Played Taylormade(a)

I tried the new Taylormade this weekend. I did not notice anything special. The distance was the same as my ball, it seemed not to go as far as the Penta. It felt a little hard off the clubface. The ball's durability was better than Callaway.

Thanks for the review. About what I would expect for the price point.

It is my belief that Taylormade is in the Ball business for show only. Looking at the technology that goes into their balls (with the exception of being the 1st to have a 5-piece) most everything is sub par. When I bought a sleeve of the Project (a) to try I could not believe just how freaking big a seam this thing still has. It's huge. Bridgestone, Titleist, Srixon, and Callaway all have either seamless cover technology through injection molding (Bridgestone) or use a staggered wave pattern (Cally, Titleist, Srixon) that has brought a lot more stability in the wind than the previous iterations with seams. Taylormade really needs to step up their game in the ball dpt or just stick with what they know best, metalwoods.

Interesting perspective. I see their investment in the ball market as a direct competition with Titleist hence the ball to line up vs the PV1 and PV1X. At the end of the day, not everyone buys a new driver or irons yearly but everyone buys balls during the year.

I got a sleeve of the Project(a) sent to me this week to try out. Unfortunately winter is not over here in Nebraska. I normally play the e6 so I'm eager to see how these compare. Looks like a good ball.

I am hoping to get my Project A balls soon to try out. I have been playing Lethal and Penta TP5 lately and like the ball (not in love with them). I picked up a bunch of TP Black LDP and really noticed the large seam on the cover. Not sure how that will play for me. I want to try lining the ball up off the tee with the seam in different orientations to see if it has any consistent affect on the flight.

I'm gonna give these a try on Friday. I'm curious how they will play.

I played one round with them to me I was happy mainly because I played 18 and didn't loose one think first time that has ever happened, trouble I'm not consistent enough with any ball to notice any real difference, hit one in the desert a few times and no marks at all seemed really durable which is a bonus

I thought their Rocketballz Urethane was a great ball last year. I'm guessing this (Project a) replaces that.

My experience with these balls has been really good. I've played two full rounds and I have no issues or complaints. Ball flies long and has as much spin as the premium balls I've played in the past. I do think that it replaced the enzyme urethane. More than likely a small improvement. Regardless of it being a. Upgrade or a new ball, I am very happy with its performance.

I received a free sleeve of these from TM as well.

I was really excited to try it out and see if the claims they are making (long off the tee, more spin around the green) was true.

Yesterday I played my first round with them and here is what I found...

Initial observations -
Ball feels nice and soft to the touch but as someone else pointed out, the seam is very noticeable and gives the ball a somewhat "cheaper" (or poorly manufactured) look.

Off the tee-
I am a high handicapper but one part of my game that is good is that I can bomb a ball off the tee. I am usually good for a couple shots that push the 275+ yard range a round. There were a couple of times during my round where I tagged the ball and expected it to go really deep but was somewhat surprised by how short it was. I cannot say for certain if this is the ball or the fact that we recently got a lot of rain in Los Angeles but it felt, based on the hit, that it should have been deeper.

As for spin, they were pretty good. No big banana balls however there were more than a few times when the ball started straight and tailed off with a fade at the end. I usually do not see that type of ball flight.

Approach shots-
This is probably the area that I am least qualified to speak on behalf of this ball since this is the biggest weakness in my game. I am the master of wasting really good drives with really terrible approach shots. That said, there are one or two times a round where I come off like I know what I am doing and actually hit a green. The handful of times I did that yesterday I found this ball checked up pretty nicely. I usually play a distance ball and hate seeing them hit a green and bounce off like I hit a cart path. Not so with these balls.

Around the green -
Since I tend to miss a lot of greens I get an awful lot of practice chipping and pitching. I found that these balls have a similar feel to a Pro-V1 with perhaps a bit more roll out then a Pro-V.

Putting -
Same thing, nice soft feel. Not crazy soft like a Pro-V but close.

Durability -
This was one real shining spot for this ball. I finished the round with zero scratches or dings. Of course I had not shanked one into a tree or off a cart path all day but still, there were no marks from my wedges to be seen. This is the biggest reason I cannot justify playing tour spin balls like the Pro-V since I can play a perfect round and by the end of the day the ball is still chewed up.

All in all I would rate this at around a 7 out of 10. I am not sure I am ready to run out and buy a box but I thought that it performed pretty well and reminded me a lot of what a player like myself gets out of playing a more expensive tour ball.

I have another round scheduled for Sunday so I will continue to play the three that I still (thankfully) have.

I played this ball on Friday and Saturday. Off the tee with the driver, this ball is long and straight. That I liked. On my approach shot with irons, every ball wanted to go right. Don't know if it was me or not but I usually don't miss right. My bad shot is left. A few holes I would switch out the TM for a Callaway SS and hit the green. It was the most frustrated I've been on the golf course in a long time. Around the greens chipping, it didn't stop as quick as other balls I've played but I could adjust to that. Putting was good. A little more click than in used to but I got used to it. It's a decent ball but the shots off the irons were killing me. I doubt I'd run out and buy some of them.

These seem similar to the E5s, but 3 piece. I think E5s are 70 vs. 86 compression. I like soft, so the E5 may be better, plus $5 cheaper/dz.! Anyone compare the 2?

[quote name='Golf64' timestamp='1394480778' post='8841467']
These seem similar to the E5s, but 3 piece. I think E5s are 70 vs. 86 compression. I like soft, so the E5 may be better, plus $5 cheaper/dz.! Anyone compare the 2?
[/quote]

They're softer than the e5, and seem to have more spin. The e5 seems to launch a little bit higher. I've played both and I personally prefer the Project (a). I'm not sure why the compression on the e5 claims to be that low. I can tell you that it feels firmer than the Project (a).

How does it compare to the Penta tp3?

Played them this weekend. Chipping/putting ok. Not good off the driver, horrible in any wind. Switched then out after 14 holes. Can't stand the giant seam. Queue the Price is Right sad trombone.

[quote name='jesusdelallata' timestamp='1394482342' post='8841655']
[quote name='Golf64' timestamp='1394480778' post='8841467']
These seem similar to the E5s, but 3 piece. I think E5s are 70 vs. 86 compression. I like soft, so the E5 may be better, plus $5 cheaper/dz.! Anyone compare the 2?
[/quote]

They're softer than the e5, and seem to have more spin. The e5 seems to launch a little bit higher. I've played both and I personally prefer the Project (a). I'm not sure why the compression on the e5 claims to be that low. I can tell you that it feels firmer than the Project (a).
[/quote]Thanks for the input! I'll try the TM ball first then.