Bridgestone J40 Driver Review Thread

[arydolphin]

I'm thrilled to put this club in my bag! It was very nice to see the large box when I came home from work. The weather here today is awful so a range session won't happen this evening. However, I'm going to one of the tougher courses around here tomorrow, will take my first swings with it on the range prior to the round! We'll see how things go.

First impressions of the driver: love the no-nonsense appearance of the head. When putting it down on my hardwood floor, it does look a slight bit closed which is a little surprising, but we'll see how it looks when it's on grass behind the ball. The white Lamkin grip really goes well with the white on the DI-6 shaft. I went with 44.5 inches on the length of this driver, but it definitely doesn't feel short at all. Looking forward to launching some drives with this thing tomorrow!

 

[White Rhino]

Glad you finally got it Ary! Best of luck with it tomorrow!!!

 

[mikedean441]

Looking good ary, I'd be ok if its a little closed, I swore someone else said theirs looked open, but it may have been another thread.

 

[arydolphin]

Looking good ary, I'd be ok if its a little closed, I swore someone else said theirs looked open, but it may have been another thread.

The closed thing is more of a mental thing than anything else. My miss is a hook and I normally play a draw, so it scares me a little to see it. However, we'll see how it goes on the range and course tomorrow.

 

[JB]

Optical thing ary. You will find them to be neutral. At least in our testing of face angle, (watching them be tested), every single one of them lined up to neutral give or take a minuscule amount.

 

[arydolphin]

Optical thing ary. You will find them to be neutral. At least in our testing of face angle, (watching them be tested), every single one of them lined up to neutral give or take a minuscule amount.

Good to know. I wouldn't mind this club being a little fade-biased as well.

 

[ddec]

Looks fantastic amol. May you find nothing but hazards off the tee with it. #needanewblanket

Nah I think this will be a good setup for you. Can't wait to hear how it goes

 

[mikedean441]

Optical thing ary. You will find them to be neutral. At least in our testing of face angle, (watching them be tested), every single one of them lined up to neutral give or take a minuscule amount.

Works for me

 

[Chunkylover77]

Good to know. I wouldn't mind this club being a little fade-biased as well.

It has been a very slight fade for me thus far Ary. I am overjoyed with what I am seeing so far

 

[dcbrad]

Love that setup Ary. Mine, as everyone else has said, is a slight fade as well.

 

[arydolphin]

Just had my first round with this driver, only got about 15 shots on the range before teeing off. Still was able to hit 10/14 fairways. Wide and soft fairways did help that number, but I was still very pleased. More later after I get home.

Sent from Tapatalk

 

[ddec]

solid buddy. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[mikedean441]

Just had my first round with this driver, only got about 15 shots on the range before teeing off. Still was able to hit 10/14 fairways. Wide and soft fairways did help that number, but I was still very pleased. More later after I get home.

Sent from Tapatalk

fairway finder seems to be the common theme so far

 

[War Eagle]

I want Ary's driver. I love the look of that setup.

 

[arydolphin]

OK, now that I'm home and my place has power again (lost it for about an hour in the middle of the afternoon), I can post more.

I hit driver on every single par 4 and par 5 today, even on holes where I would normally hit less than driver. It helped that the course that I was playing had some wide fairways because I didn't make great swings all the time. We got a ton of rain yesterday, so there wasn't much to speak of in terms of roll as well. Additionally, it was pretty cold for the front 9: temperatures in the 40s with winds 15-20 mph. To offset that, I decided to hit the driver better on the front nine than the back nine. I was 6/7 fairways on that front side. With the conditions, I wasn't able to get a great idea of distances on most holes. I did have a really nice drive from a slightly elevated tee that had the wind helping; the ball hit into an upslope in the fairway and bounced backwards 2 feet when it landed, so it was easy to figure out where it had carried. I GPS'ed it at 255 carry, which is really good for me. There was another drive that I GPS'ed at about 240 carry by looking at the pitchmark, which is in the range where I normally carry the ball. I'm not sure I gained more distance from my previous driver, but the accuracy is improved based on today. Like I said earlier, I hit 10/14 fairways total, which is pretty good for me. My stats last year overall was like 45% fairways hit, so you can see that I'm not the most accurate driver of the ball.

In terms of the club itself, the closed face look that I was fearing yesterday didn't show up on the course at all. After a couple of holes, I didn't get it a second thought. I also didn't mind the lack of an alignment aid on the top of the club. In terms of the performance, I was REALLY pleased with the forgiveness towards the toe side of the face. There were a couple of drives where I knew I got it off of the toe and was looking for the big hook with the gear effect and a big loss of distance....didn't see either one, saw good distance and a little draw on the ball.

My misses came when I got out of sync with my tempo and hit 3 quick hooks along with 1 block. I also had a couple of low hooks that got lucky and stayed in the fairway. If I can get that sorted out, I think that I can be really successful with this driver. I know that someone else in this thread with the DI-6 in their driver talked about needing to be smooth with this shaft, I need to remember that.

Only 2 dislikes on this club based on the first round: I lost a good bit of distance when I hit it in the heel, and the white Lamkin grip got dirty pretty easily. I need to find some Gripes to clean that grip up.

 

[TripleBogieTim]

So I had a big long post about this then my iPad died. The worst.

Anywho, I played this driver yesterday in attornment(a tournament, Thanks Siri!), along with my Callaway fit, and came away rather pleased. I do fear that I ordered it touch long though, and I am wondering if I should trim it a little, or just get used to it. There were a few drives yesterday that I crushed with the Callaway driver, and It left me wondering why it wasn't farther. I am in the camp that think shorter drivers are far too overrated and I think I am going to run with the 46 inch set up. I am happy that I ordered it this way because if I had have ordered it at 45 or less, I would have been disappointed that I didn't give myself the opportunity of hitting a longer driver.

On the drives that I did hit they were rather straight and fairly long, but I teed them low in effort to keep away from pop-ups. I knew the driver was longer than what I was used to and I wasn't going to gamble just yet. Yesterday I had some low to mid liners with some good roll out.


One thing I have noticed though, and I don't know if it is the shaft or the length or just the driver, is that this set up has slowed my transition fairly substantially. But my speed through the downswing and into the impact zone/hitting area has increased substantially. This has allowed me to focus my speed on the golf ball and maximize the results of the set up. I am looking forward to getting some range time, with a pop up protector on this bad boy, and getting used to the setup. I am going to bring it out on the course Monday which will be my next round.

Good first thoughts Thain....I know that I have noticed with mine the the AD-DI series seems to like a smoother transition...when I get quick it's pull hook city!

I'm thrilled to put this club in my bag! It was very nice to see the large box when I came home from work. The weather here today is awful so a range session won't happen this evening. However, I'm going to one of the tougher courses around here tomorrow, will take my first swings with it on the range prior to the round! We'll see how things go.

First impressions of the driver: love the no-nonsense appearance of the head. When putting it down on my hardwood floor, it does look a slight bit closed which is a little surprising, but we'll see how it looks when it's on grass behind the ball. The white Lamkin grip really goes well with the white on the DI-6 shaft. I went with 44.5 inches on the length of this driver, but it definitely doesn't feel short at all. Looking forward to launching some drives with this thing tomorrow!

Glad to see it finally in hand Ary!! I like the white grip but I went with the grey so as to not get it so dirty...still matches up with the shaft pretty well.

Optical thing ary. You will find them to be neutral. At least in our testing of face angle, (watching them be tested), every single one of them lined up to neutral give or take a minuscule amount.

I have had no issues with the face being closed at all...solid strikes result in an almost dead straight ball flight or a baby draw.

Looks fantastic amol. May you find nothing but hazards off the tee with it. #needanewblanket

Nah I think this will be a good setup for you. Can't wait to hear how it goes

I think Nate and Buck will audition for the Job of "new blanket"

Just had my first round with this driver, only got about 15 shots on the range before teeing off. Still was able to hit 10/14 fairways. Wide and soft fairways did help that number, but I was still very pleased. More later after I get home.

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10/14 FIR....Niiiiiiice...for the first time out!!

fairway finder seems to be the common theme so far

It has been to me so far that's for sure....the low spin head not only reduces backspin but sidespin as well.

OK, now that I'm home and my place has power again (lost it for about an hour in the middle of the afternoon), I can post more.

I hit driver on every single par 4 and par 5 today, even on holes where I would normally hit less than driver. It helped that the course that I was playing had some wide fairways because I didn't make great swings all the time. We got a ton of rain yesterday, so there wasn't much to speak of in terms of roll as well. Additionally, it was pretty cold for the front 9: temperatures in the 40s with winds 15-20 mph. To offset that, I decided to hit the driver better on the front nine than the back nine. I was 6/7 fairways on that front side. With the conditions, I wasn't able to get a great idea of distances on most holes. I did have a really nice drive from a slightly elevated tee that had the wind helping; the ball hit into an upslope in the fairway and bounced backwards 2 feet when it landed, so it was easy to figure out where it had carried. I GPS'ed it at 255 carry, which is really good for me. There was another drive that I GPS'ed at about 240 carry by looking at the pitchmark, which is in the range where I normally carry the ball. I'm not sure I gained more distance from my previous driver, but the accuracy is improved based on today. Like I said earlier, I hit 10/14 fairways total, which is pretty good for me. My stats last year overall was like 45% fairways hit, so you can see that I'm not the most accurate driver of the ball.

In terms of the club itself, the closed face look that I was fearing yesterday didn't show up on the course at all. After a couple of holes, I didn't get it a second thought. I also didn't mind the lack of an alignment aid on the top of the club. In terms of the performance, I was REALLY pleased with the forgiveness towards the toe side of the face. There were a couple of drives where I knew I got it off of the toe and was looking for the big hook with the gear effect and a big loss of distance....didn't see either one, saw good distance and a little draw on the ball.

My misses came when I got out of sync with my tempo and hit 3 quick hooks along with 1 block. I also had a couple of low hooks that got lucky and stayed in the fairway. If I can get that sorted out, I think that I can be really successful with this driver. I know that someone else in this thread with the DI-6 in their driver talked about needing to be smooth with this shaft, I need to remember that.

Only 2 dislikes on this club based on the first round: I lost a good bit of distance when I hit it in the heel, and the white Lamkin grip got dirty pretty easily. I need to find some Gripes to clean that grip up.

That was me.....this shaft just seems to work better with a smooth transition....if I get quick with the transition that's where I get the pull hooks going on.

 

[INgolfer]

OK, now that I'm home and my place has power again (lost it for about an hour in the middle of the afternoon), I can post more.

I hit driver on every single par 4 and par 5 today, even on holes where I would normally hit less than driver. It helped that the course that I was playing had some wide fairways because I didn't make great swings all the time. We got a ton of rain yesterday, so there wasn't much to speak of in terms of roll as well. Additionally, it was pretty cold for the front 9: temperatures in the 40s with winds 15-20 mph. To offset that, I decided to hit the driver better on the front nine than the back nine. I was 6/7 fairways on that front side. With the conditions, I wasn't able to get a great idea of distances on most holes. I did have a really nice drive from a slightly elevated tee that had the wind helping; the ball hit into an upslope in the fairway and bounced backwards 2 feet when it landed, so it was easy to figure out where it had carried. I GPS'ed it at 255 carry, which is really good for me. There was another drive that I GPS'ed at about 240 carry by looking at the pitchmark, which is in the range where I normally carry the ball. I'm not sure I gained more distance from my previous driver, but the accuracy is improved based on today. Like I said earlier, I hit 10/14 fairways total, which is pretty good for me. My stats last year overall was like 45% fairways hit, so you can see that I'm not the most accurate driver of the ball.

In terms of the club itself, the closed face look that I was fearing yesterday didn't show up on the course at all. After a couple of holes, I didn't get it a second thought. I also didn't mind the lack of an alignment aid on the top of the club. In terms of the performance, I was REALLY pleased with the forgiveness towards the toe side of the face. There were a couple of drives where I knew I got it off of the toe and was looking for the big hook with the gear effect and a big loss of distance....didn't see either one, saw good distance and a little draw on the ball.

My misses came when I got out of sync with my tempo and hit 3 quick hooks along with 1 block. I also had a couple of low hooks that got lucky and stayed in the fairway. If I can get that sorted out, I think that I can be really successful with this driver. I know that someone else in this thread with the DI-6 in their driver talked about needing to be smooth with this shaft, I need to remember that.

Only 2 dislikes on this club based on the first round: I lost a good bit of distance when I hit it in the heel, and the white Lamkin grip got dirty pretty easily. I need to find some Gripes to clean that grip up.

Glad to hear the positive results Ary! Hoping my J40 finds its way to my doorstep before the Ohio invitational so I can find some fairways also! I am also very curious now about how it will look at address. My miss is a hook so I hope it doesn't mess with my head.

 

[Chunkylover77]

Outstanding results Ary. Glad to see it is working out for you

 

[CharlieMoy]

Nice Ary! Really nice!

 

[White Rhino]

Glad to hear of your success Ary. I am looking forward to getting out on a course soon with this and seeing what happens.

 

[dcbrad]

My red lampkin got really dirty pretty quick too Ary. Just gonna have to keep some Gripes around!

 

[White Rhino]

Got out for my first real round with the driver. I don't want to put a damper on the love of this driver from everyone in this thread but I did not hit it very well. My fears have come true when I was trying to figure out what shaft to put in this club because about every drive is a very bad banana slice. I had this same problem when I had this driver in my bag recently and I had thought a change of shaft would solve the problem. I am not one to quit and I will continue to work hard and try to figure out what I need to do get this club working as well as his "little brother" (the 4w works great!! ).

 

[War Eagle]

Got out for my first real round with the driver. I don't want to put a damper on the love of this driver from everyone in this thread but I did not hit it very well. My fears have come true when I was trying to figure out what shaft to put in this club because about every drive is a very bad banana slice. I had this same problem when I had this driver in my bag recently and I had thought a change of shaft would solve the problem. I am not one to quit and I will continue to work hard and try to figure out what I need to do get this club working as well as his "little brother" (the 4w works great!! ).

If you read the Classic Xl thread you will see that I struggled greatly with my driver when I got it. Range time and some work on my swing got me heading in the right direction.

Equipment changes don't always start off glorious, some times it takes more effort than we want to give, but it's worth the work.

Hang in their Gordon, you'll find your groove with the J40.

 

[White Rhino]

If you read the Classic Xl thread you will see that I struggled greatly with my driver when I got it. Range time and some work on my swing got me heading in the right direction.

Equipment changes don't always start off glorious, some times it takes more effort than we want to give, but it's worth the work.

Hang in their Gordon, you'll find your groove with the J40.

Oh I am going to work on it, no doubt about that my friend. I was just hoping the issues that presented themselves ( the slice) when I used this club before did not resurface again. I thought I had the "answer" with the shaft I chose and the slice would be behind me. I'll get it worked out, or else the driver will enjoy a nice ride around both courses while the other clubs get to come out of the bag and play!!! LOL

 

[dcbrad]

Gordon, I've had trouble with slices my entire golfing career. This is the first year I've really concentrated on improving my game and one thing that has really helped me is the "baseball swing drill."

Take your club, swing it like a baseball bat. That's the exact motion you want with your golf swing. It has really helped me get my hands turned over through my downswing to square the face up. I still have a bit of a fade, but it is no where near as bad as it used to be. Keep grinding brother!