most golfers that are going to spend money on a high end ball go right for titleist. Every company makes a decent high end ball but titleist has a strong hold on the market and it's tough to break into it. Taylormade might have had it right with the red/black line since it was a good ball at a slightly lower price.

[ggolokin]

i also have tried a sleeve of pentas, didn't really like them too much, couldn't get them to bite hard. (might be because it was raining slightly) also they felt like a rock.

the only reason i tried penta was cause of the massive hype on this forum about them. prov1's imo are still the best ball.

[sean_miller]

I bought a couple dozen Pentas (on sale of course) and immediately fell in love with this ball. I also really like the Top Flite Gamer V2, TaylorMade TP Black, Bridgestone Tour B330 and B330 S, and when I have trouble finding the fairways, Wilson Eco Core.

I've found other balls at lower price points (not including the Bridgestones in that group) work just as well, so I may not buy the Pentas again, unless they show up in the clearance aisle.

[Bigtank]

I was given a sleeve to try out and loved the ball.  I next bought a few dozen to try out and they are a great ball.  I find them very similar to the ProV1 except I find the cover more durable.

My only complaint was I purchase a few more dozen (I only play a few holes per ball usually) and I realized that all but 2 of the balls in the first 3 dozen were the TP Black.  I could instantly tell the difference, as I find the TP Black to be a vastly inferior ball.

To the credit of TM, they shot me 2 dozen right out to take care of me.

[bradsul]

The Penta is my ball of choice, I much prefer it over the ProV1.  However I only buy them when Golf Town has them on sale (usually 2 dozen for $65CAD, I normally will pick up 4 dozen).  Otherwise I'm either using the E5 or the Tri-Speed Tour.

[dbwood]

The Penta is my ball of choice as long as they stay cheap, (after writing that it seems odd calling a $2 ball cheap).  I like the ProV1's as well but no better.  I'm definitely hooked on premium balls after this summers experience with them.

[imtomtomim]

Well, I really like the ball.  It became my new ball, but then again, I already used to play TP Blacks.  I like the extra bit of squishiness from the cover, makes me more aware of the spin I'm putting on it, but won't zip me off the green if I go at it too aggressively.

I think Taylormade's main issue was keeping the TP Blacks and Reds (for some reason haven't seen Reds in stores) in the product line as people were now getting premium performance balls for a much lower price.  If they wanted to really sell the Penta at higher numbers, they could have removed the other choices so their whole premium consumer base would be forced to buy that one model.

Plus, Titleist is viewed at a class leading standard by most people I've crossed and has been around a good amount of time.  They have the word of mouth and the reputation so people will naturally gravitate towards it.  Tough to break that unless they mess it up.

[Spyder]

I really liked the Penta but for some reason I just did not see myself using it very often. Every time I would retire one and pulled out a Pro V1, the results were just better. Sure it was all coincidence but in golf, coincidence makes your mind think it actually is the ball. Not to go off topic but my favorite ball, again, is the Srixon AD-333. I get no where near the same spin, but the overall feel is very, very comparable for me. Forget that it's rated at 80mph swing speeds, because I'm right around 104-108mph.

Personally, I hope the Penta has continued success and increases because it's kind of like the underdog.

[saevel25]

i like the penta alot, its probably the most solid ball across the board, not to soft, not to short off the tee, good feel around the green. Its not like the pro-v which has tremendous spin, but i think for the premium ball its the ultimate multi-tasker ball.

[jamo]

The Penta is my second favorite right now behind the Bridgestone 330. It's a solid ball, it probably just doesn't have the fanfare right now because a) a log of people who like TaylorMade golf balls would rater spend half the money to get the TP Black and b) it's been 1.5-2 years since it was released.

[ggolokin]

Originally Posted by Spyder

I really liked the Penta but for some reason I just did not see myself using it very often. Every time I would retire one and pulled out a Pro V1, the results were just better. Sure it was all coincidence but in golf, coincidence makes your mind think it actually is the ball. Not to go off topic but my favorite ball, again, is the Srixon AD-333. I get no where near the same spin, but the overall feel is very, very comparable for me. Forget that it's rated at 80mph swing speeds, because I'm right around 104-108mph.

Personally, I hope the Penta has continued success and increases because it's kind of like the underdog.

a bit off topic, but ive found the ad333's to baloon a fair bit when i hit my drives (my swingspeed is anywhere from 105-120)

[SVTGolfer]

I love the Penta ball !!! I go between the Penta and the Srixon Z-starX, it just depends on which ball I have money for. & honestly, I like playing the yellow Z-starX in tournament play. Easier to find if it should go astray, plus easier to track off the tee for my playing partners, annnd I seem to putt better for some reason. I think its the contrast of the cup and ball in order to see the line better? I dont know...

Anyways, I think its ridiculous to say that the Penta hasn't made an impact in the golf ball market. Whats its done is prove that the Titleist IS NOT the all supreme golf ball out there anymore. The fact that its gone on sale is great IMO. And I dont see it as a reflection in sales. I think its a great form of creatie marketing. Most retail chains selling this ball have a buy2, get 1 free sale. Which means most people are now buying 3 dozen of these instead of one dozen Pro-V's. And although they might not be originally interested in purchasing this ball because they arent interested in it or dont know much about it. All of a sudden, price comes into play. And I like many people, figure if the balls are "the same" why not get the cheaper one. Turns out I love he cheaper one anyways!

Ive never been a diehard fan of the ProV1 anyways. If placed in a hitting contest with the Penta and Srixon, most people cant tell the difference. Why? Because there really isnt any. The Penta sounds great off the tee, & it feels softer around the greens to me, whereas the Srixon feels like it "pops" off the iron clubface more. Those are the only things that my brain plays tricks with. But essentially they all feel the same to me. And no matter what everyone else says or claims, at the end of the day if I hit it with a wedge more than 3-4 times its done for me anyways, and I have to switch it out.