Equipment
TaylorMade Tour Prototype Golf Ball — Project 5
TaylorMade has started its prototype process for a new tour ball, calling it ‘Project 5’ for now.
This is the tour prototype golf ball that TaylorMade Golf Tour Staff Professional Justin Rose put into play at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Prior to the start of the tourney at TPC Boston, Dean Snell, TaylorMade VP of Research and Development was on-site to test the new prototype ball. Rose put the new ball in play for 9 holes and was longer that the current model he was using.
Rose said, “This is what I’m looking for. Balls are staying on line so much better and carrying out longer.”
He liked it so much, he asked if he could play that week in Boston. He played 18 holes in the Pro-Am with the ‘Project 5’ and came back to Dean and said “I don’t how you did it, but outstanding work.”
Dean says “This is the first time in 24 years on tour for me that a player wanted to play a new ball that same day as proto testing. I called the plant, had 4 dozen overnighted and brought them back to him Thursday for the start of the tourney.”
We’ll have to see what the ball is called when it comes to production. Of course the TaylorMade prototype ball can’y just be put into play without USGA approval first, so this has likely been in development for a while. Some screen grabs from the USGA’s approved list are attached.
What do you think, current Penta and Non-Penta users? Click here to discuss in the GolfWRX forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Adam Scott WITB 2024 (May)
- Adam Scott what’s in the bag accurate as of the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 TX
Driver: TaylorMade BRNR (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees), TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 9 X, Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 9 X
7-wood: TaylorMade Stealth (21 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Black 9 X
Irons: Srixon ZX Mk II (3), Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (5), Srixon Z-Forged II (6-9)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-12F, 54-08M), SM9 (LW), WedgeWorks (LW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-54), S400 (LW)
Putter: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Proto
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
See the rest of Adam Scott’s WITB in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Pierceson Coody WITB 2024 (April)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi 10 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 70 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi 10 Tour (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (3), TaylorMade P7MC (4-6), and TaylorMade P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 54-11SB, 58-08LB)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Reserve Juno
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
Check out more in-hand photos of Pierceson Coody’s WITB here.
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Equipment
Why Ben Griffin is making the surprising switch to a Maxfli golf ball
Ben Griffin might be a little too young to remember some of the iconic Maxfli golf balls that won on tour, but that isn’t stopping him from putting the newest Tour X ball from the brand in play. Today, Maxfli and Griffin announced an exclusive partnership that will see the PGA Tour player using the company’s four-piece golf ball.
While Griffin might be the first PGA Tour player to put a new Maxfli golf ball in play, he isn’t the first profesional golfer to do so. Lexi Thompson has been playing the Maxfli Tour golf ball on the LPGA Tour since the beginning of the 2024.
View this post on Instagram
We caught up with Ben at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas this week to ask him about the new ball switch.
“I was able to finally get my hands on some and try it and immediately I saw faster ball speed with the driver, which is always something every golfer wants to see.
“Then I had to test a lot around the greens and test irons, test spins, test everything like that. Basically, I came to the conclusion that I thought this was probably one of the best golf balls for my game.
“And so I decided to make it official and partner with them and very excited to help kind of launch this golf ball and see where it takes us.”
Griffin’s ball of choice is the Maxfli Tour X, a four-piece golf ball that is made for highly skilled players that want consistent distance off the driver and spin around the green. An updated core design helps add the ball speed that Griffin mentioned and two ionomer mantle layers separate low spin driver shots from higher spin iron and wedge shots. Maxfli uses Center Of center-of-gravity balancing to ensure each ball has consistent flight in the air and roll on the green. Like all golf balls on tour, the Tour X features a cast urethane cover for maximum performance, and it has a tetrahedron dimple pattern to enhance aerodynamics.
It is exciting to see a golf ball at a lower price point — $39.99 at Golf Galaxy — being used by a top 100 ranked player in the world like Ben Griffin, and equipment junkies will be keenly watching his performance with the new ball.
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mike
Dec 22, 2012 at 12:11 am
OK, I got up enough nerve to use the ball Darren Clarke’s caddie gave me. I didn’t pull it out my bag until the 16th hole because I was spraying my drives all day on a course that has a lot of trouble off the tee. I tee’d it up on a short par 4 with no water trouble. I usually hit my drives with around 230 yds of fly with little to no roll out. The tee shot flew out about 240 with no roll because of the terrain. Very soft coming off the club face. Hit a PW to 6 feet from the pin. Stuck like a dart to the green. Made my straight uphill putt for bird. Both the wedge and the putt very soft off the club face. Put the ball away for 17, because I usually block my drives into the jungle on that hole, which I did again. Took it out again on 18. long par 5. Ripped my drive about 270 with good roll out. Didin’t cautch my 3-wood clean and ending up in a bunker 110 from the green. Hit the green with a 9-iron on and sunk an 80-foot putt for bird. Used the ball on 2 holes and got my only 2 birdies that day. I wish I had a dozen of these balls so I could play a full round with them. Makes me wonder if what you hear is true that golf equipment manufacturers make one set of products for pros and another for us ameteurs.
mike
Dec 10, 2012 at 12:49 am
Darren Clarke’s caddie gave me a Project 5 ball yesterday at the Thailand Golf Championship where I marshalled the 3-ball he was in. Darren was obviously playing this ball that day. He was just as long off the tee as Hunter Mahan and Chapchai Nirat at over 300 yds. These 2 guys are 10+ years his junior. I’m going to play a round with it soon and I’ll post my opinion of the ball. The dimpling pattern is almost identical to the Titleist ProV1x but the ridges around the dimples are a little crisper.
Johnny
Oct 30, 2012 at 11:40 pm
Looks like Callaway Hex Golf Ball Pattern.
Andrew
Oct 17, 2012 at 10:21 pm
I have this golf ball. Justin gave me one. Its pretty sick
Elliott
Oct 9, 2012 at 10:40 pm
Looking forward to winning golf tournaments with it.
Danny
Sep 14, 2012 at 11:38 am
cant wait to game this ball!!!
Brody
Sep 11, 2012 at 10:15 am
This is to be the “Rocket Fuel”, right?
mmontisano
Sep 6, 2012 at 1:12 am
finally a seamless ball from TM!
Mike
Sep 5, 2012 at 7:42 pm
or maybe the Royal Plus 6 from eons ago!
Homer
Sep 5, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Looks like Callaway’s Hex Black Tour
Bryan
Sep 5, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Blah blah blah… 3 months repeat story.