Following on from the success of the Project (a) ball TaylorMade has extended the range with a softer version not surprisingly called the Project (s).
Given the seemingly magic properties of the word 'soft' in the ball market these days, I am a little surprised that the full word is not in the name, but the might of the TaylorMade marketing machine will ensure that everyone knows about it.
Essentially the Project (s) is the same construction as the (a) but with a softer compression of 60 and an ionomer cover instead of a urethane one.
This matters with covers as urethane tends to be on premium balls as it generates bit more spin control on shorter shots, but it is more expensive.
Certainly compared to the (a) around the greens, the Project (s) not only sounded and felt softer, but it tended to run out a little more which may reduce the amount of control you have.
However it means that you will have £1.25 per ball extra in your pocket compared to the (a) and this could be good value as the Project (s) gave better control than most other balls in this sector, so it is worth comparing against other soft balls in this price range.
Compared to (a) on GC2 the lower spin and higher flight of the Project (s) gave a couple more yards of distance with a 7-iron and across the full range of shots that I hit, the spin rate was also more consistent too.
With the driver the softer nature of the ball revealed itself for and the spin actually went up and took a few yards off compared to the 2018 Project (a).
However it was about the same as the 2016 Project (a) and really it is designed for a more moderate swing speed than my 103mph with a driver, so at those lower speeds the extra launch and spin might close the gap between the (a) and (s).
This price point is also about colours and finishes, so as well as the usual double numbers of 00, 11, 22 and 33, you can get the Project (s) in gloss white now, with matt orange and matt yellow to follow in May 2018.
The matt colours are interesting and when you put them next to a gloss ball they look larger, probably because you can't make out the dimples, so if you need a bigger target to aim at then these could be the answer.
As a soft feeling, low price point ball then the Project (s) really is one of the best out there as it combines both these attributes with a bit of control and good distance off driver and irons, so they are worth checking out.