The growth in interest of golf balls with visual aids has spiked in recent years. Callaway’s Truvis ball, with its immediately recognizable soccer pattern, have been a hit with golfers, and companies ranging from Volvik to Titleist have embraced colours as a key differentiating factor from their traditional white golf balls.
Now, you can add TaylorMade’s TP5 Pix, available later this spring, to the equation, after Rickie Fowler put the ball in play Wednesday at The PLAYERS Championship.
Derived from “pixelated” – TP5 Pix is the latest golf ball developed with the notion that visual technology can improve performance.
“There’s a lot of research being conducted on visual technology and our research has shown Pix is easier to see than a white ball,” says Eric Loper, TaylorMade’s director of golf ball research and development. “You really notice the difference on chips and putts.”
For a long time, the phrase “white, round and sits on the ground,” was used for golf balls. Not any longer, and Pix is the latest to showcase alternatives. The human eye processes lighter colours more efficiently when it’s darker and darker colours when it’s lighter. That’s the basic concept behind Pix—with two colours within one shape, visibility is enhanced. In almost every sport utilizing a ball in play, the ball itself delivers immediate feedback – such as a baseball’s spin out of the pitcher’s hand. The larger contrast graphics of TP5 Pix allow golfers to see how much overall and side spin is generated around the green. Pix’s unique pattern with 12 evenly-spaced images allows the product to show spin when putting and chipping. The feedback the ball provides allows the golfer to immediately see the amount of spin being generated and the direction of that spin on shots on and around the green.
Durability
Ensuring the graphics didn’t come off the ball was a key to the development of Pix. To make sure they stay in place and don’t smear or wear, TaylorMade used am under-coating for durability, which is the same process used to keep the ball’s logo in place. Placing graphics on golf balls is more challenging than it initially appears, and such was the case with Pix, forcing TaylorMade to create a proprietary machine over 18 months that will apply the pattern.
Who is it for?
New graphics—same TP5. Golfers buying Pix will find the graphics system on TaylorMade’s five-layer premium golf ball. With its Tri-Fast Core and Speed-layer system, the TP5 reacts differently to different shots—with less spin off the driver, and more on chips. And now with Pix, those differences will be more visible than ever.