TaylorMade Burner TP Golf Ball Review

By Matt Manco

Specs

The TaylorMade Burner TP golf ball is a three-piece devoted to mitigating driver spin. A V-Core promotes velocity while keeping a 60 compression with an HPF 1000 mantle, the combination allows for maximum distance with minimal side spin. The Iothane 56 cover is a hybrid urethane and ionomer meant to deliver the feel of urethane with the durability of ionomer. The Burner TP features TaylorMade's LDP aerodynamics. LDP, or low-drag performance, is a core design to maximize distance on the most common driver mis-hits. Driver spin has been targeted by ball manufacturers recently and TaylorMade has made it the focus of their line.

Perks

The Burner TP gets up quickly and holds well in any conditions. I kept waiting for my draw spin to catch and bring the ball down hard but it stayed in the air longer and landed soft. I alternated driver and iron shots with the Titleist NXT Tour, the sales leader in the category, and there is no comparison between the two.

Sacrifices

The emphasis on driver control means sacrifices in other areas. While that area exceeds expectations, greenside control is average. If spin is a big part of your game, you will lose a little here. The Nike Vapor and Titleist NXT Tour have more bite, but the Burner TP will check up and still responds well when hitting draws and cuts into greens.

Bottom Line

At $27 a dozen, TaylorMade designed a ball to fix holes in the average player's game, and they succeeded. Maybe your 8-iron won't bite out of the rough, but with the added distance, you'll be hitting wedges anyway.

About The Author

Matt Manco is a freelance writer based in New England. A member of the award-winning Maroon student newspaper at Loyola University, his work has appeared across the Beacon Communications newspaper and magazine group as a local government reporter and photojournalist.

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