Taylormade TP5 Golf Ball

Taylormade, 2017

Rubber, balata, surlyn

42.67 mm dia.

Purchased from Golftown

Personal collection

Some may see this golf ball and think it is just an ordinary ball, some may think this ball is simply a representation the classic game. The truth is there is nothing special about the physical aspects of this ball, although its sentimental value is immense. I chose this object not because of what it is, rather what it represents to me. My grandfather and I had a strong relationship, which we shared weekly on the golf course during the summer. Golfing all of his life, he taught me everything I know about the game, from my stance, to my swings and even reading putts. We shared many matches throughout my life which drew us together.

This ball was used by my grandfather during our last match together. After sinking his putt on the last hole, he asked me to retrieve the ball from the hole, as I was walking to give it back to him he told me to keep it, then drove off in the golf cart leaving me behind. That joke never got old to him. His passing in 2017 was a hard pill to swallow. I started to reflect on the time we spent together and I slowly started to lose my love for the game of golf. The ball was kept in my room ever since. I was often asked about why a golf ball was always on my desk. It reminded me of him. After a move to a new house, the ball got lost in a flood of boxes, until it resurfaced while packing up to move to university. Once again this ball found its way onto my desk and has been since first year. After a couple years without him, I began to reclaim the game he taught me.

Small in size, yet large in sentimental value, this ball was the perfect choice for this project. Some may think this is an ordinary golf ball, and they would be right, but its value comes from a personal investment of meaning. Despite its anonymity., it represents much more to me.

Thomas Finn