Practically every golf ball manufacturer out there has an option or design with some type of visual alignment aid implemented into it. However, Bridgestone Golf had been a notable holdout, until now. Previously, the brand stood by the notion that they weren’t going to follow trends for the sake of it, but would entertain such an offering if there was one they believed to be both unique as well as a difference maker.
Apparently, it took Bridgestone staff member Jason Day and his mental coach to get there.
Bridgestone Golf MINDSET Visual Technology
With a name like “MINDSET”, it makes sense that a mental coach was involved with this one. However, it isn’t just any mental coach, it is Jason Day’s mental coach, Jason Goldsmith. The two worked in coordination with Bridgestone golf to create a “graphic pattern” which originates with the three-step mental game process which Day has been using for almost a decade.
“Jason Goldsmith and I worked together to develop a pre-shot technique that went beyond the simple visualization I did when I was a kid,” said Day. “He understood how critical pre-shot visualization was to my game but also knew I needed a more structured, complete routine. The MINDSET process we developed gives me everything I need to perform at my best on every shot.”
You, like me, are surely asking aloud at this point, “but what is it”? Well, that is a complex question. The process which the design is rooted in hinges around three steps: Identify, Visualize, and Focus. Those steps are each represented on the golf ball by three circles. The red outer level coincides with working to “Identify” the shape, trajectory, distance, and club choice of the given shot. Once those decisions are made, the yellow then prompts the golfer to “Visualize” the shot to its entirety within their head. Once there is a picture painted within the mind, the green inner dot should remind the player to “Focus” on execution. Green, of course, also means “go”.
Seem like a lot to follow? Well, Jason Day’s mental coach breaks it down as such:
“The MINDSET process allows anyone to do what all professional and high-level players do, which is to utilize a pre-shot routine that gives them the focus they need to perform at their best,” said Goldsmith. “When we started developing the pattern it consisted of concentric circles only, and there was no flow to the design. After some experimentation we came to the current pattern with three different colored circles with arrows, which provides a natural progression through the process. I’m very happy with the final product and believe it can be effectively used by players of all skill levels to improve their scores.”
The Details
Bridgestone always said that they wouldn’t do any type of “printed golf ball” unless it was unique, and it certainly feels like the Bridgestone Golf Mindset checks that box.
This new MINDSET pattern will be available 2/16/24 and be an option on all four of the 2024 Tour B golf ball models. They will not cost any more as the price per dozen will remain at $49.99.
