TM TP5X or Bridgestone Tour X 2020

I currently play the prior version of the TP 5X and getting low so I need to but more .. Do I go with the newer TP 5X higher compression that current model or try the 2020 Bridgestone Tour X swing speed is 103-105 with driver ..7 iron distance is 170

Both are in my bag, and I kind of go back and forth. Very similar balls in my estimation....

I’m a big fan of the 2020 Tour B X

Can you tell the difference with compression seeing the TM is 97 and Bridgestone is only 85.. What is your SS

That is incorrect. Bridgestone’s compression numbers aren’t comparable to others, unfortunately for them IMO.

It just depends on what you need spin wise. The TP5X is definitely lower spinning throughout the bag. It's too low spin for me, but I find the 2020 BX to be about perfect.

The RX is 65 and X is 85 for the 2020 and that was told me from a Bridgestone gold ball fitting rep.. The RX was recommended for me but found it to soft and I was told id I went to tje X I would lose distance cause of my SS but the TP 5x I currently play has a higher compression so im totally confused

Did u find one straighter with Driver my shape is a fade and how about around the green

2020 Tour BX. The new ball is great around the greens.

They’re essentially quoting what’s normally called ‘core compression’, rather that the compression of the ball as a whole, which is shown in the attachment.

Their model lineup is confusing to begin with. That they obfuscate their basic physical characteristics as well gives the impression that they want the customer to be confused, which is nuts IMO. The result isn’t going to be that the customer will just buy some Bridgestone product semi-randomly because they’re confused. They instead buy a V1 or V1x because they make the model distinctions as clear as possible.

Neither ball will change your shot shape or be straighter. BX spins more on all shots, but unless your short game is pretty honed in you'd probably not notice a difference around greens.

I’m a big fan of the 2020 Tour B X i think its awesome

My driver SS averaged 101 when measured at my last testing session, fluctuating between 97 and 103. I find those two balls to be very comparable. Clearly, My SS is below what Bridgestone suggests for the BX.

Been playing the TP5x model for 80-85% of the time the last 4-5 years. I tried the '20 Bx and will state I am thinking of switching. Equal hits with the driver there is nothing in them, TP$x does got a bit higher, but not much. Woods/Hybrids are almost the same but I seem to get a bit more with Bx. Iron, 6 iron down they are even but Bx spins a bit more. The 4-5 irons the TP5x is better for distance/ height but does not spin as much as the Bx.

Two reasons right now of thinking going Bx is the the extra spin on the long irons, though I loose a bit of distance I like the extra spin in the long irons. Second, my chipping is just "Okay" and Bx feels a bit better and I get a bit more spin with the Bx. Off the putter I would say the Bx is a smidge bit better feeling to but not much.

More testing to come for sure but the NEW Bx is the real deal and I have no issue stating I hated the older model..... I just could not get along with it for some reason.

Old TP5x - Decent ball but terrible durability.

New TP5x (white) - Great ball with good durability.

New TP5x (yellow) - Equal ball to the new white but not as good durability.

Tour BX Old - incredible performer and insane durability.

Tour BX new - same as previous gen but, slightly better short game spin.

Really, there is only a tiny bit of difference in between the two models. Durability is a real measure now and some are more anal about it than others.

My only real tiny gripe is the yellow option. I thought Taylormade was never going to jump on that yellow premium ball train. Bridgestone has it for last year and it didn’t make it to this year (non RX).

Matching compression to club head speed is mostly marketing on the part of Bridgestone (successful marketing at that). Back when balls were wound inside, yes, it was important... not today.

The balls made today, it's really just personal taste. Some people like a firmer golf ball, while others prefer a softer golf ball, and there are many variations of firm and soft.

From a performance standpoint, they can make soft balls than spin less than firm balls, and firm balls than spin less than soft balls. It's totally different than it was 30 years ago. Compression and performance characteristics are no longer tightly coupled.

Bottomline, both balls you asked about are excellent balls and will perform equally well. It really comes down to personal taste and feel.

Choose a ball based on your confidence and performance playing it around the greens, as premium golf balls perform more and more a like the longer the club (e.g. virtually identical off drivers). It's measurable, but not worth measuring the differences between one brands X vs. another, or even an S vs. X ball.

First and foremost, I'd recommend picking a ball based on feel. Then after you decide that, based on spin around the green. As an example, if you were someone that likes to rely more on spin around the greens, and use a more aggressive swing that makes the ball check by the flag, you should play the S ball. If you want spin, but prefer it to release a little, or have issues with it sucking back on full wedge shots, you should play the X ball. You shouldn't choose a ball because you think you'll gain distance or direction off the driver because it's not even a measurable difference, and that's not how you will lower your scores.

I've played both of the balls mentioned, and personally I thought the TP5x was a more well rounded performing ball between the two. But that's my personal taste. Lately I've moved away from the firmer balls and prefer the softer feeling balls. Does one perform better than another... not enough of a difference to change my score. They all perform really well.

very good and accurate summary! Basically these 2 balls are extremely similar; if you like one it will be very hard not to like the other.

The BX spins a ton more on mid irons than the TP5x, especially true in new generations. The BX also flies lower. Off the driver, I see the, neck and neck; with the TP5x going a bit higher, but both balls being very matched in spin and distance. BX spins just a tad more around the green imo, but noticeable difference. Where the big difference is found is the middle irons; where the BX spins significantly more.

I play those TP5X practice balls that were about $1.25 a piece. Really good ball.

you’d think taylormade would do the 100 pack of new TP5X like they did the lethal ball.

Don’t bother comparing compression figures direct from the OEMs as there hasn’t really been an industry standard for measuring compression since the start of the multilayer solid core era. Not only is the testing equipment different but some OEMs are literally measuring different pieces of the ball (ex: Bridgestone measures only the core vs Srixon who measures the entire ball). The only useful cross company comparisons are independent 3rd parties who test using a consistent method in a consistent environment (MyGolf$py and Today’s Golfer UK 2019 ball tests are the most recent examples).

I think I ruled out the BStone Tour X and now looking at the RX or the TM TP 5X cause SS is 101

Swing speed is entirely irrelevant and Bridgestone should drop it from their recommendation. Or at the very least modify it as follows:

Under 105, choose any Tour B ball based on feel, flight, and spin you prefer, all balls will perform similarly in terms of distance.

Over 105, highly recommend BX or BXS, you will see improved performance off driver and possibly whole bag with the BX or BXS when compared to other balls.

The firmer ball will be longer off the driver at almost any swing speed over 80. If you are looking at the RX vs TP5x you are missing the point. The TP5x much much mor aligns with the BX. It is the firmest offering from TM.

The RX is basically for someone who wants softer feel and doesn’t need all the spin of the BXS or BX, both of which spin more than the RX.

The bigger consideration is actually that really high speed people should avoid a soft ball, not that low swing speeds should avoid a hard ball

The hard ball for the low swing speed isn’t going to really hurt them, they just may not have the speed to see the difference vs a softer ball. On the other hand a fast player will over compress a soft ball, especially with driver. This will cause loss of ball speed, poor trajectory control, and possibly way more spin than desired as compared to a proper compression ball for them.

Long story short, slow player won’t get hurt by harder ball, but the fast player Will be giving up performance vs a harder ball (assuming similar type of ball as far as covers/construction)

There is some logic to Bridgestone's recommendations. Though it has almost nothing to do with the driver. The RX and RXS ball launch higher and spin less off irons than the X and XS. High launch and low spin is a recipe for distance. A slow swing speed player might gain 3-5 yards of carry with their irons by switching to the lower spinning ball. You can make a case that for a certain class of players, getting 5 more yards on every iron shot and possibly a little extra roll out would be more beneficial than higher spin.

Right, I can’t agree more with this, but that is based on preferences! What I’m saying is that the firmer ball should be an almost must for the high speed player, they will see clear benefits from the layers/design. They will, without a doubt, get a performance bump from the firmer ball. The softer ball may or may not be better for a slower player, it will Largely depend on what they value in the game to help them the most. People just get pigeon holed by their recommendations. They say "I’m 100, so I shouldn’t play the X or XS;" this is not correct.

But someone at 118 would be doing themselves a disservice playing the RX vs the X, or the RXS vs the XS, unless they had some really crazy spin and launch characteristics.

I agree. If I were running Bridgestone, I'd say that the the RX and RXS are NOT for people over 105, but wouldn't say the reverse about the X and XS.

I'd market them like this:

X - Feel: Firm, Spin: High

XS - Feel: Soft, Spin: Highest

RX - Feel: Soft, Spin: Low, Not for swing speeds over 105

RXS - Feel: Softest, Spin: Lowest, Not for swing speeds over 105

I'm not sure the average consumer would understand all that though. And would probably assume that if those two balls weren't for speeds over 105, they must be for swings under 105.

The above is dead on, but I’m confident the RXS spins more than the RX

softest RXS, RX, BXS, BX firmest

lowest spin RX, RXS slightly less than BX, BXS spiniest

trajectory highest RX, RXS slightly higher than BX, BXS lowest

and agree completely, RX and RXS not for those over 110 or you are sacrificing something significantly in your distance off the tee.

When I demoed the RX/RXS (2018 models) I was losing legit 20-25 yards off my best drives with the BX. The BX was maybe 5 yards longer than BXS on best drives. The RX and RXS spun up and just didn’t have the ballspeed to hold up to my 115-117 on driver.

My issue is my SS is just below 105 and BStone rep is convinced the RX is best over the X and said the X I would lose distance and the RX would reduce my fading over the TP5X .. My other issue is yes SS with Driver is like 101-103 but my club for 150 yds is a 9 iron so that puts me above a 101 SS

I hate to say this, but he’s outright wrong.

The X will 100% be longer than the RX at 105, heck, it will be longer at 90ss! This has been proven in more than one scientifically conducted test. Harder = faster, faster = further assuming spin is reasonably close, which off the driver the BX (last years at least) spun LESS than the RX.

As far as your slice, the RX could go straighter than the TP5x or BX, but a slice is still going to be a slice. Callaway claims less compression means the ball is on the face longer and that gives you the millisecond more to close the face and therefore have the ball go straighter. Is this just marketing? I dunno... but the chrome soft was always pretty straight for me, and the supersoft is VERY straight.

The only ball with a urethane cover that I have seen that is legitimately straighter than others is the AVX. It can be noted it is softer than the V1s, so maybe callaway is right. Either way, whatever it is about that ball, but the AVX really does, for me, go straighter than the V1 line or the Tour B balls. My bad misses with that ball still held their line, while thei Tour B and the ProVs would draw/hook/slice/fade more than the AVX. Others have had similar experiences. Something about the dimples is my guess.

That said, I actually found the Tour BX to go straighter than the RX, at least in last years model. I extensively tested the two and for whatever reason my RX drives had more curvature (both when on purpose and accidentally) compared to the BX.

Maybe give the AVX a go, assuming you hit the ball decently high. The AVX also launches noticeably lower than the V1s and BX, so if you struggle with launch it won’t be a good fit either.

I don’t love the TP5x off driver. Can’t put my finger on it but I feel like when I’ve hit it side by side against the V1x and BX (18 and 20) it just comes up shorter virtually every time.

These are my experiences, but one thing I can say with certainty is the BX will be faster and therefore should be longer than the RX. Especially at the 105 mark, you will get the benefit from playing a bit more compression.

But try the AVX too. To me it’s an outright better ball than the RX but with similar character. I personally feel the RX is very very underwhelming from the two boxes I tried to make work.

Oh, and you can’t take every “how far should I hit it” as gospel. Iron loft and swing speed variances through the bag are not consistent for everyone. Two people at 105 with driver won’t be the exact same on 9i. Some people retain more speed, some lose more as they go down the bag. There are also massive variances in deliver with iron. Does one player deloft the 9, while the other flips the club and adds loft? It’s not gospel, those charts assume a consistent strike and consistent delivery of the club head. With my SS I should hit SW 110; I don’t. For what ever reason I don’t deloft it as much as I should and I hit it higher and about 100. I play a 53 in that slot to compensate. We’re not robots.

Every thing you said is my thinking to so I doubt I will go with the RX seeing it will always be in my head and probably will just stick with TP5X and get the newer generation than I play now cause I have no complaints with it maybe just a little more bite around the green