2014 Bridgestone B330 Golf Balls Review Thread

[twentytwomonk]

I'm going to take a sleeve of these and a sleeve of e6's to Golfsmith this weekend and integrate them into my iron fitting.

 

[romeyrome87]

I have been playing the Tour B330 against the e6. The only notable difference off the driver and irons is a more penetrating and longer ball flight with the Tour B330. Nothing but 5-10 yard difference in distance. But the Tour B330 is alot better around the greens. You get better feedback from short irons wedges and the putter. I can say you still cant complain about the capabilities of the e6 based on its price. Not as durable as the Tour B330 tho.

 

[Nebgolfer]

I have been playing the Tour B330 against the e6. The only notable difference off the driver and irons is a more penetrating and longer ball flight with the Tour B330. Nothing but 5-10 yard difference in distance. But the Tour B330 is alot better around the greens. You get better feedback from short irons wedges and the putter. I can say you still cant complain about the capabilities of the e6 based on its price. Not as durable as the Tour B330 tho.

That is some great feedback, so thanks for putting them head to head. I know some people spend $400 on a new driver for 5 more yds, so $20/dz seems like a great deal!

The e6 is one of the top "value" balls out there, so reading the B330 tops it by a large margin is saying something.

 

[Mmaynard11]

Loving the feedback. Has anyone compared these to the Q-Stars???


Pardon me if I missed it while reading.

 

[fupresti]

Had my first attempt on the course with the B330 and I am impressed. It has a better feel than the 2012 B330 off of irons and the putter and the distance and control seemed to be retained. It did feel and appear to be better controlled on short chips and pitches. The cover seems to be slightly more prone to scuffing, but not enough to be of concern. I have 18 on tap for tomorrow again so I will try and do a side by side with my other gamer ball to see what the results are.

 

[#Cookie]

Loving the feedback. Has anyone compared these to the Q-Stars???


Pardon me if I missed it while reading.

I'm not a feel guy but similar performance off tee and irons as far as in air. A good bit more spin on full shots and chips.

Q-star I typically release 2-4 feet on full shots, backing up the b330-RX a few feet or stopping on a dime.

 

[romeyrome87]

That is some great feedback, so thanks for putting them head to head. I know some people spend $400 on a new driver for 5 more yds, so $20/dz seems like a great deal!

The e6 is one of the top "value" balls out there, so reading the B330 tops it by a large margin is saying something.

I wouldnt say that the margin is large. The Tour B330 just has a few strengths over the e6-. Just as the e6 is more workable in some areas as the B330 like draw and fade from te tees. Every gamer is different but from my standpoint I get a few extra yards of distance and a deeper penetrating ball flight with the Tour B330. Also the Tour B330 performs better on and around the greens. But with both balls accuracy is no problem so if you hit it right you're going to find the fairways and green.

On that note, I had a better experience chipping balls into a bucket with the Tour B330. It's short game is on point. The perfect spin with the perfect feel.

 

[EnglishTurn]

The B330 RX is my favorite ball to play, but I don't feel like paying 40 bucks a dozen all the time.

Ebay is your friend.

How can you be an elite hunter if you don't hunt with an Elite Hunter?

 

[Lockman850]

Loving the feedback. Has anyone compared these to the Q-Stars???


Pardon me if I missed it while reading.

I played the Q star most of last season and feel the tour B330 is better in all categories except price. I'm not a big spin guy but the B330 will straight stick. In the little bit of time I have played them I have had more shots hit and spin back than ever before. Fun stuff!!!

swing your swing

 

[Mmaynard11]

I'm not a feel guy but similar performance off tee and irons as far as in air. A good bit more spin on full shots and chips.

Q-star I typically release 2-4 feet on full shots, backing up the b330-RX a few feet or stopping on a dime.

I played the Q star most of last season and feel the tour B330 is better in all categories except price. I'm not a big spin guy but the B330 will straight stick. In the little bit of time I have played them I have had more shots hit and spin back than ever before. Fun stuff!!!

swing your swing

Just the information I was looking for. I have been in search of a ball that will provide me performance around the green and also off the tee. Definitely need to pick me up some of these.

 

[TNTCigarguy]

Love the information boys. Keep up the good work.

 

[jspangs]

I received the B330-rxs to demo so while I can't take them to the course as there is still snow on the ground I can give my initial thoughts on it. First time feeling them the cover felt kinda hard. For the record though by favorite golf ball to date us a Callaway tour I (s). I tried to different putters on them, a versa number 7 and a protype #9 and the ball felt great off both of those putters. Hitting into my net in the garage they felt great off my irons. And that is probably all I have for you for the next couple months.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk

 

[sparksjr]

FINALLY...going to hit the course this afternoon and see how these perform. Stay tuned.

 

[sparksjr]

Got these bad boys on the course this afternoon for 9 holes. It was 58 degrees, fairly windy but mostly sunny. It was a good day for golf. The course was pretty wet from the snow melt over the past two days and the greens were quite soft as well. Just some factors to remember for the review. The I was able to play two B330 balls on each of the first 4 holes until I finally lost one. From that point I played a B330 and a ProV1x on most shots side by side (the course got crowded on 8 so I didn't get to hit both on every shot). I'll try to break down each point regarding the B330 performance vs the ProV1x as it compared today and I will try to add some thought on how it compared to my Chrome+ experience last year.

Distance: I will say that I did not see a distance gain with the B330 today, however I did not really see a distance loss either. Driver distance was comparable to what the Chrome+ and overall distances with irons was spot on with my expectations. On the head to head shots I made with the Prov1x it was pretty much a wash with maybe a slight edge to the ProV1. One hole in particular I hit the B330 first and it was great contact with a little baby draw to the middle of the fairway. I then hit the V1x and contact was a little less than desirable and I got a little high fade off the toe. When I got to the fairway I was surprised to see the V1x in front by maybe 3 yards:

Spoiler

Accuracy: One reason I loved the Chrome+ last year is because it offered little spin off the driver and it delivered little spin off the driver. I was hopeful the hydrocore technology claims of lower spin would be similar. So far I feel like it is. Not playing in 3-4 weeks I still had a couple pull hooks off the tee and blocked one off to the right. The block was playable, the hooks found trees and a road! The ball performed well off my longer irons (read: 5 and 6 iron) and my 4 hybrid with typical or slightly better accuracy. On the last hole I hit a 5 iron on a laser to the green on a par 5, missed the putt but made birdie to close out on the only hole I didnt hit more than one ball. I havent hit a laser 5 iron in...I can't really remember. The hydrocore claims of reduced side spin is evident to me.

Spin: Speaking of spin. The B330 performed well on short iron shots and around the green. It definitely spins more than the Chrome+ around the green but I found it to be comparable to the Chrome+ from 100 yards (keep in mind I am not a high spin player). Really the only ball I have been able to get a ton of spin around 100 yards out with is the ProV1 (not x) and I really dont like it. Anyway, around the green the spin was very similar to the V1x today. Again, greens were soft but the two balls performed very similar so I feel confident in my claim it spins more around the green than the Chrome+ (which it should) and less than the Prov1 (not x). Overall I like the spin, not too much from 100 yards but it has a little more bite around the green so I can try to be more aggressive on chips and pitches and hopefully improve that part of my game as I tend to be to timid worrying about blowing it by the hole.

Feel: Tough category but I was pleased with the feel/sound. The B330 and V1x were quite similar, so much so I really couldnt tell you which I was hitting if they handnt been labeled. The Chrome+ definitely sounds and feels a little more firm (which I was expecting). The Chrome+ had that explosive sound off the driver that the others dont have, but as I have said that sound doesnt seem to produce more distance. I have already commented on putter feel/sound earlier in the thread here.

Durability: Up to this point the differences in the B330 and Chrome+ are so minimal that I couldnt justify the price difference. However that all changes as I can assure you the Chrome+ would have been mutilated by some of my poor shots. As others have said these are very durable golf balls considering the performance they provide. I ended up losing 2 of them that had been put thru some abuse on a few shots but I can assure you they were in great shape. I could have pulled either out for another 18 holes no problem. They were no worse for the wear as I bounced these off cart paths, trees, the road and even a frozen pond (this is not my ball, mine bounced off unscathed after a 5 iron):

Spoiler

I hope to get back out maybe next weekend to play these again and see if I see similar results. Once the weather warms a little and I am able to get the rust off my swing and am really eager to see how these perform. If what I saw today continues or even improves as my swing improves then I will not hesitate to spend the extra money over Chrome+ to be able to game them for longer than 10-12 holes. I sacrificed durability for performance last year but I'm telling you this year there may be no sacrifices!

 

[Johnny mojo]

Are there any testers that have NOT received their balls yet?

JM

 

[fupresti]

Played another full 18 today with the new B330. Once again, I believe the cover is slightly more susceptible to damage versus the last version of the B330. On the first hole, a 9 iron flush from the fairway left the tell tale markings on the cover. It wasn't significant, but it was there. I continued to play the same ball for the next 12 holes so it wasn't enough of an issue to pull the ball from play.

The ball spins appropriately based on my play. The ball held the green as commanded and didn't spin too much or too little. Ball flight was strong and there was a consistent trajectory off of all irons.

Off of the putter it feels plenty solid. I recently put a Spider Blade Slant into play so I am back to playing an insert and the two produced a very audible click I like, and the feel matches the tone.

This is a solid golf ball and will be one of two gamer balls I plan to continue to play in 2014.

 

[WardF]

Played another full 18 today with the new B330. Once again, I believe the cover is slightly more susceptible to damage versus the last version of the B330. On the first hole, a 9 iron flush from the fairway left the tell tale markings on the cover. It wasn't significant, but it was there. I continued to play the same ball for the next 12 holes so it wasn't enough of an issue to pull the ball from play.

The ball spins appropriately based on my play. The ball held the green as commanded and didn't spin too much or too little. Ball flight was strong and there was a consistent trajectory off of all irons.

Off of the putter it feels plenty solid. I recently put a Spider Blade Slant into play so I am back to playing an insert and the two produced a very audible click I like, and the feel matches the tone.

This is a solid golf ball and will be one of two gamer balls I plan to continue to play in 2014.

Weird on the B330 durability. On the B330-RX I am seeing improved durability. The one test ball I did 100 hits with on the net showed no wear and I put it back into play until it decided to take a swim on a 9 hole practice round yesterday.

 

[WardF]

After some more rounds with this ball I want to break down the per club performance for me in relation to other tour level balls. Have used Pro V1 and V1x; Callaway Chrome, Chrome + and Hex Black Tour.

My Ball B330-RX

Driver--long off the tee, great into wind, seems marketing hype of lower spin off the driver is proving true in usage. Not seeing side spin issues at all, however to be honest I really never do with my current driver setup. For me equal to Chrome + in distance without the durability issues of the Chrome +. Currently This is my favorite tour ball off the driver.

Irons--great compression feel , I play a high launch setup with C-taper Lites, and can hold most normal greens. About equal to me on these and the Pro V1 on iron shots.

Wedges--great control on stopping shots on approaches (hop and stop for me). I don't play a game that backs up wedges or check spins with steep pitches--I bump and run a lot and this is the right ball for that. I would go to the S version of this ball or the B330S if I wanted to move to a backspin wedge short game. Again equal to tour level balls here although some other brands will have backspin enough to backup shots--I don't play spin and just want the hop and stop so this one is all I need on wedge.

Putter--Nice soft feel especially if I use the blade putter. I would say this is equal to other tour level balls--on putter I really can't tell a difference until I get into cheaper Golf balls. Not seeing any clear winner between other tour level balls on the putter.

I have about three of these balls left from this test pack. After this review and testing, I will indeed be purchasing this ball in the future. I will have to test out my Morgan Cup sponsor Srixon brand soon in my prep--so maybe I can compare the two after that.

 

[romeyrome87]

Got these bad boys on the course this afternoon for 9 holes. It was 58 degrees, fairly windy but mostly sunny. It was a good day for golf. The course was pretty wet from the snow melt over the past two days and the greens were quite soft as well. Just some factors to remember for the review. The I was able to play two B330 balls on each of the first 4 holes until I finally lost one. From that point I played a B330 and a ProV1x on most shots side by side (the course got crowded on 8 so I didn't get to hit both on every shot). I'll try to break down each point regarding the B330 performance vs the ProV1x as it compared today and I will try to add some thought on how it compared to my Chrome+ experience last year.

Distance: I will say that I did not see a distance gain with the B330 today, however I did not really see a distance loss either. Driver distance was comparable to what the Chrome+ and overall distances with irons was spot on with my expectations. On the head to head shots I made with the Prov1x it was pretty much a wash with maybe a slight edge to the ProV1. One hole in particular I hit the B330 first and it was great contact with a little baby draw to the middle of the fairway. I then hit the V1x and contact was a little less than desirable and I got a little high fade off the toe. When I got to the fairway I was surprised to see the V1x in front by maybe 3 yards:

Spoiler

Accuracy: One reason I loved the Chrome+ last year is because it offered little spin off the driver and it delivered little spin off the driver. I was hopeful the hydrocore technology claims of lower spin would be similar. So far I feel like it is. Not playing in 3-4 weeks I still had a couple pull hooks off the tee and blocked one off to the right. The block was playable, the hooks found trees and a road! The ball performed well off my longer irons (read: 5 and 6 iron) and my 4 hybrid with typical or slightly better accuracy. On the last hole I hit a 5 iron on a laser to the green on a par 5, missed the putt but made birdie to close out on the only hole I didnt hit more than one ball. I havent hit a laser 5 iron in...I can't really remember. The hydrocore claims of reduced side spin is evident to me.

Spin: Speaking of spin. The B330 performed well on short iron shots and around the green. It definitely spins more than the Chrome+ around the green but I found it to be comparable to the Chrome+ from 100 yards (keep in mind I am not a high spin player). Really the only ball I have been able to get a ton of spin around 100 yards out with is the ProV1 (not x) and I really dont like it. Anyway, around the green the spin was very similar to the V1x today. Again, greens were soft but the two balls performed very similar so I feel confident in my claim it spins more around the green than the Chrome+ (which it should) and less than the Prov1 (not x). Overall I like the spin, not too much from 100 yards but it has a little more bite around the green so I can try to be more aggressive on chips and pitches and hopefully improve that part of my game as I tend to be to timid worrying about blowing it by the hole.

Feel: Tough category but I was pleased with the feel/sound. The B330 and V1x were quite similar, so much so I really couldnt tell you which I was hitting if they handnt been labeled. The Chrome+ definitely sounds and feels a little more firm (which I was expecting). The Chrome+ had that explosive sound off the driver that the others dont have, but as I have said that sound doesnt seem to produce more distance. I have already commented on putter feel/sound earlier in the thread here.

Durability: Up to this point the differences in the B330 and Chrome+ are so minimal that I couldnt justify the price difference. However that all changes as I can assure you the Chrome+ would have been mutilated by some of my poor shots. As others have said these are very durable golf balls considering the performance they provide. I ended up losing 2 of them that had been put thru some abuse on a few shots but I can assure you they were in great shape. I could have pulled either out for another 18 holes no problem. They were no worse for the wear as I bounced these off cart paths, trees, the road and even a frozen pond (this is not my ball, mine bounced off unscathed after a 5 iron):

Spoiler

I hope to get back out maybe next weekend to play these again and see if I see similar results. Once the weather warms a little and I am able to get the rust off my swing and am really eager to see how these perform. If what I saw today continues or even improves as my swing improves then I will not hesitate to spend the extra money over Chrome+ to be able to game them for longer than 10-12 holes. I sacrificed durability for performance last year but I'm telling you this year there may be no sacrifices!

Great writeup.. I was just gonna ask if anyone tested them against callaway balls and you beat me to it.

Any one testing against the speed regime or can make a comparison to the speed regime vs the Tour B330

 

[Sox_Fan]

Played my 3rd 18 hole round with the B330-RX today using the same ball for all 3 rounds. Obviously that speaks volumes for the durability of the ball! Previous versions I would take out of play after 2 rounds. Going to retire my initial test ball and go to the 2nd one for my next round. I have written previously that I did not recognize any distance gains from this ball over the previous version. After playing 3 full rounds, I will now amend that initial feedback to seeing small distance gains from woods and equal distance from irons. Still seeing more backspin on irons from all distances and definitely loving the short game improvements with this ball. I had also initially written that I was getting a slightly lower trajectory from this ball over the previous version. After getting used to this ball, I no longer see this as being a lower trajectory ball than the previous version. Definitely a gamer for me until the next version of the B330-RX is released!

 

[ChristopherKee]

Bridgestone B330 2014 with Hydro Core Technology Review(ish)

Before getting into the review I just want to thank THP and Bridgestone for giving all of us the opportunity to try out the new B330 line for 2014. It’s events like this which makes Bridgestone a truly outstanding company and THP a blast to be a part of. And a special note to the viewers, If this review seems long winded you should have read it before I deleted the other half of it!

My Info:
I’m the average everyday golfer who’s currently playing to a “winter” 11 handicap but have been single digits at times. I’ve recently went through a complete swing and club change as part of my “get more serious about golf” for 2014 and beyond effort. I love golf and everything that has to do with golf from playing, to watching, to teaching, and of course salivating over all the gear and gadgets rolling off the assembly lines year after year.

The Good:
Bridgestone had this wild idea to pour water into the mixer for their B330 line to make it “Hydro” matic. Well, it worked and this ball plays soft and long with the same control as the 2012 B330 but with discernible gains in performance in most categories. I’m 100% positive the Hydro Core came about from an intern accidently dropping a bottle of water into the new core mixture. We all know that’s how everything is invented.

The Bad:
Even with the changes to the core, and what feels to be a softer outer mantle, the ball isn’t any longer off the driver than the previous years model which for me was a yard or so shorter than my normal gamer. I found this odd since it’s playing a half club longer for me off mid to short irons.

The Not So Ugly Truth:
This ball is a winner and sits a step above all the balls in this lucrative category! To top it off this thing flat out spins like the dickens off the wedges for a ball that matches the “X” category of other premium balls. I’m cheap when it comes to buying balls but would have no problem pulling the trigger on the B330 model for 2014.

​

The Details you were Looking for:
Before receiving the New B330 2014 ball from Bridgestone & THP I decided to compare the B330 to the balls I play the most, the TaylorMade Penta TP5 and the Titleist Pro V1.

So I could really gauge how this new B330 performed for me and my game the test was performed on my local course, and it’s winter out there! To get some spin numbers I also hit the B330 against the Pro V1 and TP5 on a local Foresight GC2 launch monitor.

How it holds up to being smashed on:
Year after year the golf balls in the premium category have gotten softer and more resilient. The new B330 is no exception to this. Sure the new ball gets chewed up a bit if you’re a steep angled high swing player, but it sure doesn’t shred like some of the premium balls of yester year. I was able to play this ball side by side with my current gamer (Penta TP5) and it lasted the full round from hole 1 to 18 with some battle scars but definitely playable to the end. Unfortunately for this review I kept the ball in play all day and didn’t get a chance to test it’s cart path durability. I will go out on a limb and say it will most likely survive the cart path as well as any other urethane ball out there (which basically means its a new addition to your shag bag).

At the price you pay for this caliber of ball I’m glad the durability is there. I would say this ball is as durable as the 2012 model but with a much softer feel. Check out the pics to see both balls after the round.

The all soo subjective “Feel” category:
This ball feels soft! I’ve alluded to this a few times before in the write up because it’s the new B330’s most noticeable quality. Bridgestone flat out makes a good ball, they have been doing this forever, but from time to time they release a model that doesn’t give such good vibrations off my blades. The 2014 B330 “feels” softer than previous models, softer than my Pro V1 2013, softer than my Penta TP5 and, well, softer than just about any premium ball I have played. I’ve hit the same B330 ball on my indoor range against the other two brands for hundreds and hundreds of swings and after over a week I’m 100% sure it’s softer.

Around the greens and off the clubs the B330 with Hydro Core feels like a true dream! I’m no scientist but I think when Bridgestone combined the Hydro Core magic & the double dimple outer mantle together in this ball, it made for one oustanding feeling cottony soft ball. It feels like butter off both my Mizuno MP-69’s and my Cobra AMP Cell Pro’s (yeah yeah, 11 HCP with blades, makes no sense but that’s for another discussion)

How my clubs liked the ball:
Pulling out the big gun Driver showed great results with the B330. Every drive was the flight I was looking for out of the ball. If I played a high cut it would cut, high. If I knocked it down into the wind it flew nice and penetrating with no ballooning (better than my TP5).

Distance was about where the 2012 model was, which was far enough but not the furthest out there. Distance on this ball shouldn’t be an issue If you’re swinging the speed it takes to play the ball optimally. The superior wind performance of the B330 over my previous gamer is enough reason for myself to want to switch.

Standing over the ball on the tee I feel every bit as confident in this B330 as I did my TP5. This says a lot since I’ve been playing the TP5 for years now. Launch monitor numbers for the ball shows it spins about the same as the TaylorMade TP5 but less than the Pro V1 2013. This is a good thing since the new B330 is more comparable to the Pro V1x for spin.

Iron play for the most part with B330 was about what you would expect from a premium ball. It flies with a penetrating trajectory and falls out of the sky where it should. Where it differs from the Penta TP5 I was playing it against is in the scoring iron distance.

Every wedge shot on the B330 went a half club further every time. I’m not sure why but it was very consistent so it was easy to play for. I play mostly three quarter shots with my wedges so maybe the Hydro Core played a part in the distance gain when slowing my swing down some for the scoring irons. The spin this B330 generated off my wedges was more than my TaylorMade TP5 and a couple comparison shots against the Pro V1 2013. On a few holes it was a little too much spin for my approach shot. Since it’s winter and it’s wet I’m positive the overspin was due to the conditions. Come summer time this ball should be money on my approach shots.

Putter for doe, etc etc etc. You know, after hitting the ball and feeling it’s softness I was sure it was going to be too soft off the putter for me. I play a blade putter with insert so it already plays a touch soft. Surprisingly though the B330 plays with a good solid feel off my putter face. If I was inventing a ball the B330’s feel is what I would have picked for the putter. Since from time to time I also play a milled Scotty as my putter I dropped a few balls on the green and pulled out the Scotty and let some putts roll. I have to say, it was a consistent nice feel that I could fully be confident with in a match.

The Conclusion to the wall of Text!
Bridgestone set out to take an already great ball and make it better for 2014 by adding something just sitting around in the labs (water). The “Hydro Core” addition is a true winner for the B330 2014 lineup and makes for one soft feeling ball that plays as far as the 2012 model and spins like a Pro V1 off the wedges. From tee to green this ball is all quality and probably the best ball I have played to date. If you have the swing speed for this ball you need to give a sleeve a try, you’re going to love it.

 

[fupresti]

Now THATS a review!

 

[deafninja]

Wow just Wow!

 

[Ole Gray]

I break my testing down in categories so I will touch base on how the B330 RX works with my putter. My putter is an Odssesy #7 metal x arm lock style putter. Happy is a minor statement as to how this ball rolls off my putter. The RX comes off the metal x face with a very light click which sounds sweet to my ears. Especially when I hear another click on the receiving end at the hole. It's either my new arm lock style putting or these balls are giving me more confidence on the greens. In the past I have suffered with judging distance with certain balls I put into play. Not the B330 RX balls. My last round out I felt very confident I could get my line and stroke the putt with enough speed to go in the hole or leave myself a tap in. I'm giving the RX an A+ in the feel category and this is very important to me. I need all the help I can get on the greens as a very large amount of my strokes per round comes from the flat stick. Thank you Bridgestone for bringing a ball to market, which inspires me where I can roll the ball with confidence and shoot lower rounds more consistently for the 2014 golfing season!

 

[Trout Bum]

Man Christopher that's an awesome review! It's going to be nice here today so I'll be getting out this afternoon and posting some thoughts this evening.

I love the reviews so far, you guys are killing it.