The ball, which took three years to develop, won't be available to the public until Dec. 1. It is golf’s first five-piece ball, and according to TaylorMade officials, was added to the USGA’s conforming ball list on Wednesday.
The goal for the Penta was to optimize its performance in five key areas: with the driver, long-irons, middle irons, short irons and partial wedge shots. (Get it? "Penta," five.)
The cover of the Penta TP is made of a soft urethane material to promote a high-spin rate, but lower trajectory on wedge shots and pitches for more control. The outer mantle layer, which can be found directly under the white cover, is the most-easily compressed. Of the three mantle layers in the Penta TP, it's the fastest, and TaylorMade says it is designed to create optimal spin and flight conditions when ball speeds are below 120 mph (short irons for tour pros).
The middle mantle layer is semi-firm, and TaylorMade designed it to be compressible on shots with a ball speed between 120 and 140 mph (mid-irons). According to a TaylorMade memo, the inner mantle is designed to create high-launching, low-spinning shots with a ball speed between 140 and 160 mph (long irons).
Encased under all those layers is the core, which is made from an extremely fast, low-compression material that only the fastest swingers will be able to activate. However, TaylorMade says those who do can expect more ball speed and less spin on drives for increased distance.
TaylorMade expects the Penta TP to be widely used by its Tour staff players, and the ball has not only been tested by Garcia and Goosen, but also by Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Justin Rose. But TaylorMade says the ball should also appeal to slower-swinging players and a wide range of amateurs because it has been designed to increase ball speed (for more distance) and provide feel around the greens.
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