What is the difference between TP5 and TP5x?

Both are 5-layer balls with a cast-urethane cover. They differ in compression (TP5 93 vs TP5x 98), driver and iron spin (TP5x lower in Plugged In Golf's 2024 testing and in 2026 robot testing), full-wedge spin (TP5 a little higher), and feel (TP5 softer, TP5x clickier). The side stamp tells you which is which, and the standard play number is black on the TP5 and red on the TP5x.

What swing speed is the TP5x for?

TaylorMade publishes no swing-speed cutoff for the TP5x. It sells the ball as its fastest, lowest-spinning 5-layer tour ball, and the usual fit is 105 mph and up, where shaving driver spin helps most. The 2026 robot test showed no TP5x distance edge at any driver speed (the TP5 was 2 to 6 yards longer), so pick the TP5x for lower spin and firmer feel. Below 90 mph the TP5 still works and feels soft; TaylorMade's Tour Response or another mid-compression option is the cheaper route for that band.

Does TP5 spin more than TP5x?

On irons and full wedges, yes. In 2026 robot testing the TP5 spun about 5% more with a 7-iron, about 230 rpm more on a dry full wedge, and about 1,000 rpm more on a wet one. Plugged In Golf's 2024 tester saw a similar couple-hundred-rpm iron gap. Off the driver the TP5x also spins less. The exception is the 35-yard pitch, where the TP5x spun about 260 rpm more. Both balls sit above the field average for full-wedge spin.

Are TP5 and TP5x the same price?

Yes — both list at $57.99 per dozen on taylormadegolf.com (checked October 3, 2026). The pix versions (with the high-contrast ClearPath Alignment graphics), Stripe, and yellow carry the same per-dozen price as the standard white; TRK-R and licensed team designs list at $64.99. Prior-generation dozens usually get cheaper once the new generation ships, so check other retailers for 2024 stock.

Why did Rory McIlroy switch from TP5x to TP5?

Per the PGA Tour's equipment report, McIlroy tried the 2024 TP5 at the start of his 2025 season and liked how 60- to 70-yard shots came out lower with more spin. In driver testing he lost no ball speed against the TP5x. He had rejected the 2019 TP5 because it spun too much off his driver, and the 2024 version didn't. He won at Pebble Beach in his first start with it. That's one player's fit, so test both yourself.

What swing speed is the TaylorMade TP5 designed for?

The TP5 fits driver swing speeds of roughly 90 to 105 mph. Below 90 mph it still works and feels soft off the face, and a softer or cheaper urethane ball usually plays within a yard or two off the tee. Above 105 mph, many players move to the firmer TP5x to hold driver spin down.

Is the TaylorMade TP5 worth the price over a cheaper ball?

It depends on your short game. The Kirkland Signature is a urethane ball at about $15 a dozen in the Costco warehouse ($29.99 for two dozen) or about $20 shipped from Costco.com ($39.99 for two dozen), and in 2026 robot testing it finished 2 to 7 yards behind the TP5 off the driver. The TP5's edge shows up in greenside spin consistency and shot-to-shot tolerances, which pays off if you score in the 80s and control wedge distances. If you lose several balls a round or your short game is still developing, the value-urethane tier returns more strokes per dollar.

TP5 vs TP5x: Compression, Spin and Which TaylorMade Ball Fits You

Q: Is the TP5 or TP5x better?

Neither is better for everyone. The TP5 is the softer 5-layer ball (compression 93) with more iron and full-wedge spin, a good fit for 90–105 mph driver speeds and players who want approach shots to stop. The TP5x (compression 98) is firmer and spins less off the driver and irons, which suits swings above 105 mph that need spin taken off. In 2026 robot testing the TP5 was 2 to 6 yards longer off the driver, so distance is no reason to pick the TP5x. Both have 5 layers, a cast-urethane cover, and 322 dimples.

Quick answer

Searching TP5x vs TP5 or TP5 vs TP5x lands on the same decision — same ball, priorities flipped. Both are $57.99/dozen, 5-layer cast-urethane TaylorMade tour balls with 322 dimples. The TP5 (compression 93) is softer and spins more on irons and full wedges — better for 90–105 mph swings that want approach shots to stop. The TP5x (compression 98) is firmer and spins less off the driver and irons, which suits 105+ mph swings that need spin taken off. In MyGolfSpy’s 2026 robot test the TP5 was the longer ball off the driver by 2 to 6 yards at all 3 speeds.

TP5x vs TP5: at a glance

	TP5	TP5x
Construction	5-piece, largest TP5 core yet	5-piece, Speed Wrapped Core
Compression (BallCaddie catalog)	93	98
Cover	Cast urethane	Cast urethane
Dimples	322 (Tour Flight, reshaped for 2026)	322 (Tour Flight)
Trajectory	90 ft driver peak at 116 mph	Flatter, 85 ft driver peak at 116 mph
Driver spin	Higher (2,439 rpm at 116 mph)	Lower (2,285 rpm at 116 mph)
Iron / wedge spin	Higher on irons and full wedges	Lower, except on 35-yard pitches
Feel	Soft, lower-pitched thud	Firm, crisper click
Number color	Black	Red
MSRP	$57.99/dozen	$57.99/dozen

Compression numbers above are BallCaddie catalog values (TaylorMade TP5 and TaylorMade TP5x). The spin and peak-height rows come from the 2026 robot test covered below. The 2026 Ball Lab report gauged the new TP5 at 92 on average, a point under the catalog number; the TP5x has no 2026 Ball Lab report yet.

Why this comparison gets misread

The TP5 and TP5x are two tunings of one design. Both use the same 5-layer architecture — a layered core, a firm outer mantle, and a cast-urethane cover — and both carry 322 dimples. Both cost $57.99.

They differ in core stiffness (which sets compression and feel) and in how the layers split driver spin from wedge spin. Choose on feel and spin: softer feel with more iron and full-wedge spin (TP5), or firmer feel with less driver and iron spin (TP5x). The full fitting context lives in the golf ball compression chart and how to choose a golf ball by swing speed.

The construction (same skeleton, different stiffness)

TaylorMade’s 2021 five-layers deep-dive describes a layered core — a soft inner section followed by progressively stiffer mantle layers — wrapped in a firm outer mantle and a cast-urethane cover. The two balls share that architecture and differ in how stiff each layer is.

The 2024 generation introduced the Speed Wrapped Core, a lower-density core material that quiets the sound at impact. That let TaylorMade tune feel separately from speed, so the 2024 balls sounded softer without giving up ball speed. On wedge shots the urethane cover gets pinched between the firm outer mantle and the clubface, and that pinch is where the spin comes from.

Launch coverage of the 2024 balls put numbers on the stiffness difference. The TP5 had a 53-point compression gap from the soft core to the firm outer mantle, and the firmer TP5x had 71 points. Every layer deforms on every strike; the gradient sets how much each layer contributes, with the inner layers doing more of the work on long-game speed and spin and the firm outer mantle and urethane cover setting wedge spin. The dimple count is shared too. The USGA conforming ball list records 322 dimples, and TaylorMade’s 2021 dimple breakdown described a shallower dimple with steeper walls that cuts drag on the way up and adds lift on the way down. For 2026 the TP5 moved to a deeper dimple shape aimed at a lower flight, per TaylorMade’s spec sheet.

What changed in the 2026 generation

The current TP5 and TP5x reached retail on February 12, 2026, per TaylorMade’s press release, on the company’s roughly two-year cadence after the 2024 redesign. TaylorMade describes both balls as “reengineered from core to cover.” The TP5 got 3 changes: a microcoating paint process for more even coverage across the dimples, TaylorMade’s largest tour core (it calls this its fastest TP5 to date), and an updated Tour Flight dimple pattern for a lower flight that holds its line in wind. The TP5x kept all five layers, reworked its mantle materials, and picked up the same thinner microcoating in place of conventional paint.

Independent data on the 2026 balls has now arrived. Ball Lab scored the 2026 TP5 a 91 with no bad balls in its sample; the TP5x hasn’t been through the 2026 Ball Lab yet. The 2026 robot test covered both balls, and the numbers in the sections below come from it. The feel split carried over from 2024, and the new TP5 came out as the longer ball off the driver.

Compression and feel

Both balls sit in the high-compression tier, 5 points apart in the catalog (TP5 93, TP5x 98). For where those numbers fall in the rest of the urethane tier, see the golf ball compression chart — TP5 lines up next to the Titleist Pro V1 (~92), and TP5x sits a few points under the Titleist Pro V1x (~102).

Plugged In Golf’s 2024 review put the TP5 “in that sweet spot between soft and responsive,” with a quieter, lower-pitched “thud” on the putter against a “tock” from the TP5x. Its tester could tell the two apart even on very short putts.

Driver spin and total distance

The TP5x spins less off the driver, and in 2026 that didn’t make it longer. In MyGolfSpy’s 2026 robot test the TP5x spun 2,285 rpm at about 116 mph against the TP5’s 2,439, with smaller gaps of roughly 50 and 100 rpm at 102 and 86 mph. The TP5 was the faster ball by just under 1 mph at all 3 speeds, and it finished longer in total distance: 318.4 vs 316.4 yards at 116 mph, 288.2 vs 286.5 at 102 mph, and 231.1 vs 224.8 at 86 mph.

The “TP5x is the distance ball” story comes from the 2024 generation. Plugged In Golf’s 2024 launch-monitor session had the TP5x under 200 rpm lower in driver spin and about 1 mph faster, a gap its tester said you’d need a launch monitor to see, and robot tests of the 2024 balls had the TP5x ahead on distance. TaylorMade still sells the TP5x as its fastest tour ball.

Off the tee, pick the TP5x if your driver spin runs high. On the 2026 numbers it won’t add yards.

Iron and wedge spin (the TP5’s case)

From the fairway the TP5 is the higher-spinning ball. In the same robot test it spun about 5% more than the TP5x with a 7-iron at every speed (6,283 vs 5,966 rpm at mid speed), and Plugged In Golf’s tester saw a similar couple-hundred-rpm gap in 2024. On full wedges the TP5 led by about 230 rpm dry (10,748 vs 10,519) and about 1,000 rpm wet (10,207 vs 9,201). The 35-yard pitch went the other way, with the TP5x at 5,852 rpm and the TP5 at 5,592. BallCaddie’s catalog tags TP5 as spinCategory: high and TP5x as spinCategory: mid.

On the course, expect a full wedge to release a little more with the TP5x, and more again from wet grass. If you score with full shots from inside 100 yards, that favors the TP5. If you play for the middle of the green and want less spin through the bag, the TP5x’s lower numbers are a fair trade.

The Pro V1 vs Pro V1x comparison covers the same kind of split inside Titleist’s lineup.

Trajectory and wind

TaylorMade’s 2026 spec sheet lists a lower ball flight and lower wedge launch among the new TP5’s changes, and it sells the TP5x on low driver spin. In the robot test the TP5x flew flatter at 116 mph (an 85 ft peak against 90 ft), and the two peaked within a foot of each other at 102 mph. In a crosswind the lower-spin TP5x should be the steadier ball, and the TP5’s extra spin can climb in a stiff headwind. Neither ball is the right pick below 50°F — both are stamped coldWeatherSuitable: false in the BallCaddie catalog.

Swing-speed fit

The clean read by speed band:

Driver swing speed	Recommendation
Under 90 mph	TP5 still works and feels soft here; the value-urethane TaylorMade Tour Response (~74) at $42.99 is the cheaper in-brand option, and the compression chart has more mid- and low-compression picks
90–100 mph	TP5 (softer feel, more iron spin, and 1.7 yards longer at 102 mph in the 2026 robot test)
100–110 mph	Either — choose by feel and short-game priority
Over 110 mph	TP5x if your driver spin runs high (about 150 rpm lower at 116 mph); the TP5 was 2 yards longer there, so keep it if spin isn’t your problem

For more granular fitting, see best golf ball for 95 mph. The pillar guide how to choose a golf ball by swing speed has the same logic applied across all bands and brands.

Tour usage and the McIlroy switch

Per the PGA Tour’s equipment report, Rory McIlroy switched from TP5x to TP5 at the start of his 2025 season and won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in his first start with it, two months before the Masters. He had tried the 2019 TP5 and found it spun too much off his driver. With the 2024 version his driver spin stayed in check, he kept his ball speed in driver testing, and his 60- to 70-yard shots came out lower with more spin. TaylorMade says he has since moved into the 2026 TP5. One of the fastest swingers in golf plays the softer of the two balls, which makes “fastest swinger plays the firmest ball” a loose rule of thumb.

Mistakes and decision rules

Weigh more than swing speed. McIlroy swings well over 115 mph and plays the TP5. Trajectory preference and short-game priority matter as much.
Play one ball for all 18. TP5 and TP5x carry different distances, especially on full irons (the TP5x carried 2 to 3 yards farther with a 7-iron in the 2026 robot test).
Read TaylorMade’s “half club longer” claim as generation over generation. The original announcement compares the 2024 TP5x to the 2021 TP5x in robot iron testing (5 yards longer). It says nothing about TP5x against TP5.
If you lose more than a sleeve a round, skip both. Step back to a best value golf ball recommendation or the Vice Pro Plus vs Pro V1 comparison for a cheaper urethane alternative.

In short, play the TP5 for softer feel and more spin into greens, and the TP5x for firmer feel and less spin off the tee. Take the BallCaddie quiz for a fitting that weights swing speed, short-game priority, and feel together. Your fitting report is free; your #1 ball is paid. You can also browse the catalog to compare TP5/TP5x against the rest of the urethane tier.

For deeper dives

Pro V1 vs Pro V1x — the Titleist parallel to this comparison, with similar spin-slope dynamics.
Pro V1 vs TP5 — the cross-brand version, comparing 3-piece Titleist to 5-piece TaylorMade.
Golf ball compression chart — every ball’s measured compression on a single calibrated gauge.
How to choose a golf ball by swing speed — the parent fitting pillar.
Urethane vs ionomer covers — when the cover-material upgrade is worth the price jump.

Key takeaways

Both have 5 layers, a cast-urethane cover, and a $57.99 price.
TP5 = compression 93, softer feel, more iron and full-wedge spin.
TP5x = compression 98, firmer feel, lower driver and iron spin. It was 2 to 6 yards shorter than the TP5 off the driver in the 2026 robot test.
Under 90 mph the TP5 still works, but the cheaper Tour Response is the in-brand alternative; over 110 mph, the TP5x earns its place only if your driver spin runs high.
Number color is the visual tell — TP5 black, TP5x red.
The 2026 generation reached retail in February 2026 with a microcoating finish, a larger TP5 core, and an updated dimple pattern; Ball Lab scored the 2026 TP5 a 91.

Sources

MyGolfSpy, 2026 golf ball test
Plugged In Golf, 2024 TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x review
TaylorMade, 2026 TP5 and TP5x press release