2013 Bridgestone e5 Golf Ball Forum Testing Thread

Two left, I expect my dozen will be gone after tomorrow. I'll post up some final thoughts from the testing dozen. When the time comes I just might get another box of em.


THPing on Tapatalk
 
Here is a link to my last review which has links to my previous full reviews http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?39900-2013-Bridgestone-e5-Golf-Ball-Forum-Testing-Thread&p=1999525&viewfull=1#post1999525


I still am enjoying playing the e5 and have 5 of my original dozen left, still wishing for the optic yellow but other than that this is a very good ball for my game.

Driver – I am still seeing very good distance, I have found this to be a good ball in the wind as we have had several days lately with winds gusting up to 40 MPH. The e5 seems to hold it's line about as well as anyone could expect from a urethane ball.

Woods/hybrids – Pretty much the same as with the driver, nice solid feel, very good distance, and it plays very well in the March winds of late.

Irons – Same report as last time, "I am still getting used to my new Adams Black CB3’s but the e5 seems to mesh very nicely with these irons. When I strike the ball cleanly the flight is very nice, with a good high trajectory and excellent distance for me. The e5 makes a nice solid sound at impact which I find confidence inspiring. They seem to be a louder sounding ball than the RX to me."

Wedges – I have been struggling with the wedges of late but when I put a solid stroke on my pitches and chips the ball reacts very much as I expect, not as spinny as some of the top end urethanes but it is very much as predictible as you could want.

Putter – My putting is absolutely awful of late but it is not the fault of the e5, I have putted equally as bad with all of the balls I have tried of late. I still am not a fan of the "hard" feel but the results are on par with any other quality golf ball.

I still am a huge fan of this offering from Bridgestone. Is it perfect? No, but is there a perfect ball? Not in my opinion, but there are balls better suited for a particular persons game, this ball would be a great fit for many golfers wanting most of the performance of premium balls at a mid price point.
 
Is there anyone using this ball with a driver swing speed over 105mph? I havent hit a good drive yet with this ball but I have only managed 12 holes due to the weather which equates to 8 drives, so pretty rusty but my iron plan with this ball has been 2nd to none. Soft conditions but on line and holding it in windy conditions.
 
I have no where near that SS, seems like one or two in this thread do have the higher SS though. Charlie comes to mind off of the top of my head.
 
Got another round with these today and the temps were mid seventies. This ball gives me ten more yards when it is warm. I changed ball position which allowed me to compress shots better, but even before the swing change mid round, I was longer than the past few rounds.

I am in one hop and stop land and still loving these. I am going to stick with this ball as a gamer for now. I really want to check out the Srixon Q-Star 2013 since that is what I was playing (2012) before the test, but unless I get mondo distance increase or zipper spin then the e5 will be my gamer this year.

BIG thanks to THP and Bridgestone for the opportunity to test this product and share my thoughts and findings. I hope to be able to do this again in the future. If anyone has any questions about what I found, just tap away. I'll be around in here.

J.
 
Is there anyone using this ball with a driver swing speed over 105mph? I havent hit a good drive yet with this ball but I have only managed 12 holes due to the weather which equates to 8 drives, so pretty rusty but my iron plan with this ball has been 2nd to none. Soft conditions but on line and holding it in windy conditions.

I sure have. Performs great for me. I'm between 106 and 108. I would think it might over-compress if you're getting up in the 115 range, but for me its awesome. What do you want to know about it?


THPing on Tapatalk
 
Sorry guys its been a while since I've been able to give an update on my e5 testing. Had a bathroom remodel going on at the end of February and I was out of town for 8 days on business at the beginning of the month. Have been able to play 3 rounds in the past week which has been great.

The first of those 3 rounds was last Monday morning at TORREY PINES! Played the South Course, teed off at 6:40am and walked from the Blue Tees (7,051 yards - we wanted to get our money's worth!).
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It was pretty cool to get to test the e5 on such a well-known track. I drove ball well most of the day, especially well considering that it got windier as the round went on. Here is my overall take from my last 3 rounds:

DRIVER - Still consistently higher trajectory than my current game (Z-Star). In my two recent rounds on my home course I've noticed similar carry distances with less roll out due to the steeper descent angle. The e5 continues to have a very solid feeling off the driver, almost heavy (in a good way) as I've described before.

HYBRIDS & LONG IRONS - Performance in the wind has really been a stand-out feature of this ball. The e5 gives me the same trajectory with these clubs but I do notice that it bores thru the wind better than any ball I've hit. The wind off the Pacific Ocean picked up on the back 9 on the South Course so I was able to see the ball go to work in those conditions. The Dual Dimple technology really is legit and I don't see how it could be any better.

MID & SHORT IRONS - Performed very solid with these clubs, although I've noticed it doesn't spin as much with my short irons compared with the Z-Star or Pro V1. I believe it flies the same distance as my Z-Stars but doesn't quite check up & stop as quickly, leading to about 2 or 3 yards more total distance with the mid irons.

WEDGES - In my experience the new e5 is on par with premium multi-layer tour balls when it comes to spin & distance control with the wedges, especially from 50 yards and in. I don't know what more you could ask out of a ball in this price range. I think its pretty awesome you can get short game control like this for $26/dz.

PUTTER - Nothing really notable off the putter except I still see a few putts per round (like 1 or 2) that seem to fly off the face of my flatstick and end up missing the hole completely. Maybe its how the cover on the e5 interacts with my Metal-X insert? I don't know but its weird! Probably all mental...

SUMMARY - Durability. Durability. Durability! The cover on the new e5 manages to stay pearly white & scuff-free longer than any ball I've played. Its not even close and I applaud Bridgestone for their cover technology. This is a key feature of a golf ball that will drive people to buy a dozen to see for themselves. Performance in the wind with the new, shallower Dual Dimples continues to be another stellar feature of the e5. The only thing that I'd consider a negative for me about this ball is that it doesn't seem to land as soft as my current gamer on full shots with my 7i - PW. Not a huge drawback though as I could easily adjust in order to get all of the other features the e5 offers, for only $26. I still have 7 balls left so theres plenty more testing to be done.
 
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Got in 18 holes yesterday and played the e5, the temps were in the low to high 50's and the wind was 10-15 MPH with 25 MPH gusts, there had been recent rain making the course soft without much roll so these were absolutely great testing condidtions. I decided not to keep score as I have been in a horrible slump for several months now and wanted to concentrate only on the testing. The course I played was Lake Jonesco, a fairly tight, shorter course with small well contoured greens.

Driver - I had a great day with the driver, only missing one fairway and I missed it by missing on the right side of the fairway which is hard and rolling through. #15 for anyone familiar with the course. By the time I got to those last holes the wind was blowing pretty hard and the ball was being affected by the crosswind. I adjusted for the crosswind on #18 (which is parallel to #15) and was easily able to predict the movement. The e5 performed great when downwind or into the wind with less loss of distance into the wind than I had figured. I suspect some of the qualities of the former e6 as far as playability in the wind have been incorporated into the e5 although I have no idea that this is actually possible.

Woods/hybrids - I am seeing the same type results with these clubs as with the Driver, long and straight with resistance to the wind but with the ability to move the ball right or left if need be.

Irons - Great results as I was hitting more GIRs than I have of late hitting 50%, three were so close that I was able to chutt instead of chip. That is much better than any round of late. I sometimes had to use 2 clubs more than usual because of the wind and chilly weather but when I just stayed committed to the shot the e5 did exactly what I had planned.

Wedges - I enjoy the feel and reaction of the e5 with these clubs, I had some nice spin on chips and was able to get up and down with several of them, not as much as I would have liked but I have not been sharp with the short game of late. Not the fault of the e5 but purely the fault of the operator.

Putter - Only one 3 putt which is phenomenal for me of late as the norm has become 3 to 5 per round, I don't know if not keeping score or maybe taking a little more time because of the wind were the reason or simply a good day rolling the e5, but it was very encouraging. Maybe the wind muted the sound somewhat but I did not notice the "hard" sound today or maybe I am getting more used to it, but the bottom line is this ball is predictible off of the putter and that is all one can ask IMO.

Summary - I still continue to enjoy the e5, not quite in the same league as the B330-RX for me, but it is not supposed to be. It is close and that is the full intention. Great lower priced option to premium urethane covered balls for those seeking to save a little money. Just as with most other golf equipment this ball may just be the best fit for someone, I find it to be so close to the B330-RX that if I could find the e5 in optic yellow I would be very tempted to make it my full time game because you would always be getting 4 dozen (e5) versus the 3 dozen (RX) for the same amount of money.


My last review which will link you back through all of my reviews is here http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...sting-Thread&p=2060876&viewfull=1#post2060876
Please post your comments and questions, this is a great offering from Bridgestone and I would think it would fit into many golfers game nicely. Thank you THP & Bridgestone for this testing opportunity.
 
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Nice review DawgDaddy, I really like the e7 I've been testing but think I might like the e5 even more when it comes out over here.
 
I finally got the opportunity to get out and play this ball this morning. I'll play Saturday, as well. First time out on a course since early January, due to unplanned weekend commitments, and people getting the flu in the household!

Weather Conditions: High 50's/low 60's. I teed off before the sun came up, and used the 2012 Srixon QStar Yellow for the first couple of holes exclusively to ensure that I could find it after hitting it. Since I pulled the QStar first, and the Bridgestone E5 second, it soon became a head to head comparison. Also, since I was first off with nobody behind pushing, it was no big deal to play them both.

Overall, I found the Bridgestone E5 to be a harder/clickier ball than the QStar. Whether it was off the face of an iron shot or the putter, the E5 always felt harder.

Irons off the fairway: When I hit these side by side off the fairway, they went within 5 - 10 yards of each other, with the QStar being longer everytime. See my previous comment about how the E5 felt harder off the face of the iron.

Driver off the tee: I hit these both well, but I hit the Bridgestone E5 just a little longer everytime, by about 10 yards (including roll out). When I had good contact, the E5 had a nice straight mid-flight trajectory. I had no problem off the tee with the E5 that would ever be construed to a ball issue.

Chip/wedges: I found the E5 to stop sooner than the QStar. It wouldn't do a pro-tour checkup, because I didn't give it a pro-tour contact, but the E5 would stop shorter than the QStar time after time.

Irons off the tee: Again the E5 felt clickier than the QStar. Both balls had the same overall distance within 10 yards, so nothing here would sway me one way or the other.

Putting: The QStar felt softer than the E5. To me, I prefer the feeling of the QStar off of the face of my putter than the E5. It was more forgiving and I felt that I could think the putt and the ball would go where I wanted it. I rolled in a nice long birdie putt with the QStar that I did not replay with the E5. Today, I would choose the QStar over the E5 for putting.

Durability: I had the E5 out for fewer holes than the QStar, and it showed more wear. Then again, the QStar yellow (like most colored balls) doesn't show wear....you need to feel it on the surface of the ball.

Tomorrow will be another day with the Bridgestone E5. I'll get another head to head comparison in another week or two. Gotta get out early in the day to get a chance to play head to head with two golf balls.

Thanks again THP and Bridgestone Golf.
 
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Weather Conditions: Mid 60's with an early tee time, but with the sun already up today. No wind for the first 9, with maybe a 10 mph breeze for the back 9. Sunny and clear.

Irons off the fairway: I have really been working on getting a good release with my swing, and it's starting to come to fruition. There were some really tight lies today, combined with some soggy lies. I really liked the way the ball came off the face of the club when I hit it flush.

Driver off the tee: I hit the E5 really well today. Again, some work I have been putting in to get a consistent driver swing is beginning to pay off. Nice mid high ball flight, without any issue with the wind.

Chip/wedges: Playing two days back to back (which I never get to do), has let me get to get consistent with how I hit the ball out of different lies. I had a sand shot, some short flops, long pitches, and low runners....and I liked how the ball came off the face of the clubs. I did find the white paint get scuffed pretty easy, with several orange scuffs showing around the ball. But I usually will play a ball until I lose it....so I kept playing with it all round.

Irons off the tee: I had a great iron shot off the tee today. A 5 iron to about 8 feet. It was the length I was expecting, so no complaints here.

Putting: After an entire round putting the E5, I felt that I really got used to it, and finished my round with a 30 footer. Confidence inspiring. Still feels hard off of the putter face.

Durability: Again, see above regarding durability. After about 6 holes, there were scuffs through the paint. Probably about 5 or 6 total by the end of the round.

Thanks again THP and Bridgestone Golf.
 
Good stuff fracisco, I wholeheartedly agree with you on the putting, the ball does take some getting used to but to me it is predictable. The sound would certainly not be a deal breaker for me at all.
 
After being a fairly consistent e6 user over the past two years and testing the e6 earlier I had the pleasure of playing the new e5 today. The only real fault I have with the e6 is the short game. Problem solved with the e5. I think my swing has improved a bit so I can keep the e5 in play with the driver, no slices today and even hit a few really nice draws. length was as good as I hit with the e6 or PV. By far the best performance was stopping on the green, thisart of my game was just absent with many shots rolling far beyond the pin. I had several kick in putts today with the e5. One bad shot, a line drive from90 yards with my aw just barely rolled off the green, it just grabbed when it hit rather than rolling another 10 to 20 yards off the green. Shots at the pin hit and stopped...definitely had a pretty good outing with the e5. Added back a dimension missing with the e6, the e5 performs off the tee, off the irons and certainly on the greens. Thanks to all for their reviews and encouraging me to give it a try....I'm sold.
 
I've played this ball a couple rounds now. I've gotten higher trajectories consistently. Which is a bad thing for me. Also the ball just doesn't seem to want to check anywhere near as well as the ProV1 does. Which is killing my shots when I'm expecting it to check and it rolls out 10 yds. I was really hoping to get what you guys are getting out of it cause ProV1's are a bit more expensive than I wanna pay. But no luck.
 
I wouldn't expect this ball to check up like a ProV1 does, but I am also surprised by the lack of spin I am able to put on this one around the greens. I'm holding off judgement until the weather stays consistent though, I don't think the greens are in top condition yet so I will spend some more time with them then as it gets warmer.
 
I wouldn't expect this ball to check up like a ProV1 does, but I am also surprised by the lack of spin I am able to put on this one around the greens. I'm holding off judgement until the weather stays consistent though, I don't think the greens are in top condition yet so I will spend some more time with them then as it gets warmer.

You think faster and firmer greens will help?


Oh and by the way, Bridgestone Golf rules!
 
The grounds here are very hard because of the cold weather. Not sure how the weather has been theree in PA but we just now broke 50 this weekend. High wedge shots don't even leave divots in the green right now so I don't think the ball is really able to land and grab the greens. Usually as Spring hits the greens get a little softer and I am able to spin the ball better around the greens.
 
Interesting stuff. I've never felt hard winter greens unless they were ice. Can't wait to hear more once the season shakes out.


Oh and by the way, Bridgestone Golf rules!
 
I finally had a chance to do some warm-weather testing today. I played a round with both an e5 and an NXT Tour-S. I was unfortunately not swinging very consistently; however, I did make a few observations. Iron performance seemed similar between the two - short irons and wedges pretty much landed soft with no apparent backspin. Long irons mostly missed the greens so I've nothing to report there :angry:. The e5 definitely felt & sounded harder off the putter, though I don't think it performed any differently.

I seemed to get more spin off the tee from the e5 than the nxt. On one hole in particular, I felt like a put a great & identical swing on each balls. The e5 started with a mid trajectory, but seemed to climb and climb (i.e. lots of backspin). The NXT started on the same trajectory, but seemed to hold that angle until gravity kicked in. On this particular hole, the landing area is just over a ridge, so I couldn't see the balls land and roll out. The e5's climbing flight was impressive to watch, but it (I assume) checked up when it landed; while the NXT rolled out more. The net distance for the NXT was about 30 yards beyond the e5.

As others have noted, the e5 is very durable. Both balls took a few cart path hits, but the NXT was showing more wear than the e5.
 
Just a few quick thoughts on todays round with the e5, it was in the high 40's when I started and was in the mid 50's when I finished. The wind was hardly blowing at all when I began and was probably 15 mph when I finished. The e5 performed like a charm all day giving good distance, even into the wind. It does not fight a cross wind well as my one drive in a cross wind moved about 20 yards to the side just as it peaked, missed the fairway by about 5 yards so no tragedy but still left a difficult shot compared to it being in the fairway. I had a good day chipping and the e5 was very predictable resulting in several one putts. I compared it several times head to head with the B330-RX and other than the sound I can't see much difference in the distance, workability or performance other than the RX will spin better. Man do I wish the e5 came in optic yellow.

Here is a link to my past reviews if anyone would like to see them http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...sting-Thread&p=2080512&viewfull=1#post2080512
 
Has the side spin improved over the 2011 model?

Has the side spin improved over the 2011 model?

Just a few quick thoughts on todays round with the e5, it was in the high 40's when I started and was in the mid 50's when I finished. The wind was hardly blowing at all when I began and was probably 15 mph when I finished. The e5 performed like a charm all day giving good distance, even into the wind. It does not fight a cross wind well as my one drive in a cross wind moved about 20 yards to the side just as it peaked, missed the fairway by about 5 yards so no tragedy but still left a difficult shot compared to it being in the fairway. I had a good day chipping and the e5 was very predictable resulting in several one putts. I compared it several times head to head with the B330-RX and other than the sound I can't see much difference in the distance, workability or performance other than the RX will spin better. Man do I wish the e5 came in optic yellow.

Here is a link to my past reviews if anyone would like to see them http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...sting-Thread&p=2080512&viewfull=1#post2080512


:clap::clapp:
I have tried the e5 in the past and really liked everything but the side spin on mis-hits.It may have been my swing but consistently hit it well
but when I did mis-hit it ,it was a vicious slice. Curious about this area of concern so would love some comments about side spin.
Thanks ,great reviews
 
I got out early Friday morning on my executive course. The first three holes were great: put the tee shot within 15 feet on the first hole with a birdie putt, drove my tee shot on the 2nd hole straight and the right distance for me just short of the hazard, and put my 4-hybrid tee shot on the green on the 3rd hole (175 yards).

Then the train went off the tracks. I don't blame the ball.

The durability is great. I played the same ball for the entire round, with just some minor paint scuffing in one place. The ball goes straight if I hit it straight: I have not seen any undue spin due to a mishit...in fact I saw some nice auto-correct with suspect contact.

I was hoping to play two balls with another comparison to a Q-star, but I had another single join me on the 2nd fairway, which put that thought to bed.
 
I have no more of the e-5's but I am just bumping the thread in case anyone has any questions they would like for any of us to answer. Great ball but I still wish they would come out with it in yellow, maybe in 2 years when they come out with the 2015 models they will offer it.
 
I have no more of the e-5's but I am just bumping the thread in case anyone has any questions they would like for any of us to answer. Great ball but I still wish they would come out with it in yellow, maybe in 2 years when they come out with the 2015 models they will offer it.

I still have a bunch. Since my season started 4 weeks ago.

I did a hole of the day video last Tuesday. The ball I used on that hole was an e5.

Maybe the dual dimples caused me to lip out that par putt?
 
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