TP5 vs TP5x: the Definitive Guide

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I'm going to bypass the hyperbole, the advertisements that clutter these other websites, and synthesize all the relevant information so you can make an informed decision. Here are the basic characteristics of the TP5s:

Let's see how each ball performed in two different tests performed by two different reputable organizations. The first test involves a robot replicating a consistent swing for driver, iron, and wedge. The driver was swung at 85, 100, and 115 mph. The iron was swung at 85 mph and the wedge was swung at 74 mph. See the results below.

On to the second test. A robot was again used to replicate a driver, iron, and wedge. The driver was calibrated to a 115, 100, and 85 mph swing. The iron was set to 87, 77, 67 mph. The wedge was set to 37 mph.

What can we draw from this? I considered only including one of the experiments because they have drastically different results, but we can still compare the TP5 to the TP5x within the confines of each test.

The first test:

1. The TP5 marginally out-carries the TP5x for the 85 and 100 mph swings. The TP5x marginally out-carries the TP5x for the 115 mph driver, the iron, and the wedge swing.

2. In fact, the only result that stands out is that, for the iron test, the TP5 has an extra 200 RPMs over the TP5x.

The second test:

1. The TP5x out-carries and out-distances the TP5 in all three driver tests. Therefore, one might intuitively hypothesize that the faster or slower the swing gets, the distance gap grows proportionally. Apparently not so.

2. The TP5 out-carries and out-distances the TP5x for the wedge and every iron speed, albeit the differences are minor.

3. The TP5x has a higher launch angle for every driver speed and two of the four remaining categories.

4. The TP5 has a higher backspin for all three driver speeds, which undoubtedly could be contributing to its lesser distance.

5. The RPMs are relatively similar for irons, but the TP5 has an extra 150 RPMs over the TP5x.

Conclusions:

As with most sister balls, the appeal of one over the other is likely due to compression (feel). The first test doesn't say much. If we want to incorporate both tests, we might be able to very hesitantly conclude that the TP5 has a greater RPM for the short game. On the other hand, the second test firmly tells us the TP5x should be preferred by every golfer, of any swing speed, who wants to maximize distance.