Equipment

TaylorMade Project (a) golf balls

Published

12 years ago

Feb 3, 2014

In most ways, amateurs need their golf balls to perform like the premium balls used by professional golfers.

With the driver, for example, most amateurs prefer the low-spin performance that is typical of a multi-piece tour ball because it allows them to hit longer drives. And on short shots, amateurs will benefit from the high-spin performance that is characteristic of a tour ball’s thin, urethane cover.

TaylorMade’s new Project (a) golf balls are designed specifically for amateurs, and use the company’s “React Core” to create low-spinning drives and “Soft Tech” cast urethane cover to drive higher-spinning short shots. The three-piece Project (a) balls also have a “Spin Mantle” layer in the middle, which helps regulate spin on the shots in between. Where they’re different from TaylorMade’s new Tour Preferred and Tour Preferred X tour balls, however, is where their high spin kicks in.

According to Dean Snell, vice president of golf ball R&D for TaylorMade, amateurs with handicaps in 10-to-24 range miss the green from 150 yards by an average of 35 yards. They certainly don’t need the extra spin a tour ball would provide on those shots, because it would cause them to miss the target by an even greater margin. But where they do need spin is from 80 yards and in, where Snell said they record 80 percent of their shots during a round.

“The tour guys, they average about 10,000 rpm of spin with their wedges,” Snell said. “It takes about 9000 rpm for a ball to spin and come back [on the green]. But amateurs only average about 5000 rpm of spin.”

To close the gap between amateurs and professionals, the Project (a) golf balls are designed to have maximum spin with a golfer’s short clubs, from the 9 iron and in for most golfers. Every extra 1000 rpm amateurs can generate with those clubs will stop the ball 5 feet closer to its landing point, Snell said.

The Project (a) golf balls are available in stores now for $31.99 per dozen.

Related Topics:golf balls TaylorMade

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29 Comments

Ragin Kagin

Jul 25, 2014 at 12:34 pm

Love these, on my 5th dozen. Straight drives great spin on short shots and great durability no scuffs off my rotax wedges ,and excellent feel all around. Ive been searching for a ball to call my own for 2yrs and now ive got one. Was playing bridge rxs before . These are much straighter of the tee.

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Gary

Feb 5, 2014 at 2:24 pm

Sounds like this ball is very much worth a try, probably a somewhat updated Rocketballz Urethane. Does this ball have a seamless cover?

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Joe Golfer

Feb 5, 2014 at 1:47 am

If they spin that much, I hope the covers don’t get chewed up on wedge shots, especially with so many of the latest wedges having the extra laser etched grooving on the faces.

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jc

Feb 4, 2014 at 5:02 pm

talk about spin!!!! I hit a driver and the ball hit the ground and spun all the way back to the tee!!!!

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jc

Feb 4, 2014 at 5:01 pm

many optic tests have proven that yellow is easier to see…why do you think tennis balls are yellow now? they are also easier to spot in the early morning and dusk…the white ball is easier to see IF it is early morning, there is dew on the grass and the sun is bright..

I like yellow because I know which ball is mine when we get out in the fairway.

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- Erjhin
  
  Sep 29, 2014 at 11:29 am
  
  A good many vallubaes you’ve given me.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Arsotangkul
  
  Oct 1, 2014 at 9:06 am
  
  Thanks for the great info dog I owe you biigtgy.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Brandie
  
  Jan 20, 2015 at 3:51 pm
  
  cheap auto insurance
  
  Reply Report comment
J

Feb 4, 2014 at 11:41 am

Any data to back-up the claim it takes 9000 RPM to back a golf ball up on the green? If that is the case, I’m hitting the 9k mark with a 6 iron and just shy of that on my 4 iron.

Reply Report comment
- Zak Kozuchowski
  
  Feb 4, 2014 at 12:11 pm
  
  A lot of factors at play here, J: angle of descent, firmness of greens, moisture content, etc. But you bring up a good point. This is something I’d like for us to drill into in the future.
  
  Reply Report comment
Poi

Feb 4, 2014 at 12:55 am

How is it off the driver? Does it balloon?

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Indy

Feb 3, 2014 at 6:49 pm

I got some of these at the PGA Show, the spin rate increase was crazy! I generated 9800 with the NXT Tour, 11000 with Project A. Took it to the course the next day, backed both shots I hit with it back at minimal 20ft. The Rocketballz Urethane, could not do what this ball will do. Saw my dad do their test, went from 5000 to 6500. Same test with NXT Tour. This ball will spin!

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- Adam
  
  Aug 5, 2014 at 2:50 pm
  
  That’s because the NXT Tour doesn’t have a completely urethane cover. They advertise it as a “blend”
  
  Reply Report comment
Jim

Feb 3, 2014 at 12:03 pm

Sounds like a rebranding of the the RBZ Urethane from last year – not that that’s a bad thing. Hopefully TM will learn about keeping the name of their golf balls consistent going forward too.

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- Brady Wilson
  
  Feb 3, 2014 at 5:02 pm
  
  Those balls surprised me by how good they were. our shop sold out of them because they were so cheap, and good quality combined. hopefully they improved upon that same idea. I’ll have to give these a try.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - bootscrilla
    
    Feb 3, 2014 at 6:33 pm
    
    Same here, we couldn’t keep them on the shelves..I never did try them but I might have to give these a go
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Justin
      
      Feb 3, 2014 at 10:52 pm
      
      I agree, they were really good balls, and I gamed them for a little bit in my college matches. They may have spun a tad much on the mid irons, but that may be because I still used the old TP/Black balls from forever ago (itself a mid spin design).
      
      Reply Report comment
Chris

Feb 3, 2014 at 11:46 am

The reason most amateurs average around 5,000 RPM’s of spin is not just the golf ball, but the way they strike it. Hard to generate spin when they pick it off the turf or if they are hitting an approach from the rough, too.

Reply Report comment
- Poi
  
  Feb 4, 2014 at 12:55 am
  
  You mean blade it off the turf. You can still generate a ton of spin by picking it on the grooves.
  
  Reply Report comment
J

Feb 3, 2014 at 11:41 am

Similar to NXT Tours perhaps?

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tbowles411

Feb 3, 2014 at 10:43 am

But can you get it in yellow?

Reply Report comment
- deafninja
  
  Feb 3, 2014 at 4:58 pm
  
  Nope not currently in yellow doubt they will produce it in yellow. That’s why I will stick with Srixon since they have practically all of their offerings available in Yellow.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Dave
    
    Feb 3, 2014 at 5:13 pm
    
    What’s the benefit of yellow? Not trying to down play, just curious.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - bootscrilla
      
      Feb 3, 2014 at 6:31 pm
      
      Visibility for the most part
      
      Reply Report comment
      - Jeff
        
        Feb 3, 2014 at 8:19 pm
        
        They are no easier to see. It’s a gimmick.
        
        Reply Report comment
      - RadioActive
        
        Feb 4, 2014 at 11:07 am
        
        Well if Jeff says they are not easier to see then they must not be easier to see…
        
        Reply Report comment
      - paul
        
        Feb 5, 2014 at 12:54 am
        
        I play early morning golf and its way easier to see when the sun is barely up. And it is easier to spot in the rough I think.
        
        Reply Report comment
      - fitterray
        
        Feb 5, 2014 at 7:30 pm
        
        I’ve lost every yellow ball that I’ve ever had.
        
        Reply Report comment
      - Ragin Kagin
        
        Jul 25, 2014 at 12:29 pm
        
        Lmao @ fitterray is correct ive lost all of mine as well
        
        Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Putters that never made it: Check out some of the best tour builds that didn’t make the cut

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2026

Alistair Cameron

Arguably, the best perk of being a professional golfer on the PGA Tour is the ability to request or even just be handed pretty much any club you could think of. It happens more often than you think, usually with putters around the practice green from one event to the next. Come Wednesday, the Tour bags lining the edge of the putting surface become resting places for fallen flatsticks that never made the cut.

So let’s take a look at some of the best we’ve seen out on Tour this year that never made it to the competition. (You may notice none of Hideki Matsuyama’s custom Scotty Cameron putters made this list. There are too many.)

Let’s start with this custom Damascus Milled Odyssey Rossie made for Ryo Hisatsune. Featuring a single line and the short-slant hossel, we’ve seen plenty of Number 7 and jailbird heads featuring the Damascus Milled insert, but this is the first and only one we’ve spotted in a Rossie. Hisatsune primarily putts with an Odyssey Black Series iX #9, but we have seen him recently with a TaylorMade TP Collection SOTO, so there could be potential that the Damascus Milled Rossie could end up in the bag.

Everyone wants to be Cameron Young right now. We’ve had Justin Thomas and Tom Hoge both game the Scotty Cameron 9.5R prototype. Well, for the PGA Championship, Brooks Koepka nearly joined that list after requesting the same style of putter, with the full-length alignment line. But the Scotty Cameron reps took the request a step further and made one specially for Koepka with a Teryllium insert, similar to one in his previous Newport 2 gamers. The reason why this one didn’t go into play, though? Because it was too heavy.

Harry Hall was the third-best putter on Tour last year, so when Bettinardi made him a custom proto, you know it was going to be good. The custom BB28 blade features VDF face milling, a custom-welded single-bend shaft, and the owner’s initials – HH – on the sole of the putter. Hall, who usually games an Odyssey O-Works #7 W, has dabbled with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X already this year. Maybe there’s a chance this Bettinardi might make his bag.

Honestly, this one doesn’t need a description. It’s Kieth Mitchell’s custom Scotty Cameron Napa. One Scotty Cameron face stamp, two Scotty Dogs, two Scotty Cameron 7-Point Crowns and one Circle T. That is all. Oh, except for the Cashmere Cameron headcover.

Finally, and just for fun, how about we pour one out for this TaylorMade Spider Tour X made for Scottie Scheffler in its new torched finish. It’s unlikely we’ll see a putter change anytime soon from the best golfer in the world. In fact, he hit just two putts with it on the Harbour Town practice before going back to his trusty gamer.

Whats in the Bag

Patrick Reed WITB 2026 (May)

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: Titleist GT3 (9 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 130 M.S.I. 70 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X

7-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X

Irons: Grindworks PR-202 (4), Grindworks PR-101A (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 Tour Rack (52-10 Mid), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-08M), SM11 (60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Tour Rat 1.5 Tour Prototype

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

See more photos of Patrick Reed’s clubs here.

Equipment

Which of Tiger’s major winning irons are your favorite? – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

In our forums, our members have been discussing their favorite major winning irons used by Tiger Woods. WRXer ‘golferdude54’ kicks off the thread saying:

“Mizuno MP 14/29. Titleist 681T. Nike Forged Blades. TaylorMade P7TW.

Among these irons that helped Tiger win 15 majors, which is your favorite in terms of looks?”

And our members have been naming their favorites and why in response.

Here are a couple of posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

SwingBlade: “I prefer the early blades he played and the more recent TM TW’s especially because after Tiger had his major behavioral setbacks, part of Nikes support payback was making Tiger play a Nike putter and cease using his beloved uniquely customized Scotty putter.”
ProjectX: “This (Nike Forged Blades) and there’s not even a close second.”

Entire Thread: “Which of Tiger’s major winning irons are your favorite? – GolfWRXers discuss”