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2013 Bridgestone e5 Golf Ball Forum Testing Thread

SuperStroke
LargePhil said:
Side to side as straight as the E6 OG?
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Well yea. Not counting the first E5 yesterday than bounced off that man's roof. That was just a wild fricking swing and I've been hooking the ball on that particular hole, 90 percent of the time since we moved there.

I actually thought the E5 was a more consistent ball for me today. I was so impressed that I'm going to pick me up a dozen next time I head by the golf store. To be honest, I really don't see enough difference in side spin between the two balls, for it to be the deciding factor on which to game. I like the fact the E5 gives me that drop out of the sky approach shots, the superior feel around the greens, and the compression felt with my irons.
 
Ole Gray said:
Well yea. Not counting the first E5 yesterday than bounced off that man's roof. That was just a wild fricking swing and I've been hooking the ball on that particular hole, 90 percent of the time since we moved there.

I actually thought the E5 was a more consistent ball for me today. I was so impressed that I'm going to pick me up a dozen next time I head by the golf store. To be honest, I really don't see enough difference in side spin between the two balls, for it to be the deciding factor on which to game. I like the fact the E5 gives me that drop out of the sky approach shots, the superior feel around the greens, and the compression felt with my irons.
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Great feedback, thanks OG. I will have to try these. I have really not played the E5. I like everything about the E7, but, spin around the greens. Not sure I will use something else, long term. I will give these a whirl when the testing ends.
 
LargePhil said:
Great feedback, thanks OG. I will have to try these. I have really not played the E5. I like everything about the E7, but, spin around the greens. Not sure I will use something else, long term. I will give these a whirl when the testing ends.
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I think you will be pleasantly surprised with this ball. Personally it's an RX in a E5 cover to me.
 
Played another 18 with the same ball today and I still can't really find anything I don't like about this ball other than the color(wish it came in yellow). This ball just does everything you need it to do. As long as you don't have a wicked slice or hook you should definitely give it a shot. Hopefully by the time I go through my dozen and all the other balls I got for Christmas they will have it in yellow. I currently have about 60 holes on the ball I am using right now!!!!!
 
Was selected to test the e7 but bought a sleeve of e5 to compare. I was noticeably straighter off the tee with e7 than the e5. They were both identical off of irons but the e5 stood out around the greens providing more spin as expected with the softer cover and softer feel off the wedges as well. The e5 also felt a hair "softer" off the putter face. Ill have to pair them head to head more but my inital impressions are the e7 excels off the tee and the e5 around the greens. Tough call between the two. Two excellent options IMO

Tapping away on my S3
 
some really good stuff in this thread, since slicing is not a big concern for me anymore, I think I need to give these a try and see how they stand up to the distance and trajectory I get from the new e6 with the added spin of the urethane cover.
 
Got in my 2nd 18 with the e5 today at the Links at Lands End under very soggy course conditions in upper 50 degree temperatures. Started off poorly after a 2+ hour drive and only about 15 range balls off of the mats (and a little bit of a hangover from a night of gambling in Shreveport, LA).

I shot an 88, made 6 pars and a birdie. Let's talk about the birdie. It was a 137 yd par 3 with the flag behind a bunker, about 4 steps on to the green. I hit my 46* wedge to about 5 feet, it hit and stopped right there. I also had a couple of other full shots that were pretty nice, including a 171 yard 7i that was exactly pin high on a par 3, just about 20 feet right. I unfortunately lipped the putt. On a long par 5, I had 127 yard, slight downhill 3rd shot to a two tiered green. I hit it left of the pin and sucked it back about 3 feet.

So, in reply to my prior posts concerning spin (more specifically run out after landing), although the course was very soft, I found I was able to stop the ball quickly. This is an area where I was not quite sold on the ball, up until today.

For the driver, I've having some swing issues, probably sapping distance from me, along with the lower temps. I still like the feel off the driver a lot, but with more testing, the ball is starting to come back to the pack as compared to other balls I use. Very much a quality feel, but not as "exceptional" as I initially thought.

I still really like the ball's feel on the putting surface and I'm starting to understand how to stop it a little quicker on short shots within 25 yards of the green. This was a serious concern for me in my initial testing, but it's starting to become less so with more experience with the ball.

I have to give this ball a positive recommendation to anyone looking to game a solid ball at a great price point!
 
Ole Gray said:
I think you will be pleasantly surprised with this ball. Personally it's an RX in a E5 cover to me.
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So do I, my only knock on the e5 is I am a confirmed optic yellow fan so I will probably be spending $16 more per dozen for that simple fact. I so wish the e5 came in yellow.
 
So because of you guys I bought a dozen of these. Did a few chips at home. Absolutely love the feel.
 
Thinking of giving these balls a shot (no pun intended).

What can I expect to be different from the PRO V1x?

What can I expect to be similar?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...
 
Bridgestone 2013 e5 Golf Ball- 27 Holes

Bridgestone 2013 e5 Golf Ball- 27 Holes

I was able to hit the course for 27 holes recently and was able to put the 2013 e5 into play. I learned a lot about this ball from tee to green, and while this ball isn’t my favorite ever, it did impress me quite a bit in some aspects of the game.

The first thing that stands out to me about this ball is that I don’t hit it as far as I did the previous e5 or the B330S (my other gamer). Off both of the irons and the driver, this ball just isn’t flying as far as I am used to, though it isn’t a big difference. I’m maybe 5-10 yards shorter it seems with these balls. While that is a bit of an inconvenience, it is nothing to stop playing this ball for as it really shines in other areas. I am seeing a bit of a lower flight on these off my driver as I did the previous version of the e5, and this flight is right about on-par with what I see from premium ‘tour’ balls. I think that may be what is robbing me of some distance because this time of year is not too prone to roll-out. Off the irons, I see a piercing, mid-high flight that is about the same as what I saw out of the previous e5 and other balls I have played. I’m not sure why I’m seeing a loss of distance off the irons with this ball, though hopefully I will be able to figure it out as the testing goes on.

The amount that these balls spin off of the irons is unbelievable. I’m ripping back shots with all irons a good bit more than I have with any other ball I have gamed. For example, I am usually able to get an 8 iron to come back a couple of feet, though with the new e5, I am seeing between 7 and 10 feet of rollout on a clean, well-struck shot. I even was able to spin back a 5 wood shot into a par 3, and that really impressed me. If you struggle with spin with your irons, I urge you to give these balls a shot as they are really fantastic in that area.

Around the greens, these balls are still disappointing me a bit. They never seem to spin as much as I expect, though I attribute some of that to playing in colder temperatures. While these serve as an adequate substitute to a tour ball in terms of greenside performance, I firmly believe that these don’t hold a candle to a premium ball in terms of greenside performance. In some head-to-head comparisons, I have been getting a bit more spin around the greens with the older version of the e5 than this one, which was pretty surprising to me.

Also on the topic of short game, I still can’t get past the sound and feel of these when striking a pitch shot. It gives off sort of an empty crack and feels very harsh. I fell the same way about the older e5 and was hoping that was something that they would improve on, but this ball is exactly the same in that aspect. I think next time I may try to capture the sound via a video, but I’ll have to see how that turns out.

I am hoping to get out to play again at least once this week as well as once or twice on the weekend. I’ll have more feedback after that happens. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them here and I will get back to you as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
 
Damaikis said:
The first thing that stands out to me about this ball is that I don’t hit it as far as I did the previous e5 or the B330S (my other gamer).

I even was able to spin back a 5 wood shot into a par 3, and that really impressed me. If you struggle with spin with your irons, I urge you to give these balls a shot as they are really fantastic in that area.

Around the greens, these balls are still disappointing me a bit. They never seem to spin as much as I expect, though I attribute some of that to playing in colder temperatures.

It gives off sort of an empty crack and feels very harsh.
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I gotta say, this is disappointing!!

Distance with drives I can maybe see this time of year with temperatures and course conditions.

Distance with irons is somewhat perplexing. Must be ballooning because of spin. Do you see the trajectory of the ball just falling straight down and spinning or penetrating with a skip and spinning? I think 5-10 yards is a lot. At least a half club difference.

So are you saying full shots with irons and fairway metals generate enough spin but greenside they don't?

The "empty crack and feels very harsh" comment reminds of the movie Apollo 13 when they were having "shimmies" and "bumps" but flight control thought it was an instrumentation problem. Ed Harris I think said "it doesn't sound like instrumentation problems to me". One of the "claims to fame" for this ball is the cover, which should translate into sound and feel. It doesn't seem like they nailed that aspect though. So are you thinking it plays more like a surlyn ball than a urethane??
 
Fourwiggle said:
I gotta say, this is disappointing!!

Distance with drives I can maybe see this time of year with temperatures and course conditions.

Distance with irons is somewhat perplexing. Must be ballooning because of spin. Do you see the trajectory of the ball just falling straight down and spinning or penetrating with a skip and spinning? I think 5-10 yards is a lot. At least a half club difference.

So are you saying full shots with irons and fairway metals generate enough spin but greenside they don't?

The "empty crack and feels very harsh" comment reminds of the movie Apollo 13 when they were having "shimmies" and "bumps" but flight control thought it was an instrumentation problem. Ed Harris I think said "it doesn't sound like instrumentation problems to me". One of the "claims to fame" for this ball is the cover, which should translate into sound and feel. It doesn't seem like they nailed that aspect though. So are you thinking it plays more like a surlyn ball than a urethane??
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Ballooning may be the issue with the irons, but I don't think so because of the flight. I think I would see a higher, weaker flight, but I don't.

I think for me so far that these play somewhere in the middle of a surlyn ball and a urethane ball around the greens. A bit worse than the old e5, but not too much. For me, it doesn't really stand up at all to some other urethane-covered balls in that aspect.
 
Fourwiggle said:
So are you saying full shots with irons and fairway metals generate enough spin but greenside they don't?
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I am a fellow e5 tester, regular gamer of the 330-RX. Your statement hit it right on the head.

At least with full shots with irons, I generate a lot of spin with the e5, even for me, a relative low spin player. However, with greenside shots, I get tons of runout. I'm getting better with it, but I still have difficulty stopping it quickly inside 80 yards, and more specifically inside 20 yards.

As for the driver distance issue, I've seen that as well, but I believe it is due to lower temps combined with some slightly soggy courses. I'm interested to see how the ball performs distance-wise as temperatures increase.
 
We have had heavy rain every day this week but I plan to try and walk the course tomorrow to see how the 2013 e5 stacks up against the 2013 e6 thanks to OG and myself swapping out a test ball with each other last week. KB also gave me one of her better condition used e6 so I will have one extra in case I lose one. Interested to see how they compare head to head for me as it will be all carry and both should hit and stop for the most part. I should better be able to compare roll out next week. Just thought I needed to post something to get this back to the top of the page, keep your questions and thoughts coming folks.
 
Part 1 of today's review: The ball on the green

Last week, I noted that the e5 seemed to roll a little bit farther than the ProV1 for the same putting stroke. I started digging into this and picked up a gram scale and put together a way to hit the putt exactly the same speed each time. I set it up so the e5 would roll 10 feet on an indoor artificial turf green. After measuring ten putts,the average roll distance was 10'2". ProV1 was next. After doing the same thing, it rolled an average of 9"10".

I measured the weights of three e5s and three ProV1s. e5 was lighter by an average of .6 grams. Being in aviation, I've seen how even the slightest weight change can drastically effect an object, flying or rolling. I think the weight has something to do with it. The e5 certainly rolls a bit farther on the green.

It really has a nice sound off the putter. A nice soft click. It's shaping up to be one of my favorite balls off the putter face. Performance (with numbers!) review to come!
 
JF said:
Part 1 of today's review: The ball on the green

Last week, I noted that the e5 seemed to roll a little bit farther than the ProV1 for the same putting stroke. I started digging into this and picked up a gram scale and put together a way to hit the putt exactly the same speed each time. I set it up so the e5 would roll 10 feet on an indoor artificial turf green. After measuring ten putts,the average roll distance was 10'2". ProV1 was next. After doing the same thing, it rolled an average of 9"10".

I measured the weights of three e5s and three ProV1s. e5 was lighter by an average of .6 grams. Being in aviation, I've seen how even the slightest weight change can drastically effect an object, flying or rolling. I think the weight has something to do with it. The e5 certainly rolls a bit farther on the green.

It really has a nice sound off the putter. A nice soft click. It's shaping up to be one of my favorite balls off the putter face. Performance (with numbers!) review to come!
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Interesting, it seems that the lighter ball might not fly as far to me, I wonder if that is true. I can certainly see how it might roll more for the shorter distance off of putters. Do we have anyone who can explain the thoughts behind the lighter vs heavier balls.
 
DawgDaddy said:
Interesting, it seems that the lighter ball might not fly as far to me, I wonder if that is true. I can certainly see how it might roll more for the shorter distance off of putters. Do we have anyone who can explain the thoughts behind the lighter vs heavier balls.
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I really wish I knew more about physics and could explain it.

Off the tee, its longer but less accurate. Seems to make sense, lighter would fly a bit farther but be less controllable.


THPing on Tapatalk
 
I guess I'm crazy as I'm still not seeing any extra roll out off of the putter compared to the four other balls I've pitted mine agains. Who knows I guess.
 
Jman said:
I guess I'm crazy as I'm still not seeing any extra roll out off of the putter compared to the four other balls I've pitted mine agains. Who knows I guess.
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That seems like something that is almost completely dependent on the person with the putter. I don't know if that can be an objective consideration.
 
blugold said:
That seems like something that is almost completely dependent on the person with the putter. I don't know if that can be an objective consideration.
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I agree. Yet its something I felt compelled to watch and look for seeing the discussion on it in here, I like to cover all bases. 3 putters and 4 different balls and nothing for me other than pitch changes, could just be this damn bent grass though. Haha
 
Jman said:
I agree. Yet its something I felt compelled to watch and look for seeing the discussion on it in here, I like to cover all bases. 3 putters and 4 different balls and nothing for me other than pitch changes, could just be this damn bent grass though. Haha
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Or you're just a good putter.
 
Jman said:
I guess I'm crazy as I'm still not seeing any extra roll out off of the putter compared to the four other balls I've pitted mine agains. Who knows I guess.
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blugold said:
That seems like something that is almost completely dependent on the person with the putter. I don't know if that can be an objective consideration.
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I actually see more roll with the 2011 e6 so I am excited to get to try out this years model. With the e5 it is rolling out so closely to the B330-RX for me that there has been absolutely no putting adjustment what so ever.
 
DawgDaddy said:
I actually see more roll with the 2011 e6 so I am excited to get to try out this years model. With the e5 it is rolling out so closely to the B330-RX for me that there has been absolutely no putting adjustment what so ever.
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I am with you. I see about the same roll out as my Pro V1
 
Was out of town for work for almost a week and now its nothing but rain here but I hope to get out tomorrow for at least some short game & putting with the e5.

Interesting discussions on here with some testers seeing a bit more roll out on putts (like me) and others seeing nothing. I definitely want to test this theory more and find out if its legit or all in my head. Might have to get some others at my course to test the ball on the green for me and get their thoughts.
 
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