- Staff
- #551
I'll argue many things, this is not one of them.
Bridgestone VS Prototype Golf Balls
So I played In a Ryder Cup format event yesterday-32 guys. Front nine we played in a modified alternate shot. I used the VS Red and my partner had the ProV1X. So a perfect venue to not only try the ball on the course but to actually compare it to a competitor's ball int he same conditions. So some thoughts:
1. VS Red feels softer all the way around. Driver, irons and putter. And when you are playing in 50 degree weather -this is a benefit.
2. Just using the eye ball test for driver and irons the VS Red spins more.
3. Off the tee the VS Red flew higher, not ballooning, but a higher ball flight.
4.The VS Red really holds it line in the wind-particularly in the crosswinds
5. The VS Red rolled beautifully on the greens and the feel off of the putter was way more responsive than the ProV1X.
6. Short game-VS Red was a charm-great spin and feel. Not excessive-just the right amount.
7. While only 9 holes, there was no visible wear or tear marks-so great durability
After the match, we lost 1 up, my partner said that he had never played a Bridgestone ball and that he really like the way it felt and performed. I told him to keep it and enjoy. In the 9 hole singles match that followed, so while breaking my arm patting myself on the back, I hit all 9 greens in regulation.
All and all the VS Red really performed beautifully. Looking forward to getting in some more reps with it.
1. VS Red feels softer all the way around. Driver, irons and putter. And when you are playing in 50 degree weather -this is a benefit.
2. Just using the eye ball test for driver and irons the VS Red spins more.
3. Off the tee the VS Red flew higher, not ballooning, but a higher ball flight.
4.The VS Red really holds it line in the wind-particularly in the crosswinds
5. The VS Red rolled beautifully on the greens and the feel off of the putter was way more responsive than the ProV1X.
6. Short game-VS Red was a charm-great spin and feel. Not excessive-just the right amount.
7. While only 9 holes, there was no visible wear or tear marks-so great durability
After the match, we lost 1 up, my partner said that he had never played a Bridgestone ball and that he really like the way it felt and performed. I told him to keep it and enjoy. In the 9 hole singles match that followed, so while breaking my arm patting myself on the back, I hit all 9 greens in regulation.
All and all the VS Red really performed beautifully. Looking forward to getting in some more reps with it.
If it out performs…then absolutely id sharpie it. Or go back to no line.
Durability check between the VS Red and CT.
This is about a fist of a test I dared make. 18 holes with the CT and 9 holes with the VS Red. At the same course in similar conditions. I tend to loose balls so took the Bridgestone out of play so that I could compare.
Both have very normal and similar nicks, scrapes and small cuts. I play in Phoenix and my wedges are battle scarred. So sand, rocks, etc can be a torture test for golf equipment.
Both of these balls I’d keep playing. I think the VS Red passes the durability test with flying colors.
This is about a fist of a test I dared make. 18 holes with the CT and 9 holes with the VS Red. At the same course in similar conditions. I tend to loose balls so took the Bridgestone out of play so that I could compare.
Both have very normal and similar nicks, scrapes and small cuts. I play in Phoenix and my wedges are battle scarred. So sand, rocks, etc can be a torture test for golf equipment.
Both of these balls I’d keep playing. I think the VS Red passes the durability test with flying colors.
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I think this is why the line doesn’t bother me that much…
As for Mindset…
I am interested to hear your thoughts on feel if you get out in the colder northern temps.
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Did you two not like Mindset just because of the graphics? Just asking because I am not an alignment guy at all, and I thought the ball was pretty good otherwise. The graphic was more of a reminder to not be lazy and think while I am setting up for a shot. @ddec
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Played the VS Red again yesterday and started comps with the Callaway Tour Diamond and ProVI. I am beginning to like the feel of the VS Red with irons but still not quite as much as the ProVI. The VS Red feels firmer than the ProV but not as hard as the Tour Diamond. These however are very slight differences and all three balls are in a good in that aspect. Ball flight especially off driver is definitely higher than my typical shot and the VS Red carries similar distances as ProVI and Titleist Tour Soft. Spin was not as crazy good yesterday, but my chipping regressed so it is probably on me. Stopping power on the greens was good as in the previous round. Th VS Red seemed to stop better for me than the Tour Diamond. More to come on all of these fronts and I played pretty poorly and rushed many shots trying to drag slow randos around the course in a reasonable time. I used the same ball as the previous day, hit a few trees and rough patches with only a minor scuff. I will post a photo demonstrating VS Red durability later today.
I don't use alignment aides but I don't mind the Mindset. It's purely cosmetic and has no affect on how the ball performs.
- Staff
- #559
I was good with the ball I had it on. I just didn't like the graphic. You've sat with me before, you'd think Mindset would help keep my mind from going crazy like normal. But honestly, I could never really buy into it. So I didn't like the graphics of it but, the theory is fine if you are someone who buys in.
I always thought the mindset deal was a weird gimmick. I understood it, but didnt understand it. lol
- Staff
- #561
Mainly because it is, in my opinion, silly.
It had its merits for a process but it didn't make sense to put it on a golf ball I agree.
I didn't take pictures, and only ended up playing one sleeve during the member member tournament I had this weekend, but I noticed similar durability issues. First ball after a driver, iron and wedge shot had similar issues that you did. I was pretty happy with the balls otherwise, and will be playing again this Friday/Saturday in Arizona and will get a better feel for the ball and take some pics as I go through them.
I don't have actual numbers to back it up, but was very happy with the ball flight and spin I was seeing. It held the green really well on wedge shots into the greens. I did find the alignment line very short during putting, and will most likely end up drawing on longer lines for my upcoming rounds.
- Staff
- #564
Oh man, that’s wild. I abused the hell out of the Blues and don’t see any of that. Oof.
I would also like to add that on two longish par 4's, long for me at least, I hit two hyrbid approach shots in which the VS Red had minimal roll out. Builds a lot of confidence that I can come in with that kind of club and not have to worry about the ball rolling off of the back.
I have some time as I am stranded at the Miami airport so I want to take the time to get my thoughts out from my last three rounds with the VS Red proto.
If you missed my first couple of posts with initial thoughts on this ball you can find them here
Introduction | Initial Thoughts | Initial Putting Thoughts
Three rounds in three days gave me a lot to think about and also helped me set up how I want to attack this review process the rest of the way. So far I am the performance from the VS Red is really intriguing and I am going to temper expectations, but will summarize what I’ve seen so far.
Performance/Distance - This is an area that is always tough without hard numbers (I’ll get ShotScope data up later) but off the tee I didn’t see any drop off from my previous ball, Chrome Tour. On a couple of occasions I made quality swings from the tee and saw this ball jump off the face of the driver. The feeling was what I would describe as ”Soft, but Firm”. It’s hard to describe, but off the face you feel it react to the strike, but you also don’t feel like you just hit a rock either. Lately my driver has averaged around 245-255 from the tee an I didn’t see a drop off from that number.
Irons - This is where I will try to focus the most, because as someone who isn’t as consistent with irons as other reviewers, I think I can really lean into the overall spin, forgiveness and playability from various lies and situations. What is the fun hitting From the fairway all the time
. As I explore the face from my irons, I keep coming back to how these spin just enough but didn’t really balloon or get offline more than normal with a less than ideal iron shot. Out of the center or close to it I experienced what I would call a “muted mush” when striking the VS Red. Everything about that experience was great and left me wanting more. Spin was fine for me. I am typically a medium ball flight player so I am not coming into greens with a descent angle to hold the green. For that reason I always expect some roll out on approach shots. I hit a few shots where the ball landed checked but didn’t roll out more than a couple of feet. For perspective the Chome Tour would land and stop within A few inches of the pitch marks and the VS Red was more a foot or two away. Nothing major but hopefully a good “visual” for comparison.
Short Game - I like to bump and run and get the ball rolling as fast as I can. With that I need the ball to land on that first hop, kill some spin, and roll out. I hot several shots into and around the green specifically trying to flight the ball low and I was happy with the “action” I saw once the ball landed. The results left me with a lot of makable putts. This past weekend I played on greens that were rolling close to a 12 and for the time I had the VS Red in play, it reacted a lot better than I thought it would given the conditions. One place where I need the ball to absolutely perform is out of green-side bunkers. I get aggressive and need a ball to spin and react as much as I can to leave me with a make-able putt. I saw great spin out of green side bunkers and that is a big plus for me out of the VS Red
Putter - I think where I am the most shocked was the sound/feel from the VS Red outside versus indoors. It can completely be me and my crazy brain, but outside I loved the sound, think less of a “click” at impact, and overall feel off the putter. I had no issues with any putt or feeling “uncomfortable” over the ball or with the results. They did feel softer than my normal Chrome Tour, and I would say the VS Red would sit between the Chrome Soft and Chrome Tour.
Unfortunately I lost the three balls I took with me on my trip and there were a couple of spots where I wish I had them because I wanted to test me having to get back into position. This is just the beginning of the review so I have no doubt plenty of chances will present themselves. I am happy to expand on anything or help answer any questions.
If you missed my first couple of posts with initial thoughts on this ball you can find them here
Introduction | Initial Thoughts | Initial Putting Thoughts
Three rounds in three days gave me a lot to think about and also helped me set up how I want to attack this review process the rest of the way. So far I am the performance from the VS Red is really intriguing and I am going to temper expectations, but will summarize what I’ve seen so far.
Performance/Distance - This is an area that is always tough without hard numbers (I’ll get ShotScope data up later) but off the tee I didn’t see any drop off from my previous ball, Chrome Tour. On a couple of occasions I made quality swings from the tee and saw this ball jump off the face of the driver. The feeling was what I would describe as ”Soft, but Firm”. It’s hard to describe, but off the face you feel it react to the strike, but you also don’t feel like you just hit a rock either. Lately my driver has averaged around 245-255 from the tee an I didn’t see a drop off from that number.
Irons - This is where I will try to focus the most, because as someone who isn’t as consistent with irons as other reviewers, I think I can really lean into the overall spin, forgiveness and playability from various lies and situations. What is the fun hitting From the fairway all the time
. As I explore the face from my irons, I keep coming back to how these spin just enough but didn’t really balloon or get offline more than normal with a less than ideal iron shot. Out of the center or close to it I experienced what I would call a “muted mush” when striking the VS Red. Everything about that experience was great and left me wanting more. Spin was fine for me. I am typically a medium ball flight player so I am not coming into greens with a descent angle to hold the green. For that reason I always expect some roll out on approach shots. I hit a few shots where the ball landed checked but didn’t roll out more than a couple of feet. For perspective the Chome Tour would land and stop within A few inches of the pitch marks and the VS Red was more a foot or two away. Nothing major but hopefully a good “visual” for comparison.Short Game - I like to bump and run and get the ball rolling as fast as I can. With that I need the ball to land on that first hop, kill some spin, and roll out. I hot several shots into and around the green specifically trying to flight the ball low and I was happy with the “action” I saw once the ball landed. The results left me with a lot of makable putts. This past weekend I played on greens that were rolling close to a 12 and for the time I had the VS Red in play, it reacted a lot better than I thought it would given the conditions. One place where I need the ball to absolutely perform is out of green-side bunkers. I get aggressive and need a ball to spin and react as much as I can to leave me with a make-able putt. I saw great spin out of green side bunkers and that is a big plus for me out of the VS Red
Putter - I think where I am the most shocked was the sound/feel from the VS Red outside versus indoors. It can completely be me and my crazy brain, but outside I loved the sound, think less of a “click” at impact, and overall feel off the putter. I had no issues with any putt or feeling “uncomfortable” over the ball or with the results. They did feel softer than my normal Chrome Tour, and I would say the VS Red would sit between the Chrome Soft and Chrome Tour.
Unfortunately I lost the three balls I took with me on my trip and there were a couple of spots where I wish I had them because I wanted to test me having to get back into position. This is just the beginning of the review so I have no doubt plenty of chances will present themselves. I am happy to expand on anything or help answer any questions.
Rolled some more putts today during a break. Continue to confirm to myself feel wise this ball sets right between CT and CTTD for me. Got my sleeve for Friday marked and ready to roll. Also looked closer at the balls for imperfections due to what I experienced during my last round and nothing, but also didn’t notice anything on the sleeve that had the issues so here’s to hoping it was just the sleeve.
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Fair enough. I see your point and actually agree somewhat.
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It is kind of an odd marketing too in a lot of ways. Half the time I don't think to check my alignment until I hit a straight ball off to the right and wonder why. I do think it would make Group 2 even slower though.
More than V1x? If so, that’s wild.
- Staff
- #571
lmao not approved for group 2
I think so. Will get in some SIM time to drill down on this.
Getting ready for round 2 with these golf balls. Looking forward to actually getting some time with them. I think the greenside spin has been the biggest difference for me so far with the limited testing I have done.
When the dust settles I would really like to see what the difference is between the Red, Blue, Green etc. in addition to the difference between the Red and a ProV1X for example.
I am looking forward to another round with these on Friday. Going to be cold at first tee off but should warm up a little by mid round. I plan to get some ball speeds and distances off the driver and wedges if possible.