TaylorMade gave the 2026 Tour Response a softer core and a new microcoating aimed at short-game grip. It plays close to a tour ball around the green, yet costs a good deal less.
What's new
Two changes define this year's model. The core is softer and faster than in the previous Tour Response, and a microcoating over the urethane cover adds friction on wedge and chip shots.
Underneath, it remains a three-piece build with a mid-launch flight. White is the standard finish, while the Stripe version sells separately at a small premium, and both sit in TaylorMade's mid tier, well below what the tour models cost.
How it plays
Around the green, the coating earns its keep. Testers found the cover soft and grippy, chips check up the way a urethane ball should, and feel scores an 8.2.
Distance holds up at 8.3, so softening the core did not cost speed. Workability comes in at 7.8 and accuracy at 7.6, numbers that put it close enough to tour spin for most golfers, with a value score of 9 that few balls in this class match.
Where it lacks
Swing speed changes the story off the tee. Faster players can push driver spin higher than they want, and anyone who relies on a low-spin tour ball to keep drives flat will notice.
Forgiveness, at 7.2, trails the value foam-core balls on off-center contact. And this is not a cheap ball: it saves money against tour models, not against budget dozens.
“It checks up on chips like a tour ball and hurts a lot less to lose in the trees.”- The Club Stand gear team
Reasons to buy
- Urethane cover and tour-style greenside spin for far less than a flagship ball
- New microcoating grabs wedge grooves and gives the cover a softer, grippier feel
- Softer core keeps chips biting while long-game spin stays in check for most swings
Reasons to think twice
- Faster swingers can see driver spin climb, so it does not replace a low-spin tour ball
- Mishits lose more than they would with a value foam-core ball, and forgiveness scores only 7.2
- Priced in the middle tier, so the savings are measured against tour balls rather than budget packs
Specs
| Construction | 3-piece urethane |
|---|---|
| Core | Softer, faster core than the prior Tour Response |
| Coating | New microcoating for extra short-game friction |
| Flight | Mid launch |
| Spin | High short game, controlled long game |
| Color | White (Stripe is a separate colorway) |
| Best for | Players who want tour-style spin at a mid-tier price |
More balls we've scored
- Titleist Pro V1 2025 - 8.8/10. Titleist's most-played ball gets a faster core and adds spin with irons and wedges.
- Callaway Chrome Tour 2026 - 8.7/10. A stiffer mantle gives Callaway's 2026 tour ball more speed without hardening the feel.
- Vice Pro 2024 - 8.7/10. A three-layer urethane ball that matched or beat the Pro V1 in testing for about mid-tier money.
- TaylorMade TP5 2026 - 8.6/10. A softer five-layer TaylorMade that ranked second for greenside spin among 62 robot-tested balls.
- Titleist Pro V1x 2025 - 8.6/10. Titleist's firmer, higher-flying Pro V1x trades a little softness for more wedge spin than its sibling.
- Titleist AVX 2026 - 8.5/10. Softer than a Pro V1 and among the longest balls tested, the AVX gives up some greenside bite.