Typically when TaylorMade launch a new product you expect to see players like Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Sergio Garcia hitting it and telling you how much it has improved their game.
However, the players talking about TaylorMade's newest product are the likes of Andy Roddick, Kelly Slater and Wayne Gretzky.
That is because TaylorMade's latest ball isn't designed for PGA or European Tour players, rather it is specifically designed for amateurs. For that reason, TaylorMade named the ball Project (a).
TaylorMade's research discovered that average amateur player produces half as much spin into the green as a Tour player. Therefore they went to work designing a ball that would suit the needs and demands of everyday golfers.
Dean Snell, TaylorMade's Vice President of golf ball R&D said:
Having gathered data from many player types including Tour pros, it’s no secret that amateurs need help generating spin and stopping the ball on the green. Our tests indicate that amateurs miss the pin by an average of 35 yards on a 150 yard approach shot. Playing Project (a) gives amateur golfers a better chance at stopping the ball on the green, creating better scoring opportunities.
Following two years of research and development, they launched the Project (a) ball earlier this year at the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. As a result, more than half of amateurs in the field used the new Project (a) ball.
The three-piece, low compression ball features the same Soft Tech cover technology that is in the new Tour Preferred balls. The thin, urethane design is the softest cover TaylorMade have ever produced making the ball more responsive at impact. Additionally, TaylorMade say the cover is also more durable than before.
Beneath the cover is the mid "Spin Mantle" layer, that TaylorMade added to give the Project (a) consistent spin rates on every club in the bag. Deeper still, the new "React Core" produces low spin off the tee, adding distance and run out.
TaylorMade say that Project (a) is specifically engineered to give amateurs performance where they need it most, 100 yards and in. In this zone, mid to high handicap players will produce more spin with Project (a) than they would with TaylorMade's Tour Preferred ball or other Tour-level balls.