Following up a Top 10 finish in his first 2012 event at the Humana Challenge, Bridgestone Tour Team member, Brandt Snedeker, rode the new TOUR B330 golf ball to a second hole sudden death victory at Torrey Pines on Sunday, after overcoming a 54-hole seven shot deficit to force the playoff. Snedeker’s Farmers Insurance Open win marks the third PGA TOUR title of his career, with all three coming in dramatic come-from-behind fashion.
During the 2011 offseason, Snedeker began testing the new B330 family of golf balls with Bridgestone’s ball-fitting experts. The results of the testing surprised Snedeker himself, and led to his playing the new TOUR B330 (the first time he used aball other than the B330-S during his professional career) to start 2012. Little did he know then, that his decision to switch balls would be validated after just his first two events of the 2012 PGA TOUR season, entering the winner’s circle at the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open in La Jolla, California.
While at the PGA Merchandise Show, THP got a chance to speak with Bridgestone Golf about the new ball line and the improvements that have been made.
“The new B330 ball gives me more length off the tee, more consistency in my ball flight and just the right amount of spin I need on and around the green,” said Snedeker. “After going through a ball-fitting with Bridgestone in December, I switched from the B330-S to the new B330, as I found that the new B330 provided me with the exact performance my game demands. Ball-fitting works and it can help golfers of all skill levels find the best ball for their game.”
Snedeker finished the week T2 in Birdies (24), T3 in Putts Per Round (27.5) and T8 in Putts Per GIR (1.686) leading to a 72-hole score of 16-under par. During his crucial Final Round charge, Snedeker relied on the increased consistency and spin performance of the TOUR B330 and the precision shot-making of the J40 Cavity Back irons to hit an incredible 17 out of 18 greens in regulation.
Bridgestone’s new TOUR B330 ball features the company’s proprietary Dual Dimple Technology cover for optimized aerodynamic performance. The cover’s smaller inner dimples increase thrust power at launch for greater distance while the larger outer dimples promote a shallow angle of descent for increased roll out on landing. The result of the improved performance at both takeoff and landing is greater overall distance performance and more consistency in flight.
In addition to enhanced aerodynamics, the new B330 also contains a larger core than before. Like a car’s engine, the core is the powerhouse of the golf ball. By gaining size in the core, the ball’s velocity is increased and its distance performance maximized.
The newly enhanced spin performance is a product of the ball’s softer Urethane cover. Compared to the previous model, the Urethane cover of the B330 is 6% softer. The resulting softness produces maximized spin and control on and around the green and enhanced durability throughout the round.
“Brandt is off to a fast start to the 2012 season, and the way he is striking the ball right now, sky is the limit,” said Dan Murphy, Vice President of Marketing – Bridgestone Golf, Inc. “We are glad for our tour team to get its first win while still on the West Coast Swing, and to have it happen the week we launched the new balls at the PGA Show, is just unbelievable. We cannot wait to get the new B330 family into consumers’ hands this spring.”
The new B330 balls feature a street price of $44.99 per dozen (MSRP $58.00 per dozen) and will be available March 2012 at golf courses and golf specialty and sporting goods retailers nationwide. For a rundown of all the Bridgestone gear in Snedeker ’s bag see below.
Brandt’s Bridgestone Arsenal
· 2012 TOUR B330 Golf Ball
· J40 Cavity Back Irons (4-PW)
· J40 Satin Chrome Wedges (52 and 56 degrees)
Join the discussion on the new Bridgestone golf balls in the THP Forum here.
Great interview with Corey explaining not only the changes with the 330 series but also the characteristics of each ball in the line!
I am really excited to try the new 330-RX and see if I am able to pick up a little bit of driver distance with that reduced backspin while still maintaining the green side touch that I have come to appreciate with this ball.
Congrats again to Brandt – HUGE year ahead for Bridgestone Golf!
Fantastic interview! I love my B330-S, and if they managed to keep the greenside performance while adding more distance you can count me in! That seems like an amazing line of golf balls all the way through. Thanks for the coverage THP!
Great interview. I’ve been a fan of the Bridgestone since I took the ball fitting challenge two years ago at the PGA Show. Given that Sneds already has a win with the new ball, it gives their new line a nice little push. Can’t wait to try these out when they hit the shelves.
Great video. I love the enthusiasm from Bridgestone and can’t wait to try these out.
Really wonderful interview. I like how he said thye perform better in the wind than other balls. Myrtle Beach, here I come.
The B330RX has been a great ball for me. I had no idea what I was leaving on the table distance wise when I was playing a Pro-V. I did the online fitting first and then went through a live fitting. The live fitting showed that I simply did not have the swing speed to fully compress the Pro-V and it was costing me some distance. I told the fitter my fear was not having enough spin around the green if I stopped using the Pro-V. He assured me that I would lose next to nothing there.
I played the B330RX all of last year, and I had to have gained around 15 yards on average off the tee with the ball over what I was using. Around the greens the B330RX spins just as much for me and proved to be a great ball there for me as well as off the tee. I’m really looking forward to the new version now.
Gosh Josh this ball is better than last years model! WOW that is hard to believe but yea, I figure Bridgestone is never satisfied and will always seek ways to produce world class equipment and golf balls. I can’t wait to try these new puppies!
The one thing that kept me from coming back to Bridgestone was they felt a little hard to me. I’ll give them another try this year…
I tried the dual dimple on the e6 last year and thought it improved the ball from the previous version. I have been fit to the RX before and can’t wait to get these in play. You’ll see a bunch of Bridgestone balls in the Morgan Cup this July!
Awesome interview! Bridgestone really putting out a great line-up of golf balls for all skill levels.
Not much else to say other than Bridgestone knows how to bring it!
I absolutely love what I’m hearing here. A ball that goes further but spins more around the greens, sign me up! I hope that the durability of these balls remains as great as it always has been with Bridgestone balls. If that is the case then we definitely have a winner with these balls. I loved the eSeries with the dual dimple technology and I expect having it in the B330 series will be even better.
I will still play this line as a backup but what I heard is very good- to hear that they made the balls better is just crazy. I’m anxious to try the new line.
Thanks JB for doing this!
I really like what Bridgestone is going in the game of golf.
What’s nice about this is I grabbed a dozen of last year’s B330 RX for $33. Eager to hit the new one as well.
Man, the current B330 and B330-S are excellent balls. Can’t wait to see how the new ones perform, especially off the tee. Less sidespin? Yes please!