sharkwrestler
One bad arse Dude
Great to hear that a mini lesson got you going on the right track cookie. That's cool spreading a little J40 love on the course with your Dad
Bridgestone J40 Driver Review Thread
White Rhino
SANDBAGGER!!!!!!!
I played 18 yesterday on the same course that gave me fits on Saturday and noticed a drastic improvement in all aspects of my game. As far as the driver goes, I did not warm up at all and just hit the first tee and as expected I had a very pronounced slice for the first 3 holes. As I warmed up though the J40 stated to work for me like it did at the demo day. I made a slight change and raised the height I tee up my ball slightly, basically one ring on the THP Epoch tees, and that seemed to do the trick. By 17 and 18 I was hitting nice drives off the tee with a slight fade at the end of them with some nice roll out as well. Still more work to be done and I am looking forward to getting back out again during the week, if not I have a time already set for Saturday, More to come!!
Howzat
I'd Rather Be At The Hideaway
That is the tee height that seems to work best for me for this driver as well. What kind of ball flight are you seeing?
White Rhino
SANDBAGGER!!!!!!!
Mid high flight with a slight fade at the end. I was liking what I was seeing by the end of the round.
White Rhino
SANDBAGGER!!!!!!!
I hit the PX at the outing
Joshzilla
Secret Agent
"They say" that teeing the ball low promotes a fade and teeing it high promotes a draw. Not sure if there is any logic to back it up, but it sounds like it's true for you. Nice!
White Rhino
SANDBAGGER!!!!!!!
Well "they" may be right cause when I teed it a bit higher, the slice I was experiencing and hating shifted to a slight fade which I can deal with. Maybe 1 point for "them" hehe
Tmex
Paul Casey, WINNER!
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Hey buddy Josh is right. When you tee it too low for your swing, sometimes the natural swing is to come down into the ball rather than catch it on the upswing.
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Got out to play 9 again last night and wanted to focus on the driver for review purposes as it has been hit/miss for me over the last few months.
I can confirm that the work I did last week is really paying off as I am seeing the ball flight/trajectory that I was seeing immediately after I got the driver. For the 9, I was 4/5 FW's with the driver with the miss coming on the tightest par 4 on the course. The hole was only playing 340 and I usually hit hybrid but wanted to see what I could do with the driver. Missed the FW by about 5 yards to the right and found myself in a bunch of trees but was still able to escape with a par.
We had received a good bit of rain over the previous 24 hours so roll out was very minimal and I even had a drive completely plug on me upon landing. My distances were ranging anywhere from 225-240 last night with the drive that plugged being 230 into a slight wind. The part that I am really happy about is seeing the line drive like trajectory that gets on a line and just does not move. I was not even seeing the little 5-7 yard fade that I had early this week.
All in all, I am very happy with where the driver is now and looking forward to heading to Austin today for the THP gathering and putting it in play for 36 holes over the weekend!
I can confirm that the work I did last week is really paying off as I am seeing the ball flight/trajectory that I was seeing immediately after I got the driver. For the 9, I was 4/5 FW's with the driver with the miss coming on the tightest par 4 on the course. The hole was only playing 340 and I usually hit hybrid but wanted to see what I could do with the driver. Missed the FW by about 5 yards to the right and found myself in a bunch of trees but was still able to escape with a par.
We had received a good bit of rain over the previous 24 hours so roll out was very minimal and I even had a drive completely plug on me upon landing. My distances were ranging anywhere from 225-240 last night with the drive that plugged being 230 into a slight wind. The part that I am really happy about is seeing the line drive like trajectory that gets on a line and just does not move. I was not even seeing the little 5-7 yard fade that I had early this week.
All in all, I am very happy with where the driver is now and looking forward to heading to Austin today for the THP gathering and putting it in play for 36 holes over the weekend!
White Rhino
SANDBAGGER!!!!!!!
Got out last night for a quick 9 at a smaller course ( 7 holes were <150 yards and the other 2 were par 4s each > 270 yards) to work on my short game a little bit. On the second hole, the first par 4 of 272 yards I drove the ball pin high and 18" off the green to the left. I have never come close to doing this before. I guess the J40 and I are starting to get along a little better now. Going out today for a full 18 and hopefully will have good things to report when I get back
Howzat
I'd Rather Be At The Hideaway
I experimented a bit today with tee height and choked down on the club a bit. I hit some very wild drives doing this but also found some consistency that I had been missing when I took a nice smooth back swing. Slowing down my tempo seemed to get the timing I needed to hit the ball straight but I was still able to swing hard on the down swing and didn’t lose any of the distance gains I have been seeing. I used the motto tee it high and let it fly (two green lines showing on the THP epoch tees) and was surprised to see a penetrating mid ball flight that was giving me a nice combination of carry and roll. The key now will be to see if I can repeat the success I had at the end of my round today for a full round tomorrow.
- Staff
- #840
I like the sound and feel I get from it when hitting a good shot. I think it sounds great when hit on the screws. Maybe I'd add an alignment aide. It doesn't bother me but thats something I keep hearing from people who I have let hit it.
Howzat
I'd Rather Be At The Hideaway
I think it looks great and I have seen a distance gain of 5-10 yards easy over the Zstar I was playing. I could use a tad more forgivness (a deeper face) as my miss is high on the face.
Wicked Cool Bearded Man
4thegolf+4thefriends
Nice thoughts Howzat and ddec. Good point about the alignment aid.
Howzat
I'd Rather Be At The Hideaway
I am one who prefers the clean look but I can see how others who are used to an alignment aid would miss it.
Howzat
I'd Rather Be At The Hideaway
I had a good round with the J40 this morning and have found some consistancy that I had been lacking. Gripping down on the club a bit and slowing down the backswing straightened out the flight a bit for me and I feel like I have more control over where the ball is going to go. I find when I get a bit tired toward the end of the round the ball will start to fade on me. I just need to maintain my focus and not get lazy. If I stay agressive yet under control the club is very rewarding to hit. I still think "sneaky long" is a great description because when I don't quite get it in the middle, the distance loss is not as much as you would expect.
- Staff
- #845
The lack of alignment aid doesn't bother me at all. It's just a comment I've heard from those who have hit mine.
This driver continues to get attention at my course. The feedback I am getting is that people love the sound of the driver. People ask me what brand it is, but surprisingly, some of them have not acted too surprised when I tell them it is a Bridgestone. This is definitely in the running for my absolute favorite driver. I think I might even slap my PX Black in there after the MC to see how it works.
Howzat
I'd Rather Be At The Hideaway
I was uploading an unboxing video for my fairway and hybrids and thought I would post this one up as well. I find the sound of the J40 tough to describe so a got this video so you can listen for yourself. Also gives you an idea of how far I have been teeing it up for those of you that don't have any THP epoch tees.
Just wanted to follow up on the above. He ordered it on Friday and will have it in hand either today or tomorrow. Looking forward to watching his tee game improve with this in the bag.
10YardDraw
Ex Club Ho
Thats pretty cool Cookie, accident turns into a game changer possibly.
Sorry guys I haven't been in here much. I have been really busy at work. Plus went to get my daughter who lives in NC, at the half way point in KY. Got to play a round with biglee. It was pretty fun playing in the mountains! On to the J40 review...
I have had a lot of time with the J40 out on the course. I have had some great days, some good days, and some not so good days. I know now that I definitely picked the right shaft! It just works for me. Feels awesome. The ball goes where I aim it with very good mid-hi flight. I have a little fade most the time, with an occasional draw ball. I really wish I could figure out how I get it to do that. It would be the way I would prefer my ball to fly. Then gets some roll out on both shots. Draw ball will get me more roll out. My average with it is 260ish. Which I think is pretty good for a guy my size.
My mishits aren't really all that punishing. When I hit it out on the toe the ball still gains pretty good distance but goes a little right on me. More than what my normal fade is. There is a little distance loss of about 20-30 yards for me when this happens. But that isn't to shabby for a mishit. When I hit the ball on the bottom of the face. It gets a low screamer unless I top it too much which it just burns into the ground going no where. The low screamer still goes out about 200-210 for me. Again isn't to shabby. When I catch it on the heal is where I notice the biggest loss in distance. Still goes pretty straight but it seems to go about the same as a low screamer. Which in turn from getting some height on it makes it look like it went no where. LOL
This is a very solid club. And I can see myself gaming it for a long time. It seems as it was "Made for Me". My fairway % has definitely gone up. It has given me a lot of confidence on the tee. I just have to remember to play a little fade to where if it happens to draw a hair then it will still be ok. So a little left center fairway will work just find. Make a nice swing by swinging smooth with a faster not harder stroke! And everything will be just fine.
I will have a real solid test tomorrow with it. I'm going to play Glendarin golf course in Angola Indiana. It looks pretty tough with water coming into play on 13 of 18 holes. It's gonna be a blast. I really look forward to hitting a lot of fairways with the J40 and will report back.
I have had a lot of time with the J40 out on the course. I have had some great days, some good days, and some not so good days. I know now that I definitely picked the right shaft! It just works for me. Feels awesome. The ball goes where I aim it with very good mid-hi flight. I have a little fade most the time, with an occasional draw ball. I really wish I could figure out how I get it to do that. It would be the way I would prefer my ball to fly. Then gets some roll out on both shots. Draw ball will get me more roll out. My average with it is 260ish. Which I think is pretty good for a guy my size.
My mishits aren't really all that punishing. When I hit it out on the toe the ball still gains pretty good distance but goes a little right on me. More than what my normal fade is. There is a little distance loss of about 20-30 yards for me when this happens. But that isn't to shabby for a mishit. When I hit the ball on the bottom of the face. It gets a low screamer unless I top it too much which it just burns into the ground going no where. The low screamer still goes out about 200-210 for me. Again isn't to shabby. When I catch it on the heal is where I notice the biggest loss in distance. Still goes pretty straight but it seems to go about the same as a low screamer. Which in turn from getting some height on it makes it look like it went no where. LOL
This is a very solid club. And I can see myself gaming it for a long time. It seems as it was "Made for Me". My fairway % has definitely gone up. It has given me a lot of confidence on the tee. I just have to remember to play a little fade to where if it happens to draw a hair then it will still be ok. So a little left center fairway will work just find. Make a nice swing by swinging smooth with a faster not harder stroke! And everything will be just fine.
I will have a real solid test tomorrow with it. I'm going to play Glendarin golf course in Angola Indiana. It looks pretty tough with water coming into play on 13 of 18 holes. It's gonna be a blast. I really look forward to hitting a lot of fairways with the J40 and will report back.