TaylorMade TP5 & TP5x Golf Balls Review: Simply the best

The TaylorMade TP5, alongside its twin brother the TP5x, may go down one as one of the most revolutionary equipment releases to come out in the last 20 years.

Not just simply because it instantly became beloved on tour: it also ended the dominance of the Titleist Pro V1 in conversations about the best golf ball money could buy. Overnight, finding a TP5 in the bushes at your local course became as highly sought-after as finding one of its Titleist contemporaries. 

The five-piece construction, meanwhile, instantly set a new benchmark for the amount of tech you could fit inside the 43 mm that makes up your average golf ball.

And while the Pro V1 is yet to be dethroned as the number 1 ball in the pro game, among high-level amateurs, along with many reviewers, it's actually the TP5 that stands today as the firm favourite among tour-level balls.

Indeed, this was the case with GolfMagic's own Equipment Editor Tom Usher, who pitted the TP5, TP5x, Pro V1 and a host of other elite-level golf balls against each other in our great golf ball test of 2025.

Ultimately, it was the TP5 that reigned supreme. Read on to find out why.

Looks and feel

In its base form as tested by Tom, the TP5 and TP5x are largely indistinguishable from TaylorMade's other balls. TaylorMade's branding is sleek and simple, with the iconic logo and minimalist, italicised lettering that make them strangely, easily recognisable even when walking up to them from a distance.

This, of course, goes without saying that the TP5 range is, aesthetically, one of the most diverse golf balls on the market. Multiple variants exist that provide visual aids for alignment and feedback out on the course, from last year's TP5 Stripe to the TP5 Pix. You do, of course, pay a premium of a few pounds for both of these, but you'll find plenty who'll attest that it's worth it.

It's the feel across the bag, however, that sets the TP5 apart from the rest.

The TP5 and TP5x are both among the most luxurious golf balls around to hit, providing slightly varying degrees of softness off the face of the club to suit your desired level of feedback. The TP5 is the softer of the two, providing a buttery soft sensation from driver to putter, while the TP5x dials up the firmness slightly to deliver the sensation of speed and feedback that the fastest swingers often desire.

The TP5 was the best-feeling ball we tested from tee-to-green on the day, with the TP5x missing out ever so slightly due to the difficulty we had getting it to stop on the greens. The TP5 provides beautifully soft feedback with the putter, along a wonderful feeling of control with the shorter clubs. It gives you the confidence to manipulate the ball, take on a range of shots and really attack the pins.

Features and Technology

The TP5 range has long been the most tech-heavy golf ball on the market, with a 5-piece construction that, if you believe the marketing spiel, simply puts it in a class of its own compared to the 3-piece Pro V1 and 4-piece Chrome X. 

New for the latest edition, released in 2024, is a re-engineered core wrapped in multiple mantle layers designed to progressively enhance ball speed and greenside spin. Both balls also feature TaylorMade's most aggressive Tour Urethane Cover to really grab the grooves.

Taking feedback from better players 2024 TP5 has also been reworked to ebb towards a lower spin profile off the driver, while the TP5x has been engineered even more aggressively towards outright distance. The fastest TP5x yet, TaylorMade claims it's half a club longer than the previous generation.

Performance and how it compares

Put simply, the TP5 and TP5x, while engineered for slightly different styles of play, lead their respective classes in basically every category. Of the low-spin distance-oriented balls we tested on the simulator, the TP5x was tied for the longest with the Titleist Pro V1x. However it notably delivered the same distance with less ball speed and significantly less driver spin than its rival, indicating that it's more forgiving on hits when not struck at its absolute best.

The TP5, meanwhile, was among the cream of the crop in short game performance, both in the simulator and on the course. While not generating the outright spin of the Mizuno Pro S, it generated the best balance of feel, control and spin of any ball we tested. Where it shone particularly was in ball flight, with a piercing trajectory that never deviated from its path on approach shots.

It must be said, however, that the TP5x began to show some shortcomings when attacking the pins. We found it harder to stop the TP5x effectively on both longer approach shots and on chips, even on softer greens where we'd expect a five-layer ball to grab on tight. 

The slightly firmer construction of the TP5x is also naturally more pronounced around the greens, and while we certainly wouldn't call it clicky in any way, it just doesn't boast the feeling of outright finesse the TP5 does.

Testing Data Summary

Verdict

While Titleist's Pro V1 remains the firm favourite at the professional level, we walked away from our test fully convinced that the TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x are the ball that will deliver the best performance on the market for the widest range of high-level golfers.

The TP5's combination of touch and performance around the greens simply can't be matched by any of its rivals, while the TP5x retains plenty of feel in a package that delivers the best combination of distance and driver spin of any ball we tested.

Considering both balls come in at £5 cheaper per dozen than the Titleist, we can firmly recommend giving them a shot if you're curious about making a change.