We've launched the new forums! Read more here

TaylorMade Blind Ball Testing Results

SuperStroke
sufjanstevens said:
Let us know when you get that one cut in half.

Sometimes hacker balls react kinda funny... hit any into your cotton field yet?
Click to expand...

Nope... I would like to find it to hit it again. But since they havent picked the cotton and its more than waist high there would be no way to find it until they pick and cut the stalks unless it was the color of a yellow e6 or yellow Z star.

I'll text you that pic Sunday night. :D
 
johndeere10 said:
Nope... I would like to find it to hit it again but since they havent picked the cotton and its more than waist high there would be no way to find it until they pick and cut the stalks.

I'll text you that pic Sunday night. :D
Click to expand...

I think if mine don't show up tomorrow you owe me a couple of sleeves for all the free golf you've earned off of me... LOL
 
I doubt you want to be in Reidsville Sunday morning at 8 am though. LOL
 
Woohoo!! Got home today to find a nice package from TM with a dozen of test balls. Since I don't want others opinions to skew my thoughts I won't be reading any more of this thread until I have completed my testing. Off to The Home Course and Chambers Bay tomorrow. Thanks again THP and TaylorMade!!!!!
 
Oregon Golfer said:
Woohoo!! Got home today to find a nice package from TM with a dozen of test balls. Since I don't want others opinions to skew my thoughts I won't be reading any more of this thread until I have completed my testing. Off to The Home Course and Chambers Bay tomorrow. Thanks again THP and TaylorMade!!!!!
Click to expand...
I won't be reading this thread anymore either. I read that they were soft and I assumed them to be soft. Although they are one of the softest balls I've played.
 
Alright after roughly 30 minutes of hitting some wedge shots in the back yard and an hour or so on my putting green I think im ready to give my first impressions.

Little background- 15 handicap. Usually good distance wise but struggle with accuracy in both driver and irons. Might help if I had the right shafts though haha. Im an ok putter, Not to bad at reading greens but struggle with speed judging. Chipping and wedge game is ok, not great but I seem to do good around the green.

Looks- I wasnt sure what to really look at it since it was solid white with nothing else on it. Then as I lay it on the ground next to other balls I start to see differences. Some a little shiny than others, different shade of white, etc. If you look really close you can see its really not all that shiny, the penta is more of a "shininess" to it than the test ball did. I know its white but I when I got up close to it I could tell it was not the same color as the penta. You might think im crazy but I could definitely tell it was a different white than the others. The dimples also are a pretty good size but if you look closely you can see a few smalls ones thrown in between them throughout the ball.

Feel- O man, I thought the penta was awesome, this thing is amazing. Im in love with it off the putter and wedges. Like I said in another post its crazy how much of a difference in sound there is between the penta, rx, and E6 than these. It has a nice soft but firm feel I know that seem weird but its not so soft that it just dies off the putter, its soft to the feel of the ball hitting the putter but yet its firm enough to get that roll your looking for.

Touch/durability- Ok hear is the weird part, I just told you its really soft off the putter and wedges but I cant put my fingernail in it, I can however put my fingernail in the penta but yet this ball feels softer than that. I know real weird. And what I think that means is that this cover is going to be awesome, meaning that it will be really durable but yet not like any durable ball you have used in the past because its so soft off the wedges and putter. The wedge shots I hit did nothing to hit, and these were all with the 60*. Flop shots, full swings, chips and pitches. Did nothing to it, which is really good to see!

I will be getting out on Saturday to put these in play so will see how they do off the driver/irons.

I tired to include everything I could think of right off the start and give complete honesty about them, It was definitley weird that they felt so soft but yet I could not put my fingernail in them like I can with other "premium soft balls". I think this ball might be really special if it feels that good off the driver/irons as it did the putter/wedges. Kinda hoping it turns out to be a 2 or 3 piece ball so it will be cheaper haha, and if it is, its the softest feeling 2 or 3 piece ball I have ever seen.
 
I'm sooo curious what ball this is now.
 
Same as bridges. My nail couldnt peirce it. I thought it was gonna be a rock untill i hit it. Its crazy.
 
Oregon Golfer said:
Woohoo!! Got home today to find a nice package from TM with a dozen of test balls. Since I don't want others opinions to skew my thoughts I won't be reading any more of this thread until I have completed my testing. Off to The Home Course and Chambers Bay tomorrow. Thanks again THP and TaylorMade!!!!!
Click to expand...

I don't know if this makes me feel better or worse. Still holding out hope that tomorrow we will have another Oregon tester. Still have fingers crossed:fingers-crossed:
 
Man I missed a lot of earlier posts in here and didnt know it. Seems as though alot of us find it to be strange that the ball is so soft but yet the cover seems so durable. Also I think all of us notice a sound difference, looks like we all got the same ball and are all liking what we see so far. Mad props to TaylorMade, this ball is a good one so far hope my driver and irons like it. Now just make it in that $20-$25 range and it will be perfect! haha
 
Nothing so far at the Osahar homestead. But hoping to find a package after work today still! :pray:
 
So, I get to test these on course today. I'm getting off early to make sure I hit the course up. Pretty stoked. Awesome to see so many people excited about this one.
 
Yoccos1981 said:
So, I get to test these on course today. I'm getting off early to make sure I hit the course up. Pretty stoked. Awesome to see so many people excited about this one.
Click to expand...

Looking forward to your feedback, Yoc.
 
This has been interesting to read and i am looking forward to hearing more about this ball.
 
Got home from a business trip last night --- VERY pleased to see my package had arrived !!! Thanks THP and TaylorMade !!! Playing 18 tomorrow at noon !
 
OldeAtlanta said:
Got home from a business trip last night --- VERY pleased to see my package had arrived !!! Thanks THP and TaylorMade !!! Playing 18 tomorrow at noon !
Click to expand...

can't wait to hear your thoughts.
 
Thanks THP and TaylorMade for the opportunity to test this new product!! You guys are awesome!!

Here are my initial thoughts:

Bite Test:
I bit into the TM Test Ball ("TMTB"). It was not as soft as I thought. I could not pierce it with my teeth, but did not chip my teeth. Very durable cover. So, I grabbed a ProV1x ("X") and the TM TP LDP Red ("TP Red") and bit into them as well. Both of these later two balls were softer when I bit into them. My teeth penetrated a bit more into the cover, but all three ball covers were not pierced.

Bounce Test:
I wanted to see how the balls exploded off the floor when I dropped them from eye level. The TMTB bounced the highest by at least an average of 3-5". The X and TP Red bounced about the same height.

Carpet Putt Test:
Because I got home late, I tried putting these balls on the carpet. [No putting green in my backyard. Boo.] I was surprised at how soft the TMTB felt coming off my Scotty Cameron Stainless Studio putter. Yet, the ball rolled true (as far as carpet putting goes) and went the distance I expected. The X and TP Red felt a bit harder off the putter face, with X being the hardest of the three.

Sound Test:
I didn't have an opportunity to hit wedge shots with these balls, but based on the sound off the putter, the TMTB was the quietest. It did not have a loud click or clunk. Personally, I prefer a quiet ball because it gives me the sense that the ball is soft and allows me to go for the hole.

Implication:
With the combination of a soft feel and quiet sound, it will give me the confidence to go for the hole on each putt. After the bounce test, I got very excited to have my driver meet the ball. I believe the ball will explode off the face like it did off the floor. Not sure how TM did it, but the impact off the putter face was soft, but off the floor on a harder and faster impact, it felt explosive. I can't wait to try the driver/iron/wedge shots soon.

Be back soon.
 
With rain coming this weekend, I'm going to hit the lighted executive course after work today. The course has 4 par 4's, so I'll get a little bit of a chance to play through the bag, but it'll be mostly wedges and short irons. (I could use the practice anyway!) First impressions are similar to what others are saying.
1) Medium shiny cover - not as glossy as a 2-piece budget ball but not dull / matte like some tour-level balls.
2) Bounce test: out-rebounded ZStar X and Penta TP by at least 4-5" (say 10% more rebound) yet -
3) the sound at impact was very quiet. almost "polite" like "pardon me as I strike the ground"

With gray skies, I'm hoping the course isn't busy, so I can play two balls. I think I'm going to play two mystery balls as opposed to a head-to-head with another. The hope is to maximize my experience with the mystery ball and to make judgements on that ball alone, rather than compare it to brand X, Y, or Z. Can't wait, might even ditch work early! (shhhh!)
 
great stuff so far guys!!
 
Ok...got home last night and looky what was in my mailbox !

WhiteBox.jpg



WhiteBoxOpen.jpg



WhiteBoxOpenBalls.jpg



WhiteBallCloseup.jpg



Putted these with my Monza Spider and chipped with my 52* ball eating Cleveland wedge.

So here are my initial thoughts and reactions.....

1. The color on the TM Test Balls is more of a pure white than the Pro V1 or the Bridgestone B-330S which tend to have a light blueish tint. (I like this)

2. The cover is definitely softer than the B-330S and similar to the Pro V1. (I like this)

3. The TM Test Ball has an obvious seam in the cover, as you can see in picture #3 above. (Not sure if I like it or not....yet)

4. The sound of the TM Test Ball off the putter is softer than the B-330S and the Pro V1. (I get a thack sound on the other two and a thuck sound on the TM Ball.... I like it)

5. The feel off the putter is a little softer than the Pro V1 and much softer than the B-330S but rolls out quite nicely. (I like it)

6. The feel off the wedge is buttery soft with just the right roll out when needed, but checks quite nicely when I spun it. (can you say "MONEY"? Loved it)

7. The ball eating wedge...well.....it didn't. The cover stood up to this toothy club on the long chips I hit. (Loved that too. This club eats Pro V1's)

I haven't hit any full shots with the TM Test Ball yet, but hope to get out tomorrow or Sunday.
My initial reaction to this ball is that if it reacts with the full shots as well as it has with the chipping and putting, then TM has a big winner on their hands.
I would be really interested to hear the price point they will be marketing these at, but I know that will come out when the balls do to the public.
I will obviously post more as I get out to the course and put them to a true test.

I want to take a second to thank both THP and Taylormade for giving me the opportunity to be involved with this testing.
It's an exciting event to be a part of, and I really appreciate being able to be a part of this.

Thank you very much !!
 
great job guys....that close up of the ball reminds me a lot of the Wilson Zip
 
Taylor Made Ball Testing

Looks: Nice bright white ball with a soft feeling cover. Big dimples mixed with smaller dimples which I suppose help with the ball flight, side spin, green side action etc. This ball looks great naked! Seriously I could not imagine some of the other balls out there without their logos and numbers looking this good.

Putting: I have already heard some of you on here rave about the prowess on the green exhibited by this silky smooth pearl of a ball. I tested it today on the putting green along side my Bridgestone RXS and my regular ball of choice the Bridgestone E6. The Lone Ranger ball from Taylor Made (Masked Kime o sobe) is softer than a baby’s butt on the flat service. The RXS felt very similar to me on the dance floor however the TM gets the nod by a small margin. That speaks volumes in itself as the Bridgestone RXS was the fat lady singing when it came to taking down the house!

Wedge shots: The TM felt like hot butter over a baked potatoes coming off my sand wedge and lob wedge. I was able to spend a couple back and our greens are getting really quick but firm so that is a trick in itself. Having said that I felt it was more of a target ball which means with my wedges it was a one hop and stop ball. Nice action with the wedges however not so much as to embarrass the Bridgestone RXS which I feel is even with the mystery ball overall with the wedges.

Mid Irons: Beautiful ball flight for me. It was a nice mid ball flight without a ton of side spin. I thought it actually performed much like my Bridgestone regular ball of choice the E6. The E6 may have a slight edge on the straight and narrow but not by much! I only used one of the Lone Ranger balls today so I will report back with more info on the accuracy side of things.

Driver: This ball was great for my driver swing speed and I have no idea what or who it was designed for. It has a good mid ball flight for me however I do not generate much club head speed any longer being a senior. I loved the ball flight with my 90 – 96 mph swing speed. I played today with a friend of mine who is a +2 handicap golfer. He loved everything about this ball as I let him try it on various shots to include his driver. His tee shots were higher than this regular TM Tour Red ball flight. Not sure why that is but his ball flight had that climbing trajectory much higher than mine. For me I would game this ball day in and out if it were on the Bridgestone E6 price range. Something tells me this will be a premium ball and be on the upper side of the price range. It’s that good!

DSCF7158-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
I didn't play today but did go out to practice pitching and putting with the new TM balls.

I've never been one who could tell much difference in a golf ball. You know...you say you're not good enough to tell the difference. I guess that's because I've always played with cheap balls or whatever someone gives me until this year. I never understood all the differences in a ball until this year and really until joining this website. I was recently fitted to a Bridgestone B330Rx or E5 ball but I haven't had the chance to really try them out yet. This year I have used the ProVI and the Srixon Z-Star most. I really like the Z-Star ball the best but I get a great deal on the used ProVI's where I work so I use them more.

Well this is the first ball that I can honestly say I immediately noticed a big difference. It is incredibly soft and I love hitting it. It really is like butter off the putter and my SW. I hit shots from about 30-65 yards out with these balls and they felt so good! I hit high shots that landed softly on the green and stopped quickly. In fact, I felt confident shooting at the pin. Most of the balls took one or two hops and then stopped. We have hard greens so I am not used to the ball not rolling out more. At first I left them a bit short but as I got more confident that they would stop, I was able to put them much closer to the flag.

I play 18 holes tomorrow. Can't wait to see how they do on the course. I know I love them for the short game. Definitely feel like a premium golf ball to me...but what do I know??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top