Taylormade TP5X Vs. Titleist Tour Soft Golf Balls Comparison Overview
Today we are going to be taking a look at a couple of golf balls that in most respects, couldn’t be any more different. While Titleist and Taylormade are both stalwarts in the golf gear market, they took very different approaches with these two balls.
That all being said, we should also state that the TP5X and the Titleist Tour Soft balls are meant for different kinds of players. Find out which would be the best fit for you in the following comparison overview.
Tayloramde TP5X Golf Balls Comparison Overview
The first thing we have to mention about these balls is that they sport an impressive and rarely-seen 5-layer construction.
This painstaking design element means a couple of things to the practical golfer. For one, these balls have a surprisingly soft feel for high compression rated balls. Secondly, it means that you get an amazing amount of spin off the deck and near the green.
Overall, we didn’t like how much spin these balls were producing off the tee. However, that wasn’t much of a problem for our faster swing speed players who were still able to squeeze an average of 268 yards off the tee out of these balls.
Carry distances were also impressive with these balls – if you have a fast swing speed. These balls also react very hot off the face of hybrids and long irons so they perform pretty well in the rough.
Titleist Tour Soft Golf Balls Overview
The Titleist Tour Soft balls feature a compression rating of 65 so they feel about as firm as the TP5X balls.
Performance off the tee couldn’t be any more different though. It was clear that the Titleist Tour Soft balls were made to help with distance off the tee for slower swing speed player. The 2-piece design with a 1.6” core keeps spin practically non-existent off the tee whether you have a fast or slow swing speed.
The ionomer covers of these balls made them feel soft, but with the shorter irons, they felt too soft. They kind of just slip off the iron face so you don’t get a whole lot of control.
It’s clear that the Titleist Tour Soft balls will benefit mid handicappers more than they would low handicappers. Just make sure that if you pick up the Taylormade TP5X balls that you have a swing speed above 100 MPH.
Titleist Tour Soft Quick Facts
Compression: 65
Cover Material: Ionomer
How Many Pieces: 2-Piece
Spin: Mid/Low
Core Material: Unknown
Dimple Type: Spherically Tile (342)
Taylormade TP5X Quick Facts
Compression: 90
Cover Material: Urethane
How Many Pieces: 5-Piece
Core Material: Urethane
Dimple Type: 322
Spin Level: High
Best Suited for: Low to mid handicappers
Performance Off the Tee
The Titleist Tour Soft actually played quite long off the tee.
The larger core made sure that no energy was lost even on faster swings and the spin rate off the tee was much lower than around the greens too.
Performance from the Rough
This is where we struggled a bit with these balls.
The ionomer cover tends to bury itself in particularly tall rough.
Performance from the Fairway
The Titleist Tour Soft balls played pretty well from the fairway and gave pretty good bounce on long approaches, reacting well on the 2nd or 3rd bounce.
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Performance Off the Tee
The compression of these balls is significantly lower than the Titleist Pro V1X balls.
The core is also made of urethane which gives these balls a softer feel from the tee. This is good news for slower swing speed players but the faster swingers in our party were getting better distance with the Titleist Pro V1X balls.
Performance from the Rough
The Taylormade TP5X balls yield excellent launch even from the rough.
The soft urethane cover makes it easy to scoop the ball up and work it as needed so that you land optimally on the fairway.
Performance from the Fairway
With the longer irons and hybrids we were getting a bit more spin than expected from a tour-grade ball – great for long par 5’s but not so great on shorter approaches.
Titleist Tour Soft Selling Points
- Large core
- Good for fast swing speeds
- Thin cover
- Plays longer
- Has a more premium feel
- Good flight
Titleist Tour Soft Cons
- More expensive
- 2-piece design
- Only available in 2 colors
- Loses its line
Taylormade TP5X Selling Points
- More affordable
- Softer feel
- Excellent launch
- Urethane cover
- Urethane core
- Tour-grade
Taylormade TP5X Cons
- Not as long
- Sometimes uncontrollable launch
- HIgher fairway spin
- Lesser short-game feel
Who Are The Titleist Tour Soft Balls For?
The Titleist Tour Soft balls are truly premium category balls and would work best with single digit handicaps.
More importantly, if you are swinging around 95+ MPH from the tee then you will absolutely love these balls.
Even though they have a 2-piece construction and lack a urethane cover, they yield excellent distance with fast swings.
How Are They With Short Irons?
The feedback and response of the Titleist Tour Soft balls with short irons was comparable to that of the Bridgestone E12 Soft balls.
The cover is a bit thinner than the Bridegstone balls so you get excellent feel so long as your short irons are decent.
Whether you need to work the ball on a tricky green or bite down on a fast one with some back spin, you will find that the Titleist Tour Soft can accommodate.
On The Green
You will have to get used to the Titleist Tour Soft balls a bit on the green.
They have sort of the opposite problem that the Bridgestone E12 Soft balls have in that they make you work for it if you need extended roll.
Still, the other performance factors more than make up for this shortcoming.
Overall Rating: 95/100
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Who are the Taylormade TP5X Balls for?
If you want an overall softer feel with tour-grade performance, then the Taylormade TPX5 balls would be a better fit for you.
The Taylormade TPX5 balls have a compression that is more congenial to the rest of us mortals. If you are swinging around 92 MPH, then these balls will fit you better than the Titleist Pro V1X balls.
How are They With Short Irons?
If you can typically work the ball the way you want to with short irons, the Taylormade TPX5 balls should feel pretty good to you. They yield moderate side spin with the short irons and launch high so you can shape short approaches pretty much however you want.
On the Green
The soft urethane gives you excellent control on fast, firm greens.
Overall Rating: 93/100
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