On the back of their Tour Preferred range of irons, TaylorMade have announced the arrival of their all-new Tour Preferred balls.
The four-piece Tour Preferred and five-piece Tour Preferred X balls are designed for TaylorMade's top Tour players and have already been used competition, including Sergio Garcia's win at the Qatar Masters.
Both Tour Preferred balls feature a REACT core that creates greater ball speed as well as TaylorMade's new Soft Tech cover technology. Made from a cast urethane material, TaylorMade say the cover is softer around the greens and provides more resistance to shearing, meaning they will last longer.
The dimple pattern is TaylorMade's 322-dimple Low-Drag Performance Aerodynamics, or LDP. The shape and spacing of the dimples are carefully engineered to limit distance loss on low-spin shots whilst also promoting a strong, penetrating flight into the wind.
Beneath the cover, both balls differ in make-up to target slightly different players.
The standard TaylorMade Tour Preferred ball with the black numbers is aimed at players who want more mid-to-long iron spin. The four layers of the ball work together to create a ball that will spin more, and thus launch slightly higher on approach shots, compared with the Tour Preferred X.
The X-version with the red numbers has a very similar spin profile to last year's TaylorMade Lethal ball. It provides players with a slightly flatter/lower flight and better control around the green thanks in large part to the new Soft Tech cover.
Word from TaylorMade is that they expect 4 out of 5 of their Tour players will choose the Tour Preferred X model, because they are looking for "controlled iron spin for a more penetrating ball flight."
"Golf ball innovation doesn't just happen overnight. Rather, it is a series of ongoing conversation with our Tour players," said Dean Snell, vice president of golf ball R&D. "These conversations have led to the introduction of breakthrough technologies including low drag aerodynamics for ultimate wind resistance, a five-layer construction for superior control throughout the club set and now our softest and most durable cover."