This golf ball is in a league of its own!

The TaylorMade Tour Response is a fantastic golf ball for mid-handicap golfers because it challenges the best premium golf balls with its on-course performance. Based on that, has this golf ball improved from its first generation?

I genuinely did not think it was possible to improve the TaylorMade Tour Response golf ball, but the genius’ at TaylorMade have somehow found a way. This golf ball is set to challenge the best golf balls in the game. I think it can top the best golf balls for mid-handicappers and even give the best premium golf balls a run for their money.

The Tour Response is in a league of its own because it bridges the gap between amateur golf balls and Tour-level golf balls in a way that no other golf ball does. With a compression rating of 70, it’s unlikely that any professional golfer will put the Tour Response in play; TaylorMade staffers including Rory McIlroy and Nelly Korda opt for the TP5 and TP5x golf balls.

However, the Tour Response is packed with Tour-proven technologies found in TaylorMade’s premium golf balls, so for many amateur golfers, playing with a Tour Response will feel like playing with a Tour-level golf ball. I certainly consider it to play more like a premium golf ball than some of the other golf balls for mid-handicappers I’ve played with.

The original TaylorMade Tour Response was a firm favorite among TG staff members, with the majority of us favoring the Tour Response Stripe. I think the new Stripe models look better because the colors have slightly changed. They obviously feel and perform exactly the same as the white and yellow Tour Response, but with a total of seven golf ball options to consider, which colorway will you choose?

The 2022 Tour Response disappointed in our 2023 robot test, despite how well it performed on course. The 2025 Tour Response performed even better on course, hopefully, that means it will live up to expectations in our 2025 golf ball robot test. Before we can bring you any robot test data, here are my thoughts having played with the Tour Response at Cleveland Golf Club.

Versatility

Given the fact I’ve awarded the Tour Response 5 out of 5 for versatility, I think it’s only fair to start here. I don’t have too much to discuss here, other than the fact this ball will work for any golfer, of any age, any ability, etc. No matter how you play, I guarantee the Tour Response will help you play good golf. Whether you play with one of the best golf balls for beginners and high-handicappers or one of the best high-spin golf balls, the Tour Response won’t disappoint if you switch to it.

I prefer a high-spin golf ball, so I’d never consider one of the best low-spin golf balls, but off the tee, this is a much lower-spinning golf ball than what I’d typically opt for, but I had no issues whatsoever.

Tee to Green Performance

Based on my last point, I’m now going to discuss the overall tee to green performance of the Tour Response. I debated awarding this golf ball full marks in this category because for my game I couldn’t fault it. However, I’m a golfer who loves a high-spinning golf ball, for some golfers, I think this could be too high-spinning on approach shots, especially if you launch the ball high and you want to try reducing spin.

That being said, I don’t know many golfers who want a ball that spins less when firing at pins. With a 50° wedge hitting into a pin 120 yards away, I was averaging 9,200rpm which meant the ball was stopping pretty much on a dime, which to me, is exactly what you want from a golf ball. With my 7-iron, spin was consistently around 7,000rpm which is exactly where I like it, and the distance was very impressive.

Off the tee, I was blown away by how well this golf ball performed, I remember the original Tour Response was slightly shorter for me compared to premium golf balls. However, that definitely isn’t the case with the 2025 Tour Response. The second hole at Cleveland Golf Club measures 477 yards from the blue (winter) tees and I was left with 163 yards for my second shot. I don’t think I’ve had that little distance in since summer when the ball rolled out on the links. Distance continued to be very strong throughout the round, the ball launched through the window I wanted it to, and the ball flight was very penetrating which enabled me to optimize distance.

After reading that, you’re probably wondering why I haven’t awarded the Tour Response 5 stars for tee to green performance, because for me it’s perfect.

Feel and Response

For a soft golf ball, the response is very solid, which I think is mostly linked to the fact that the cover is 100% urethane. It’s very easy to know whether you’ve hit the shot well or poorly based on the response. You’d like to imagine the Tour “Response” does provide good feedback, and it definitely does. I think the feel is amazing throughout the bag, there’s very little to criticize with feel and response.

However, the reason I’ve scored it 4.5 out of 5 – and not top marks – is because I think there are better-feeling golf balls and more responsive golf balls out there, including the TP5 and TP5x, but you’d like to think so given they’re premium golf balls, and technically the Tour Response isn’t.

Durability

This is where the Tour Response performs worst, but 4 out of 5 isn’t bad by any means. I found the durability underwhelming because a couple of the balls I was playing with at the short game area scuffed quite easily. For that reason, I was leaning towards a 3 or 3.5 for durability. However, when I went out on the golf course. I did manage to play an entire round with the same golf ball. Obviously, there were signs of wear after the round, but that’s to be expected with a soft urethane golf ball. Having had one ball survive an entire round, this inevitably saved the Tour Response from being scored lower fro durability.

Final Verdict

I could easily have rated the TaylorMade Tour Response 5 out of 5 because I absolutely loved playing with it. This golf ball blends the boundary between amateur and Tour-level like no other golf ball does. If you want to play with a golf ball that feels and performs like a premium model that’s easy to launch, soft, and is brilliant value then the Tour Response is 100% a model you have to consider. The 2025 Tour Response is certainly in a league of its own, and it’ll take something pretty special to match or beat it.

Alternative options

TaylorMade Tour Response 2025 Golf Balls

RRP: $42.99 / £37.99

Colors: White; Yellow; Stripe (various color options)

Construction: 3-Piece

Cover: Urethane

Dimples: 322