Gear: TaylorMade SpeedSoft golf balls
Price: $24.99 per dozen
Specs: Two-piece, ionomer-covered ball available in white, yellow and Ink pattern (green, blue, orange, pink and red)
Who It’s For: Budget-minded golfers who want more distance off the tee.
The Skinny: TaylorMade designed a new, ultra-soft core for the SpeedSoft for more distance, then developed a new visual pattern to make it stand out.
The Deep Dive: TaylorMade is trying to make significant inroads in the golf ball category in 2024, and the balls that you will hear the most about are the TP5 and TP5x, along with their TP5 and TP5x Pix counterparts. Those are the balls that Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Nelly Korda and Rickie Fowler are playing, and those are the balls that will put the most considerable dent in your wallet. For many players, $54.99 for a dozen balls is just not going to happen, and the $42.99 per dozen Tour Response may be out of reach, too.
For budget-minded golfers who still want a ball that delivers solid performance and doesn’t feel like a rock when you hit it, TaylorMade is releasing the SpeedSoft. This two-piece, ionomer-covered ball was designed to provide soft feel, more distance and possibly add some pizazz to your game.
The Ink version of the SpeedSoft ball is eye-catching. (TaylorMade)
At the heart of the SpeedSoft is the newly developed PWRCore. It is an exceptionally soft core, so every golfer should be able to activate it off the tee for more distance. However, because the SpeedSoft has a 50 compression, it holds the distinction of being the softest-feeling ball in the TaylorMade lineup.
The SpeedSoft does not create the same level of greenside spin that the urethane-covered TP5 and TP5x can. Still, its ionomer cover is designed to generate a mid- to high-launch trajectory with wedges, so golfers should be able to create stopping power by bringing shots in more vertically.
In addition to traditional white and yellow color options, TaylorMade is offering the SpeedSoft in a new Ink pattern that features splashes of green, blue, red or pink, along with a complimenting black. The pattern, which looks like splattered paint, is eye-catching, but there is still an arrowed side stamp for golfers who like to use a line on their ball when they putt.
