Bridgestone J40 Driver Review Thread

[SW]

What's your misses deanomite?

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Tapatalk2

 

[ddec]

What's your misses deanomite?

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Tapatalk2

High ball with no ooomph behind it. I still can come across and miss right, but hell there isn't a driver in the world that will truly eliminate that miss.

 

[#Cookie]

This driver and I are still having an up and down relationship. Every time I make some serious strides with it, something goes haywire. For the most part we are happy together but for me it requires a good swing. I can't get lazy with it or else I just don't get out of it what I should. Overall I still think it's an extremely solid driver, one that I would throw on a must hit list.

I definitely know where you are coming from. The misses are still playable but if I get too quick, I see the push - if I get lazy, I see a tug left. I think it just demands that nice medium tempo for optimal results.

 

[Tmex]

This driver and I are still having an up and down relationship. Every time I make some serious strides with it, something goes haywire. For the most part we are happy together but for me it requires a good swing. I can't get lazy with it or else I just don't get out of it what I should. Overall I still think it's an extremely solid driver, one that I would throw on a must hit list.

Gosh Dean.... something tells me though that all you need is a little Morgan Cup competition and we see you rocking this thing.

 

[SW]

High ball with no ooomph behind it. I still can come across and miss right, but hell there isn't a driver in the world that will truly eliminate that miss.

I hear ya. That's the worst miss in my book, always seems to show up on those long holes doesn't it.

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Tapatalk2

 

[Tmex]

I definitely know where you are coming from. The misses are still playable but if I get too quick, I see the push - if I get lazy, I see a tug left. I think it just demands that nice medium tempo for optimal results.

We should sticky this thought!

 

[ddec]

I definitely know where you are coming from. The misses are still playable but if I get too quick, I see the push - if I get lazy, I see a tug left. I think it just demands that nice medium tempo for optimal results.

yup. and I know most of that is me not the club. But I don't think I'd say this club is like some others that you can just set up and bombs away. I think it's a little more demanding than that.

Gosh Dean.... something tells me though that all you need is a little Morgan Cup competition and we see you rocking this thing.

You might be right about that. Heck the RH didn't come alive for me last year until I got down to the MC. Could be a similar situation hehe

 

[War Eagle]

This driver and I are still having an up and down relationship. Every time I make some serious strides with it, something goes haywire. For the most part we are happy together but for me it requires a good swing. I can't get lazy with it or else I just don't get out of it what I should. Overall I still think it's an extremely solid driver, one that I would throw on a must hit list.

I think it is a very solid driver, and man it's long. Unfortunately for me, when I miss, I really miss with this one. Either a huge banana slice or a monster push right.

 

[ddec]

I think it is a very solid driver, and man it's long. Unfortunately for me, when I miss, I really miss with this one. Either a huge banana slice or a monster push right.

How do you think it stacks up to your normal gamer? In terms of ball flight and distance. I know you hit that CG Black a long ways

 

[War Eagle]

How do you think it stacks up to your normal gamer? In terms of ball flight and distance. I know you hit that CG Black a long ways

With the shaft I have in the J40, ball flight is quite comparable to the Black. Both give me a nice mid-high ball flight, but the J40 has a more piercing trajectory (best way I can describe it). Distance is tough to compare, a well hit shot with the J40 will give me more distance and more roll out than the Black. When I miss with the J40, say goodbye, the ball is gone. I really need to get on the range with the J40 and work my kinks out with it, jumping between the CG Black and the J40 is like night and day in terms of weight and how I play it.

 

[ddec]

yeah I would imagine going from the ultralite Black to the J40 would be tough to alternate between.

 

[Wicked Cool Bearded Man]

yup. and I know most of that is me not the club. But I don't think I'd say this club is like some others that you can just set up and bombs away. I think it's a little more demanding than that.



You might be right about that. Heck the RH didn't come alive for me last year until I got down to the MC. Will be a similar situation hehe

Yes it will Cap.

 

[Tmex]

I hit driver 3x the last round. Having so many options off the tee is fun for me right now. Usually I would do a shot by shot recap but I think its worth it this time.

Hole #2: Longer par 4 at 462 yards. I'd say it was playing about 450. I hit a real good drive that just faded to the left on my. I still hit the fairway but caught the ball dead center. Wind was in my face a little and I think it helped keep that fade in check. I need to start trying to play it somewhat.

Hole #3: Par 5 that plays 555 may a touch more because of the wind always being in my face. I nailed the drive again. This time just a nice straight shot with a pretty high ballflight. I was left with an iron to the front of the green but layed up. This was easily my best drive of the day.

Hole #5. 405 yard par 4. Not a good drive at all! I caught the toe. I lost probably a good 30 yards. The ball just shot up and sliced. I stayed in the fairway which was the good thing. Im noticing that my slices stay a little more on the planet with this driver. I think the extra loft (10.5) is helping a lot.

So pretty good day overall. I don't fear taking the driver out, in fact the only time I don't is if I'm trying to not go too long into trouble or if I see a better shot off the tee that will leave me with a better number into the green. What a fun way to play golf. This driver was the beginning of my games transformation it seems. I never have to think twice about it.

 

[Bullfrog]

This driver is just absolutely awesome!! I am a fwy finding machine with this thing. And get really good distance with it. I will definitely help my teammate when it comes time to finding fwys for us from the tee! I still get a tiny fade. With the occasional baby draw. My average with it is still in the 260 range. Sure some are shorter and longer but it averages there. Today it seemed as if I was hitting it further than that. On most of the holes I played today I was a good 10-15 yds further up the fwy. This driver and I are a match made in heaven. When I do miss it's normally a topped ball that burns up the grass in front of me and goes straight. I've done that about 3 times over the past 5 rounds so I don't think to much of it when it happens just that it's a stupid lazy swing. When I get lazy with it, I get a push right. When I try to kill it I hit it more on the toe which causes it to go more right but not a slice. I don't really slice this club. The PX 5.5 shaft is amazing! As it is in the rest of the clubs!! Thank you Bridgestone for giving me confidence in my driver.

 

[Tmex]

I want to chime in again here.. I would do a hole by hole but I think I want to just go over some shots that really stood out.

Sunday, was my MGA tourney and long drive hole was a long par 5 that had a fairly decent sized fairway. I step up, take a deep breath and put a nice easy swing on the ball. I ripped a monster! Lets just say I took home long drive of the day. As soon as the ball left the face I knew it was gone.

Today, I had several holes where I just roped the driver. A couple of mishits but I'm finding if I hit it low on the face it runs and stays straight. One hole in particular was a short par 4 and the pin I lasered at 301 but I don't know tough to tell because the marker said 265 to the center of the green. I figure... what the hell right? Playing it safe doesn't always work for me. The green was protected in the front and front left by a huge amount of water. Basically carry to 240 or be damned haha. Well I hit the best drive I've ever hit with the J40. Carried the green lol. Left with a plugged lie in a bunker, ended with a 5 but it was wonderful!

Can't say enough about the distance and accuracy of the driver. Not the most forgiving but my mishits are minimized in the sense Im not losing balls everywhere. The shaft I paired with the head gives me everything I need.

I simply cannot thank Bridgestone enough for putting this in my hands and also letting me choose a shaft that was right for me. Some doubted but its turned out to be the best driver I've played to date.

 

[CharlieMoy]

Great thoughts dude! How do you contrast Accuracy vs. being "Not very forgiving"? Is accuracy where you want the ball to go? If its not forgiving doesnt that mean the accuracy is sacrificed in a way? Are there drivers that are inaccurate when struck well?

People are talking about accuracy with drivers and Im trying to understand the concept of "Its the driver thats accurate, not the swing"..

I want to chime in again here.. I would do a hole by hole but I think I want to just go over some shots that really stood out.

Sunday, was my MGA tourney and long drive hole was a long par 5 that had a fairly decent sized fairway. I step up, take a deep breath and put a nice easy swing on the ball. I ripped a monster! Lets just say I took home long drive of the day. As soon as the ball left the face I knew it was gone.

Today, I had several holes where I just roped the driver. A couple of mishits but I'm finding if I hit it low on the face it runs and stays straight. One hole in particular was a short par 4 and the pin I lasered at 301 but I don't know tough to tell because the marker said 265 to the center of the green. I figure... what the hell right? Playing it safe doesn't always work for me. The green was protected in the front and front left by a huge amount of water. Basically carry to 240 or be damned haha. Well I hit the best drive I've ever hit with the J40. Carried the green lol. Left with a plugged lie in a bunker, ended with a 5 but it was wonderful!

Can't say enough about the distance and accuracy of the driver. Not the most forgiving but my mishits are minimized in the sense Im not losing balls everywhere. The shaft I paired with the head gives me everything I need.

I simply cannot thank Bridgestone enough for putting this in my hands and also letting me choose a shaft that was right for me. Some doubted but its turned out to be the best driver I've played to date.

 

[Tmex]

Great thoughts dude! How do you contrast Accuracy vs. being "Not very forgiving"? Is accuracy where you want the ball to go? If its not forgiving doesnt that mean the accuracy is sacrificed in a way? Are there drivers that are inaccurate when struck well?

People are talking about accuracy with drivers and Im trying to understand the concept of "Its the driver thats accurate, not the swing"..

Thats a great question Thainer because at times I'm guilty of kinda lumping the two (accuracy and forgiving) together when maybe I shouldnt haha. So if I hit it high or low on face, maybe towards the toe but for whatever reason I'm still able to get the clubface square.. and the ball stays online where I'm aimed, thats accuracy for me. But to the better player who also says, if I planned on carrying that 250 yard mark but didnt get close there (ball stays where youre aimed) and its not very accurate.. I can see that side too. SO to your point, accuracy for me at this stage in the game is the ball going where I'm aimed.

The perception for me, is that the J40 is putting me in better spots than any driver I've played to date. But I lose more distance than perhaps even the R11 when I don't keep it to the center of the face.

I'm a firm believer the swing dictates accuracy but the driver/shaft combo (if picked right) can help alleviate some of the pains of mishits or "misswings". The RAZR Hawk Tour would be a good comparison to what I thnk you're asking. I mishit that driver (across the clubface) and didn't see the distance loss I would see with the J40. But, directionally I felt like I was more likely to put myself in a bad spot.

I think absolutely some drivers could be inaccurate when struck well but honestly it might have to be more with the shaft not being a good fit. You could lose it high or low, left or right depending if the shaft is too weak or stiff.

I hope I answered all of your questions. I can't speak for everyone else though.

 

[Howzat]

I learned a ton about my game and this driver yesterday playing in a scramble. With the ability to blast away on every hole I was expecting my FIR's to be fairly low. I ended up hitting 9/14 fairways which is actually better than my average on my home course which has narrow tree lined fairways. Usually with my driver I am maybe at 50% FIR's and in order to get towards 70% I would be hitting the fairway and hybrids off the tee on about half of the holes. Next round out I am going to go full throttle again and see if I can duplicate the results.

 

[White Rhino]

I have gone without driver in bag the last 4 rounds I played due to some issues I was having with the driver. I think I corrected it and am going to bring it out again with me tomorrow. I am hoping I will go back to seeing the success I once had with this driver and similar to what everyone else is seeing.

 

[coolbreeze]

Thats a great question Thainer because at times I'm guilty of kinda lumping the two (accuracy and forgiving) together when maybe I shouldnt haha. So if I hit it high or low on face, maybe towards the toe but for whatever reason I'm still able to get the clubface square.. and the ball stays online where I'm aimed, thats accuracy for me. But to the better player who also says, if I planned on carrying that 250 yard mark but didnt get close there (ball stays where youre aimed) and its not very accurate.. I can see that side too. SO to your point, accuracy for me at this stage in the game is the ball going where I'm aimed.

The perception for me, is that the J40 is putting me in better spots than any driver I've played to date. But I lose more distance than perhaps even the R11 when I don't keep it to the center of the face.

I'm a firm believer the swing dictates accuracy but the driver/shaft combo (if picked right) can help alleviate some of the pains of mishits or "misswings". The RAZR Hawk Tour would be a good comparison to what I thnk you're asking. I mishit that driver (across the clubface) and didn't see the distance loss I would see with the J40. But, directionally I felt like I was more likely to put myself in a bad spot.

I think absolutely some drivers could be inaccurate when struck well but honestly it might have to be more with the shaft not being a good fit. You could lose it high or low, left or right depending if the shaft is too weak or stiff.

I hope I answered all of your questions. I can't speak for everyone else though.

That was a great answer Yoccos, you've really made me understand what this driver is all aboot.

 

[Tmex]

That was a great answer Yoccos, you've really made me understand what this driver is all aboot.

Thanks dude. I was trying to keep it understandable! haha. It's a great driver for me at this stage and one I don't see leaving the bag for awhile.

I have gone without driver in bag the last 4 rounds I played due to some issues I was having with the driver. I think I corrected it and am going to bring it out again with me tomorrow. I am hoping I will go back to seeing the success I once had with this driver and similar to what everyone else is seeing.

Get you some dude! let us know.

 

[10YardDraw]

Thats a great question Thainer because at times I'm guilty of kinda lumping the two (accuracy and forgiving) together when maybe I shouldnt haha. So if I hit it high or low on face, maybe towards the toe but for whatever reason I'm still able to get the clubface square.. and the ball stays online where I'm aimed, thats accuracy for me. But to the better player who also says, if I planned on carrying that 250 yard mark but didnt get close there (ball stays where youre aimed) and its not very accurate.. I can see that side too. SO to your point, accuracy for me at this stage in the game is the ball going where I'm aimed.

The perception for me, is that the J40 is putting me in better spots than any driver I've played to date. But I lose more distance than perhaps even the R11 when I don't keep it to the center of the face.

I'm a firm believer the swing dictates accuracy but the driver/shaft combo (if picked right) can help alleviate some of the pains of mishits or "misswings". The RAZR Hawk Tour would be a good comparison to what I thnk you're asking. I mishit that driver (across the clubface) and didn't see the distance loss I would see with the J40. But, directionally I felt like I was more likely to put myself in a bad spot.

I think absolutely some drivers could be inaccurate when struck well but honestly it might have to be more with the shaft not being a good fit. You could lose it high or low, left or right depending if the shaft is too weak or stiff.

I hope I answered all of your questions. I can't speak for everyone else though.

Fantastic post Yoccos! Explains it quite well and easy to understand.

 

[Tmex]

Fantastic post Yoccos! Explains it quite well and easy to understand.

Thanks dude! It was a great question and really made me rethink how I was putting some of my thoughts down.

 

[Kmac]

Look at TourMex bringing the pain in here. That was a very good post dude.

 

[Tmex]

Look at TourMex bringing the pain in here. That was a very good post dude.

KMac I miss you. Thain brought up a real good point and question. I think some of us definitely have different views of accuracy/forgiveness.