What Average Golfers Need To Know About 5 Piece Golf Balls
                     What Average Golfers Need To Know
About 5 Piece Golf Balls
5 Piece Golf Balls – What Are They?
Five-piece golf balls are the latest innovation in golf ball technology. They have been around 
since 2010, but still haven’t really taken off. In fact, many people don’t even know what a five 
piece ball is. But it’s important to understand how they work because they do make a 
difference.
The biggest advantage of a five piece ball is that they give you better feel and control. They are 
designed to help you hit longer drives and shorter irons with less spin. So why aren’t they 
everywhere? Well, most manufacturers make four-piece golf balls balls because it is cheaper. If 
you’re looking for a great game improvement ball, try a five piece.
Five-piece balls were introduced by TaylorMade with the ‘Penta’ model, but in over a decade 
the best brand of golf balls still don’t use it. Srixons are usually two or three-piece golf balls, and
the Titleist Pro V1 are 3 piece.
What Do The Extra Layers Do?
The main benefit of each layer of the golf ball is to add more spin separation and performance 
benefits to your golf shot. While it will be the most costly item in the pro shop, the five-piece 
golf balls will provide the best, Tour-quality performance.
A five-piece golf ball will usually include three mantle layers, sandwiched between a high-tech 
core and a soft outer layer. Every mantle layer reacts differently depending on the shot speed 
and angle. They’re designed to be the best they can be at each situation.
The layers between the core and the outer shell are where control is given to the short iron 
shots. It also provides the ammo to give the longer clubs more distance. The outer shell is what 
makes contact with the golf club and provides control. This is also where the backspin is 
created.
If hit well, a multi-layered ball can provide great spin. It will also feel softer off the clubface You 
can see the difference between hard and soft golf balls here.
Compression is a hot topic today and many think that more layers equal more compression, this
is wrong.
Key Differences Between 4 and 5 Piece Golf Balls
The main difference between a four-piece ball and a five-piece golf ball is that the latter adds 
one extra layer to the solid core, which is usually used to increase ball speed while maintaining 
high spin rates with the long iron clubs. This extra layer allows the ball to fly further because it 
gives the golfer more momentum to carry over into the follow-through.
This extra layer can also make the balls feel a little softer. However, it does add weight to the 
ball, which makes it harder to launch. As such, the 5-piece ball generally performs better off the
tee.
Golf ball creation is largely a question of compromise: If you want to keep the ball flying 
straight and true, you sacrifice distance. Conversely, if you want to increase distance, you 
sacrifice accuracy. There are many different types of materials, shapes, and sizes that can be 
put together to form a golf ball.
As a general rule, the softer the ball feels, the better the feel and response you’ll receive from 
the ball. Most pro golfers prefer the soft cover balls.
I remember watching an interview with a guy named Steve Flesher who worked at Snell Golf. 
He was talking about how he did ball testing with Jim Furyk. Whenever Jim would hit his 3 wood
with a 4-piece, he could barely keep the ball in the air – even though he was hitting the ball 
really well. When Jim played with a 5-piece, however, he kept the ball up there much longer. 
Apparently, the extra layer gave him more control and stability.
The 3 Piece Golf Ball
A three piece golf ball is a type of golf ball that has a solid center surrounded by a durable outer
core. Three piece golf balls are designed to provide maximum distance while maintaining 
control and accuracy. They are typically used by better golfers because they offer greater 
forgiveness than a one-piece ball. However, they do require a little extra skill to use properly.
Three piece golf balls come in many different types and styles. Each style offers a different set 
of characteristics that suit a specific player’s needs. There are some three-piece golf balls that 
are specifically designed for beginners, others for intermediate golfers, and some for high 
handicap golfers. Some three piece golf balls even have a special design to help improve the 
feel and playability of the ball.
Should The Average Golfer Use a Ball with 5 
Pieces?
A professional golf player or your buddy who is scratch might benefit from using a 5 piece ball. 
However, the same benefits do not apply to the average golfer.
A high-speed swing is required to take full advantage of a 5 piece ball, and the results are just 
too eratic in the case of a high handicapper. Those with double-digit handicaps would do best 
with a 3 piece ball.
Compared to two-piece balls, a three-piece ball should provide better distance, increased 
forgiveness and good control. It also costs less than a typical 4 or 5 piece ball, but the choice 
will largely depend on what you personally enjoy.
All in all, I definitely prefer three-piece balls to two-piece golf balls, adding additional layers 
may improve things at first but they will eventually become redundant as you get to a 4 or 5 
piece.
Our Picks for 5 Piece Golf Balls
I read a study recently which looked at which types of golf ball brands professional golfers use. 
It found that nearly 70% of the best PGA Tour players use Titleist Pro V1 (3-piece) and Pro V1x 
(4-piece), but some do use a 5-piece ball.
More than 25 percent of the players who aren’t using Pro V1 or Pro V1x use a TaylorMade TP5 
or Tp5x. These eight golfers have won eight major championships between them. If I’m a 
bettor, I will be looking at this.