TaylorMade TP Black

[Gxgolfer]

 

See the FAQ>>>Here

[italianstallion]

Should be able to post review by next weekend, weather permitting, so stay tuned.

[[email protected]]

http://thesandtrap.com/archives/reviews/ - our review will go up tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek:

 

[Sakman]

http://thesandtrap.com/archives/reviews/ - our review will go up tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek:

 

 

 

Very interesting...cannot wait to see the full review.

[Cameron Circle T]

Very interesting...I found elsewhere that both the red and black statistically on an iron byron should be longer than the pro v1 and pro v1x even the red.

 

The spin rate on both tp balls was lower than the pro v1 and pro v1x and the ballspeeds were higher on both the red and black than the pro v1 and pro v1x and the apex height is just higher than the pro v1 and equal to the pro v1x.

 

Interesting that you rank the red shorter than the v1x considering those facts.

 

 

I'll be curious to see the review to see where the hangup is on the red that made it play shorter than the X

[[email protected]]

Interesting that you rank the red shorter than the v1x considering those facts.

 

I'll be curious to see the review to see where the hangup is on the red that made it play shorter than the X

Those tests were done with unspecified driver loft, swing speed, clubhead, shaft, etc. For my game, lower-launching, higher spinning balls don't lead to more distance.

 

Bear in mind too that the Pro V1 is, say, 8 yards shorter than the Pro V1x (for me), so that puts the TP Red only a few yards back. We're almost at "hair-splitting" level.

 

Full (3000 words or so) review is now available.

[IHFN]

I've played two rounds with the Black and 9 holes with the Red. Here are my basic thoughts...

 

Distance

 

Black - Unbelieveable. This weekend I hit the longest drives I've ever hit. On one par 5, 500 yards, I usually have 190-200 into the green. I had 110 yards left after the drive. The ball just seems to stay in the air forever. I lose sight of it in the air sometimes because I expect it to keep coming down. On solid drives, I was averaging around 315-320. I normally hit the ball pretty low, so the added height of this ball is perfect for me.

 

Red - Not too shabby either. It is longer than the HX Tour 56 that I was playing previously. On the front 9 yesterday I hit both the black and red on every hole, swapping which one I would hit first off the tee. It is not as long as the black. The trajectory is noticably lower than the black as well. On the same 500 yard par 5, I had 145 left to the hole. The ball does roll quite a bit further than the black too. I tee'd off with the red first on that hole and thought, "wow that was a huge drive". Then I watched the black ball land where the red one finished...

 

Irons

 

Black - Since I normally hit it lower, I usually play higher spin balls. Because of the trajectory of the Black, I don't need the big spin. For example. On a par 5, I had 188 yards to the middle of the green. Normally when I play the up tee's I am in this position. From the back tee's, this is new... Anyway, I usually will take one club less because the front of the green and frindge is pretty firm and anything that lands there will hit and roll to the back of the green, where the pin happened to be that day. So I take out a 7 iron and hit a nice slight fade that is going right at the pin. I expect the large kick, but it doesn't occur. The ball lands softly and ends up on the front frindge. I was baffled. That has NEVER happened on that hole. I realized its due to the higher flight. Once again, perfect for my game.

 

Red - Trajectory once again is noticeably lower than the black. My problem? The fact that the Red really doesn't spin much more than the Black. With a lower trajectory, I need more spin. I'll need to play it some more to really give a complete detail opinion of it though. I didn't hit too many great iron shots on the 9 holes I played yesterday.

 

Chipping

 

Black - Consistent. That is the word I like. Does not check much at all, but usually lands pretty soft and rolls well. Once I got used to not getting any check in the ball, I was chipping awesome. I must have consistency around the greens. I either want the ball to check every time or not check at all. Also, even from bunkers the ball would not spin much, but it does land softly. It is not like a Top Flight or anything like that.

 

Red - This is a little tricky. Once again, I feel that there still isn't much more spin in the Red than the Black. But I can get the Red to check up somewhat. That kind of scares me due to the whole consistentcy thing that I obsess about. My biggest complaint about the ProV1x was the inconsistent spin around the greens. I fear the Red may have this problem too. Once again, I'll need to play more with the Red to get a full feel of it.

 

Putting

 

Both feel the same and both have a brighter sound than most balls.

 

Feel

 

Black - Suprisingly, it feels pretty good. I thought it would feel much harder than it does. Very impressed.

 

Red - Slightly softer than the Black. The only category that the Red really wins for me.

 

Durability

 

Bother are very durable. No cuts or shredding. The logo paint can be scratched off a little bit. But that is the only thing I find wrong with either ball. Much better than the HX Tour, Nike One Platnium, or the Blackmax. It might be a little better than a ProV1 too. If it isn't better, it is the same.

 

 

Overall

 

I am suprised that I like the Black as much as I do. This is a amazing golf ball. Huge distance, and soft landings. To me, it blows away the ProV1x. I really thought I would hate the Black and lean more towards the Red, but so far this does not hold true. I came into the testing with an open mind and I think I finally have found my ball. The only thing that still bugs me is TM making us pay the same as a ProV1. Titleist can charge that much because they have a legion of fans and buyers who will pay whatever Titleist asks them to pay. TM does not have that. The ball should be priced the same as the Nike One and HX Tour. Am I still going to pay the extra money to get this ball? Hell yes I am. The Black rocks any other ball I've played. But TM needs to realize that a higher price isn't going to bring them a ton of fans.

[Simp]

Very good assessment. I experienced the exact same results. I really like the TP Black. I've also played the ProV1X, Nike One Platinum and ProV1 and the Black beats them all IMO. The best ball I've played to date! Simp

[IHFN]

Very good assessment. I experienced the exact same results. I really like the TP Black. I've also played the ProV1X, Nike One Platinum and ProV1 and the Black beats them all IMO. The best ball I've played to date! Simp

 

 

What is really strange is that I really don't like the Red much at all. I know the ball isn't that different, but something just doesn't feel right. I guess it is the trajectory. I was forced to play it when I lost two new Blacks in 4 holes yesterday... ;)

 

I will be back at the golf shop at lunch today to pick up another dozen of the blacks. And hopefully I can get someone to buy the sleeve of Reds I have...

 

I really believe that the Red can be a great ball for some players. The same way we think the Black is great. Just not for me. I hit it too low already...

[Twiggy]

To this date, I have played 4 rounds with the TP Red and 2 with the TP Black. Here is what I have found:

 

RED:

Nice feel off the driver with good distance. Trajectory is lower than the TP Black and a bit shorter in distance, not much. This ball feels great off the irons, wedges, and putter. In my opinion, this is where this ball shines. Checks nicely on short irons and wedges, but does not spin off the green like a ProV1.

 

BLACK:

This ball is LONG and STRAIGHT off the driver with a feel that is a bit more firm than the TP Red. This ball is meant for driving. Iron play is a bit more firm than the TP Red, but the ball still checks nice. I didn't notice much difference at all with the wedges between the two balls, and the TP Red felt a little softer off the putter.

 

The perfect senario would be to drive with the TP Black and play the rest of the hole with the TP Red. Since most of the game is played with the irons, wedges, and putter, my choice will be the TP Red.

[Golf_Beauty]

I got a two sleeves of the reds and two sleeves of the blacks from gxgolfer to try out. (Thanks, by the way!) Here is the opinion of a female golfer:

 

RED:

Like the others on here, I was impressed with the distance I recieved off the tee. I average about 190-200 off the tee with my HX Hots when I hit it straight. With the TPs, I was averaging 210-215. Nice. The soft feel was also to my liking.

 

With iron play, I was actually able to work the the ball better. Like IHFN, I don't have a high trajectory, so I need more spin control -- I got that with the Reds. Since I'm new to the game (almost 2 years now) I'm now learning to spin the ball: make it stop when I want it to or spin back towards the hole. Hasn't been very successful, but with the Reds I was able to make the ball spin or flop it up high and land softly. Sweet. :vava:

 

BLACK:

OHMIGOSH!!! Talk about distance. ;) I have NEVER in my life hit a 235 yard drive. Baby, I was swinging like the pros with the Blacks. The group I was playing with, my husband and two other guys, were duly impressed. Yes, I must admit I was strutting for a while, until I came to my senses and realized it was the ball, not me. :D The Blacks, to me, are phenomenal for distance. Every drive off the tee was 220+ yards. The ball high and straight. It had a harder feel than the Reds, but that's okay...it wasn't like hitting the Nike Platinums or ProVs where I feel like I'm hitting a rock. Ouch. :(

 

I wasn't able to get spin control as much with the Blacks. A few times, I skulled it over the green (of course, that's me and has nothing to do with the ball :hi: ), but I couldn't get the ball to spin or stop like the Reds.

 

In conclusion, both are great balls: the Blacks off the tee and the Reds in the fairway. However, if I had to choose just one, it would be the Reds. I get the distance AND the great iron play.

[littleprov1x]

So I have been playing the black since May, and I thought everything was good, but I got some interesting stats off the launch monitor yesterday at Joe's. The black, which is supposedly the higher launching version, still launches lower than the Pro V1x. I was launching at maybe 10* with the black vs. 12.5* with the X. Also, my ball speed was higher with the Pro V than with the TM. Spin rates were about equal at 2200-2500 RPM's. So after a few months of the TM ball, I think I'm going back to Titleist. I am interested to see how the Red tests on the launch monitor compared to the X, however.

[emc]

I've played with the TP Black for a while now and for me it's the best ball on the market.

 

DURABILITY:

Usually I'm a 14 hole ProVx player and then it gets destroyed the last 4 holes. With the Black I played 45 holes before I started destroying the ball with scuff marks.

 

SPIN:

This ball does not spin at all. I played a load of super steep 60* shots from the fairway with the ball hopping forward still. I only got backspin once out of 3 rounds where with a ProVx it's 3 or 4 times a round. On iron shots however the ball does stop very nicely beside the marks. Chip shots have no check but still land softly and get rolling gently straight away.

 

DISTANCE:

The ball is certainly long and feels very nice off the driver face, as if it's jumping off it. The flight is high and cuts through the wind easily. I found it tough to keep the ball really low and it was a bit of a challenge to hit punch shots under the wind. On tee shots the ball doesn't roll very far, maybe a couple of yards.

 

OTHER:

The ball is quite clicky off the putter face and gives the best roll I have seen with a golf ball. I like the way you can feel you're hitting the ball on putts instead of the ProV 'softness'

 

All in all, I think the TP Black is an improvement on Titleist's ProVx and I have certainly switched allegiances to TaylorMade

[bradandmiti]

I was very inpressed with the TM black. For me it was longer than the ProV1x and spin was equilivent.

[Potts]

I played 18 holes with my first sleeve of the TP black balls yesterday, some early impressions..

 

Softer more powerful feel of the face then the Callaway HX Hot I was using previously much like a Pro V1.

 

Very nice distance off the driver, nice mid high launch, flew straight and long with a good roll out.. noticed this feature in particular, the ball seemed to bounce and roll out a lot further than any other ball I've tried recently.. ProV1, HX Hot.

 

Feel off the driver reminded me of a Srixon URX, you could feel the ball compressing and jumping off the face.

 

I have to mention durability though, I used 1 ball through 18 holes and there was noticeable scuffing and a few cuts.. and my wedge grooves are far from sharp :drinks: I except the fact that this is a premium ball at a premium price, but I am waiting for the day when hopefully these balls can have a durability to match. Thats the only down side for me... At $70 AUD these balls are a luxury item, not being a tour pro :) and I know it's a bit to ask but i would like to see a bit more durability for their price point. But I suppose like everything design is about compromise and you would probably have to sacrifice their excellent feel for more durability.

 

Just have to do some overtime to keep me in with the TP Blacks.

 

There you go, not very scientific, but overall I like 'em and I'm keeping 'em.

[kenfuji]

played a practice round yesterday with a sleeve of TP Black.

 

I was kind of worried since i heard people got a higher trajectory with this ball, but glad I gave it a shot. The trajectory seemed to be pretty stable and not any higher then my usual.

my usual play ball is a prov1x

 

Feel:

felt very similar or in between a bridgestone b330 and a prov1x. I loved how it felt off the irons and woods. Never had an issue with not enough spin around the green. IMHO this is a very predictable ball with controllable reaction after it lands. Unlike some prov1 and prov1x when i get the occational too much check up around the greens.

 

Distance:

Just for fun I also played it up against a couple of distance balls like like the maxfli rev solid and bridgestone e5 on longer holes since the course was moist in some areas. With the pro V1x I was usually about the same or +/-5 yards difference in distance due to the roll out they get. with the TP Black. WOW. I was a good 5-10 yards past these 2 piece lower spin distance balls. I also reached 2 par 5's in 2 shots both with a 6 iron. One of the holes I usually hit a 4iron to the front edge of the green. This ball was constiantly 10-15yds longer then my usual pro V1x with the driver it. there was no distance difference with the irons. Not sure if the ball has lower spin off the drive and/or a hotter core, but this ball just performs very well for me.

 

Durability

No issue here. same or better then the titlest and bridestone played 18 holes with the ball and only got scuffed up on 18th hitting it out of a green side bunker.

[Jack from Canada]

The tm black provides average speed drivers of the higher tragectory for additional carry and roll. It found this a great ball for off the tee but preferred the red going into the green because of it ability to provide easier greenside spin. Both balls provide excellent value and play the red in dry conditions and the black in soft or wet conditions.

[Swingtheclub]

I have played two rounds with the TP Black just wanted to try them.

 

Normally I play Prov1x eventhough my swing speed is probably about a 100 I am old. I used to like the regular Pro V but was spinning it too much.

 

Now I have tried other balls that I hit farther , mostly with the irons when I did not want too. I liked the X for its consistency.

 

Now I tend to hit the ball high and my average drive is probably in the 250 to 260 range.

 

I played one of the balls yesterday shot 74, and could not tell that much difference between it and the X I did notice it stayed whiter and did not scuff up much. I did not hit the driver particulary solid yesterday and did not notice much distance difference.

 

Today was more of the same ball striking wise (13 greens Sunday 14 today in regulation) I had a great day for me today with the putter (28 putts) ended up with a six birdie two bogey 68 this old farts low round in a few years. Shot 69 once earlier this year . The 68 was the best ever from the back tees.

 

This time I did notice one thing. On four occassions when I stepped on the driver a bit , it got stepped on for this old man. I am not sure when I hit it real solid that I am not longer than I am with the X.

 

I will be sticking with this ball for a while , I do want to try the TP red just for grins.

 

I have titelist tatoo's on both my butt cheeks :russian_roulette: but I want to give this ball a fair chance and will .

 

Ken

[wkuo3]

It reminded me alot of the 2006 ProV1 X.

The new 2007 X lost it's charm.

[Irridium]

whats the sorry behind the Titleist buttcheck tatts

[stealthontour]

[quote name='wkuo3' post='705227' date='Sep 4 2007, 01:45 AM']It reminded me alot of the 2006 ProV1 X.
The new 2007 X lost it's charm.[/quote]

That's because the TM ball is designed by the guy who designed the original Pro V1.... it's also the reason quite a few pro's have switched from the new 2007 Pro V1 / V1x..... or they have stock piled the old Pro V's

[willamette]

Interesting that so many of you have said the Black "does not spin/check." In golf magazine Feb 08, machine tested it spun at 12,062, more than the Pro v1 and bridgestone 330-S, and only slightly less than Prov1x, wilson tx4, b330.

I've found the black to have more than adequate spin with irons/wedges. Note also that it has one of the softest covers out there (8th place out of 54 models).

[MR MIZUN0]

Hmm that is weird, I persona;;y think that the blacks dont spin that much, if it spun a little more this ball would be the best on the market. I love the flight i get. It rises quickly, then flattens out. It feels to me like a Pro Vx. Off my irons I just flat out love this ball!! Since I am a low ball hitter, the blacks gime me the perfect height off the irons, since they fly higher than the reds, they drop onto the green at a steeper angle which helps them stick right next to their ball mark. With a wedge, they have the perfect amount of spin, they very rarely spin back huge amounts of distance, 0-1 foot at the most for me. I just love the flight I get with them!!!!!!

**At Target, they are on sale for $20 a dozen!!!!!!!

[doublenuts]

[quote name='willamette' post='861109' date='Jan 12 2008, 08:59 PM']Interesting that so many of you have said the Black "does not spin/check." In golf magazine Feb 08, machine tested it spun at 12,062, more than the Pro v1 and bridgestone 330-S, and only slightly less than Prov1x, wilson tx4, b330.

I've found the black to have more than adequate spin with irons/wedges. Note also that it has one of the softest covers out there (8th place out of 54 models).[/quote]


The ball here is the 2006-2007 version.

The 2008 lineup is totally different.

The New 2008 TP Black is the 'spinnier' ball.

Here's the link;

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=132139&hl=TP+Red"]http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?sh...9&hl=TP+Red[/url]

[golfballtester]

Has anyone actually bought the new TP Red or Black at retail? I purchased a dozen of each to test and found some major issues with the quality. They must be having some issues with their covers as there was gaps in the urethane cover. I cannot imagine that this will perform well, so hopefully this was just a rare find.

[raidernut1234]

OK I have to vent here. the 2008 TP Black is a great performer. Unfortunately, Golfball tester, i have to agree with you. I can't play a ball where a "chunk" of the cover comes off the ball when I hit it with a 7 iron. Or I put "flaps" on it with a solid 9 iron. I am not even talking about shots with the new sharp groove sand wedges. The ball becomes immediately unplayable. and i LOVE the distance and greenside performance.

But I can not afford to put a ball in play that might only last one hole. This is where the PROV1 x shines. I get 3 rounds out of these balls!! All that happens is the cover shaves off a little. this doesn't effect ballflight, or the spin characteristics.

BUT you get one flap on a ball or a chunk out of the cover, and you can't trust it to fly true. One of the golf magazines did a study on this and found that the single biggest effecdt on a ball was a "flap or chunk" , followed by mud stuck to it.

HEY TAYLOR MADE!!! FIX THE DAM COVER AND I'LL PLAY THIS BALL!!! OK VENT OVER. A

[SemperFi91]

Had a couple of sleeves of these laying around and decided to play it this past weekend. The ball performed equally if not better than the ProV1x that I was playing before. Stopped on the green with all iron shots with only a little back spin on my 52*. Long off the tee, good check on short shots, felt good off the putter, sound was nice (not clicky). Overall a very solid performer and will definitely play again.

[MightyMark]

This is my ball. Spin on drive keeps me honest and focused, then rewards me with excellent distance. Penta is not as sensitive to side spin, but is too soft.
All full approach shots have adequate spin on receptive greens. Irons hit and stick.
Good spin on short shots and feels solid on putts.
For me, this ball won over my personal shootout against the Penta.
This is my ball.

[hartman33]

One heck of a golf ball. Blistering distance with great short game feel. A+ in my book.