Bridgestone J40 Driver Review Thread

[One-T]

nice Yoccos.....I am interested in this driver!!

 

[Hanks]

what was your typical miss with this Yoccos?

 

[Hawk]

Did you see a difference in carry, trajectory, etc due to the lower spin?

 

[Tmex]

nice Yoccos.....I am interested in this driver!!

You would love it. Really different from The Razr Hawk with sound/feel but same in the sense its a low spin head.

what was your typical miss with this Yoccos?

Big slice dude. Which is the same for the Hawk.I think a higher loft would help somewhat but my fitter really liked me best in the 9.5 range which I believe this was. I hit two snap hooks which I remember because I got really quick. Still outdrove Clark though. I was usually hitting a fade with this driver.

Did you see a difference in carry, trajectory, etc due to the lower spin?

I thought (eyeballin) the launch and trajectory was very similar to what I am playing now. Really its a good thing for me. A few of the good shots JB described as great trajectory for me. To me its a lower launch and low to mid flight. Im realizing though my whole concept of low and high at times can be different than others. Id love to get on a monitor and get some hard numbers. It did seem a tad shorter but I wasnt ever in a bad spot distance wise (unless I sliced). I did use a different ball and Florida plays a lot different than AZ.

 

[Kmac]

I took the J40 out for a couple of rounds... I also was lucky enough to hit the 4w as well. Here are some thoughts...

Looks
Both the driver and 4w have a very classic and clean look at address. The driver looks nuetral at address and does appear as a smaller head. I like how the ball sets up too. The driver has a deeper face than my current one and the proved helpful at times.

The 4w set up the same albiet with a shallower face (obviously). Another clubs thats just clean and classic.

Shaft
Both were paired with the PX 6.0. When I first started my round The shaft and head combo worked. The 6.0 feels a tad stout but the ballflight was low and penetrating. I did start to get tired and thats at the point JB and I wondered if this was a good fit. 6.0 is stout amd I really could not get lazynor tired if this found its way to my bag. The 4w was differemt though in the sense I didnt have the same issues with fatigue. I would need more time. Illustrates how important a proper fitting is though.

Sound/Feel
It was really smooth to swing. At impact the both sounded/felt very similar. A nice soft crush but really gave the impression of a hot face. Especially on a well struck shot. You could feel/hear good feedback on mishits. The shaft was a bit stiffer feeling but in my experience not different from other PX shafts. I like that feel at times.

Performance
Driver:
I need a low spin driver. We thought this could be a perfect match. This driver was long when I hit it well. Forgiving enough on the top of the face but hard to tell off the toe and heel. I lost some distance on mishits thats for sure. Not the longest Ive tried but pretty consistant. From what I experienced it definitely killed spin. Not sidespin though. When I was hitting it well I was impressed and Im curious what a PX 5.5 would be like. This head was made for a swing like mine.

4W
This was one of my favorite woods to date. Really consistant and the 6.0 fw shaft performed really well. Nice fade that was easy to plan and I could count on it. I didnt hit it the farthest but know what it would do each swing, really has me thinking. Dont get me wrong it wasnt short. Just cant wait for more time down the road with it.

Thank you for this write up yoccos. I dont really ponder these because they just dont seem to be whats good for my game.

 

[Tmex]

Thank you for this write up yoccos. I dont really ponder these because they just dont seem to be whats good for my game.

Yeah I dont think this is a driver for everyone. If youre in need of spin this wouldnt be th best choice. People also need to really know with the PX, the 6.0 isnt just a stiff flex. It played stiffer than that for me.

 

[Kmac]

Yeah I dont think this is a driver for everyone. If youre in need of spin this wouldnt be th best choice. People also need to really know with the PX, the 6.0 isnt just a stiff flex. It played stiffer than that for me.

I love the headcover though.

 

[Hawk]

I want to try it. Is it May yet?

 

[Tmex]

I love the headcover though.

Its really a nice one dude. Im actually a headcover snob and I found this to be very functional. Easy on and easy off.

I want to try it. Is it May yet?

Lol. If this driver fits... man it could easily be in a lot of peoples bags. I had a decent amount of time with it and the sound/feel was just great. I think that will win some over but ultimately it has to work and fit. Sound/feel can trap some into wanting a driver to work. Id be crazy not to give this a try with a different shaft.

 

[Hawk]

Do they make a PX 4.5? hehe

 

[Tmex]

Do they make a PX 4.5? hehe

Lol. That would be awesome! I cant wait to see more people try this. I had never really given a Bridgestone driver a fairshake I dont think and this one really surprised me.

 

[Hawk]

I've honestly been scared of them and I'm not sure why. It sounds decently forgiving and like it could work for certain swing types with the right shaft.

 

[Puttin4Bird]

Thanks for the write up Yoc, I am really looking forward to getting my hands on this driver. I love the J38 so I'm sure this one is every bit as good (and better). Sounds like the fw are money too, I definitely like that classic look!

 

[#Cookie]

Thanks for writing that up Yoccos! Definitely one that I eventually want to hit.


Tappin' from my iPad!

 

[Raygoose]

Any confirmation from Bstone on the shaft being the real deal?

I was told that TT with the Project X is not doing any "made for". All real deal or no deal. If someone has information to the contrary, I would like to know.

 

[Raygoose]

Let's see if Fred or DLIII put it in the sac. It matters little what the pros play, but it will speak to whether or not it kicks the current one out of the bag.

 

[TC]

I got to see this driver in person yesterday and was privileged enough to see it in action. I played with forum member bstonerjk yesterday and a real gem of a golf course (thanks for the invitation buddy) and it was his first time hitting this driver. Well, it didn't seem like it as he was hitting some absolute bombs. I've had the pleasure of playing with bstonerjk before this round, and yesterday was quite frankly, a driver display. His J40 had the Project X 6.0 shaft in it, which is the stock shaft, and no, it's not a made for shaft. I tried to really pay attention to the driver and there are a couple of things that really stood out to me about it.

First, the sound! The J40 sounds awesome. It reminded me a lot of the Razr Hawk. Not pingy or tingy but instead more of that muted "thump" or "twack". It just sounds like the golf ball is pounded. Second, the shape is very visually appealing. It's a 445CC head, so it's not as big as lots of drivers out there but it doesn't look small at all. It's shaped beautifully and this driver frames the golf ball very, very well. Last but certainly not least, I loved the design on the sole of the driver. It's so simple, yet not. Nothing stupidly distracting at all. Instead, this driver just screams business, and after watching it in action, it also means business. Honestly, if this driver was left handed, it might be the number 1 driver on my to hit/OEM list. I like every single thing about it.

Anyway, if you get a chance, do yourself a favor and experience this driver!

 

[TC]

BTW, you Bridgestone staffers for the MC are going to have some wicked gear. I'll post in that thread though.

 

[Chunkylover77]

Great thoughts TC. The J40 driver does have me intrigued. Sometimes I think the 460 heads are too big but I do love the forgiveness. If the J40 is forgiving enough this could be the perfect driver. I might need a different shaft though to give me some more spin

 

[Tadashi70]

I felt the same way TC, I was able to hit the J40 9.5* with the PX shaft 6.0. The look and feel was great. The combination of 6.0 and 9.5* of loft was a little stout for me or at least that day it was but I liked the sound and the way the ball launced off the face. Even though I was hitting some lower to mid shots with it, I could still feel it's responsiveness. If the irons and FW produce the feelings I get with the wedges I know I will get with the drive (proper setup), it will be golf gold.

I got to see this driver in person yesterday and was privileged enough to see it in action. I played with forum member bstonerjk yesterday and a real gem of a golf course (thanks for the invitation buddy) and it was his first time hitting this driver. Well, it didn't seem like it as he was hitting some absolute bombs. I've had the pleasure of playing with bstonerjk before this round, and yesterday was quite frankly, a driver display. His J40 had the Project X 6.0 shaft in it, which is the stock shaft, and no, it's not a made for shaft. I tried to really pay attention to the driver and there are a couple of things that really stood out to me about it.

First, the sound! The J40 sounds awesome. It reminded me a lot of the Razr Hawk. Not pingy or tingy but instead more of that muted "thump" or "twack". It just sounds like the golf ball is pounded. Second, the shape is very visually appealing. It's a 445CC head, so it's not as big as lots of drivers out there but it doesn't look small at all. It's shaped beautifully and this driver frames the golf ball very, very well. Last but certainly not least, I loved the design on the sole of the driver. It's so simple, yet not. Nothing stupidly distracting at all. Instead, this driver just screams business, and after watching it in action, it also means business. Honestly, if this driver was left handed, it might be the number 1 driver on my to hit/OEM list. I like every single thing about it.

Anyway, if you get a chance, do yourself a favor and experience this driver!

 

[Tadashi70]

CL the head honestly does not look big, it's a nice sleek shape so not intimidateing

Great thoughts TC. The J40 driver does have me intrigued. Sometimes I think the 460 heads are too big but I do love the forgiveness. If the J40 is forgiving enough this could be the perfect driver. I might need a different shaft though to give me some more spin

 

[TC]

I felt the same way TC, I was able to hit the J40 9.5* with the PX shaft 6.0. The look and feel was great. The combination of 6.0 and 9.5* of loft was a little stout for me or at least that day it was but I liked the sound and the way the ball launced off the face. Even though I was hitting some lower to mid shots with it, I could still feel it's responsiveness. If the irons and FW produce the feelings I get with the wedges I know I will get with the drive (proper setup), it will be golf gold.

Just an interesting observation by me yesterday, but I thought the driver and the FW wood sounded nothing alike. That's not a bad thing mind you b/c the FW wood was "tingy" sounding, which I prefer out of a 3wood, but they both just sound HIT when hit.

 

[Tadashi70]

I haven't hit or heard the FW but I imagine that sound is produced because of the small compact head. But I know what you mean about being 'hit'

Just an interesting observation by me yesterday, but I thought the driver and the FW wood sounded nothing alike. That's not a bad thing mind you b/c the FW wood was "tingy" sounding, which I prefer out of a 3wood, but they both just sound HIT when hit.

 

[TripleBogieTim]

I need to hit one of these...I like the idea of a little smaller head and I need to reduce some spin on my driver, this has me very intrigued to say the least.

 

[Tadashi70]

I need to hit one of these...I like the idea of a little smaller head and I need to reduce some spin on my driver, this has me very intrigued to say the least.

From what I have tested, the shaft (project x) really reduced my spin. So this might be a good fit.


Kongfrontation