TaylorMade Project A Golf Ball Review
The 2016 Ryder Cup matches are in the books after a season of Major Championship breakthroughs, surprises, and outright shock. From Jordan Spieth's unexpected collapse at The Masters (and stellar play by Danny Willett), to Dustin Johnson's perseverance at the U.S. Open despite absurd USGA officiating, and career defining wins from Henrik Stenson and Jimmy Walker, it's been quite a year.
Yet once a golfer has hit their tee shot in the fairway or even the rough the next shot(s) are about being able to position themselves on or around the green for the scoring clubs, namely a wedge and putter. Or on many par 5's, the second shot should be a positioning shot for a 3rd into the green. This year in particular there were great PGA tournament finishes where the winner laid up with precision in order to hit a short iron or wedge into a par 5 green. A half hour later they were holding a trophy and a fat 7 figure check. The best players in the world know how to use spin to their advantage. In fact, their livelihood depends on it. You too can learn to use 2nd and 3rd shot spin to your greatest benefit and an easy way to get started it to use a golf ball that is designed for exactly that purpose. The TayorMade Project A golf ball is a ball that is specifically designed to help the average golfer spin the ball like the pros. By the way, the official name for this ball is the PROJECT (a), but for simplicity I will refer to it as the Project A for the remainder of this report.
Admittedly when most golfers hear the name TaylorMade, the first thought they have is Drivers. And why not, the R series drivers (R7, R9, R11, R1, R15) over the years have been among the most played on Tour and are quite popular with recreational golfers all over the world. Now the new M1 drivers have built on that reputation and are widely used on Tour and elsewhere. But did you know the top 2 players in the world use TaylorMade Golf Balls. Yep, both Jason Day and Dustin Johnson play the Tour Preferred X golf ball, a premium 5 layer golf ball with a premium price. Oh, and world #10 Justin Rose is the only golfer on the planet with an Olympic gold medal. He won that hardware playing the Tour Preferred X. So Taylormade has plenty of "cred" in the ball business. The TaylorMade Project A golf ball is specifically geared toward the mid-handicap golfer, the 10-20 index player who has reasonable control of their golf ball, but still suffers from some inconsistency. As stated, the ball was designed with an increased emphasis on delivering more iron spin so golfers could experience Tour like control with "skip and stop" precision. The 50 yards and under approaches are an integral part of the scoring shots that determine whether you are putting from 15 or 5 feet. Over the course of a round, your realistic birdie and par opportunities skyrocket when it is the latter. The Project A is a 3 piece golf ball that has a rubber core, a mantle (inner) layer around the core, and then a very soft cast urethane cover. The general construction of the ball puts it in the construction class of the Titleist Pro V1, Bridgestone B330-RXS, Srixon Z-Star, etc... The core of the Project A is very soft at 40, with an overall ball compression of ~86. The other 2 balls are in the same range with the Z-Star compression at 90 and the Pro V1 88-90. Note that overall ball compression can be subjective as there are no standards for measurement and the USGA and R&A do not regulate compression values. Also keep in mind that compression and softness are separate properties. Compression is a function of the "guts" of the ball, while softness is related to the cover. Impressions and Testing.. So does the Taylormade Project A golf ball live up to the claims? Let's start with the visuals. Out of the box it was refreshing to see an uncomplicated dimple pattern. It's a 360 dimple standard configuration without the multi-sized or dimple-in-dimple layouts that are less desirable to the purists. These balls are also only available in white (no yellow, orange, or multi-patterned cover designs like the Callaway Chrome Soft). Off The Tee: Given the premise behind the ball, namely a ball with Tour caliber spin for less then Tour swing speeds on the approach shots, I was expecting a tradeoff in distance and flight characteristics off the tee compared to other Tour balls. This wasn't the case. The overall distance compared to other Tour balls. There was a bit more spin off the tee which translated into a slightly higher ball flight which for me is not a negative, rather an observation. In fact most recreational golfers will actually benefit from a higher launch angle as long as the spin is not excessive.
Unless a golfer is playing consistently in extremely windy conditions where control and roll are paramount, I encourage players to maximize the carry part of the distance equation. The ball spends most of the time in the air and roll typically contributes only ~10% to the total distance. So if you experience a slightly higher ball flight with the Project A feel free to embrace it. Jack Nicklaus one said something to the effect that he liked high drives because "there were no hazards in the air."
The Project A feels great off the hybrid and longer irons (a 5 iron is my lowest). This is where the 86 compression is evident as there is plenty of swing speed on these longer shafted clubs so hitting one on the screws gives great feedback from that lower compression core and mantle layer. The ball smash felt on the order of the Titleist NXT Tour which is a 3-Piece ionomer (not urethane) covered ball which was also part of the testing. These balls have similar overall compressions, like the others mentioned earlier in this report. Spin Baby Spin. Alright, let's get to the good stuff. The Project A is designed for more spin on the higher lofted irons and wedges for golfers with less than Tour swing speed. You see, Tour players can spin and stop just about any golf ball in part because of their high swing speeds which translates down to the wedges. You have probably watched Phil Mickelson spin an approach or hit one of his famous flop shots to within a few feet or inches from the hole. The average PGA Tour pro golfers generates up to 50% more spin than the recreational golfer on the wedges. Big parts of the spin equation include swing speed, approach angle, and strike quality, but the ball cover and mantle layer also play an enourmous role. The engineers at TaylorMade did some great work manipulating the "Spin Mantle" layer (dark green above) and "Soft Tech" cast urethane cover to create the perfect balance of performance and importantly durability. The Project A is fantastic on the wedges and lives up to its claims for spin, spin, and more spin. It is also worth mentioning that if you like to drive wedges in low the extra spin is of great benefit. There is an increasing trend on Tour where you will see higher tee shots (ala Bubba Watson) and lower, driving irons/wedges flight into the greens. The lower approaches require the spin qualities of a urethane cover in order to achieve skid and stop action. Lower flying wedges are also less affected by the wind which helps the pros dial in more precision. Of course one can still launch these balls high into the greens but with the Project A you now have options, especially if your swing speed and contact are not Tour caliber. Greenside and Putting.. When a golf ball reacts with a putter face, the feedback you receive is virtually all related to the cover, in this case a soft urethane Tour ball cover. So there were no surprises here. The Project A feels great off the putter (and chip shots) and easily on par with the Pro V1, the gold standard in Tour balls. I rate putting feel on 3 sound levels, as sound relates directly to feel; - a "snap" (harder balls, poor feel) - a "knock" (decent feel and speed control) - a "soft click" (great feel, ala urethane covers) This ball rates a "soft click" and distance control was excellent. Putting feel is perhaps the most subjective aspect of the ball characteristics. Some golfers like the firm feel, some a more balata-like (soft rubber) quality. This is definitely the latter.
Summing Up (and more good news).. The TaylorMade Project A Golf Balls is an excellent product that solves a big piece of the puzzle in delivering Tour like approach shot spin to the recreational golfer without sacrificing distance off the tee. And how does $26-28 bucks a dozen sound? Yep, that's the retail price (Walmart and others will even ship them for free). Compare to $48 for other premium Tour balls. At about $6.50 a sleeve, an 18 hole trial would be a nice way to spend part of an upcoming Fall weekend. Or if you are in the other hemisphere, Summer is just around the corner! Enjoy your October golf, Robert
Cotter
Copyright © 2016 Robert Cotter Instant Golf® All Rights Reserved Instant Golf Lesson Other
names, trademarks, and images are copyrights of
their respective owners.
|
by
Robert Cotter
It's
a perfect time for a new Golf Ball Review,
and this time I take a look at the TaylorMade Project
A Golf Ball which is a bit of a departure. We all
hear about low spin
golf
balls and their virtues. In fact, low spin, low spin, low
spin has been the mantra now for a number of years. And without
a doubt, low spinning golf balls (especially off the tee)
do reduce the effects of side spin, which can help keep you
in the fairway. 
Long
Irons & Hybrids: Do you use a hybrid?
If so, you will probably love this ball. I use a 3 hybrid
(19 degrees)
and love it especially on the par fives. On shorter par fives
it's helped position the ball for eagle putts and chips.
On "beast" holes I rely on it for positioning for
3rd shots into the greens.