Equipment
TaylorMade launches new Tour Preferred, Project A golf balls
It’s easy to tell the difference between TaylorMade’s three premium new golf balls: just bounce them on your wedge. Each will make a different sound.
If that test was done with the previous version of TaylorMade’s Tour Preferred and Tour Preferred X golf balls, however, the sound, which golfers equate to feel, would be nearly identical.
Both the Tour Preferred and Tour Preferred X were previously 88-compression golf balls, but they had two different constructions. The four-piece Tour Preferred was designed to give golfers more iron spin to help them stop approach shots more quickly on the green, while the five-piece Tour Preferred offered less iron spin for more distance. Off the tee and around the greens, the performance of the two balls was relatively the same.
“We wanted to make the differences more noticeable,” said Eric Loper, TaylorMade’s director of golf ball R&D. “One way to do that is to make the golf balls feel different.”
Loper and his team conducted a study with TaylorMade’s PGA Tour Staff players and found that they were much less sensitive to the feel of a golf ball than its performance.
“[PGA Tour players] are more focused on, ‘How is that ball going to perform as it comes off the face and lands on the green?'” Loper said. “But as you go out and work with consumers, you find that they are much more focused on feel.”
Users of TaylorMade’s Tour Preferred X include four of the top 11-ranked golfers in the world: Jason Day (No. 1), Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, each of which said they’ve been happy with the performance of the Tour Preferred X from tee to green.
“The TaylorMade ball surprises people,” Justin Rose said. “The last two Ryder Cups, we’ve played my ball [in alternate shot].”
On each golfer’s wish list was more spin on shots around the greens, however, which TaylorMade achieved with a small tweak. The Soft Tech cast urethane cover of the ball was made slightly thicker — from 0.030 to 0.035 of an inch — and the adjacent layer was made thinner by the same amount. It sounds like a simple change, but it took more than 43 prototypes to perfect, according to Loper.
“YOU CAN HIT THAT LOW SHOT AROUND THE GREENS WAY EASIER NOW,” DUSTIN JOHNSON SAID. “IT TAKES TWO HOPS, AND THEN BOOP.”
TaylorMade made more substantial changes to the Tour Preferred. It’s still a four-piece golf ball, but the compression has been reduced — from 88 to 80. That’s thanks to a new inner mantle layer, which surrounds the core of the golf ball. It’s called Speed Mantle 2, and boasts 65 percent more flexibility.
“It offers the same speed of the original Speed Mantle, but is that much softer,” Loper said.
Like the previous Tour Preferred, the ball will appeal to golfers who need more spin from their iron shots, and now a much larger crowd — golfers who prefer a softer feel.
The Tour Preferred and Tour Preferred X will sell for $47.99 per dozen when they arrive in stores on November 6.
Project A
Unlike the Tour Preferred and Tour Preferred X golf balls, the Project A is designed for golfers with average clubhead speeds. A TaylorMade study revealed that from 150 yards, amateurs with handicaps of 10-24 missed the green by an average of 35 yards. For that reason, the Project A was given the same cast urethane cover as the Tour Preferred and Tour Preferred X, which will give average golfers the maximum amount of greenside spin to enhance their chances of getting up and down.
“[All three balls] will have about the same spin off the tee,” Loper said. “Where you will see the difference between the three balls is with the irons,” Loper said. “The Project A has the highest iron spin, the Tour Preferred is in the middle and the Tour Preferred X has the least iron spin. Around the greens, the balls will perform about the same.”
Like the Tour Preferred, TaylorMade’s Project A golf ball will resonate with golfers who prefer a softer feel. TaylorMade developed a new, softer core for the ball, which uses special additives that allowed the compression to be dropped from 86 to 70 without compromising distance.
The Project A will be in stores on November 6 and sell for $34.99 per dozen.
[wrx_retail_links productid=”14″]
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
cmyktaylor
Oct 30, 2015 at 5:28 pm
I play the current Project (a). Confession: I found a Pro V1 on the course two rounds ago and I’ve been playing it for the past few rounds. Very happy with it. Not interested in the price though.
Golfandpuff
Oct 30, 2015 at 7:40 am
Updates sound good, but I would much prefer picking up dozen(s) of current offering at half the price.
Al385
Oct 29, 2015 at 3:21 pm
TP and TPX are pretty good balls. It’s good that they kept the same brand for 2016, which is not the usual marketing strategy for TM.
Alan Jackson Jr
Oct 28, 2015 at 12:31 pm
They better not screw up the Project A’s or I will be ticked.
Mark
Oct 26, 2015 at 2:19 pm
Please ensure these balls feel firm. Too many new balls feel like a wet sponge.
Trab
Oct 27, 2015 at 2:42 am
The X definitely is firm. To make the other ones softer, wow, they must feel like nothing to hit with the irons.
Ian
Oct 26, 2015 at 2:09 pm
So are we (a) all suckers for “soft feel” instead of focusing on performance?
Trab
Oct 27, 2015 at 2:42 am
Yes, you’re all weaklings who are too soft
Joe
Oct 27, 2015 at 8:33 am
Hey! Look everyone! A real life troll!
Sam
Oct 26, 2015 at 11:37 am
I use the current version of the Project (a) ball and I love it. I’ll definitely be picking up some of these when my current stock runs out. I have been going back and forth between these and the Wilson SPIN Duos.
Charlie
Oct 28, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Sam, How do you rate the Wilson Spin Duos?
DeAngelo
Oct 31, 2015 at 9:18 pm
The spin duo’s are great balls. Especially when you factor in the “bang for buck” factor. 35 compression ball so it is soft. I really do love the project (a) ball. offers a lot of spin and not too spongy.