TP5x Golf Ball

My Best Worst Shot

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Sitting here thinking about the events that unfolded on October 9th, 2019 I am both happy and disappointed thinking about them. You see, something took place tonight that never happened to me prior although I had my fair share of close calls.

Upon completing a 9.5 hour-long shift in the pro shop at Scenic Woods Golf Club (a GolfNorth Properties facility) I flip-flopped back and forth on whether to go golfing. Against my better judgment, I decided to play golf even though I was tired, not feeling well, and quite frankly I was in a world of pain. So after deliberating I decided to play a few holes.

The other day I wrote a piece titled “Rising in the Fall” where I talked about playing golf this time of the year. It’s my favorite time of the year to play. Less work means that there’s more time to play. Anyways, I made my way to the first tee. After driving my tee shot down the right side of the fairway and hitting a nice second shot I settled for a routine Par on a Par 5. Not a bad way to start. After settling for a Par on the 2nd Hole I would card a birdie on the third hole. Lately, I’ve been striking the ball fairly well and my game has been rounding into form. Having walked away with another birdie on the 4th hole and back to back pars on the  5th and 6th holes respectively, I made my way to the Par 3 7th.

The temperatures have dropped and with a cold, hurting north wind I stood on the tee. Where the tee blocks were set and where the pin was tucked towards the back of the green the hole measured around 130 yards. However, with the cold wind, I figured that the hole was playing 140-145 yards. Having settled on a New Level Golf Equipment 1031 Forged 9-iron I settled into my shot. The strike on the TaylorMade TP5x was pure (look for the recently posted review of those golf balls within these pages). I felt my eyes widen like they have on so many approach shots in the past as the golf ball tracked towards the pin. The flight saw maybe 10 feet of right to left curvature. I watched the golf ball land and one short hop later… the ball disappeared into the cup.

My first Ace! A hole-in-one!!!

I executed a massive fist pump and screamed “Oh my fucking Godddddd!!” (sorry kids). And then as quick as my jubilation happened it disappeared. There was nobody there suddenly giving me the feeling that this Ace was tainted and that it didn’t count. It was without a doubt the “best worst shot” that I’ve hit in my life. There was nobody to celebrate the moment with me. As I walked to the hole to pick up my TP5x it actually began to feel more like a “walk of shame”. I mean I know it happened but nobody else saw it. Does it count???

I would make the long drive to the 8th tee where I would walk away with a routine par. I would finish my evening by carding another birdie as I hit my tee shot to within 10″ to a temp green on the 9th. All in all a great evening and a 9 hole score of -5. So I have a question for everyone.

What’s the “best worst shot” that you’ve hit?

 

Until The Next Tee!!

#SeeUOnTheNextTee #FightAndGrind

 

 

 

 

TEAM TAYLORMADE’S DUSTIN RISDON CAPTURES FIRST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP OF CANADA TITLE; BAG HIGHLIGHTED BY NEW M6 DRIVER AND NEW TP5X GOLF BALL.

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TaylorMade brand is #1 played Driver, Fairway, Iron, Putter and Ball within the 72 player field featuring the top PGA of Canada Professionals in player rankings.

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After two steady rounds of 70 and 71 to open the stroke play rounds, Dustin Risdon continued to elevate his game at Whistle Bear Golf Club as he moved on from match to match, eventually winning 4 matches over 2 days, capturing the 2019 PGA Championship of Canada title for the first time. With TaylorMade Driver, Fairway, Irons, Wedges and Ball, Risdon continues to rise in PGA of Canada Player Rankings, with an estimated move from 7th place into the top 5.

 

Dustin Risdon, was joined by Oliver Tubb, Bryn Parry and Marc-Etienne Bussieres to create an all #TeamTaylorMade Canada final four. The final match against Oliver Tubb, featuring duelling M5 and M6 Drivers, was bound to be exciting as both Professionals played strong from their first round, and continued their strong play throughout their 6th round of golf in only 4 days. In the end, Risdon rose to the top and won the match 3 and 1.

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What You Need to Know:

  • 38-year-old Risdon wins the PGA Championship of Canada for the first time
  • Risdon used a new M6 9* Driver, new M6 Rocket 14* Fairway and new TP5X golf ball on his way to victory
  • Risdon adds his name to the historic P.D. Ross Trophy, joining golf legends such as Arnold Palmer, Moe Norman, George Knudson, and Lee Trevino.
  • TaylorMade was the #1 Driver, Fairway, Iron, Putter and Ball in play among the field of 72 Professionals
  • TaylorMade TP5 and TP5X golf balls were played by 33 Professionals in the field (46%), and TaylorMade Drivers were also used by 33 Professionals off the tee
  • TaylorMade Golf Canada sponsors a Championship in every zone across the country, providing a direct exemption into the PGA Championship of Canada.
  • Zone events this year will again provide an early entry exemption into the 2020 event. This year, 7 of the 9 exemptions from 2018 made the trip to Whistle Bear and took part in the championship.

Driven by Performance, Matthew Wolff Chooses Team TaylorMade with Multi-Year Full Bag Agreement

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NCAA All-American and 2019 NCAA Division I individual champion set to play full arsenal of TaylorMade product as he makes his professional debut this week at the Travelers Championship

Carlsbad, Calif. (June 19, 2019) – Having already added top amateur standout Collin Morikawa to its dominant stable of athletes this summer, TaylorMade Golf Company announced today the addition of yet another amateur standout, consensus collegiate player of the year Matthew Wolff. Per his new multi-year agreement, Matthew Wolff will play TaylorMade’s metalwoods, irons, wedges, putter and ultimately, the company’s flagship golf ball, TP5x. The announcement comes on the heels of the 20-year-old’s decision to forego his final two seasons at Oklahoma State to turn professional.

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Wolff, known for his unique and immediately identifiable swing paired with prodigious distance off the tee, has the charisma and demeanor far exceeding his 20 years of age and carries high expectations into his professional debut. The California native made his PGA TOUR debut earlier this season as an amateur at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open on a sponsor’s exemption and is making his professional debut on Tour this week at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands.

Victorious a school record six times with a 68.7 scoring average as a sophomore – the lowest in the history of college golf – Wolff capped off his tremendous collegiate career with an NCAA Individual title and both the Jack Nicklaus and Fred Haskins awards, given annually to the top collegiate player in the country.

Wolff joins a TaylorMade’s Tour staff that is widely considered the strongest in the industry, which includes Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, John Rahm and Tiger Woods, among others.

Matthew Wolff’s Bag at the Travelers Championship

M6 Driver | 8° | Graphite Design TP 7TX

M6 Fairway | 15° | Project X HZRDUS Smoke 6.5 TX

P760 2 Iron | Nippon Modus 130x

P750 Tour Proto Irons | 3-PW | Nippon Modus 130x

Milled Grind Raw Wedges | 52°, 56° & 62 with True Temper DG x100

Spider X Copper Putter | Single Bend

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Test… Test!

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Well, I made it. After being in Florida back in January for the PGA Show and a planned trip that I canceled two weeks ago I’m in Florida. A 3 hr bus ride to Buffalo, NY and a wonderful flight once again on Frontier Airlines and I’m basking in the Tampa sun. A trip that will see me go fly fishing, practice golf, hopefully, go home with a swing and of course play and conduct several testings. Most of the golf ball variety. All of this before I resume working at the same golf course that I worked at in 2018 until I had my Stroke. Scenic Woods Golf Course which is a GolfNorth Properties facility. God! I can’t wait!

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Today was without a doubt the most gratifying day of golf that I’ve experienced. I just couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. I was just elated to be back doing what I love. I spent the majority of my day at Terrace Hill Golf Center in Temple Terrace, FL. At any rate the product testing.

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So what are the products that I’m testing down here in Florida? The most important of the bunch is the Equalizer wedges from Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company. Up until now, testing of these wedges has amounted to basing everything on feel and/or limited ball flight in a golf dome. Getting these clubs outside and seeing them perform as they were intended to do so was worth the wait. These Equalizer wedges are even better than I thought. The feel, the ballflight (these wedges penetrate) and some clear stopping power on firm greens that were/are dried out by the wind. I am beyond impressed. I’ll finally be able to write this review sooner than before later. If you need wedges… Look no further. These wedges are the best bang for your golfer buck!

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Another product that I was sent for testing were tees by ZoomTee USA. The premise of these tees is to give golfers the option of playing tees that are extremely durable, a tee that’s designed to produce less drag which is said to result in longer, straighter drives. Also of note here is the addition of a height guide for getting the golf ball teed u at just the right height and a tip that’s used for cleaning your grooves and repairing ball marks. I used only one tee and there was no sign of breakage thus far and ZoomTee USA was also very easy to locate after the shot. No scanning the ground looking for your pesky golf tee. It’s a minor thing, but it is a way to help maintain the pace of play. I also found ZoomTee USA was easy to get into the ground. Although, the soil here in Florida is quite sandy. It’ll be interesting to see how they penetrate the clay-based soil at home.

Balls, balls and more balls. I am testing golf balls ‘o’ plenty while I’m down here. No less than 6 different models. Testing has officially begun of…

  • TaylorMade Golf (TP5 and TP5x)
  • Srixon Golf (Z Star)
  • Wilson Staff DUO Professional
  • Bridgestone Golf (e12 Soft and e12 Speed)

It was an interesting first day of testing and with that, I have a few thoughts.

  1. The TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x seem to really have a penetrating ball flight as advertised. Early indications are that this golf ball is a strong golf ball in the Tour ball market. All-around great feel (TP5 a little softer) and I can see why Rickie Fowler switched from the Titleist Pro V1. There’s a reason why the ball is hyped.
  2. Not that it’s a bad thing. I wasn’t blown away through Day One of testing of the 2019 Srixon Z Star. To me, this iteration of the Z Star is solid. I’ve always liked the Z Star and have a lot of familiarity with it. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t blown away. It felt too familiar.
  3. Where I wasn’t blown away by the previous ball if there was a ball that I was very impressed with thus far it HAS to be the Wilson Staff DUO Professional. This golf ball was long with irons (albeit downwind) and the short game spin of this golf ball was extremely impressive. This ball STOPPED on greenside chips and pitches. I didn’t have it in play for any driving holes.
  4. Bridgestone Golf developed the e12 with 12 years of golf ball data taken from their ball fitting data. What they came up with were the e12 Soft and e12 Speed. Just from a putting standpoint (this was the first part of the testing) I wasn’t enamored with the “firmer” e12 Speed. It felt too clicky or too firm. But then all of that suddenly changed. This ball actually felt pretty soft and responsive on full iron swings. Into a hurting wind, I was able to find the green pin high from 182 yards away with a 5-iron. Judging by the flags and wind I figure it was a 1.5 to 2 club wind. Never be too hasty in being judgmental folks! The e12 Soft I liked right away. I liked the feel of the e12 Soft when it came to putting, my first drive of 2019 was with the e12 Soft (Red) and it just carried down the fairway into the wind and it penetrated. My approach into the firm, wind-swept green resulted in no severe rollout (settling 8′ from the pin) and greenside chips and pitches I thought it performed better than the e12 Speed and as good as one of the tour-level golf balls.

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Today was just the beginning of what I have planned down here. So stay tuned for more information as I test products, write reviews and enjoy some March golf in sunny Florida.

Until The Next Tee!!

#FightAndGrind #SeeUOnTheNextTee

 

APPLYING ADVANCED VISUAL TECHNOLOGY TO THE GOLF BALL CATEGORY FOR THE FIRST TIME, TAYLORMADE GOLF COMPANY ANNOUNCES NEW TP5 PIX™

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Utilizing Industry-Leading 5-Layer Construction of TP5, Speed Meets Enhanced Visibility in the Most Complete Tour Ball

 

CARLSBAD, CALIF. (March 13, 2019) – TaylorMade Golf Company, an industry leader in product innovation and technology, today formally announced TP5 Pix golf balls, optically designed using advanced visual technology to offer more visibility in The Most Complete Tour Ball in TaylorMade’s product lineup.

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The Genesis of TP5 Pix

The fastest growing segment for TaylorMade in the golf ball category is a non-white (traditional) product. Golfers’ growing trend toward playing a golf ball that allows for a different look has also opened the door to improving visual performance and visual technology through the use of machinery that has never before been used in the space.

Pix, derived from ‘pixelated’, was designed following extensive research with partners at Indiana University, the same team the company has used for a multitude of projects including TaylorMade’s most recent putter line, Spider X, which features the all-new True Path™ alignment system that was optically engineered to help golfers visualize the intended target line for improved putting accuracy.

First and foremost, Pix™ is easier to see than a normal white golf ball. The human eye processes lighter colours more efficiently when it’s darker and darker colours when it’s lighter. It’s this phenomenon that led designers to the two-colour design of TP5 Pix. Whereas most competitive products have only one colour within a single image or shape, TP5 Pix’s unique design features 2 colours within one shape, further enhancing visibility and delivering a product that’s easy to see, regardless of the time of play during the day. Producing this shape requires a unique, one-of-a-kind printing machine which has taken more than 18 months to design and develop.

In almost every sport utilizing a ball in play, the ball itself delivers immediate feedback – such as a baseball’s spin out of the pitcher’s hand. The larger contrast graphics of TP5 Pix allow golfers to see how much overall and side spin is generated around the green. Pix’s unique pattern with 12 evenly-spaced images allows the product to show spin when putting and chipping. The feedback the ball provides allows the golfer to immediately see the amount of spin being generated and the direction of that spin on shots on and around the green.

“White, round and sits on the ground is no longer the norm for golf balls. Visual technology has given us the opportunity to not only change the appearance of the golf ball but also allows for players to see immediate feedback where spin matters most – on and around the greens.”

Mike Fox, Category Director, Golf Balls & Accessories

The durability of graphics is a foremost concern on any golf ball with graphic or lettering, and to contest wear and smearing of the graphics on TP5 (and TP5x), engineers have utilized undercoating printing to ensure maximum graphic durability. This is the same process the TaylorMade logo and TP5 side stamp goes through to ensure the performance features of the shapes will last as long as possible.

The Performance of TP5 Pix

Highlighted by its new High-Flex Material (HFM) and Speed-Layer System, TaylorMade has taken the ’19 TP5(x) line to a new level of performance – built on the same platform, TP5 Pix is no exception.

 

The new Speed-Layer System is comprised of four increasingly stiff layers, featuring a new material called HFM. HFM is the fastest material TaylorMade has ever used and is essentially a tightly wound spring and when compressed generates more rebound energy for more ball speed. The tightly wound spring characteristic of HFM also increases the force on the driver face, further increasing the speed of the golf ball when it leaves the driver face.

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Tri-Fast Core 

The Tri-Fast Core consists of an extra-large, low-compression inner core (16 compression in TP5 Pix, the exact same as TP5) and a progressively stiffer outer core and mantle. The combination of these three layers work in conjunction to create lower drag and increased carry—the primary reason TP5 and TP5x have become the hottest Tour balls in golf. The Tri-Fast Core delivers breakthrough iron performance by achieving maximum carry, giving golfers of nearly every swing speed (over 60 MPH) choosing less club into the green.

 

Dual-Spin Cover 

The Dual-Spin Cover boasts an ultra-soft cast urethane cover and a 30% more rigid inner cover. This system creates a condition that is ideal for greenside control, as the rigid inner cover forces the soft urethane cover into wedge grooves for maximum spin generation.

 

Additional enhancements in the 2019 TP5 and TP5x models include a new Soft-Tough cast urethane cover. In order to achieve improved scuff resistance, shear resistance, and overall durability, the new cover features a cast urethane compound and new paint formulation to help each ball feel better and last longer.

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Pricing & Availability 

TP5 Pix will be available this spring across Canada at an MSRP of $59.99 CAD per dozen (Pix will be available in TP5 model). To learn more about TP5 Pix or any of TaylorMade’s golf ball offerings, visit TaylorMadeGolf.ca.

Dustin Johnson Wins RBC Canadian Open Powered by M4 Driver & TP5x Golf Ball

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This past weekend we crowned a new champion for #OurOpen. The top-ranked golfer in the world claimed his third victory of the 2018 PGA Tour Season. Dustin Johnson claimed his hat-trick this past weekend at the RBC Canadian Open joining Bubba Watson as the only players on Tour with three victories this year.

johnson an RBC Brand Ambassador and long-time TaylorMade Golf athlete powered his way to victory on the heels of the M4 driver and TP5x golf ball. With his distance Johnson brought the Jack Nicklaus Signature Design (Glen Abbey Golf Club) to its trembling knees. Below is a press release shared by Nick Orbritsch (Marketing Manager TaylorMade Golf Canada) that outlines what DJ had in his bag that led him to victory.

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Photo Credit: TaylorMade Golf Canada via Getty Images

Johnson’s 3rd win of the season is 19th in his PGA TOUR career and the 15th for TaylorMade’s M3 & M4 Drivers in 2018

What You Need to Know:

  • TaylorMade’s 2018 M Drivers featuring Twist Face Technology now have victories in 10 tournaments on the PGA TOUR this season and 15 worldwide, outpacing any other manufacturer this season.
  • Having found success with both the M3 & M4 drivers this year, Johnson played the 10.5° M4 driver this week, which has been his go-t0 of late. After tinkering with another shaft, he has it equipped with a Fujikura Speeder Evolution 661 X Tour Spec 2.0, a shaft he’s most comfortable with and has found much success using. For the week, he averaged 322.8 yards off the tee with a long of 392 yards (2) with an accuracy of 66% (37/56). He was also #1 in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (7.54), as well as Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (14.22) and Strokes Gained: Total (16.45) for the week as well.
  • Johnson’s three-stroke victory is his third PGA TOUR title this season and the 19th of his career.
  • Earlier this season, Johnson made the switch into the P730 DJ Proto Irons. As he has for most of his recent career, DJ has them equipped with True Temper’s Dynamic Gold X100 shafts.
  • Johnson has praised the performance of the TP5 golf ball since he first put it into play at the Tournament of Champions last year. It’s the 9th win on the PGA TOUR this season for TP5(x), with DJ adding his third win along with Day, Rahm, Rose and McIlroy.
  • Johnson, along with many other players – both on staff and non-contracted – once again made the Spider Tour putter the most played model this week at the RBC Canadian Open, a testament to the performance of Pure Roll technology. After testing out a few other putter shapes, Johnson has predominantly played the Spider Tour Black model with no sightline, the same putter that elevated him to #1 in the world.
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Dustin Johnson’s Winning Bag at the RBC Canadian Open:

M4 Driver | 10.5° | Fujikura Speeder Evolution 661 X Tour Spec 2.0

M4 Fairway | 3HL 16.5° | Project X HZRDUS Black 6.5 95 X

P730 DJ Proto Irons | 3-PW | Dynamic Gold X100

Milled Grind Raw Wedges | 52° & 60° + 64° Hi-Toe | KBS Tour Black 130 X

Spider Tour Black Putter

TP5x Golf Ball (#1)

Until The Next Tee!!