As an Amateur Golfer who has to purchase my golf balls I am always on the lookout for a golf ball that will deliver comparable performance to the Tour-quality ball but at an affordable price.
The Taylormade Tour Response has been designed by Taylormade, a leading Golf Ball Manufacturer to provide a tour-level performance at an affordable price.
The Taylormade Tour Response is a three-piece golf ball with a 100% urethane cover. Urethane makes a ball feel soft when striking it and helps with grab and control when it hits the green and is generally used on Tour-quality golf balls that are more expensive. Cheaper golf balls have ionomer covers that do not feel as soft and do not provide as much control and spin that is required for your short game.
The Tour Response has been designed and manufactured specifically for the amateur, club golfer providing a urethane cover with a soft feel and higher spin rates for good short game control at a lower more affordable price.
Before purchasing the Taylormade Tour Response you should consider the following factors:
- Materials used for construction of the ball.
- Durability – how many rounds can you play with the ball?
- Compression – lower compression will help golfers with average swing speeds to get more ball speed and distance.
- Feel – how does the ball feel on impact.
- Distance and flight Stability.
- Approach spin with fairway irons and wedges
- How does it feel when putting?
- Price – Is it cost-effective and “value for money”.
Taylormade Tour Response Review
Taylormade Tour Response Golf Ball
The vast majority of amateur club golfers cannot hit the ball as well as a Tournament Professional thus Taylormade developed the Tour Response golf ball after evaluating the feedback from thousands of golfers of all ability levels about the attributes they wanted in a golf ball.
The Tour Response ball provides a more affordable ball than the ball played on professional circuits such as the Taylormade TP5 or TP5x while also including many of their technologies. The ball is thus suitable for the Amateur club player who wants a quality golf ball that will perform well and that he can afford.
The Tour Response ball has three layers consisting of a soft inner Hi-Spring core with an ultra-low compression of 40 that delivers a better and softer feel on impact. The soft, core is surrounded by a firmer layer “Speedmantle with HFMq” that allows for rapid transfer of energy resulting in more ball speed and distance. The outer layer consists of a soft, cast 100% urethane cover that allows for better grip and increased spin to stop the ball quicker on the green.
Taylormade Tour Response vs Titleist Pro V1 Golf Balls
One of the reasons Taylormade developed the Tour Response ball was to offer the average golfer a golf ball that performed better than the majority of cheaper balls on the market that have an ionomer cover and could still perform favorably with the Professional Tournament balls such as the market-leading Titleist Pro V1
In a survey to compare the Tour Response with the Titleist Pro V1, the conclusion was that the Taylor Tour Response is a very good alternative to the Titleist V1 when you take into account the cost and performance of the Tour Response ball.
Features and Benefits
Materials Used
Urethane covers are the industry standard when it comes to premium performance in golf balls and urethane-covered golf balls are used extensively by tour professionals. The Tour Response golf ball uses the same 100% cast urethane cover that is on the Taylormade Flagship balls the TP5 and TP5x.
The urethane cover gives it a soft almost spongy feel that allows the grooves on your short irons to grip the ball better creating more RPMs of spin for the average club golfer compared to ionomer products allowing you to stop the ball quicker on the greens. It also has a new dimple pattern that promotes increased lift and decreased drag allowing the ball to stay in the air longer.
The Tour Response features a high spring core with 40 compression that allows for a soft feel on impact and extra distance for golfers with a medium to slow clubhead speed.
The soft, core is surrounded by the second firmer layer comprising of Speedmantle with HFMq and this increases speed and distance.
Durability
The Tour Response golf ball is very durable with reports received of golfers playing 3 rounds before any marks appeared. If my golfing prowess is taken into account, I am more likely to lose the ball in the rough before I ever need to replace it.
Compression
The Tour Response has a soft central core with a compression of 40 that makes it far easier to compress for golfers with average swing speeds allowing the amateur club golfer to attain more ball speed and distance.
The Feel of the Tour Response
The Tour Response is a very soft-feeling golf ball and you will certainly get the feeling of having compressed the golf ball through impact when using your irons on the fairway.
Distance Achieved and Flight Stability
This golf ball can be hit to distances comparable with the market leaders used by professional golfers. In the comparison survey between the Taylormade Tour Response and the Titleist Pro V1, the test conducted determined that the Titleist Pro V1 was a small distance longer off the tee while the Taylormade Tour Response was considerably longer than the Titleist Pro V1 using a 7-iron.
It is very stable and produces a consistent flight and is easy to control in the wind.
Approach Spin with Fairway Irons.
Although the Tour Response can be hit for long distances, unlike ionomer balls the urethane cover with its soft almost spongy feel creates more spin on impact meaning your ball will hold on the green. Using a pitching wedge the grooves on the wedge combined with the soft urethane cover will create sufficient spin on the Tour Response to hold the green.
Putting
The Tour Response runs true and the ‘Tour Response” alignment aid is functional and can be of help with your putting.
Price
The Taylormade Tour Response has been specifically designed to provide a golf ball comparable with golf balls used by Professional golfers but at a cheaper price to allow the average club golfer to afford to buy these balls without compromising on quality.
Alternatives
Taylormade Soft Response
The Taylormade Soft Response was launched at the same time as the Taylormade Tour Response and does not have a urethane cover but uses a soft ionomer cover. The cover has shallow U-shaped dimples to increase lift and reduce drag allowing the ball to travel further. It has a low compression of 35 giving this ball a very soft feel.
The SOFT Response is cheaper than the tour Response golf ball and although it is comparable to the Tour Response concerning distance driven the Tour Response offers more spin control on the greens.
Conclusion
The Taylormade Tour Response is very close in performance to the Taylormade Flagship golf balls the TP5 and TP5x and the Titleist Pro V1. If you are looking for a golf ball that provides good distance while holding its line. Has better control especially around the greens in comparison to the majority of mid-priced golf balls at an affordable price, the Taylormade Tour Response is a worthwhile choice.
Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.
