Bridgestone J15F FW Woods & J15HY Hybrids Preview Thread

Bridgestone Golf, the #1 ball-fitter in golf and a recognized industry innovator announced today that it would unveil new fairway woods and hybrids at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show. The J15F Fairway Woods and J15HY Hybrids utilize true innovations that ensure optimized ball flight and more distance from a variety of lies.

“The R&D team at Bridgestone takes great pride in offering clubs with true innovation,” said Josh Kinchen, Golf Clubs and Accessories Marketing Manger, Bridgestone Golf, Inc. “We want consumers to know that when Bridgestone introduces a new product to the market, that product is bringing something unique and worthwhile to the industry. Our new fairway woods and hybrids are no exception to that rule, featuring a multitude of technologies that allow these critical clubs to play the role they are intended to play – high launching distance with soft landings and the ability to be played from anywhere including the tee, fairway, rough and even greenside."

The improved distance afforded in the J15F Fairway Woods and the J15HY Hybrids can be attributed to several key technologies:

F.A.S.T Crown
The Flex Action Speed Technology (F.A.S.T.) crown comprised of High Strength AM355 Maraging Steel is incredibly thin near the clubface and progressively thickens towards the clubhead rear. This proprietary technology enables the crown to slightly flex at impact creating higher launch angles and extreme ball velocities through increased spring like effect.

Hyper Stainless 455 Steel Face
The clubfaces of both the fairway woods and hybrids are made from Hyper Stainless 455 Steel, which allows for the thinnest face ever by Bridgestone at 1.8mm for maximum repulsion within conforming rules.

Weighted Port Technology
An adjustable weight system in the sole of the fairway woods and hybrids allows the player to influence desired spin and trajectory for maximum distance and control.





The versatility in both J15F Fairway Woods and the J15HY Hybrids results from two key design modifications while still maintaining the clean and classic appearance that Bridgestone has become known for:

Reduced Heel Profile
By removing material from the heel of the club, the Bridgestone R&D Team has engineered a profile that creates less drag, in all lies, for improved versatility.

Sole Profile
The rear sole of the club has been lowered to streamline the design creating a sweeping action when the club meets the turf, thereby eliminating digging and enhancing playability from any lie.

The J15F Fairway Wood is available in 13.5, 15 and 18-degrees of loft with the 15 and 18-degree offerings also available in Left Hand versions*. The J15F Fairway Woods come standard with the Fubuki™ Z Fairway shaft and custom yellow Golf Pride® Tour Velvet™ grip.

The J15F Fairway Wood will be available at retail February 1, 2015 and will have a street price of $199 each.

The J15HY Hybrid is available in 17, 19, 21 and 23-degrees of loft with the 21 and 23-degree lofts also available in Left Hand versions*. The J15HY Hybrid comes standard with the Fubuki™ Z Hybrid shaft and custom yellow Golf Pride® Tour Velvet™ grip.

The J15HY Hybrid will be available at retail February 1, 2015 and will have a street price of $189 each.

*Left Hand versions available at retail April 1, 2015.

Cannot wait to hit these in a few weeks! Really want to see how the hybrids do vs my x2hots

Interesting seeing the term "greenside" mentioned when talking about the uses for a FW or hybrid.

Perhaps a little surprised to not see loft adjustability but if that helps to keep costs down then it's not a bad thing.

J40 hybrids were really good so I expect more of the same with these.

Not a fan of this look as much as I am of the driver, but if it performs, I can get over that. Solid price.

One day I will remember to bring my notes to work so I can provide some info when these threads pop up. Will have more to add later.

Definitely a solid price point. Sounds like some good tech packed in these.

Very nice stuff there with good tech packed in. Really like the price point a lot too. Simple clean aesthetics with a modern look.

I'm sort of indifferent. But that is mainly due to my track record with B'stone metal-woods.

Like the sound of this, and like the weight customization carrying through to the hybrids. Love my J40 hybrid, can't wait to give these a try.

The hybrids have my interest. I was a huge fan of the J40 hybrid. The old FW I had a love/hate relationship going on. Really looking forward to hearing more about them down at the PGA Show and the Bridgestone event.

Huge fan of the j40 hybos. Definitely liking the looks of these and want to try them out. Nice and clean

Since I'm still in the Hate portion of my "Love / Hate" relationship with 3W's, would definitely try this one after the success I had with the J40 4W.

JM

I'm looking forward to the feedback on the fairway woods. It took me a few rounds to get used to my 3+, but it's been a solid performer for me off the tee and deck.

Love the new look, if they perform anything like the previous or better they'll have a huge winner on their hands!

I can get on board with any wood that promotes a sweeping action. Also, the price point on these is very reasonable. I have big plans for the fairway wood and maybe even the hybrid too, so long as we get along in a couple weeks.

Love that they are resisting the $299 price point on a FW. These look really clean.

Ohhh, the little time I've spent with my J40 3W has me in love with it. If these are slight improvement, it is going to be phenomenal.

Very interested in the 19* hybrid too.

Those price points are great as well, very reasonable.

Jman said:

I'm sort of indifferent. But that is mainly due to my track record with B'stone metal-woods.

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I'm sort of crazy excited, so we balance it out.

Pumped to hit these soon.

The hybrid looks rather beefy - curious to see what actual in-hand pics look like

very interesting, I am happy that these will be available for left handers too.

do we have any pictures of the faces? I wonder how deep the wood is

I have the 21 hybrid and the 3 w+, which is the japanese version with the adjustable hosel. First off they are great looking. The hybrid is stupid easy to hit, however it launches much higher for me than my j40 hybrid. This is probably the fubuki shaft talking. The j15 21 seems to be shorter than my j40 21. Again I have two different shafts going on here. My J40 has VTS silver 85 stiff. The j15 3 wood has a Tour AD shaft. The face is slightly deeper than the US version. It is as long as my Xhot2 3 wood. Seems to launch lower. Once again the Tour ad shaft is a little wonky for my swing. These are both totally solid clubs. I would probably game the hybrid, the 3 wood is not going to beat out my Xhot 2, however to be fair the xhot has an ilima in it, so shaft to shaft it aint a contest. The hybrid is the most interesting of the two. Point and shoot, for sure.

I absolutely love the look of the entire new Bridgestone lineup, and these photos of the woods/hybrids is no exception. Wow, these things just look gorgeous. They didn't try to over-do anything with fancy graphics or anything which is what I have always liked about their clubs. Just classic looking and perform out of this world, I can't wait for the chance to swing everything in their new line-up, I'll be looking all over for a place to do that somewhere this spring.

Kinda shocked to see them as non-adjustable. I do like the weight adjustability to control flight and spin. Look forward to giving these a test run in less than 2weeks.

#Cookie said:

Interesting seeing the term "greenside" mentioned when talking about the uses for a FW or hybrid.

Perhaps a little surprised to not see loft adjustability but if that helps to keep costs down then it's not a bad thing.

J40 hybrids were really good so I expect more of the same with these.

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I'll take a lack of adjustability if it means more precise location of the club's CG. I love the weight adjustment options. Get a nice low CG and help get hybrids in the air.

Really looking forward to giving this a hit. A bit bummed not to see a 17° option, but if the weights allow me to get similar launch conditions as my 4-wood, it's all good. Hope someplace in Tucson will carry them so I can get a look and a swipe at them.

I'm a huge fan of the Bridgestone FW woods, playing a J33 21* 7w and a J40 16* 4w. Bummed to not see a FW offered in this line at 21*. I have not found a hybrid I like, but would be willing to try since it's offered in 21*.