It is abundantly clear that Bridgestone Golf has rounded back into form and are hitting a groove of bringing revolutionary golf ball technology to golfers. The TOUR B release with its REACTIV cover has been a game changer across its four different golf ball designs, but even still, Bridgestone believes there is more to do in order to create a complete assortment of offerings across the spectrum.
So, with that in mind, it is time to look at the eSeries with the release of the 2021 Bridgestone e12 CONTACT golf ball.
Bridgestone e12 CONTACT
First, this new e12 will remain true to much of what we have come to expect from Bridgestone, as it will be a 3-piece design with a surlyn cover focused on distance, forgiveness, and the softer impact feel that golfers who fit into this segment prefer. Whereas previously there was a “Speed” and “Soft” model of the e12, the CONTACT will be a single release which is actually made possible by the namesake
“CONTACT force dimple” design.
What is CONTACT? Well, before we dive into that it’s worth pointing out just how forward thinking and on the cutting edge that Bridgestone Golf has always been when it comes to cover and dimple designs with the goal always being increasing efficiency and performance. With CONTACT, the design centers around the new “Force Dimple” which has a raised area in the center and outer portion of each dimple. This has increased the amount of golf ball surface area coming into contact with the clubface by an eye opening 38%.
What that means, according to Bridgestone, is that more surface area impacting the clubface allows for a more consistent energy transfer. Translation? More ball speed and distance from driver all the way to wedges. Additionally, the internal design of the ball combined with the CONTACT Force dimples should mean helping to tame the big right or left misses which amateurs can be plagued with. It also bears mentioning that Bridgestone is adamant this will help golfers who fit into the e12 when it comes to short game as well, as the dimple design will keep the ball on the clubface longer and actually help increase the spin and control compared to other surlyn golf balls.
The Details
The new Bridgestone e12 CONTACT is set to hit retail on February 26, 2021 and will come in with a $29.99 price point. As has become the custom with the eSeries in recent years, the golf balls will also be available in several color and finish options including white, matte yellow, matte red, and matte green. Upon release, the e12 CONTACT will also enter Bridgestone’s VFIT matrix as an option in their video fitting consultations.
Plan on picking the new e12 CONTACT golf balls up for a tryout? Be sure to let us know how it goes both below as well as on the THP community!
Seeing a lot of golfers jump on golf balls and this line specifically through Amazon.
LOL
What was the result?
Well…….I got out of the bunker in 2…..
That picture really summed up my entire round today though ?
I’m going to give it more time but I’d say if I could use it off the tee and then switch balls I’d do that in a heartbeat but not in love with it once I’m inside 150. Just felt lousy and I think that affected my swing, as I hit more thin balls than I ever would in a normal round.
if I am not playing Bridgestone and its not an RX or RXS, then it will be C!!!!!
Looking forward to your thoughts. I dig the green myself
It’s the closest thing to the “optic yellow” I usually play. A friend has been playing Vice balls in a similar green and they really stand out visually.
One of my regular partners has been playing red balls. They track really good in the air, but we lose sight of them when they get to the ground. I mean, no trouble finding them once you get there, it’s just hard to see what the rollout does after you hit it.
The red are also easy to locate if they roll into the water.
I mean…that’s what I’ve heard
?
In play this week. Not sure with forecasted winds I’ll be able to tell much.
Looking forward to your thoughts
I tried them out on Saturday, coming from Supersofts too. Curious to hear your thoughts.
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Nice box!!!!
Feel: They’re firmer than the Supersoft, but not too firm. They feel somewhere between the Supersoft and the old Bridgestone e6 (which, from what I can remember, felt harder than the e12 Contact does). Off driver, FW, hybrids and irons, the feel was nice – it felt "substantial", for lack of a better word, without feeling too mushy or like I was hitting a rock. It was in that "just right" zone for me. For reference, my swing speed with driver is around 88-90 mph. The cover doesn’t feel as "sticky" as some other matte finish balls, and the matte green color is bright, tracks well in the air and has good visibility on the ground. It’s just different enough from the "optic yellow" color of some other balls to make it easy to distinguish your ball even from a distance.
Putting: Off the putter (Odyssey SL Ten), the feel was good – again, felt a bit firmer than the Supersoft, but not hard or clicky at all. One of the first tests I do with any ball is to putt it – if it feels/sounds clicky off the putter, it’s immediately out. Coming from the Supersoft, I didn’t have any problems with distance control.
Distance: I definitely didn’t lose any distance anywhere in the bag, I was hitting to my known yardages for my clubs. My game isn’t exactly known for my ballstriking consistency, but when I hit it well, it went as far as I anticipated it would for that club. It actually seemed a little longer than the Supersoft off the driver, and I smoked a few 5 woods that surprised me with how far they went (one was 226 off the deck, where my average 5W distance is around 205). We were playing in 10-15 mph winds today, and it handled it pretty well – it didn’t balloon against the wind, nor did it fly unpredictably longer with the wind.
Forgiveness: I played the e6 as my main ball for several years, and I’ve always said it was the straightest ball I’ve ever hit. The e12 Contact reminds me of it, in that it’s a reliably straight ball. That doesn’t mean I didn’t put a few bad swings on it that no club or ball would forgive me for, but if I hit it reasonably well it went reasonably straight. Overall, my ball flight (especially with the driver) was consistently straighter today than it has been lately. One round is a small sample size, and I don’t know if I can chalk it up to the ball or me just having a good swing today. More time will tell.
Greenside: First off, a couple disclaimers – I’m not a particularly high spin player, and our greens are hard as rocks right now – you don’t even leave ball marks on par 3s/approach shots most of the time. With that said, the e12 Contact performed similarly to what I’m used to from the Supersoft. Two of the guys I was playing with were hitting ProV1s and Chrome Softs, and they weren’t getting any better check on the greens than I was. I plan for roll-out on my greenside shots, so the e12 Contact didn’t give me any surprises I wasn’t ready for.
Overall: The e12 Contact is a solid feeling, straight flying ball which is on the softer side of the spectrum. There was nothing about it I didn’t like, and overall I like it as well or a little better than the Supersoft. The burning question is, do I like it $10 a dozen more than the Supersoft ($30/dozen vs. $20/dozen for the SS)? I need more time and more rounds with it to answer that.
Hello – They were that much shorter? Ouch! Was this compared to the Tour B Series?
yes & it was the shortest of all the balls in the testing group & shorter than the B-RX. The Tour BRX ball is a great ball, I like it a lot.
That and going back to the Fuji Atmos Patriot shaft in my SIM2.
Going to try the e12’s and see how they play for me. Thank you and stay safe.
Thanks for taking the time to provide such a detailed review.
Not 100% sure on this. I have been hitting the e12 Contact in the sim for the last week. I don’t see any amplification off driver. For me it is very low spinning off driver. This in its self will lesson degree ball travels off line. I do think I draw it more on irons than other balls that are higher spinning. Might just be my imagination need to spend more time with it. Will be doing some more ball comparisons next week.
It has spin reduction and directional retention benefits.
I don’t have a launch monitor so I can’t give you numbers, but it seems to tame my directional misses unless I put such a bad swing on it that there’s no saving it.
Hey, thanks for the info. With that, many mid to high cap golfers will be interested in this ball. I don’t know if lower cap golfers would play it, but it is interesting the technology in equipment nowadays.
In my group, 4 handicap guy, course record holder, says that’s an old man’s ball. I tell him to at least try it so he agrees and proceeds to hit the flag on 1 with a 3H from 190 into a STIFF wind. He goes birdie, birdie, par, birdie. Makes another one later, I think he was 2 under before he quit after 16.
Another guy, older like 76, started slow, it was really cold and windy at 9AM but then he got warmed up and I saw him at least 15-20 yards further on his drives. I’ve played probably over 100 rounds with this guy so I know his game. He plays Titleist ProV1X and has no business playing those, he can’t compress them but won’t listen. These balls he could, and he launched them higher and they flew. I saw him smiling after he realized what was happening.
Myself, I struggled today. But I’ll say this, the e12 sounds great off the tee and putter. We all commented how great it sounds and feels. I kept saying this thru out the round today. It was so cold and windy today but yet the e12 was the star.
After the round these guys took 5 dozen more balls off me so that should tell you how they felt about them.
Edit: Forgot to say I saw this ball hit a cart path and bounce 50 feet up in the air. I asked to see the ball after he holed out and there was barely a scuff on it. Completely playable still so I bet the durability is just as good as the Tour B’s I’ve been playing.
Will snag a couple pics today!
The matte cover does get dirty more easily than a gloss finish ball, but durability is excellent. I just ordered another two dozen, so they’ll be my gamer ball for a while. Of my original dozen, I’ve lost two and took one out of play as a keepsake after I used it for my first hole in one.
I really like this alignment aid.
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Me too. I always liked the e Series alignment, but it was rather large. This one is near perfect.
It really is, it’s not gaudy like the old eSeries alignment arrow things which is nice.
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