Penta or Bridgestone RX-S?

yahtzee

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Anyone tested both together? Love the RX-S off of the tee but from 150 in I love the Penta. Most of the time, the RX-S checks and doesn't roll out much. The Penta on the other hand, is great unless I come up a tad short. I hate nailing a great shot and then having it zip back off of the green. Discuss.
 
I have. For my game, the RX-S is better, but the penta is still amazing for a better player.
 
I did. Played them both a lot last year. I find the RXS to spin every bit as much as the Penta. It also goes further off the tee to me because I can fully compress it.
 
I did. Played them both a lot last year. I find the RXS to spin every bit as much as the Penta. It also goes further off the tee to me because I can fully compress it.

I'm in the same boat. Thing is, I play very fast greens 90% of the time. Is there anything out yet that shows how close they are in spin?
 
I'm in the same boat. Thing is, I play very fast greens 90% of the time. Is there anything out yet that shows how close they are in spin?

Im sure the new Hot List has a spin chart. But in reality, spin is going to be up to the player 99% of the time.
 
Im sure the new Hot List has a spin chart. But in reality, spin is going to be up to the player 99% of the time.


Is the new list out? I have chipped with both balls from 30 yds in and to me it seems the Penta has noticeably more spin. I don't want give my added tee distance though.
 
I have played them both and as mentioned above I prefer the RXS because of my swing speed, I can get more yards off of the tee with it and still stop it pretty quickly.
 
Im sure the new Hot List has a spin chart. But in reality, spin is going to be up to the player 99% of the time.

Looking at the Hot List article on balls in the latest issue of Golf Digest, they only did a chart on half-wedge spin and launch. On that type of shot, the RX-S and Penta had basically the same spin (Penta had more spin by <100 rpm or so), and Penta had a slightly higher launch angle, but less than 1 degree more than the RX-S. So they're essentially the same in that department.
 
Looking at the Hot List article on balls in the latest issue of Golf Digest, they only did a chart on half-wedge spin and launch. On that type of shot, the RX-S and Penta had basically the same spin (Penta had more spin by <100 rpm or so), and Penta had a slightly higher launch angle, but less than 1 degree more than the RX-S. So they're essentially the same in that department.

Wow, that's not a lot of difference....guess the major advantage for me would be the driver and iron shots with the RX-S. My swing speed is right at 105 for my driver.
 
I tried the Penta before I switched to the RXS and found that the Penta wasn't quite as durable as the RXS. Other than that they are basically the same except for I can find better deals on the Penta than I can on the RXS
 
I received a couple of Penta's with a headcover I ordered. Played them last week and was pretty underwhelmed. They were OK, but just OK. I actually got better distance and felt better putting with the Wilson Zips I was using. I came away thinking that the Penta was way too much money.

That's just me though.
 
I received a couple of Penta's with a headcover I ordered. Played them last week and was pretty underwhelmed. They were OK, but just OK. I actually got better distance and felt better putting with the Wilson Zips I was using. I came away thinking that the Penta was way too much money.

That's just me though.

That I would guess is based solely on compression. If you are getting better distance from the Zips, it was because you are capable of fully compressing the Zips compared to not compressing the Penta.

This is exactly why Bridgestone talks about ball fitting.
 
These are the 2 balls I have been testing for myself to narrow it down to one. I played the Penta most of last year but after the release of the RXS I wanted to give it a try because I tried a sleeve of the RX one time and I loved everything about it except the spin around the greens. I played 18 holes Saturday and I used the RSX on the front 9 and the Penta on the back, and they pretty much performed identically for me. Just like JB experienced...I had about the same spin with both,they have the best feel off the better compared to any ball out there, and the distance for me was about the same but it was a chilly morning and wind was gusty so it was hard to get a good judge in distance. I have spent a lot of time on the practice greens with these two balls over the last few weeks as well and I am able to check up the RXS just as much as the Penta. So far they are both equal for me until I can get a nice day to go out and use them both for a full round. So far all I've had is breezy days in the mid-50s. Also, I want to note that after 9 holes of each ball they both still looks pretty much brand new. I think they are both very durable, and I use the pre-2011 Titleist vokey wedges which have been known to tear up some covers on full shots. I did not have that problem with either ball.
 
I tested the B330-RX vs Penta vs Z-Star X a few weeks ago. The Penta is a great ball, but the worst of the 3 for my game.
 
I have played both... for me the Penta is the clear winner due to distance off the tee. Around the greens, they both spin like crazy, with maybe a little more spin for me with the Penta.

I have a driver SS around 115 which would explain why the Penta works better for me off the tee.

If anything, the Penta might spin a little much for me. I get better dispersion with the Bridgestone B330 off the tee. But man, its nice to have that zippy Penta spin when you short side yourself on tough greenside shots.
 
i was just fitted at a live bridgestone ball testing - and i told them my normal ball is the penta (been practicing with it last few weeks for morgan cup) and they put me into the RXS. they said the spin is just as high ( i cant notice any diff) as the penta - and ill compress it more- lo and behold - the numbers didnt lie - i had more ball velocity and a slightly slower swingspeed - and the ball carried farther than the penta.

I have played this and the rx - i like them both really.
 
I prefer the Penta. I love it around the greens and it works fabulously off the tee for me. With that said, the RX-S also performed quite well when I gave it a few test runs.
 
i was just fitted at a live bridgestone ball testing - and i told them my normal ball is the penta (been practicing with it last few weeks for morgan cup) and they put me into the RXS. they said the spin is just as high ( i cant notice any diff) as the penta - and ill compress it more- lo and behold - the numbers didnt lie - i had more ball velocity and a slightly slower swingspeed - and the ball carried farther than the penta.

I have played this and the rx - i like them both really.

That's good to know cg, because I only swing about 95 mph so I'm not sure if I am getting the full performance out of the Penta. I just need to have a warm day around here so I can actually get them both out and see how they perform when it's not windy or chilly.
 
That's good to know cg, because I only swing about 95 mph so I'm not sure if I am getting the full performance out of the Penta. I just need to have a warm day around here so I can actually get them both out and see how they perform when it's not windy or chilly.

Funny that you say that. I play the penta almost exclusively. The only time I don't play it is when it is pretty windy out; that is when I switch away from the Penta.
 
Well I mainly mean when its cold out my ball isn't going to compress as easily anyway, so until it gets warm I am not going to see the full performance out of either of these balls. The wind is just another factor. So far I haven't had much problem hitting the Penta on windy days because I played it most of last year, but now I have switched to the R11 driver and I don't even know what true distance I am getting out of the balls now because it is always cold and windy so far.
 
That's good to know cg, because I only swing about 95 mph so I'm not sure if I am getting the full performance out of the Penta. I just need to have a warm day around here so I can actually get them both out and see how they perform when it's not windy or chilly.

That's about my swing speed so I bet you aren't getting the best from the Penta. My best distance/spin comes from the Sixron TriSpeeds, but like I mentioned before I even hit the Wilson Zips and 50-50's better than the Penta. I guess like JB pointed out it's because I can compress those ones fully at a 90-95 swing speed.
 
Thanks for the info in this thread....Brings to light a lot about ball compression versus spinniness....
It looks like my SS of 95mph wont get the most out of the Penta.
The bridgestone ball fitting put me in the B330-RX..(although I changed 1 option by 1 notch and it put me in the RXS)
I have played the E5 for a couple of rounds and am trying to decide on a ball for 2011...

sigh....
 
i prefer the Penta over the RX ball. The Penta is a fantastic ball....a great performer for me. i find it to be very predictable on mis-hits and around the green. that is most important to me. i am still trying to find a Bridgestone ball that can make it's way into my bag. right now i have been gaming the B330-S side-by-side with my regular ball (ProV1x) and it's not giving me great vibes. B330 is next in the testing, and of course compares more closely to my current ball. I have a few events coming up so goofing around with testing will have to be put on hold for a bit. i always look forward to seeing the performance comparisons during on-course rounds. while LM numbers are so important....real-time testing is the real deal for me.
 
For me personally I love the feel of the penta over the rx balls. Given my swing swing is good for both of them I like a soft feeling ball for both iron shots and off the tee. With my wedges I'm not fully capable of getting tons of backspin but with my swing I compress the ball very well due to a steep swing that I have.

I know this is off topic but I found one of the new 2011 pro v1s Both the x and regular and the feel to me was just the same as the bridgestone, just thought people could know about them.
 
I never got comfortable with the Penta, I bought a dozen RXS and so far so good. I need to get used to what I can get away with around the green when I short side myself, that's the one spot I really liked the Penta.
 
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