Tag: bridgestone golf

  • Best New Golf Balls – 2016 PGA Show

    Best New Golf Balls – 2016 PGA Show

    To be perfectly honest, the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando didn’t have as much to offer in the way of new products as previous years. Thankfully, golf ball makers have some great new and updated products for us this season. Here’s a few of the best new golf balls to check out in 2016.

    Callaway Chrome Soft

    Last season’s king of the hill is still on top this year, but has some stiff competition. When I tested this ball last year I was afraid to over-compress it, but if the ball is good enough for Phil Mickelson, it’s good enough for anybody! The Chrome Soft golf ball is a 4-piece golf ball and combines Callaway’s SoftFast Core and inner mantle layers with a soft urethane cover for spin around the greens without spinning too much off the tee. The Chrome Soft won 5 stars on Golf Digest’s Hot List in 2015 and should make another strong showing in 2016. This ball feels very soft around the greens and really performs well.

    https://youtu.be/LdMsLcG5T_M

    Volvik Crystal Vivid

    Volvik is known for making colored golf balls, and they’ve taken their signature Crystal ball and given it a matte finish. The result is a very striking finish that’s easy to see and really pops! The three-piece Volvik Crystal Vivid has a very soft feel and a durable Surlyn cover, with a compression rating around 80. Made for slower swing speeds, the Volvik Crystal Vivid are available in orange, pink, green and red.

    Vivid photo 2

    Bridgestone B-Series

    Bridgestone’s popular B-Series golf balls (which includes the Tour B330, B330S, B330RX and B330RXS) get an update for 2016. The new Tour Core is 6% larger and has a steeper gradient in softness from the inner part of the core to the outer region for faster ball speed and less spin off the driver. The new SlipRes cover took four years to develop and Bridgestone claims it has the highest friction coefficient rating possible, which translates to more spin from shots in the rough and around the green without increasing spin on the driver. I tested the new B330 for 18 holes and was so impressed that I’m buying a case of 12 dozen to use for the 2016 season.

    The Amatour Core in the B330RX and B330RXS golf balls is 28% softer than the average tour ball core, making these balls ideal for golfers with swing speeds under 105 MPH. Along with the Callaway Chrome Soft, The Bridgestone B330RX is probably the best option for golfers looking for tour performance, durability and distance from slower swing speeds.

    Wilson Duo Urethane

    Wilson Golf claims their Duo golf ball is the softest on the market, with a compression rating of 29! Having tried the original Duo several years ago, I can tell you that the ball is a marshmallow. Wilson Golf now offers three models in the Duo line. The original Duo, Duo Spin and the Duo Urethane. The three golf balls offer a very soft feel for golfers seeking more distance with slower swing speeds. (See a pattern emerging in golf ball marketing yet?)

    Wilson Duo – 29 Compression – Durability and distance with very soft feel – $20
    Wilson Duo Spin – 35 Compression – Durability and distance with more spin and very soft feel – $27
    Wilson Duo Urethane – 55 Compression – Softest urethane ball in golf, distance with tour spin and performance – $38

    I haven’t tried the new Duo golf balls, but I remember the original Duo feeling a bit like the old Titleist Tour Balata on the putting green. Given the $20 price point for the Duo, these golf balls should be very popular!

    download

  • Preview – Battle of the Golf Blogs 2013

    IMG_2006Every year the golf world comes to Orlando for the annual PGA Merchandise show. While this is certainly an important event, the Battle of the Golf Blogs competition is even more important! Ok, maybe not, but we take it very seriously have a lot of fun with it and so do our sponsors for the event. This year may be the best one yet, because we’ve lined up some top notch companies to help us out, and the venue is second to none and one of my personal all time favorites. Be sure to follow us on Twitter with hashtag #BOGB

    Sponsors

    The following companies were busting down the door trying to sponsor our little match, and we were happy to oblige them.

    • Since you can’t play without golf balls, Bridgestone Golf was gracious enough to handle that logistical issue. We’ll be playing a variety of their offerings from the B330 to the E6.
    • Since you can’t play golf naked without getting arrested, Fila Golf was very kind to dress us all in a different outfit to show off their extensive line of fashions that look great on or off the golf course.
    • adidas Golf makes some of the finest quality footwear on the planet, so it was awesome when they stepped up to provide us all with a shiny new pair of shoes to wear for the competition.
    • The Venue – Black Diamond Ranch will host us on the world famous Quarry Course. Readers of this site may remember our trip there from 2011. The course is a beauty and a beast and has hosted many notable tournaments. None however, have been as significant or impactful as #BOGB!

     The Contestants

    2012-01-26 17.48.17-1Defending #BOGB Champion John Duval of  www.intothegrain.com lives in Port Orange, FL. A former ski bum and hockey junkie from Montreal, Canada, he also likes Italian food, making fun of the New York Jets and long walks on the beach. He’s considering going back to school for a Masters Degree in Awesomeness. John has played the Quarry course several times before, and if he loses he’ll blame in on the fact that he can’t putt. Twitter: @into_the_grain

    602735_10101676775590122_1211301538_nDave Lair of www.orlandogolfblogger.com lives in Orlando, FL and stands on the wrong side of the ball when playing golf. A dedicated family man, Dave is the proud father of three future Masters champions. Dave doesn’t play as often as he used to, which was once in a blue moon to begin with. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him shoot a round in the mid 80s and destroy his low handicap playing partners, but it probably won’t happen because we’ll be heckling him all day. Twitter: @DaveLair

    532871_10151242374279097_231195530_nRob Hayashida of www.sandbox8.com comes from Chicago, IL where the wind chill was -14 today. Good call coming to Orlando Rob! One of the better guys in the golf blog world, he enjoys snapping pictures of his competitors mid-backswing and usually has all the latest gadgets to play with, which is fine with us, because it distracts him from his goal of beating us. He’s never played at the Quarry Course before. Boy is he in for a treat! And by treat, I mean penalty shots! Twitter: @GolfViews

    tonyTony Korologos of www.hookedongolfblog.com lives in Sandy, UT and can play the drums like nobody’s business. Tony is desperately clinging to a 2.5 handicap, but that is at 5000 feet of elevation. It will balloon to a 6 or 7 at sea level. He’ll try to blame the clubs for his loss of distance but we’ll question his manhood just because we can. Tony loves all things Greek and is a proud pappy of newborn Seve Korologos, soon to be the best golfer in the family. Twitter: @hoggolfblog

  • Paula Creamer Wins with Bridgestone B330-RX

    At Oakmont Country Club last weekend, LPGA superstar Paula Creamer teamed with Bridgestone GolfPaula Creamer Wins the US Open to capture the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open, her first career ‘major’– despite battling a sore thumb and a golf course that yielded only a single under-par scorecard. Paula’s victory was also the first major victory for Bridgestone’s B330-RX – a golf ball designed for Tour performance on and around the greens, yet optimized for moderate swing speeds off the tee for better distance and accuracy.

    Creamer used a deft touch and laser-like iron approaches down the stretch on Sunday to secure the title in convincing fashion, besting her nearest competitor by four shots with a tournament total 281 (3-under par.  As a result of a rain-delayed second round, Creamer put her injured thumb through a rigorous endurance test, playing 23 holes on Sunday and a total of 52 holes over the weekend. For the week, Creamer hit an impressive 75% of fairways-in-regulation, ranking near the top of the field in that category.  Demonstrating the improved accuracy she’s gotten from the B330-RX, Paula managed 72% greens-in-regulation at Oakmont, which also put her in the top 10 of that category.

    “Earlier this year we put Paula through an extensive ball-fitting,” said Dan Murphy, Vice President of Marketing – Bridgestone Golf, Inc.  “During the fitting we found that Paula’s 100 mph swing speed was producing excess driver spin with firmer golf balls.  Her swing was ideal for the softer new B330-RX.  She began testing it and absolutely fell in love with it.  Paula was a little disappointed that we didn’t have a pink B330-RX for her, but she was willing to give up on the color preference for what she felt was better greenside control and more distance off the tee.  We are really excited for Paula because we know how much this championship means to her.  Having the first major championship title for the B330-RX is incredible for our brand, as well. The ball has had a great reception at retail since we launched it in March and this win should help continue that momentum.”

    Bridgestone Golf is now also teaming with Golfballs.com to offer a special late-summer quantity purchase deal on Bridgestone’s most popular balls. Through the promotion, exclusively available on the Golfballs.com web site beginning July 15, golfers may take advantage of a buy-three, get-one-free deal on one-dozen packages of Bridgestone’s popular “B” and “e” series.

    The special includes Bridgestone’s 3-piece B330RXS, the softest multi-layer urethane series ball on the market and one designed for moderate-swing speed players. It also includes the Bridgestone e6, a soft multi-layer ball designed to reduce hooks and slices off the tee and deliver a straighter, longer and more accurate ball flight. The B330RXS and the e6 are Bridgestone’s two largest-selling balls.

    “We’re very pleased to team with Bridgestone to offer a quantity deal to our customers,” said Golfballs.com president and CEO Tom Cox. “The Bridgestone lines are among our best-selling, and the ability to provide the ball best suited to each player’s swing speed and style makes this a great value.”

    The entire “B” series, which also includes the B330, the B330S and Paula’s B330-RX, and the “e” series that also includes the e5 and e7 balls are all available through the promotion that runs through Aug. 31. Golfers who purchase three dozen of any of the seven ball types at the regular price will receive the fourth dozen free. There is a limit of one free dozen per customer. Complete details on the Bridgestone offer will be available at www.golfballs.com beginning Thursday, July 15.

    ABOUT GOLFBALLS.COM

    From humble beginnings in a 100-square-foot room in a small-town warehouse, to its current state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot facility, Golfballs.com has grown to become one of the world’s leaders in on-line golf ball and equipment sales. Co-Founder Tom Cox has served as president and CEO since its 1995 start-up, growing the business from $17,000 in first-year sales to a 40-employee company that has over $10 million in annual sales, and which has sold over 50 million golf balls direct to consumers in all 50 states and over 50 countries. Golfballs.com has an in-house production department and is an authorized internet retailer for key brands including Titleist, Callaway and Nike and has been an approved Titleist imprinter since 2003, creating a company-wide focus on the sale of customized and personalized golf equipment. The company opened its retail outlet store in 2004 and recently launched loyaltylogo.com, a full-service promotional product distributor catering to businesses.

  • First Look – Bridgestone J38 460 Driver

    Bridgestone J38 460 DriverBridgestone is a relative newcomer to the world of golf for many people, but did you know that Bridgestone started making golf balls back in 1935? Yeah, I thought that was pretty amazing myself. Bridgestone started making golf clubs as early as 1972 and even though the company may not be as well known in the US market as Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist, they have become the number one producer of golf balls in Japan. If you haven’t looked at Bridgestone Golf before, it’s probably time that you do, because their 2010 line-up of balls and clubs are going to take the US market by storm.

    Bridgestone’s golf ball spots on television have become pretty well known. You know the ones? Fred Couples sitting with a beautiful woman reading fan mail about the B330RX golf ball, only to find out Lee Trevino is the one who’s letter they are reading? They also have had some success with their Ball Fitting campaign for amateurs. Indeed, the B330 line is a good golf ball and we should give it it’s due, but this post is about the new clubs for 2010. More specifically, the new J38 460 driver and Fairway woods.

    Leading up to the PGA Show in Orlando I stopped by the PGA Demo Day at Orange County National and hit so many golf balls with so many different clubs that my hands, arms and back hurt for days! Of all the beautiful and technologically advanced drivers I got to hit, the Bridgestone J38 460 was one of the hottest, best feeling clubs there. What’s so special about the J38? Read on!

    The J38 driver is all new for 2010. Followers of Bridgestone Golf will note that this is the first new driver they've introduced in some time. It's easy to get caught up in the 12 month new product lifecycle of TaylorMade and Callaway, but Bridgestone and a few others don't seem to follow that strategy.  Along with a totaly new look, the J38 driver features an extended crown profile from the shallow face that promotes a low and deep center of gravity, for high launch and low spin. That, according to Bridgestone, allows for longer carry and maximum distance. There isn't any fancy weight plugs, or an adjustable hosel, or spiffy multi-material construction in this club. Bridgestone sticks to the KISS principle and I admire that. Bridgestone J38 460 DriverThe biggest selling point for me is the high-quality Fujikura Motore F1 shaft that comes standard. It weighs in at 65 grams and comes in R/S/X flexes. This shaft is an upgrade for most other drivers, but comes standard in the J38. What's also impressive is the list of custom shaft options from Bridgestone. It's simply too long to show here, but the full list is available on their website. I counted almost 50 different shafts and a dozen grips that can be custom ordered with your J38. The J38 460 comes in 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degree lofts and all models are 45" long and sit square at address. There isn't much trickery going on here to help you hit it further, like making the shaft an inch longer as some companies do these days. The facts are, the longer the shaft, the harder it is to make solid contact. The primary factor affecting distance is solid contact, so a longer club doesn't necessarily mean more distance for most players. The Driver will retail around $399 and will be available in stores in March of 2010. Stay tuned soon for a first look at the hot new J38 Cavity Back and J38 Dual-Pocket Cavity irons!

    Want to win free stuff? Subscribe to our email updates! You'll get the latest fresh news, reviews and stories delivered right to your inbox or RSS reader, and automatically be entered in our latest contests and giveaways! Also, don't forget to check in with our Facebook fan page for exclusive content and get involved by leaving us comments on what you think!