Bridgestone VS Prototype Golf Balls

[Jtmagic]

Does the Green have an irregular dimple patter like the Red?

There is an irregular dimple pattern on the green in my opinion. There are random clusters of different size dimples that don’t seem to repeat themselves. See picture and this one cluster encircled in black.

It would be fascinating to talk to the designer of the dimple configuration to understand the rationale and aerodynamic effects of the design. I compared the VS Green to last years’ B RX and could not find the same pattern so assume it is different.

 

[Muchmore]

There is an irregular dimple pattern on the green in my opinion. There are random clusters of different size dimples that don’t seem to repeat themselves. See picture and this one cluster encircled in black.

It would be fascinating to talk to the designer of the dimple configuration to understand the rationale and aerodynamic effects of the design. I compared the VS Green to last years’ B RX and could not find the same pattern so assume it is different.

View attachment 9389882

I’ve noticed smaller ones in pictures before but that grouping of them is the first time seeing it! That’s fascinating

 

[MtlJeff]

There is an irregular dimple pattern on the green in my opinion. There are random clusters of different size dimples that don’t seem to repeat themselves. See picture and this one cluster encircled in black.

It would be fascinating to talk to the designer of the dimple configuration to understand the rationale and aerodynamic effects of the design. I compared the VS Green to last years’ B RX and could not find the same pattern so assume it is different.

View attachment 9389882

IMO this can be pretty common. For example if you look at a ProV1x they have different sized dimples also and pretty random patterns.

see for example this

 

[Jtmagic]

IMO this can be pretty common. For example if you look at a ProV1x they have different sized dimples also and pretty random patterns.

see for example this

View attachment 9389892

Good point. What I found interesting with the V1x when I compared to the VS was that it had a repeatable pattern. For example, I picked out a cluster that had 2 small dimples touching a large dimple on each side (see picture) and it repeated numerous other places on the ball.

I expect there is a lot of engineering and testing behind each design but what would be cool to understand is the “why” and potential benefits.

 

[Jtmagic]

Had the chance to put the VS Green in play for 36 holes and another putting practice session. Summary of takeaways:

• On course performance is at least equal to my normal ball (Pro V1x) in all categories. I have not experienced an area yet where it noticeably underperforms from a distance, spin, stability in the wind, or consistency standpoint. A few drives that I hit were especially long from a total distance standpoint and as compared to my playing partners, who I frequently play with.
• Driver ball flight was slightly lower than usual but didn’t appear to impact carry distance. Iron and wedge flight was comparable.
• An area where this ball really stands out is spin into greens, from the fairway or rough. Approach shots stop quickly. Pitches and chips react consistently even on shots intended to run out more after the first bounce. I would have expected to see some negative effects of the increased spin with shots into the wind or cross-wind but haven’t seen that.
• I’ve previously mentioned that this ball sounds/feels softer than the Pro V1x and have determined that I like that given the ball still feels lively coming off the face of the club and putter. It’s not “mushy” soft but less clicky feeling.
• Durability and retaining its bright white coloring are exceptional.
• Putting – distance control is very good and consistent.
• The more testing I’ve done, one thing that is proving less than ideal is using the relatively short side-stamp as a putting alignment aid. I added a longer sharpie line for comparison and find that I am much more comfortable and confident with my alignment using the longer line. Not a big deal to add that to each ball.

 

[Templet0n]

Ok. Went to the practice area tonight. I may have found something with my swing. It was showing in my short game.

I had the blue dancing. It was hitting and checking and was making me smile. I felt like the ball was sticking to the face. Not just glancing and shooting up in the air.

Hoping that this works for my whole game.

 

[FlipFlop]

I got a chance to play another round on Sunday in Arizona and I played again yesterday back here at home. So far, I’ve had four rounds with the VS Blue and I’m really enjoying what I’m seeing.

Distance:
With driver and irons, the ball does feel like it jumps a little more off the face than the Chrome Tour. That being said, I’m not seeing any difference in distance, either on course or according to my Shot Scope. It seems to just be a different feel for me. Nothing that would either keep me from putting it in play or make me rush to play it. I have a practice session on the SIM this week and I’ll get some more numbers to compare.

Feel:
The VS Blue feels noticeably more soft to me than the chrome tour. This is odd because I’m not seeing any drop in distance. I’m not really sure if it’s that much softer or if there’s something to the cover that is really muting the sound and just giving me the impression that it’s softer. This is especially noticeable on wedges and putter where the chrome tour sounds incredibly clicky to me now.

Flight:
I’m really liking the ball flight that I’m seeing. With my driver it’s almost identical to what I’ve been seeing with the chrome tour and triple diamond. With my irons, I’m definitely seeing the ball get higher. It’s not a ballooning effect with the bald dying and falling out of the air because I haven’t lost any distance. It just seems to climb faster and carry well.

Spin:
This is where the VS Blue has been shining for me. I was a little nervous because I played the previous versions of the tour B XS and I felt like those spun too much. I’m not getting that with this ball. It could be a totally different ball, but it was definitely something in my mind with the colors being the same. This just feels very controlled and consistent off the irons and wedges.

Durability:
Seems like there’s been some talk both ways with this. My experience so far is that the VS blue has been pretty darn durable. The ball pictured below was played over the weekend in the desert and again for my round yesterday. It saw at least a dozen trees yesterday after visiting the desert, sand and rocks, a couple cart paths, and multiple bunkers. I would’ve just changed this out due to these scrapes and marks, but I wanted to see how bad they would get because I wasn’t really playing my best yesterday. It didn’t seem to hurt the performance at all with some pretty significant marks.

 

[ttucliffhanger]

I got a chance to play another round on Sunday in Arizona and I played again yesterday back here at home. So far, I’ve had four rounds with the VS Blue and I’m really enjoying what I’m seeing.

Distance:
With driver and irons, the ball does feel like it jumps a little more off the face than the Chrome Tour. That being said, I’m not seeing any difference in distance, either on course or according to my Shot Scope. It seems to just be a different feel for me. Nothing that would either keep me from putting it in play or make me rush to play it. I have a practice session on the SIM this week and I’ll get some more numbers to compare.

Feel:
The VS Blue feels noticeably more soft to me than the chrome tour. This is odd because I’m not seeing any drop in distance. I’m not really sure if it’s that much softer or if there’s something to the cover that is really muting the sound and just giving me the impression that it’s softer. This is especially noticeable on wedges and putter where the chrome tour sounds incredibly clicky to me now.

Flight:
I’m really liking the ball flight that I’m seeing. With my driver it’s almost identical to what I’ve been seeing with the chrome tour and triple diamond. With my irons, I’m definitely seeing the ball get higher. It’s not a ballooning effect with the bald dying and falling out of the air because I haven’t lost any distance. It just seems to climb faster and carry well.

Spin:
This is where the VS Blue has been shining for me. I was a little nervous because I played the previous versions of the tour B XS and I felt like those spun too much. I’m not getting that with this ball. It could be a totally different ball, but it was definitely something in my mind with the colors being the same. This just feels very controlled and consistent off the irons and wedges.

Durability:
Seems like there’s been some talk both ways with this. My experience so far is that the VS blue has been pretty darn durable. The ball pictured below was played over the weekend in the desert and again for my round yesterday. It saw at least a dozen trees yesterday after visiting the desert, sand and rocks, a couple cart paths, and multiple bunkers. I would’ve just changed this out due to these scrapes and marks, but I wanted to see how bad they would get because I wasn’t really playing my best yesterday. It didn’t seem to hurt the performance at all with some pretty significant marks.
View attachment 9389956View attachment 9389957
View attachment 9389955

The durability thing could have just been the sleeve of balls I was using. I have 1 left from that sleeve and another loaded for Friday, so we will see how it goes.

 

[ttucliffhanger]

Something I have not talked about is the launch window of the VS Black. I don't have numbers, but it appears to launch a little lower than the Chrome Tour. I'm pretty sure it's lower spinning so that would make some sense. The CT doesn't balloon, but the VS Black is a little more piercing than the CT when launching if that makes sense. Will pay attention some more during my round Friday.

 

[MtlJeff]

The durability thing could have just been the sleeve of balls I was using. I have 1 left from that sleeve and another loaded for Friday, so we will see how it goes.

I'm gonna pick one ball and beat the absolute crap out of it (like 25 sand wedges in a row) and report back. Getting mine today. Will be able to get to the trackman tomorrow

 

[Jtmagic]

I'm gonna pick one ball and beat the absolute crap out of it (like 25 sand wedges in a row) and report back. Getting mine today. Will be able to get to the trackman tomorrow

Look forward to seeing the results of this. I am one who has been impressed with the durability seen so far with the VS Green that I am testing.

One durability area that has pleasantly surprised me is not seeing any “wedge groove marks” (I.e. the one where a little bit of the ball cover ripples or you see a pattern from the grooves grabbing) on any balls where I’ve hit really hard sand/lob wedges. All of my Vokey wedges were relatively new when I started the testing so I assumed this would show up at some point. It has not. I even bladed a 60 degree that went 120+ yards that I was sure would have a mark and couldn’t find one on the ball.

 

[ttucliffhanger]

I'm gonna pick one ball and beat the absolute crap out of it (like 25 sand wedges in a row) and report back. Getting mine today. Will be able to get to the trackman tomorrow

the issue wasn't even with wedge shots I don't think. I noticed the first one before a wedge even touched it.

 

[MikeG]

I am going through Shot Scope to get some more data from my round with the VS red and this drive stood out to me. I vividly remember this tee shot and thinking to myself "that ball jumped off the face". I didn't feel like I hit it harder or swung any faster than I normally do and center contact was rewarded.

 

[echico]

Durability is such an interesting subject to cover in these reviews. I have only seen one brand of golf ball cover rip because of wedge shots. Maybe this means I don't hit wedge shots correctly or have dull grooves but I don't see the issue on any ball so I don't comment too much on it. Do I see blemishes on golf balls as I go through rounds? Yes those are normal and I am not seeing that on these golf balls, in a small sample size currently. Balls that hit cart paths and trees and such, do those blemishes really count? I have not yet had a golf ball go into the desert and had to play out of it yet so I am interested to see how the ball holds up to that normal torture test for me.

 

[cmon man]

There is an irregular dimple pattern on the green in my opinion. There are random clusters of different size dimples that don’t seem to repeat themselves. See picture and this one cluster encircled in black.

It would be fascinating to talk to the designer of the dimple configuration to understand the rationale and aerodynamic effects of the design. I compared the VS Green to last years’ B RX and could not find the same pattern so assume it is different.

View attachment 9389882

Exactly...I was noticing this in the Red. Too bad we can't cut and flatten the cover and look to see if it is uniformly random...therefore not random at all. Maybe someone is a graphics wizard that can do that?

 

[Alan4014]

The only drawback to y’all testing a prototype ball is the rest of us can’t go grab some yet to join in.
I’m ready to try the red.

 

[Jtmagic]

Look forward to seeing the results of this. I am one who has been impressed with the durability seen so far with the VS Green that I am testing.

One durability area that has pleasantly surprised me is not seeing any “wedge groove marks” (I.e. the one where a little bit of the ball cover ripples or you see a pattern from the grooves grabbing) on any balls where I’ve hit really hard sand/lob wedges. All of my Vokey wedges were relatively new when I started the testing so I assumed this would show up at some point. It has not. I even bladed a 60 degree that went 120+ yards that I was sure would have a mark and couldn’t find one on the ball.

To add some context to what I am comparing to in the post above regarding durability, the first picture below is an example of the marks I will somewhat frequently see on a ball after hitting a hard lob or sand wedge. This is a pic of a Pro V1x.

Also, an example of what a bladed 60 degree looks like on a Pro V1 and what I expected to see after doing same to the VS Green but couldn’t even tell the location I hit it on the ball. Both of these examples are recently played balls.

Small sample size of full rounds so far with the VS Green but early experience is very positive.

 

[FlipFlop]

I really like the feel of the VS Blue off the putter. It’s kind of interesting because it’s a very muted and soft sound but the feel is just nice. Not as soft as it sounds, but not as firm as the Chrome Tour or CT TD. It’s just a really nice feel and sound.

 

[ttucliffhanger]

Durability is such an interesting subject to cover in these reviews. I have only seen one brand of golf ball cover rip because of wedge shots. Maybe this means I don't hit wedge shots correctly or have dull grooves but I don't see the issue on any ball so I don't comment too much on it. Do I see blemishes on golf balls as I go through rounds? Yes those are normal and I am not seeing that on these golf balls, in a small sample size currently. Balls that hit cart paths and trees and such, do those blemishes really count? I have not yet had a golf ball go into the desert and had to play out of it yet so I am interested to see how the ball holds up to that normal torture test for me.

Pretty much every premium urethane ball I’ve used gets the cover ripped a little off eventually from a wedge shot. I experience it quite often. I really don’t look at in terms of durability anymore with urethane balls bc it’s something I expect.

 

[BigDill]

I’m going to try to get on a monitor before Thanksgiving to post some numbers off a couple drivers and my irons. While I miss the higher spin of the Chrome Tours, I can’t deny that the VS Black has me back at distances off the tee that I haven’t seen in over a year. It’s really fast.

I had my first eagle putt last round in ages. That feeling is intoxicating.

Wow this surprises me to read. Every time I've tested Chrome Tour it's been shockingly low spin off irons and wedges. On the monitor I usually spin a full 54⁰ around 9-10k and I can rarely get a Chrome Tour over 9. Lose close to 1k with irons too.

It's awesome to hear the VS Black is fast. The BX was a very fast ball for me off driver. I'm am so curious about this ball. I'm really excited for VS Black to become available. This thread has kicked up the FOMO big time. You guys are crushing it with feedback.

This was a misstatement on my part, which I think was because of the windy conditions I was playing in that day. I have now played the VS black for two more rounds in normal conditions, and I find the VS Black to spin really well for my game. I am still not checking balls up on the green, but I never have to be fair.

I got the chance to company with the Chrome Tour X, and like I suspected, the VS Black has a similar feel, with the CTX being slightly softer on full swings, but almost identical to me when putting.

The VS Black has been magic for me off the tee. For those following, I am playing the Cobra DS-Adapt Max K 9* driver. The combo has been awesome, with finding some added distance using the VS Black while still keeping the forgiveness I sought in the Max K. The spin off the irons has been great as well, with my ball flight being exactly what I would want, a nice baby draw.

The feel is much improved over the Tour B, but the performance is all there.

 

[FlipFlop]

Pretty much every premium urethane ball I’ve used gets the cover ripped a little off eventually from a wedge shot. I experience it quite often. I really don’t look at in terms of durability anymore with urethane balls bc it’s something I expect.

Some worse than others for sure in this aspect. It’s interesting that these covers seem to be on the more durable end. Kind of has me wondering if there’s something new with this cover. The durability is high and the sound doesn’t quite match the feel.

 

[FlipFlop]

The feel is much improved over the Tour B, but the performance is all there.

 

[BigDill]

To add my experience regarding durability:

I have found the ball to be very durable for me. I have not had any instance of the ball separating, nor has the cover been betting abused. The only time the cover gets a mark is when I hit an object. I played a few sand shots yesterday and the ball was not impacted whatsoever.

I will post some pictures of the ball I played yesterday for 18 holes and it looks like it can play another 18.

 

[That post]

The VS Black has been magic for me off the tee. For those following, I am playing the Cobra DS-Adapt Max K 9* driver. The combo has been awesome, with finding some added distance using the VS Black while still keeping the forgiveness I sought in the Max K. The spin off the irons has been great as well, with my ball flight being exactly what I would want, a nice baby draw.

All of your feedback really has me excited to test this ball out when it's available. But this part in particular piques my interest because ultimately last year that's why I selected tour BX is because it was so good off driver.

I love reading your impressions. Keep them coming!

 

[BigDill]

Ball Fitting:

I wanted to point out that I used the ball selector tool when signing up and was fir for the VS Black. I was honestly a bit skeptical because while I used the Tour BX (black) in the past, I am not the same player that I was then with respect to swing speed. I have definitely slowed down.

Well, I used the VS Black yesterday on my way to my personal best round of 82, and I left some shots out there for sure. The ball was doing everything I wanted with my iron shots, and was really long off the tee. I could not have asked the ball to do anything else, it was all around awesome.