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TaylorMade Introduces Tour Preferred Red and Tour Preferred Black Golf Balls

TP Red and TP Black Offer Two Options in Tour-Level Performance; Both Emphasize Accelerated Ball Speed for Increased Distance

Already Played on Tour by Sergio Garcia and Hale Irwin


(April 3, 2006) CARLSBAD, Calif. - TaylorMade Golf Company has introduced two new premium golf balls, the TP Red and TP Black, both of which are already being played on tour.

"We are extremely proud to introduce the TaylorMade® TP Red and TaylorMade TP Black golf balls," said Sean Toulon, executive vice president, product and brand creation for TaylorMade and Maxfli®. "TaylorMade is the best performance brand in the world, and the TaylorMade TP line of equipment delivers performance worthy of the best players in the world. We believe that these two balls are the best-performing products in the premium category, and for those reasons they have been branded TaylorMade TP.

"TaylorMade-adidas offers premium products in every equipment category including the r7® 425 TP driver, r7 TP fairway woods, Rescue® dual TP hybrids, rac TP irons, rac BLACK TP wedges, the Rossa® Monza™ Corza putters, the Tour 360 footwear and ClimaCool® apparel. Three and a half years ago we set out to create a tour-caliber ball worthy of the name TaylorMade TP. We're proud to announce that we've succeeded, as validated by the presence that both balls have already established on tour."

Both the TaylorMade TP Red and TP Black are three-piece balls constructed of the same components and materials: NdV4 core, multi-blend ionomer mantle and ultra-thin thermoset urethane cover. Additionally, the TP Red and TP Black employ an advanced new PDP (pentangular di-pyramid) dimple design.

"Our goal was to build two tour-quality, urethane-covered balls that generate faster ball speed for more distance than any other ball in the category, while also offering low spin off the driver and high spin off the irons," said Benoit Vincent, chief technical officer for TaylorMade. "From that came the creation of TP Red and TP Black, which we believe delivers a better performance package than any other golf ball of its kind."

NdV4 Super-Core Technology for Accelerated Ball Speed


"To make the TP Red and TP Black significantly faster, we had to find a faster core material, but one soft enough to minimize driver spin," said Dean Snell, senior director of R&D for TaylorMade and Maxfli. "We succeeded with NdV4, a neodymium-based rubber compound that combines ultra-high COR and exceedingly low compression. The result is accelerated speed, low driver-spin and soft sound and feel. Independent tests revealed the TP Red and TP Black to be consistently faster than many competitive balls in the tour category including the Pro V1 and Pro V1x.*

NdV4 is a neodymium catalyst which produces a rubber core that has high elasticity and produces a core that combines high COR with low compression.

Pentangular Di-Pyramid Dimple (PDP) Design for Increased Carry, Consistency and Stability
"We found more distance by optimizing the aerodynamics," said Snell. "'Lift' keeps the ball in the air and 'drag' slows the ball down, and it's critical to strike the ideal ratio between lift and drag. Many low driver-spin balls generate too much drag, causing tee shots to drop quickly from the sky. The shape, depth and edging of our PDP dimple design balances lift and drag in relation to spin-rate to effectively extend the back-half of ball flight, promoting longer hang-time, longer carry and longer distance with every club.

Another advantage of the PDP dimple design is that it delivers consistent spin, trajectory and yardages from club to club, and it's super-stable in the wind. "Nearly every tour pro and club pro who has tried the TP Red and TP Black commented on how consistent their distances were, shot after shot, and about how well both balls penetrate the wind and 'hold their line' in blustery conditions," said Snell.

Multi-blend Ionomer Mantle for added Speed and Optimal Launch


The mantle in the TP Red and TP Black fulfills two critical functions. One, it helps regulate each ball's launch angle off both the driver and the irons. Two, its high-COR compound works with the core to boost ball velocity, making the high-speed qualities built into each model accessible to not just higher swing speeds but average swing speeds, as well.

Ultra-thin Thermoset Urethane Cover for Superior Spin


TaylorMade's proprietary and patented thermoset urethane cover delivers a tour-caliber blend of spin, soft feel and superior durability. Thermoset urethane is created by mixing numerous ingredients that react chemically, generating heat and which combine to create a new material that's stronger than the sum of its parts. We believe it makes for the best-performing, best-feeling, most durable urethane cover you'll find.

 

TP Performance
TP Red

Accelerated ball speed for greater distance

High-launch and low-spin off the driver for greater distance

Low-launch and high-spin off the irons for greater command

 

Exceptional greenside spin for superior shot-stopping control
TP Black

Accelerated ball speed for greater distance

High-launch and low-spin off the driver for greater distance

High-launch and high spin off fairway woods, hybrids and irons for greater distance

Exceptional greenside spin for superior shot-stopping control - TP Red and TP Black Performance Differences Explained


The difference in performance between the TP Red and TP Black is a result of their different core diameters and mantle thicknesses. The TP Red incorporates a larger core (1.510" diameter) and thinner mantle (.055" thick) compared to the TP Black's smaller core (1.480" diameter) and thicker mantle (.070" thick).

The TP Red's larger core and thinner mantle promotes a low spin-rate off the driver and a slightly lower, tour-like launch angle off every club in the bag, which promotes increased control. Likewise, the thinner mantle promotes a slightly softer sound and feel.

Conversely, the TP Black's thicker mantle permits the ball to slide up the clubface a fraction at impact for a higher launch angle, while the thicker mantle and smaller core work together to promote an even lower rate of driver-spin. That combination of higher launch angle and lower spin-rate helps promotes increased carry and distance.

TP Red and TP Black on Tour


The TP Red is currently played on tour by Sergio Garcia, Hale Irwin, Robert Damron, Chris Perry, Ian Leggatt and James Driscoll. The TP Black is currently played on tour by Justin Rose and J.L. Lewis. Among the tour pros and club pros who have tried the TP Red and TP Black, the preference is split approximately 50-50.

TP Red and TP Black Benefits for Average Players


Average players will be able to enjoy many of the performance benefits of the TP Red and TP Black because the ball speed that both are engineered to promote is a function of the collaboration of the firm ionomer mantle and soft-yet-fast core, not the core alone, making their speed-producing capabilities accessible to even slower swingers. The bottom line is that most middle and higher handicappers who play the Pro V1 and Pro V1x will get greater ball speed and carry distance out of the TP Red and TP Black.**

Seam-Stamped to Promote Improved Putting


The TaylorMade logo on the TP Red and TP Black is stamped horizontally on the seam of both the Red and Black. This is at the request of players who prefer to align the seam with the target-line when putting. Many such players find it distracting when the logo is stamped either perpendicular or at an angle to the seam.

MSRP and Availability


The TP Red and TP Black each carry a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $55 per dozen. Availability will begin at TaylorMade's retail partners starting on May 19th.

* Robot testing by Golf Labs Inc. Average of 12 shots using set up conditions so as to generate an initial ball speed for the Titleist Pro V1x of 177 mph and spin-rate of approximately 2,800 rpm at a launch angle of 10.6 degrees using a TaylorMade r7(r) quad driver having a loft of 9.5 degrees.

** Robot testing. Average of 12 shots using set up conditions so as to generate an initial ball speed for the Noodle Rotini(r) of 125 mph and spin rate of 3,200 rpm at a launch angle of 13 degrees using a TaylorMade r7(r) 425 driver having a loft of 10.5 degrees.

Pro V1 and Pro V1x are trademarks of Acushnet Company.