arydolphin
GTHC!
Hey @rehbirdie, what ball is Fred Couples playing this week? I saw it's yellow, maybe there's hope for us mortals if it's the X or XS?
2020 Bridgestone Tour B Golf Balls
- Staff
- #427
Oh yeah!
You aren’t alone, no worries. We will all get the time to buy them soon enough ?I checked my email about a million times hoping to get one from @rehbirdie informing me that I was going to get some to test ,but no joy yet.
I know this is about the new ball but I can say the current ball behaves much differently for me compared to the Srixons...as a lefty, if I hit a left to right, I feel like the ball fights that left better to "center" itself...and it lifts noticeably better to me. idk. uneducated eye here.
How's dinner? Must be delicious. Just checking ?
yes, I eagerly await as well...the B-X/XS have become my favorites.
TheLutesMamba
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2017
- Messages
- 439
- Reaction score
- 378
- Handicap
- 5
Is there a tentative release date on the 2020 balls yet? I haven’t been able to find anything.
Looks like Feb 14th.
OITW
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2013
- Messages
- 50,264
- Reaction score
- 16,848
Review:
Background:
I've been VFIT into the 2018 Bridgestone Tour B RXS
December 2019 Trackman Driver Average:
Club Speed - 99 mph
Club Speed - 143 mph
Launch Angle - 12.3*
Spin Rate - 1915rpm
Carry Distance - 215 yards
Total Distance - 252 yards
Gamer Last Season - Callaway Chromesoft TT Diamond
I prefer to fit myself for balls green out.
Played these Saturday, January 18th.
Weather - Cloudy, Low 40s minimal wind, dry conditions with a few wet spots
Holes: 36 - 18 regular holes and 18 on a Par 3 Short Course
The Courses:
Pinehurst No. 2 White Tees (6,300 yards) Walking
18 on The Cradle - short Par 3 course, longest hole played 120 yards, teed off of mats.
The Balls:
Put the 2020 RX into play against my stash of 2018 RXS balls on The Cradle - head to head comparison
On No. 2 only gamed the 2020 RX ball for all 18 holes.
The Clubs:
Driver: Cobra F9 10.5 head +1 45" with LA Golf Shaft OLYSS 65 Proto Stiff
FWY: Cobra F9 5w 17* with HZRDUS Red 65 6.0
Utility: Cobra F9 4i 18.5* with PX Catalyst 85 6.0
Irons: Bridgestone Golf J15 DPF Irons - 4-PW w/ Elevate Tour S300 Shafts
Wedge: Bridgestone Golf J15 50* w/ Elevate Tour S300 Shafts
Wedge: Cobra PUR 54* w/ Elevate Tour S300 Shafts
Wedge: Cobra PUR 60* w/ DG Tour Issue Onyx S400
Performance:
Durability - The new RX balls appeared to be more durable than the 18 RXS - from the head to head comparison on the Cradle, I had some shavings/flaking off of the RXS - the RX cover was still in great shape - did not find any trees or other objects that are typically harmful to the cover of a golf ball.
From the 18 hole round, I definitely had some adventures off of the tee into the native areas as well as plenty of shots from the sand, and some tree/branch contact. With the exception of some small scratches and discoloration the cover stayed in tact and the ball was playable for the duration of the round.
Sound - Seemed fine to me, no abnormalities off of Woods/Irons/Wedges - nothing to make me questions equipment or ball.
Distance - On the short course, I never had any full swings with either the 54 or 60 wedges, they were all touch shots, which in January isn't going to be a strong suit for me. I didn't hit anything well and the ball flew excessively or came up short where I was surprised.
Full 18 holes:
This is where it gets crazy; my caddie was curious about the irons, he has caddied there for a few years (as well as other clubs in Chicago) and he sees a ton of irons and had never seen mine before (old tech).
We get to the Par 3 5th hole playing 170 yards to the flag. Minimal wind, I ask for the 7i - on line right at the pin, flew it by 10 yards. WHOOPS! Definitely wasn't expecting this kind of performance, felt like a good swing, not a great swing, but hammered.
I had a few similar approach shots later in the round where Eric (Caddie) gave me distance and I opted to pull less club.
On 18, 375 yards from the white tees - uphill into the wind hammered a drive that left me with 140 to the pin (with wind Eric sad it was playing closer to 150- with the back being 155. I hit PW - flared to the right but it was pin high.
Driver Distance - Driver was hot and cold for me this day, had some of the left hooks here and there on a few holes, however I dropped some bombs on a few to start the back, my drives on the back were fantastic, hit quite a few that ranged from 250 to my longest of 275 (total distance, was getting some good roll out there)
5w - I definitely need to call this club out for performance - took this out of the bag for a few months at the end of the season due to some struggles, I've put it back in the bag the last month - mostly for looks lol.
It was an absolute beast off the deck - hit one from the pine straw from 230 to the front edge of the green and had quite a few (see how bad my driving was) other pine straw and natural area shots that worked out very well in my favor. 215-230 out from off the deck in 40* weather is FANTASTIC.
Ball Flight - Overall on the day, my ball flight was low to mid penetrating - had some wedge and scoring iron shots that would have been classified as mid/mid high for me but overall this is the flight that I was seeing throughout the bag.
Most of the shots were draw or right to left biased. I was able to hit a couple of fades though, not by design.
Wind - really only faced some wind on the final hole and it proved to be a non factor for the ball. (15-20 mph)
Continued in next post
Background:
I've been VFIT into the 2018 Bridgestone Tour B RXS
December 2019 Trackman Driver Average:
Club Speed - 99 mph
Club Speed - 143 mph
Launch Angle - 12.3*
Spin Rate - 1915rpm
Carry Distance - 215 yards
Total Distance - 252 yards
Gamer Last Season - Callaway Chromesoft TT Diamond
I prefer to fit myself for balls green out.
Played these Saturday, January 18th.
Weather - Cloudy, Low 40s minimal wind, dry conditions with a few wet spots
Holes: 36 - 18 regular holes and 18 on a Par 3 Short Course
The Courses:
Pinehurst No. 2 White Tees (6,300 yards) Walking
18 on The Cradle - short Par 3 course, longest hole played 120 yards, teed off of mats.
The Balls:
Put the 2020 RX into play against my stash of 2018 RXS balls on The Cradle - head to head comparison
On No. 2 only gamed the 2020 RX ball for all 18 holes.
The Clubs:
Driver: Cobra F9 10.5 head +1 45" with LA Golf Shaft OLYSS 65 Proto Stiff
FWY: Cobra F9 5w 17* with HZRDUS Red 65 6.0
Utility: Cobra F9 4i 18.5* with PX Catalyst 85 6.0
Irons: Bridgestone Golf J15 DPF Irons - 4-PW w/ Elevate Tour S300 Shafts
Wedge: Bridgestone Golf J15 50* w/ Elevate Tour S300 Shafts
Wedge: Cobra PUR 54* w/ Elevate Tour S300 Shafts
Wedge: Cobra PUR 60* w/ DG Tour Issue Onyx S400
Performance:
Durability - The new RX balls appeared to be more durable than the 18 RXS - from the head to head comparison on the Cradle, I had some shavings/flaking off of the RXS - the RX cover was still in great shape - did not find any trees or other objects that are typically harmful to the cover of a golf ball.
From the 18 hole round, I definitely had some adventures off of the tee into the native areas as well as plenty of shots from the sand, and some tree/branch contact. With the exception of some small scratches and discoloration the cover stayed in tact and the ball was playable for the duration of the round.
Sound - Seemed fine to me, no abnormalities off of Woods/Irons/Wedges - nothing to make me questions equipment or ball.
Distance - On the short course, I never had any full swings with either the 54 or 60 wedges, they were all touch shots, which in January isn't going to be a strong suit for me. I didn't hit anything well and the ball flew excessively or came up short where I was surprised.
Full 18 holes:
This is where it gets crazy; my caddie was curious about the irons, he has caddied there for a few years (as well as other clubs in Chicago) and he sees a ton of irons and had never seen mine before (old tech
). We get to the Par 3 5th hole playing 170 yards to the flag. Minimal wind, I ask for the 7i - on line right at the pin, flew it by 10 yards. WHOOPS! Definitely wasn't expecting this kind of performance, felt like a good swing, not a great swing, but hammered.
I had a few similar approach shots later in the round where Eric (Caddie) gave me distance and I opted to pull less club.
On 18, 375 yards from the white tees - uphill into the wind hammered a drive that left me with 140 to the pin (with wind Eric sad it was playing closer to 150- with the back being 155. I hit PW - flared to the right but it was pin high.
Driver Distance - Driver was hot and cold for me this day, had some of the left hooks here and there on a few holes, however I dropped some bombs on a few to start the back, my drives on the back were fantastic, hit quite a few that ranged from 250 to my longest of 275 (total distance, was getting some good roll out there)
5w - I definitely need to call this club out for performance - took this out of the bag for a few months at the end of the season due to some struggles, I've put it back in the bag the last month - mostly for looks lol.
It was an absolute beast off the deck - hit one from the pine straw from 230 to the front edge of the green and had quite a few (see how bad my driving was) other pine straw and natural area shots that worked out very well in my favor. 215-230 out from off the deck in 40* weather is FANTASTIC.
Ball Flight - Overall on the day, my ball flight was low to mid penetrating - had some wedge and scoring iron shots that would have been classified as mid/mid high for me but overall this is the flight that I was seeing throughout the bag.
Most of the shots were draw or right to left biased. I was able to hit a couple of fades though, not by design.
Wind - really only faced some wind on the final hole and it proved to be a non factor for the ball. (15-20 mph)
Continued in next post
OITW
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2013
- Messages
- 50,264
- Reaction score
- 16,848
Approach/Touch/Feel Shots - As a low spin player I think for this course, I would have been better suited playing the RXS especially from inside of 50 yards. Comparing the RX to RXS - the RXS definitely had more stopping power - it was clearly visible playing The Cradle and being able to put the balls up head to head. See pics below
The RX still held it's own with the wedges when playing the full round, I wasn't ripping shots back, but there was some hope and little rollout, but nothing that made me think it was a bad decision gaming these. On the touch, short wedge shots and especially off the mats on the shot course, I was able to get some spin both side and back with the RX balls, still not as much as the RXS but a higher spin player shouldn't have any issues.
Putter - Sound was fine off the putter, I couldn't tell any audible difference from the RXS when compared head to head and nothing to throw me off during the round.
Final Thoughts:
The durability and distance stand out the most for me and definitely have me excited to try either the XS or the RXS as those balls I believe would be a better fit for me. I think when compared to similar balls in this space, maintaining the less than $45 pricepoint is a win and I can see myself putting these ball into play this year.
Will add pics later
The RX still held it's own with the wedges when playing the full round, I wasn't ripping shots back, but there was some hope and little rollout, but nothing that made me think it was a bad decision gaming these. On the touch, short wedge shots and especially off the mats on the shot course, I was able to get some spin both side and back with the RX balls, still not as much as the RXS but a higher spin player shouldn't have any issues.
Putter - Sound was fine off the putter, I couldn't tell any audible difference from the RXS when compared head to head and nothing to throw me off during the round.
Final Thoughts:
The durability and distance stand out the most for me and definitely have me excited to try either the XS or the RXS as those balls I believe would be a better fit for me. I think when compared to similar balls in this space, maintaining the less than $45 pricepoint is a win and I can see myself putting these ball into play this year.
Will add pics later
Last edited:
Maybe I missed over it on the home page about these balls, but if the spin is so good with the standard ball, why is there even an "S" version? Or maybe I just read it wrong and that this applies to the "S" version.
- Staff
- #438
Some fun with these today in the "indoor facility", because....well.....where else am I going to be allowed to hit golf balls except my garage right now?
Anywho...I decided now that I do have a setup, golf ball testing is now easier, so why not have a little fun?
Here was the setup for the shenanigans. I took my new 54 degree SM8, indoor setup, GC2, and all four of the different models with the goal of hitting some smoothies with each. Goal was to hone in around 110 yards (+ or - a few) while not making aggressive swings.
Disclaimer, I don't spin the ball as much as some of you, I get that. Nor am I a robot like on some of these YouTube videos out there, and @Canadan of course. But, I know there has been a lot of discussion about the spin differences between each golf ball with the new cover, so, why not take a look at them?
Tour B - X
Tour B - XS
Tour B - RX
Tour B - RXS
Anywho...I decided now that I do have a setup, golf ball testing is now easier, so why not have a little fun?
Here was the setup for the shenanigans. I took my new 54 degree SM8, indoor setup, GC2, and all four of the different models with the goal of hitting some smoothies with each. Goal was to hone in around 110 yards (+ or - a few) while not making aggressive swings.
Disclaimer, I don't spin the ball as much as some of you, I get that. Nor am I a robot like on some of these YouTube videos out there, and @Canadan of course. But, I know there has been a lot of discussion about the spin differences between each golf ball with the new cover, so, why not take a look at them?
Tour B - X
Tour B - XS
Tour B - RX
Tour B - RXS
Have you (will you) do the same with your driver? this data seems (for you) that with wedges, there is a bigger spin gap for the R line than X. is that the same for your driver? How about mid irons?
- Staff
- #441
Going to work my way through the bag slowly with updates like these. 9, 7, 5, 3w or Driver
That’s for sharing your data, awesome to see numbers!
- Staff
- #444
Some fun with these today in the "indoor facility", because....well.....where else am I going to be allowed to hit golf balls except my garage right now?
Anywho...I decided now that I do have a setup, golf ball testing is now easier, so why not have a little fun?
Here was the setup for the shenanigans. I took my new 54 degree SM8, indoor setup, GC2, and all four of the different models with the goal of hitting some smoothies with each. Goal was to hone in around 110 yards (+ or - a few) while not making aggressive swings.
Disclaimer, I don't spin the ball as much as some of you, I get that. Nor am I a robot like on some of these YouTube videos out there, and @Canadan of course. But, I know there has been a lot of discussion about the spin differences between each golf ball with the new cover, so, why not take a look at them?
Tour B - X
Tour B - XS
Tour B - RX
Tour B - RXS
can I just say that I love this...
phoffer
Resident ONE Length Guy
What would be a normal/expected difference between models? I feel like testing usually shows 200-300 ish for driver (right? or should I go back and read some more?), so that XS 100 on a wedge seems low and I'm curious how much (practical) difference the 300 makes for the RXS.
Tour BX, My kinda ball
Some fun with these today in the "indoor facility", because....well.....where else am I going to be allowed to hit golf balls except my garage right now?
Anywho...I decided now that I do have a setup, golf ball testing is now easier, so why not have a little fun?
Here was the setup for the shenanigans. I took my new 54 degree SM8, indoor setup, GC2, and all four of the different models with the goal of hitting some smoothies with each. Goal was to hone in around 110 yards (+ or - a few) while not making aggressive swings.
Disclaimer, I don't spin the ball as much as some of you, I get that. Nor am I a robot like on some of these YouTube videos out there, and @Canadan of course. But, I know there has been a lot of discussion about the spin differences between each golf ball with the new cover, so, why not take a look at them?
Tour B - X
Tour B - XS
Tour B - RX
Tour B - RXS
as someone seeking out less spin, Iove those numbers I’m seeing from the RX compared to the other 3.
Love that effort James. Very good info
Some fun with these today in the "indoor facility", because....well.....where else am I going to be allowed to hit golf balls except my garage right now?
Anywho...I decided now that I do have a setup, golf ball testing is now easier, so why not have a little fun?
Here was the setup for the shenanigans. I took my new 54 degree SM8, indoor setup, GC2, and all four of the different models with the goal of hitting some smoothies with each. Goal was to hone in around 110 yards (+ or - a few) while not making aggressive swings.
Disclaimer, I don't spin the ball as much as some of you, I get that. Nor am I a robot like on some of these YouTube videos out there, and @Canadan of course. But, I know there has been a lot of discussion about the spin differences between each golf ball with the new cover, so, why not take a look at them?
Tour B - X
Tour B - XS
Tour B - RX
Tour B - RXS
This is really interesting data. Thanks for doing the work and sharing it. What surprises me the most is that despite the significantly lower spin from the B RX, the carry distance is still the same. I also thought there might be a little more difference in spin between the B X And the B XS.
Some fun with these today in the "indoor facility", because....well.....where else am I going to be allowed to hit golf balls except my garage right now?
Anywho...I decided now that I do have a setup, golf ball testing is now easier, so why not have a little fun?
Here was the setup for the shenanigans. I took my new 54 degree SM8, indoor setup, GC2, and all four of the different models with the goal of hitting some smoothies with each. Goal was to hone in around 110 yards (+ or - a few) while not making aggressive swings.
Disclaimer, I don't spin the ball as much as some of you, I get that. Nor am I a robot like on some of these YouTube videos out there, and @Canadan of course. But, I know there has been a lot of discussion about the spin differences between each golf ball with the new cover, so, why not take a look at them?
Tour B - X
Tour B - XS
Tour B - RX
Tour B - RXS
Nice data capture here @Jman. Sort of what I would expect.
Played 18 with the Tour B X and still loving it. There were shots I had into greens that I had no business holding and they stuck. Hit a 5i into a 198 yards to the pin and hit the green left of stick, pin high and stuck within a foot of the ball mark. Shorter irons I am spinning them back on average 2 feet or so ( PW/9i ). Longer irons are hitting greens super soft and one hop and stop. I've had to change my distance approach. I am not planning on hitting behind the stick knowing that if I catch it clean, it will come back and if I don't it will fall a little short but still stop.
Have zero regrets switching.