TaylorMade TP5x Review
Golf Ball · 12 rounds, 4 courses, one very tired sleeve
Played & written by Marcus Santana
By Marcus Santana · Published June 2, 2026
9.3/ 10
The short version
I play off a 6 and I bought these with my own money. Twelve rounds later the TP5x is the first ball in a while that made me stop thinking about the ball. It's long, it flies flat in wind, and it still checks with a wedge. It's expensive and it's firm, and that's about all I can hold against it.
How it played
Twelve rounds, four courses, all my own money. Wet Texas mornings, one baked-out afternoon where everything ran 30 yards, and one round in wind strong enough that I was hitting 8-iron from 150. That windy round is why I rate it as highly as I do. My old ball climbed and died. This one gets to a workable height and then just drives forward. I was holding greens with clubs I'd normally have to knock down, and I'm not a guy who hits knockdowns well. Off the driver it's fast. I hit it next to my gamer on a monitor at the shop and it was a few mph quicker with less spin, but honestly the more convincing part was the course — I had a couple of 9-irons into par 4s where I've been hitting 8 for two years. Short game is where I figured I'd pay for the speed and I never really did. Full wedges from 100 hop twice and stop. Half shots run out a bit more than I expected, so my first round I flew a couple of pitches long until I recalibrated. Off tight lies it's predictable — doesn't grab, doesn't sprint. Putting: it clicks. Not harsh, but firm. First green I noticed it, by the back nine I'd forgotten about it. If soft feel is your whole thing, the TP5 is right there. Durability was the surprise. I finished full rounds on one ball with nothing worse than bunker scuffing.
How it looks
Nothing flashy, and I'm glad. Bright white, clean print, sits up nicely on a tee. The Stripe version is the one I'd buy again — that band around the ball tells you the truth about your stroke, and after a week of putting with it I could call a pull before the ball got a foot away. It also still looked new after a round, which the last ball I played definitely did not.
What won me over
- Long off the tee — I got about a half club more than my old ball, and I felt it, not just saw it on a screen
- Flies flat in wind. On the exposed holes it didn't balloon on me once
- Full wedges from 100 take two hops and sit
- The Stripe line is the best putting aid I've used — I can see a bad stroke immediately
- Held up a full round without going fuzzy
Good to know before you buy
- It's pricey. I actually got protective on the water holes, which is a bad way to play
- Firm off the putter. If you like a soft click, this isn't it — took me nine holes to stop noticing
- Half wedges release a touch more than I'm used to, so my 40-yard number was off for a round
My verdict
9.3/10. This is the ball I'm playing now, and I paid for the last two dozen myself. It gave me distance and wind performance without taking anything away around the greens, and I've not been able to say that about a ball in a long time. The only honest reasons to skip it are the price and the firm feel — if neither of those bothers you, and especially if you play somewhere windy, go get a box.
Marcus Santana
Founder & Lead Tester, Homie Golf
Every product on this site is played, walked or worn before it gets a score. No paid placements, no press-release numbers.
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