According to Michael Fox, Senior Director of Product Creation, for Golf Balls at TaylorMade “If I had a dollar for every time I was asked, WHEN IS STRIPE COMING TO TP5, I would be a billionaire”
Since their introduction in 2022 TaylorMade’s Tour Response Stripe golf balls took the market by storm. As TaylorMade delve deeper into visual tech on golf balls it has now been made available on its flagship TP5 and TP5x golf balls.
TaylorMade TP5 Stripe and TP5x Stripe will feature a new cutting edge 360° ClearPath Alignment system – a 22mm band that wraps the entire way around the golf ball, allowing players to better line up putts and also receive visual feedback from well struck putts.
In addition to the 360° ClearPath Alignment band that wraps around the centre of the golf ball a thin black line matches putter sight lines providing an immediate aid in alignment allowing the golfer to align putts more accurately, consistently, and quickly.
The design of Stripe also makes proper strikes easily identifiable as the Stripe rolls consistently toward the hole, while off-centre strikes cause a can’t-miss wobble of the digital band. ClearPath Alignment makes it easy to aim tee shots straight down the middle of the fairway as well.
Fox added “The reason golfers have fallen in love with the 360° ClearPath Alignment Stripe is because it really allows them to lock in on their line from behind the ball. The immediate feedback about how the golf ball rolls is pivotal as well.”
On professional Tours, Tommy Fleetwood, who has readily embraced TaylorMade’s Visual Technology and currently plays TP5x pix, is testing TP5x Stripe and using it as an alignment aid during practice. Keita Nakajima continues to test the TP5 Stripe golf ball. The development of 2024 TP5 and TP5x took 42 months. Throughout that time, TaylorMade engineers asked a simple question: how can golf ball performance be simulated in a way that matches what golfers experience on the course? The testing process included:
- 326 hours of robot testing
- 19,477 player test shots
- 18,876 robot test shots
- 30,312 Aerodynamic Research Lab shots
- 555 prototypes
- 67,000 total golf ball measurements
- 30 dimple iterations
- 106 materials
Countless hours were also spent having real golfers line up putts with 360° ClearPath Alignment and TaylorMade found that the digital band helped them to aim more accurately.
The all-new TP5 and TP5x Stripe not only give golfers the tee-to-green performance benefits of the most complete five-layer Tour-level ball, they take the guesswork out of the alignment equation in a way that’s visually appealing to discerning players.
The technology story starts on the inside with the Speed Wrapped Core that’s found in both TP5 and TP5x Stripe. The materials used in the core produce a soft sound and feel while also paving the way for construction that promotes fast ball speeds. The use of core materials is the genesis of being able to both enhance feel and maximise distance without sacrificing one or the other.
Moving outward, speed gradient construction incorporates a progressive five-layer design that optimises variable stiffness between the core and mantle layers. The result is less spin with driver, fairway woods and long irons while maintaining spin in the wedges and short irons. The new model are also ½-club longer based on robot iron testing at Tour launch conditions showing 2024 TP5x fly 5 yards longer than 2021 TP5x.
TP5 and TP5x Stripe are available at retail Aug. 29 for €68 per dozen. Visit TaylorMadeGolf.eu for more details