For those who closely follow the release cycles of Bridgestone golf, there is an understanding that even years bring upon a new Tour B lineup, while odd years usher in a new e series. True to schedule, Bridgestone is taking the stage today to announce the members of the new e12 models as part of their Optimal Flight System.

What is the Optimal Flight System? Being the #1 ball-fitter in golf has allowed Bridgestone to conduct extensive research on the ball flight trends of recreational golfers. Their findings reveal that 19% of golfers hit the ball too high, 22% hit it too low, 13% have a hook miss, and 31% slice the ball. After reading that, I’d be willing to guess you are figuring out which miss is yours. Since golfers have specific flight trends, releasing just one version of an e12 ball isn’t enough. Therefore, as part of the Optimal Flight System, Bridgestone is bringing three e12 golf balls to the market to help generate more consistent ball flight results.
e12 HiLAUNCH
As its name might suggest, the e12 HiLaunch is designed for the 22% of golfers who hit the ball too low. It features the lowest compression of the three models, meaning the ball stays connected to the face longer. Extended contact with the face generates that additional launch for a higher ball flight. Golfers who struggle to achieve proper launch conditions will enjoy the additional carry distance they produce with the e12 HiLaunch.

e12 STRAIGHT

Ah, the dreaded slice. Venture to the local muni, and it will very likely be the most common ball flight off the tee. To correct ball flights that miss right or left, the e12 Straight offers several technologies, such as a low-compression core with a sidespin-reducing mantle. It’s also the only ball in the line that utilizes Contact Force dimples, creating more contact with the clubface for a straighter ball flight.


Also exclusive to the e12 Straight is the availability of a matte green and matte yellow cover.
e12 SPEED

It offers the most ball speed thanks to a firmer core and higher compression, which reduces deflection off the face, creating a lower and more penetrating ball flight. Compared to other Bridgestone balls, the e12 Speed will feel slightly firmer than the Tour B RX. The e12 Speed will also be the most stable within the e12 line in windy conditions.

“We pioneered golf ball fitting in 2006, and while ball fitting has proven to be a tremendous tool to get consumers to try Bridgestone, it has been an even bigger tool for us on the R&D side,” said Dan Murphy, President of Bridgestone Golf.
“The new e12 series was really designed by everyday golfers as much as it was designed by us. The data from those millions of amateur fittings is what led us down the path of creating three unique e12 golf balls. Between our TOUR B series and new e12 lineup, I am extremely proud that we are providing golfers with golf ball options that will fit virtually any type of player.”
Mindset
Bridgestone introduced the golfing world to Mindset in 2024, and it became a prominent story for the Tour B golf balls. Mindset showcases a printed technology that helps golfers settle into a pre-shot routine that trains the brain to get into the right frame of mind before facing the next shot. The logo consists of visual cues that guide golfers through a three-step process: identifying the target, visualizing the shot path, and focusing on the dot to clear one’s mind of analytical thoughts before initiating the swing. Mindset was optional on the Tour B line, with some balls featuring the logo and others without. However, in the new e12 series, Mindset is printed on every ball, regardless of the variant.



“Enhanced mental focus in sports, not just golf, is a movement that is significantly influencing how athletes approach their respective games,” said Elliot Mellow, Golf Ball Marketing Manager, Bridgestone Golf.
“What MindSet does is give players, both expert and amateur, a simple pre-shot routine that greatly improves concentration and effectively separates analytical thought from athletic performance, allowing the golfer to make a free swing. We have found that over 80% of golfers see improved scoring by an average of nearly three strokes per round with MindSet, so adding it to the e12 series made perfect sense.”
It’s hard not to look at the new e12 offerings without drawing on the memory bank of the old e5, e6, and e7 golf balls. While they are not the same balls, the similarities in the story of fitting and having the Optimal Flight System in place, help give golfers a better understanding of which ball is their ideal choice. Furthermore, Bridgestone is including the power of their ball fittings to include all three of the e12, so whether using their online or in-person ball fitting, know that they are committed to getting you the e12 ball that works best for your game.
The Details

Golfers will find the new Bridgestone e12 series on store shelves starting on February 14, 2025, with a price tag of $34.99.
For more information visit their website at www.bridgestonegolf.com.
Nice cheap alternative for some golfers.
Bridgestone makes really good balls and I remember them mentioning on Off Course that the e12 is a good seller for them.
Also realky like the addition of Mindset to all balls. I’ve had a lot of success with the system and I hope many amateurs now see what it’s about.
This gave me an instant throwback vibe to the older version of e series and I was really fond of it. I think they have something here
Great write up [USER=782]@ddec[/USER] and love the release of the new line by Bridgestone. I think they have a ball that can help any miss out there. The question is if I tend to have low launch with the occasional miss right, which ball should I be in?
[QUOTE=”JB, post: 12886149, member: 3″]
This gave me an instant throwback vibe to the older version of e series and I was really fond of it. I think they have something here
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Totally agree with this and I was a big fan of the older e series (5, 6 and 7) and gravitating towards the old e6 as it was billed as the “straight” ball and I was a slice machine. I think this is a wonderful direction for the Bridgestone e series golf ball and the inclusion of mindset is also cool, seeing them really staying behind that is cool.
Not going to be the ball for me most likely but this is a really good release from Bridgestone. Love how the options are pretty clearly defined. Spray it? Straight. Hit it low? Hi Launch. Wanna go fast? Speed
The e series balls have always stood out to me even though it’s not a ball or balls that I would put in play. Nice write up.
This type of system is what I’ve always associated Bridgestone with, so it’s nice to see them coming back to their roots so to speak. I have a couple balls in this release I’d be interested in trying out for sure.
Love this release. They made it simple for the golfer to choose which ball is right for them.
Also, really enjoy seeing mindset in here too. It was a game changer for me last year. The principles were very helpful. Others I gave Mindset golf balls too also saw a benefit from them.
I used to play the old e6 for many years. Loved it.
This new version calls to me. I don’t know that I love the yellow or green shades here, but kudos for having something different. I’m sure these will sell a ton and will be happy to hit some when I find them.
Not a ball I would typically play, but great options for people at a good pricepoint! Great writeup!
Played the previous model and enjoyed it. These new options will bring in some previous users of another version I think and yet offer more variety. Great price point and will probably pick some up to at least try.
Love the release!
The premise of what each ball will do and its link to the past e series.
Pricing was done correctly as well.
e7 is back baby.
Be nice to have a 9 pack, sleeve of each, to let a golf try them and see on the course what each ball can do for their game.
I like how easy is it to identify which ball you should play. That is a plus.
I didn’t see in the homepage article nor on the Bridgestone site. Assuming these are a 3 pc surlyn ball?
Great write up, and perfect timing. I actually received some prototype balls in the mail yesterday and they didn’t have any info, both just said e12 distance with different colors. And much different dimples.
Good to see Bridgestone offering all three options. The e6 was my ball for several years during their era of the e5, e6 and e7 balls, and I still think it’s the straightest ball I ever played. I gamed the e12 Contact for a couple years after that and it was a solid performer also. Their matte green color really stands out and is very easy to see/identify.
I love the Neon Green balls this time of year, and will be switching to these from the Vice Pro
Might look at these for 2025. I really enjoyed the e12 when I used them but I’ve gotten away from them recently as they hadn’t done much updating.
I like bringing the mindset option to this line…think it’s a great option for people
The self fit chart in the article is the perfect fail safe for people to find the best model for them
Although I think the name “straight” in a golf ball is kind lame, I get the point and I do think these will do quite well in the market
These are really intriguing great write up. As someone who struggles with a slice the E12 straight sounds great for me. I love that they are printing mindset on every ball as well. The mindset approach does help for what I found.
Expanding Mindset is a good idea. I might need to convince my dad to try the e12 HiLaunch and Straight…or squish the two together to make a Straight HiLaunch hahaha….seriously though, I gave him some of the prior gen e12 and he seemed to like them so I’ll have to let him know about these
I like the idea of tailoring a golf ball to individual golfers, but I’m curious if this leads to more sales or just divides what sales they already produce?
[QUOTE=”Thrillbilly Jim, post: 12887919, member: 50607″]
I like the idea of tailoring a golf ball to individual golfers, but I’m curious if this leads to more sales or just divides what sales they already produce?
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I imagine it’s no different than all the other OEMs that have multiple choices (ProV1/V1X; Chrome Soft/Tour/Tour X/Tour TD; BRX, BRXS, RX, RXS, etc.)
Obviously it’s not going to cut deep into “tour”/urethane ball sales, but in the tier where it’s positioned maybe people would choose the one of the e12 varieties over another OEM’s Surlyn ball because of the performance options.
This is great no more guess work for the average golfer that has a defined struggle on the course. Literally easy to choose at a good price point. Wondering what you need look at the name…
Sounds like this is the revolution of e5/e6/e7…[B]Each model has a clear purpose: e5 for high flight, e6 for straight flight, and e7 for low flight[/B].
Kudos for Bridgestone brining back great clubs and probably a famous ball series.
I really liked the e12 Contact, that was the closest for me to the old e6 that I loved. Feels like the e12 Straight would be the closest to that?
[QUOTE=”russtopher, post: 12888035, member: 14253″]
I really liked the e12 Contact, that was the closest for me to the old e6 that I loved. Feels like the e12 Straight would be the closest to that?
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yeah if we are looking at the old e series…then yes the e12 straight would be the nearest to what the e6 was.
[QUOTE=”BigMac, post: 12887982, member: 3386″]
I imagine it’s no different than all the other OEMs that have multiple choices (ProV1/V1X; Chrome Soft/Tour/Tour X/Tour TD; BRX, BRXS, RX, RXS, etc.)
Obviously it’s not going to cut deep into “tour”/urethane ball sales, but in the tier where it’s positioned maybe people would choose the one of the e12 varieties over another OEM’s Surlyn ball because of the performance options.
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Hmmm. Maybe so. I believe that this is different from Standard/X model though. Those are refinements of fittings, where these are to “fix” a problem.
one thing I’m curious to see in hand is how the Mindset logo looks on the matte finish of the straight versions. There’s not many matte finishes with graphics out there that look good. Volvik comes to mind with their superhero stuff.
Is the e9 sticking around? I like that ball for scrambles, winter, etc. If so what’s the difference between the e9 and the e12 speed?
I received a couple sleeves of these from Bridgestone to try out. I’ll report back if it ever gets above freezing.
[QUOTE=”erock9174, post: 12886328, member: 7797″]
I like how easy is it to identify which ball you should play. That is a plus.
I didn’t see in the homepage article nor on the Bridgestone site. Assuming these are a 3 pc surlyn ball?
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Found some answers to my question.
E12 HiLaunch – 2 pc surlyn
E12 Speed- 2 pc surlyn
E12 Straight – 3 pc surlyn
I like what they did here with the 3 different balls for 3 different ball flights, but at $34.99 for a 2 or 3 pc surlyn balls is getting up there.
I still think there are better DTC urethane offerings as well as urethane covered balls like the Volvik XT Soft and Srixon Q Star Tour in this price range (if not cheaper).
[QUOTE=”mattb, post: 12889316, member: 13533″]
Is the e9 sticking around?
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I noticed that MapleHill golf has the e9 under their “liquidation sale” area. If that is any indicator I would say, Nope they are dunzo. They are $13 a dozen if you buy 3 or more dozen off of their site right now. Also I saw an email that said if you attend the winter “golf shows” that MapleHill attends, they had a coupon on the e9 for 6 dozen for $60.
$35/dzn seems a bit steep for a surlyn covered golf ball. You could pick up Vice, Snell, or other urethane covered golf balls for less.
Same here. They just showed up yesterday.
Going to suggest the hi-launch and straight to a couple of friends.
The Speed has my attention.
Nice choices to have and very easy to pick what you need. I like the green color but i would think the yellow would be hard to find sometimes. Nice write up [USER=782]@ddec[/USER]
Nice article. I use the Bridgestone e6 ball most of the time. I’ve also tried most of their current model balls. My thoughts are that I hope they never retire the e6 line of balls.
I want to try the three options out and compare. While i’m typically a Tour B guy, I used to love the old e Series and this has some throwback vibes to it
[QUOTE=”TJRyska, post: 12890382, member: 64369″]
Same here. They just showed up yesterday.
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I received the same set yesterday. Looking forward to trying the straight as I was a big fan of the E6…