In a bid to challenge Titleist’s dominance of the premium ball category, TaylorMade claims to have solved an "invisible" problem on its new TP5 and TP5x balls for 2026. The latest iteration of the ball family used by Rory McIlroy introduces a new Microcoating technology said to create more consistent ball flights.
TaylorMade’s R&D team found by using new micromeasuring capabilities, which could see parts of the ball as close to the tenth of the thickness of a human hair, existing finishing processes meant excess paint had a tendency to pool in the bottom of the dimples. This then created an uneven application across the ball’s surface, resulting in inconsistent ball flight performance out on the course.
