TaylorMade Golf Distance+ Golf Balls: An Honest Review for Everyday Golfers

I started playing the TaylorMade Distance+ for a boring reason: I lose golf balls. I'm 58, I play to about a 14 handicap, and I still swing like I'm 30, which means my ball sometimes ends up in places no one finds. The Distance+ is the ball that keeps ending up back in my bag, and after six months of walking nine holes twice a week plus a Saturday 18 with the same three buddies, I've got opinions that don't match the marketing. The box tells you these balls are long. What it doesn't tell you is how they feel off a putter, how the cover scuffs when you catch a cart path, or how the soft compression changes what happens around the green. That's what this review is for. Not the claims. The stuff nobody tells you. I have no reason to oversell them. I get nothing from this review, and I lose balls whether I recommend them or not.

I'm not a launch monitor guy. I'm the retiree who pushes a cart, plays the same public course every week, and buys balls in bulk because the woods on number 7 have eaten half a dozen sleeves. I've hit these balls off grass and off mats at the range ten minutes from home. I've rolled putts in my garage while Murphy, my yellow Lab, watches from his bed. I've compared them side by side with a buddy's premium tour ball on the same holes, same conditions. None of that makes me an expert. It makes me a regular golfer who's honest about what works and what doesn't.

How I've Used It

I've been through about six dozen of these over the last six months. That sounds like a lot until you account for the woods, the water on 14, and the one I hit over the fence at the range. I've played them in a wet spring and a dry summer, on hard fairways and soft ones, and in the kind of wind that makes you question why you play this game. I've also rolled them on my putting setup in the garage, which is where I noticed things that never show up on the course. And I've hit them off mats at the range when the ground was too wet to play, which tells you more about a ball than a perfect fairway ever will.

The most useful testing happened on Saturday mornings. One of my regular foursome plays a premium tour ball, and we'd hit from the same spot on the same hole week after week. That's a fair comparison, not because it's scientific, but because it's real. His ball checks up on the green. Mine runs out. His ball feels solid off the putter. Mine feels soft, almost quiet. Both get the job done, but they do different jobs. You don't learn that from a spec sheet.

I also used them on my nine-hole walks, when I'm not keeping a serious score. That's when you notice the details: how the ball flies in the wind, how the cover looks after a few holes, whether the stamp helps you line up a putt. The Distance+ taught me that a ball can be right for you and still have things you wish were different. This review is those wishes, plus the reasons I keep buying them.

What the Distance Claim Really Means

Every distance ball makes the same promise, and the TaylorMade Distance+ delivers it in a specific way. It's a two-piece ball with a low-compression core and a dimple pattern built to launch high and keep flying. For a swing like mine, which is smooth but not fast anymore, that means the ball gets up quickly and stays in the air. I don't know my swing speed in numbers. I know I'm not the player I was at 40, and this ball is built for that reality. On dry fairways it rolls out, and roll-out is where the distance actually comes from. That's not a trick. It's physics, and it works.

Here's the part the box doesn't say: low spin is why it's long and also why it doesn't hold greens. When I hit a 7-iron into a firm green, my ball lands and takes a bounce or two. The premium ball my buddy plays lands and sits. On a soft course after rain, the difference is small. In August, when the greens are baked, the difference is the line between a two-putt and a three-putt. I've learned to play for it by aiming at the front of the green. That's a workable strategy, but it's a compromise, and nobody tells you about it before you buy. The flip side is the roll-out helps on dry, hard fairways, where the ball runs an extra five or ten yards past where my old ball stopped.

I also found the high launch gets pushed around in a crosswind. A piercing flight resists the wind better, and the Distance+ doesn't have a piercing flight. On a breezy day I lose maybe five yards and a lot of confidence. If you play somewhere calm, you'll never notice. If you play on a windy course, this matters more than any distance claim.

I should also say that the distance claim is honest in a way some balls aren't. I've hit balls that felt long on the range but fell short on the course. The Distance+ does what it says on real grass, with real shoes on, after a real walk. That's the standard I judge by now.

The Feel Nobody Mentions

The TaylorMade Distance+ feels soft. That's the headline, and it's true. Off the driver and the long irons, it has a muted, pleasant feel that a lot of mid-handicap golfers like, including me. The ball compresses easily, which is exactly what you want when your swing speed isn't what it used to be. A firmer ball would feel like a rock in my hands. This one feels friendly. In the cooler months, the soft feel got even softer, and the ball still flew fine.

But here's what nobody tells you: soft off the driver doesn't mean soft everywhere, and on the putting green it can cross the line into dead. My garage putting setup has seen a lot of balls, and the Distance+ is the one that sounds like a thud instead of a click. Some golfers love that quiet feel. My buddy calls it a marshmallow, and he isn't entirely wrong. Feel is the most personal thing about a golf ball, so I'm not going to tell you this is a flaw. I'm going to tell you it's a tradeoff, and you should decide which side you're on before you commit. The sound matters more than you'd think. A putt that sounds solid gives you confidence, and this ball doesn't give you that sound.

The same soft feel shows up on wedge shots. The ball comes off the face gently and doesn't spin much, so it lands soft but doesn't check. If you're used to hitting little pitch shots that stop next to the pin, you'll have to adjust. If you're like me and you mostly bump and run, you'll be fine. The ball rewards the shots you already have and punishes the ones you wish you had. That's honest, even if it's not in the brochure.

I'll add one more thing about feel: it changes with the season. In the spring, when the course is soft and the air is damp, the ball feels almost too soft. By late summer, on a hot day, it feels just right. That's not a flaw. It's just something you notice when you play the same ball for six months.

How the Cover Holds Up

I've read plenty of reviews that say the Distance+ cover is durable, and I mostly agree, with a caveat. The cover is a tough ionomer, not a soft urethane like you'd find on a tour ball. It doesn't slice open when you hit a cart path, which I've done more times than I'd like to admit. The same shot that would have killed a premium ball leaves the Distance+ with a mark and a scuff, and the ball keeps flying. That's a real advantage for anyone who plays a course with hard paths. The ball also survives water better than I expected. I've fished two out of a pond after a cold snap, and both still played fine.

The caveat is that scuffs happen. After a few rounds, the balls I haven't lost start to show scuffs and little nicks. They're cosmetic, not structural, and I've never had one go out of round. But if you like your balls to stay looking new, you'll be disappointed. I stopped caring about that after the first dozen. Golf balls are consumables, and the Distance+ is the kind of consumable that earns its way. The durability is genuinely good for the price range, which is why I keep coming back even with the scuffs.

One more honest note: because the cover is painted, a sharp impact can leave a small paint mark. I've hit trees, paths, and one very unfortunate fence post, and the balls survived all of it. The marks bother the part of me that likes tidy things. The part of me that loses three balls a round doesn't care at all.

The other thing I've noticed is that the cover stays readable. The stamp and the number don't wear off the way they do on some cheaper balls, so you can still tell your ball apart from your buddy's on the green. That sounds small. It saves arguments.

The Small Details That Show Up Over Time

The Distance+ has an alignment stamp on the side, and it's one of those details you don't appreciate until you're lining up a four-footer. I've used the same stamp to line up putts in my garage and on the course, and it works. It's not fancy. It's just a line that points where I'm aiming, which is more than some premium balls give you.

The other detail is consistency. I've bought these balls in different batches, and they fly the same. That's not nothing. I've played cheaper balls where every sleeve felt slightly different, and it messes with your head. The TaylorMade Distance+ is consistent from one sleeve to the next, and that predictability is worth more to a 14 handicap than a few extra yards on a perfect strike.

And the last detail: they're easy to find in the rough. The cover stands out against the green, and I've found balls I would have walked past with a dull, muddy finish. That's a small thing that saves you money, and it's the kind of thing nobody puts on the box.

What This Ball Won't Fix

Let me save you some money: no golf ball is going to fix a slice, and that includes this one. I know because I bring one with me on bad days. The Distance+ will give you a high, straight flight when you hit it in the middle of the face. When you hit it off the toe, it curves just like any other ball. The marketing says distance. It doesn't say magic, and you shouldn't expect any. I still slice a couple a round on my bad days, and the ball doesn't care.

The ball also won't fix your short game. If anything, the low spin makes your short game less forgiving, because the ball won't check up and save you. I've three-putted plenty of times with a perfectly good Distance+ sitting next to the hole. The fix isn't a different ball. It's more practice, which is the answer nobody wants to hear. I say it anyway because it's true.

What the ball does do is take one variable out of the equation. It flies predictably, feels consistent, and costs little enough that you don't flinch when you lose one. For a weekend golfer, that's worth more than the last five yards. I'll take a ball that does the same thing every time over a ball that promises more and delivers it only on my best swings. The mental game matters. Knowing the ball isn't the reason you hit it in the trees lets you focus on the swing.

Three straight Saturday rounds with the same ball in play. That has never happened to me with any other golf ball.

Who This Is For

The TaylorMade Distance+ is for the golfer I am: someone over 40 with a swing speed that isn't what it used to be, a handicap in the mid-teens, and a tendency to lose a ball or two a round. If you walk nine holes twice a week like I do, you want a ball you don't stress about losing, and you want one that feels good when you hit it. The Distance+ delivers both. It's also a great choice for league play, where you're not getting paid to hit perfect wedge shots, and for anyone who plays on soft courses where holding greens isn't a constant battle. If that sounds like your game, this ball will treat you well. I'd put it this way: this ball is the reliable friend in the group, not the flashy one.

Who Should Skip It

If you're a low-handicap player who spins the ball and relies on stopping it on firm greens, this is not your ball. The Distance+ doesn't have the spin or the firm feel that low-handicap players expect. If you play a course that's usually hard and fast, or if a crosswind is part of your weekly round, you'll fight the high flight. And if you're the rare golfer who plays one premium ball every round and never loses it, you're not the audience. You'll notice the tradeoffs more than the benefits. Buy what fits your game. That's the honest advice, and it's the same advice I'd give my Saturday foursome.