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A Brand Story: The Bridgestone Golf Ball Journey

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Many a story has been written about the history of Bridgestone Golf. The massive rubber company getting involved in creating equipment starting in Japan and then the US, producing high level products for all skill levels. While their history is fascinating, this story is about a little more recent history and a brand that has persevered despite some twists and turns.



Let’s start by saying we are talking about a top 5 golf ball manufacturer and on the parent company side one of the largest rubber manufacturers in the world. This is not a tale of woes or missteps, but rather a celebration of growth and returning to the ideology that made them great. Producing premium products and doing so with messaging that has not wavered.



To understand the above, we must first go back and explain a bit of the modern history...
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Continue reading...
 
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Great write up. Interesting reading about their history and the fitting as education aspect that they have evolved over the years. Trying to get the average golfer to understand why a ball fitting is important was probably a huge hurdle, but Bridgestone has gotten a lot of people through their fitting system.

Also, great timing because I was going through an old box of balls and found this guy just the other day. Now I have information on it!

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Outstanding read! From being a huge Bridgestone ball fan for numerous years, I knew pretty much all of the basics and it was nice to gain a little more in-depth knowledge. Looking forward to the 2022 Tour B launch!
 
A long but good & thorough read. Bridgestone has always tried to bring ball fitting, even if simplified, to the masses with their online tools, which I really like.

Also, I still miss the old e6. :)
 
Man, it's like wandering through my own history. I've been a bit of a Bridgestone homer since their J33 days.

Still have those irons in the basement.
 
Such a great read with tons of information on the history of this company! I’ve been playing Bridgestone balls for the last 10
Years now & the fitting process was a huge component of my decision! Excited to see what they come up with next!
 
One of the things that has ALWAYS baffled me about Bridgestone was the inability to take over the ball industry. They have made a spectacular premium ball for years, and basically convinced golfers to look at their selections more for themselves vs what is on television. It has introduced four different styles that range in compression (and spin) pretty significantly, and are incredibly durable to boot. Not to mention, Tiger playing one for forever (worst kept secret ever) should have created a cult following.

How they never found a way to flat out take over the ball market is very lost on me.
 
I remember when the B330 launched. I also did the Bstone ball fitting challenge. They had a crude launch monitor gate thing you swung through to collect data. It was cool. I was fit into the B330s and I played that ball for a long time.
 
Excellent read! I've tried tons of other name brand golf balls but Bridgestone has always been my favorite. I can't wait to see what 2022 brings! Bridgestone is on fire!
 
Been looking forward to this one.
Have not read it yet but will read it later when I have some time to take it all in.
 
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templeton80 said:
I remember when the B330 launched. I also did the Bstone ball fitting challenge. They had a crude launch monitor gate thing you swung through to collect data. It was cool. I was fit into the B330s and I played that ball for a long time.
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Me too and low and behold years later we would be working with them and discussing this very thing.
 
They should be due for a new ball soon.. Very curious to see what they do.
 
templeton80 said:
They should be due for a new ball soon.. Very curious to see what they do.
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E. Mellow touches on that near the end of the article above. In my opinion, messaging will be crucial with the timing of other golf ball releases and the growth of the inventory as a whole.
 
Excellent article. I'll always be a big Bridgestone fan, its definitely encouraging to hear that they want to be better.
 
A nice write up as to behind the scenes with Bridgestone and its golf balls. I have played the B RXS and liked its performance. I would definitely be interested in any new products coming from Bridgestone.
 
Bridgestone has always struck me as THE leader in the golf ball space with the effort they put behind R&D and their real true emphasis on fitting.

I will be really interested to see what comes next for them and if it translates into overtaking some of the bigger dogs in the market.
 
Really liked the write up, interesting to see what they do during this years release cycle. Nice to know how the brand became a singular brand vs the three.
 
Really interested to see what they have come up with for the 2022 Tour B line. Will there be a "Contact" type dimple for the Tour B, or will there be something else that is completely unexpected????
 
Being a rubber company, my ears always perk up when Bridgestone releases a new product. Leveraging their ability to produce new and exciting raw materials is a big advantage for them. Hopefully the '22 release is them taking advantage of that to the fullest.


Excellent article @JB.
 
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Good read. Dan Murphy is one of the best people I've ever met. He was incredibly kind and shared both his time and knowledge with us a couple years ago in Akron. Ever since that event I have gravitated towards Bridgestone more than I did previously. I still play other brands but any time I have the RX in my hand my confidence is high. Really looking forward to the next version
 
Great insights, thank you for that.

I loved the Nike One Tour D ball back in the day and years later when I found out Bridgestone made those I was really surprised. I’ve never really consistently played Bridgestone, but they are next up after I run through my current stock of CSX.
 
mikeg_74 said:
Great insights, thank you for that.

I loved the Nike One Tour D ball back in the day and years later when I found out Bridgestone made those I was really surprised. I’ve never really consistently played Bridgestone, but they are next up after I run through my current stock of CSX.
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One of the people I play with was a die hard Tour D user and made the switch to the Tour B X and says its close, but better.
 
This was a good read. Bridgestone makes a really good ball, and I actually play it for probably half my rounds. Having said that, I just don't see how they can get to the top of ball sales. I don't see Titleist losing their top spot at all, and I think Callaway is making the most headway of anyone else. I really think them not having a strong presence in clubs hurts them in balls too. I think Bryson playing their ball really needs to be capitalized on, especially with Tiger out of the game for this year and probably at least most of next. I guess if other manufacturers struggle with production and materials, it could be a big opportunity for them.
 
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