Is the new TaylorMade TP5 & TP5x Stripe golf ball a gimmick?

By: Miklos Breitner August 28, 2024

TaylorMade has carefully assessed that aiming is one of the biggest challenges for many of us on the golf course. Unfortunately, I have a bit of trouble aiming at the green.

It’s important to note that applying stripes to golf balls is not new. For instance, the Callaway Chrome Soft golf balls launched in 2020 also featured three stripes.

Furthermore, in May, Titleist introduced the Pro V1 and Pro V1x Left Dash golf balls, which have Enhanced Alignment.

TaylorMade TP5 Stripe golf ball and the putter back

I’m a bit cautious after hearing about the upcoming release of TaylorMade‘s new TP5 and TP5x Stripe golf balls. I’m curious about what makes these golf balls better than the previous TaylorMade Tour Response Stripe golf balls.

Here are the key features of the new TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x Stripe golf balls.

TaylorMade TP5 & TP5x Stripe golf balls – features

Both TaylorMade TP5 – the softest 5-layer ball on Tour – and TP5x – the fastest 5-layer ball on Tour that’s now a ½-club longer* – are available for the first time with TaylorMade’s cutting-edge 360° ClearPath Alignment™.

We can use a clear 22-millimeter digital band that wraps around the center of the golf ball with a thin black line to match putter sight lines, providing an immediate aid in alignment.

TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x Stripe golf balls allow the golfer to align putts more accurately, consistently, and quickly.

This is more useful than those stripes mentioned above.

TaylorMade TP5 Stripe golf ball and a driver

On professional Tours, Tommy Fleetwood, who has readily embraced TaylorMade’s Visual Technology and currently plays TP5x pix™, is testing TP5x Stripe and using it as an alignment aid during practice.

Keita Nakajima continues to test the TaylorMade TP5 Stripe golf ball.

The technology story starts on the inside with the Speed Wrapped Core, which is found in both TP5 and TP5x Stripe.

The materials used in the core produce a soft sound and feel while also paving the way for construction that promotes fast ball speeds.

The new TaylorMade golf balls have a progressive five-layer design that optimizes variable stiffness between the core and mantle layers.