2014 Bridgestone B330 Golf Balls Review Thread

cpljohnst said:

So far I've found the launch height to be very similar between the '14 and '12 version.

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Same here with the B330-RXS.

Still not enough info for a full writeup from me though.

This is some fine reading guys.

Hawk said:

I don't think there's actual water in the core, but water was part of the mixture that makes up the core.

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What Hawk said!

I am fortunate to be a part of this testing and was sent the B330S. I've played the two previous version of this ball and have to say I have always enjoyed their performance. I did play the 2014 creation last week and will have more details later. But I can it didn't disappoint.








Thank you to Bridgestone and THP for this opportunity. I'm 98% sure this will be my ball of choice for the MC.

Ball Testing: 2014 Bridgestone B330S

1/15/14
Conditions: 65 Chilly degrees, Breezy & overcast
Course: Admirals Cove- East Course
Clubs: See Signature below

Initial thought after the first few drives, the ball was Quieter coming off the face of the driver vs. the Pro V1, distance wise the B330S seemed more explosive. I hit 7,8,9 Irons that most definitely went farther than normal It does not seem to spin (draw or fade) as much as the ProV1. Very durable, I hit just about type of shot and zero scuff marks. I hit a few sand wedges that did not spin back as much as the ProV1, which i will need to adjust for.

1/18/14

Chipping & Putting - When putting with the B330S it's definitely softer coming off the face side by side the ProV1 rolled out a yard or so farther. Chipping out of the rough they were very similar, but chipping off of short grass the B330s rolled out a tad more than the ProV1.

Overall impression right now is I could easily switch to this ball & I look forward to playing/practicing with it again and giving further feedback.

Thank You THP & Bridgestone for the Opportunity to test this ball

Howzat said:

RE: B330RX - Any early indications on the launch off the tee. I actually prefered the flight of the 2010 model over the 2012 as the newer ball launches a bit too high for me. What are you guys seeing with the 2014 version?

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Well I have gone to higher launch on my driver and iron shafts with lower spin on purpose so I would say it is nice and high for me, but what really stood out for me was into the wind it just did not seem as affected by the wind as much as other balls (hex black, pro v1). More penetrating flight even though high. I had two examples of winter shots I hit perfectly that I would normally add 10 yards just because of the cold and wind this time of year and they were a club long on both of them--meaning I did not need to add the additional 10 yards for the cold. I specifically mention these two examples because they were pure shots hit perfectly (rare for me) right over the flag stick exactly one club too much.

I guess what I am saying is what is "too high for me" mean if it is lower spinning and still carries what you would expect and thus lands softer?

Really want to take a spin with these the feedback makes me want them now.

Great reviews so far guys. Until now I have never gamed a Bridgestone ball for some reason but with all the reviews and feedback I think 2014 might be the year. Being that I have a slower swing speed I'll be looking at the rx/rxs versions. The B330rx/rxs and the Callaway SR2 will be put in play for me to try and overtake the prov1x which I have gamed for plenty of years now.

Another B330 testing? Don't mind if I do! Thanks to THP and Bridgestone Golf for putting these golf balls in the hands of 50 TESTERS!!!

A little about me. I've been playing seriously (at least more than an excuse for drinking with my buddies) for about 4-5 years, finding THP soon after I really started getting into golf. I finished last season at just under a 15 handicap and had made some solid progress over the course of the summer. I was able to really start to dial my irons in and was striking the ball very well for me. Driver and fairway woods were usually serviceable, but not as good as I want them to be. As the winter has come in, my opportunities to play and practice have dwindled a bit, and my game has followed somewhat. I'm still shooting low 90s, but have kind of plateaued. After the last testing I was a huge fan of the '13 B330-RX, and would buy them when I had the cash or could find a good deal. Whenever I don't have the RX in the bag, it's usually the e5. I've dabbled a little with others like the Chrome+ and DUO for colder rounds, but always come back in the end.

Seems the testers have already done a good job of relaying the info that was sent to us about these and showing sine pics. If you want to see more, or how these compare to the e5s, check out the spoiler!



Cover appears to have the same dimple in dimple design as the 13s. If there's a large difference, I haven't discerned it yet. The Tour B330-RX alignment aid has changed just a touch replacing the three pronged bookend design with a triangle inside an arrow on each end. Otherwise, this ball looks similar to last year's offering.

I went on a golf trip this past weekend to North Myrtle. Some good, some bad, but I did put these in play in different spots to get a feel for them. I tried to be judicious about using them as these were all courses I haven't played before, and my driver was acting up some of the days, so I would only hit them when I was feeling relatively confident. Played 5 rounds switching between these and the e5, only managed to lose two.

Let's start with woods. Off the tee, I was seeing just as much if not a touch more than I was out of the e5. Only time I saw a huge difference when hitting side by side was when I put a better swing on the RX than the e5. Not sure if there's more side spin in this ball, but my dispersion seemed to be just a little wider than with the e5. Nothing empirical, but something I'll try to keep an eye on as I keep testing. Saw similar results of the woods and hybrids. Solid distance. No real surprises here. Was able to get one to stop pretty quickly with a 5W on a long par 4 as well. Usually shots like that roll out a little more for me, but this one stopped within 10'. May have been the swing, but worth mentioning nonetheless.

Irons / distance wedges. This is where I really like the old RX and the current one doesn't disappoint! Nice sound off the irons. Not as soft as the DUO but not as hard as the e5 for me. Flushed shots get going in a hurry. Stopping the ball was not a problem. Anything under a 7I didn't go further than a few feet from it's landing spot and I was able to get a few to back up when it was warm enough for the greens to be receptive. Wanted to mention the dimple in dimple here as well. I'm spoiled because I'm used to it, but I think it really does help fight the effect of the wind on the ball. Certainly no magic bullet, but when I tested last year, I saw better performance in the wind. No change with the '14 as I was able to effectively adjust to the wind, as long as I put a good swing on the ball.

Greenside these balls performed how I would expect them to. I'm more of a bump & runner with my chips, an was able to roll a few in close. On higher pitches I wasn't throwing lawn darts, but I was able to get these to stop most of the time. That is definitely not my forte though, so I'd consider that pretty successful for me. I only played one out of the sand. Was able to get it on the green with a reasonable putt afterwards. Think I two-putted, but that's certainly not the ball's fault. I'm more of a 'just get out' bunker player and had no issue on this shot. I'll try to keep an eye on this as well.

Putting. This ball sounds very similar to most urethane covered Bridgestone balls off the putter to me. The sound is pretty close to the e5, with maybe a tiny bit lower tone when you strike it. Distance control was comparable. I putted with two different putters and my success with the RX was similar to that of the e5.

Durability. Seems to hold up pretty well to my crazy lack of game. Any ball that I use should expect to see some path action as well as a smattering of wooded areas, with the occasional tree trunk impact. This ball held up pretty well. I did see some shavings from longer swings with my wedges, but that's to be expected. Didn't see anything as bad as some other balls I've tried. Didn't get a picture before they went bye bye, but I'll snap some next time I see it.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my first impression. I was a fan of the last RX and this one seems to be a good maturation of that line so far. I'll be continuing to put this in play and will try to give as many details as possible. Let me know if anyone has any questions!

Durability example--this is a pic of my first ball played a full 18 with and hit the cart path on full driver 3 times. You can see the light damage done with this close-up pic-- really a surface level damage and not terrible

WardF said:

Durability example--this is a pic of my first ball played a full 18 with and hit the cart path on full driver 3 times. You can see the light damage done with this close-up pic-- really a surface level damage and not terrible

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The durability is most impressive

Nothing I love seeing more when I open the box.

Keep Calm and Golf On.

I was fortunate enough to be selected to test the new B330-S ball for Bridgestone and THP. Here is a brief review from the 9 holes I got to play Monday.

About Me:
Gamer Ball - ProV1
Average Score - 84


This was a quick 9 holes with my granddad on my off day. I had planned on playing this ball side by side with my ProV1 but the course was more crowded than I expected so I decided to just play the B330-S. The biggest thing that jumped at me was how durable this ball was. I hit my second shot on number 1 dead left into a pine tree and back out into the fairway. It hit HARD and there wasn't even a scuff on the ball. This would have typically ruined my ProV1. I want to state that this was my first round since before November plus I was playing new woods so my game was well so so. Distance wise this ball was just as long I think as the ProV1. I was hitting drives out either too or past where I normally do. Cant say this was all ball as I had new FW and Driver but they all were dead straight as I hit 5 of 7 fairways and the others simply just rolled through to the first cut. My irons were horrible so I am not even going to touch that with the ball. Around the green I saw the same as my ProV1s. I am not a fire at the pin and make it stick kinda guy. I am more of a controlled run up to the cup kinda guy but the ball preformed as well as my ProV1s have in the past. I did hit a beautiful 3/4 sand wedge into one green that hit and rolled about 2ft. I was impressed too see this as the course was in subpar shape.

All and all I am impressed with the ball. Planning on doing some side by side chipping and putting this week.

I received the B330 Bridgestone balls to test. I want to thank THP and Bridgestone for the opportunity.

I am at a 16 handicap and have been playing regularly for the last 2 years. I am fully addicted! As far as the balls go, I normally play the q star or Callaway chrome. I went through a phase where I was buying top tier balls, but I found that I was buying to many. . I am not sure of my driver swing speed but I don't believe that it's above 95. I plan verifying my swing speed for testing purposes. I was selected for the B330, which I have always stayed away from because of the advertised swing speeds on the box.

So onto the testing. I have had them out several times now for putting and chipping practice. I practiced with the 330, q star and chrome. Like other testers here I also noticed a distinct sound difference from the 330. The 330 also felt nice off the putter face. Soft but responsive.
On to the course. First hole par 4. I hit a nice long baby draw to within 102 yards. Hopkins wedge to about 4 ft with a hop and backed up maybe 5 or 6 inches!! Hey for me that's big, I never get back spin. Make the put and the peacock feathers were out in full strut!!! Here comes the reality. 2nd hole par 3 over water. Course is packed, so I have a full audience in front and back. Pull my 7 iron, feathers still out and proceed to lose two of my test balls into the drink. Wow butthurt!!! So testing to start again this weekend hopefully. Thankfully Bridgestone sent us a box and not a sleeve.

swing your swing

Glad to see some initial thoughts on the 2014 line; like what I'm hearing so far, hard to imagine them improving their previous line but they somehow continue to impress.

I wanted to post this for durability. Here are two of the sleeves I used before and after a quick wash. You can see a small mark on one of the balls but that is the only thing I could find.

Great reviews guy's, I am looking forward to the trying the RXS as soon as the arctic weather retreats back up north.

I am one of the testers and put the B330-RX into play for a couple holes today for comparison. My swing has been a bit off, so I wanted to wait until I was swinging better to put them into full testing mode.

I was playing Gamers for the majority of the round, and it may just be coincidence, but the only hole I par'd in my 6 holes today was one I played with the new B330-RX. It was also the only pitching wedge that I backed up all day, about 6 ft. The new core has me interested, and the spin that I saw today during my initial hole with it was very impressive around the green. More to come, but so far....... I'm liking it.

I was fortunate enough to be selected for the B330 balls. I have played ProV1x the last two years but recently switched to Nike 20XIx. I'll be taking the B330 out for 18 holes Saturday and will post my experience after that. I'm looking forward to it!

Here are my thoughts thus far on the B330 ball I received. Check the first page for my post with pics but I am sure you all know what they look like by now.

Thanks to the weather, all I have been able to do is putt extensively on my Birdieball green. I have been putting side by side with a 2013 ProV1 and a 2012 ProV1x. I am out of my gamer (Chrome+) but I am quite familiar with those on the green. On the very subjective aspect of feel I will say that these feel great off the putter. Compared to the ProV1 they are a little firmer (not clicky) but compared to the ProV1x I could not tell a difference. If I could remove the labels from both and dual dimples from the B330 I can honestly say that I would not be able to tell which was which just by putting them. Compared to the Chrome+ I would say that the B330 is just a tad softer but so minimally softer that it is really a wash.

My plan is to play Sunday afternoon. I am extremely excited about the hydrocore technology. In reading the description all I could think of was the Chrome+ marketing from last year. Let me tell you, the Chrome+ changed my game significantly reducing my driver spin. My accuracy off the tee after switching was very much improved and I picked up a couple extra yards. I was not a fan of the Chrome+ durability however. Zenger hooked me up with some 2013 B330 balls in Atlanta last year and I really liked them but found that my distance suffered a little and my accuracy was very similar. Considering the cost comparison I stayed with the Chrome+ when I lost all the B330's. It sounds to me like the hydrocore technology has the potential to produce similar spin and distance as the Chrome+ but with greater durability. If so, I could sacrifice the extra cash to avoid using 2 balls each round (not counting losing them).

I am also interested in short iron spin as well. The Chrome+ has decent spin and I actually like it. I have hit a few ProV1's into greens and they tend to spin back too much. My game isnt throwing the ball past the cup and spinning it back, I look for more hop and stop and on chips and pitches I am looking for a little roll out. I don't suspect these will be spin monsters like the ProV1 as I think the B330S is the V1 equivalent.

I have seen a few reviews talking about explosiveness and such and that really gets me excited about the potential for these golf balls. Thanks again to THP and Bridgestone (a dozen balls to test? awesome!) and I will post back after some more detailed testing. Here's to some warm(er) weather!

First, thanks to THP for the opportunity to test the new B330RX. This is my first time testing for THP, so a little about myself. I’ve played golf since I was a junior, but not competitively as I always played other sports. I played a lot in my early 20s, then got to where I didn’t play more than a few times a year. I actually went about 5 years without touching a club until I picked it back up late in the fall of 2011. For the last 2 years I have played quite a bit, logging 43 rounds in 2013. As of starting this test, Golfshot tells me I’m a 15 handicap. But I feel my ball striking is better than my handicap as, over my last 10 rounds, I have hit 46% of fairways and 38% of greens. My short game, specifically my chipping, is by far my weakness and costs me shots every time out. My driver swing speed is 95mph plus or minus, so the RX should fall right in my wheelhouse. I started playing urethane balls last year as they seem to help my short game, and I like for the ball to stop when it hits the green. Titleist Pro v1x is probably my favorite / best ball I have played so far, but I don’t like the $4 per ball, so I started playing other balls. I played most of the second half of last year with the Maxfli 4x mainly because they have similar performance and can be bought for less than half the price. I also picked up some Callaway chrome balls at the end of the year on sale so I have a few rounds with those as well. I only time I have played the 330RX was some the year before last, but they were an older model, as they didn’t have the dimple in dimple design. I tend to gravitate to the lower spinning / longer urethane balls. Lastly, I would describe my typical shot as slightly higher than normal and I think I tend to generate more spin (stopping power on greens) than most.


So with that said, on my first outing I wanted to get a feel for the balls and maybe try to draw some comparisons to other balls that some of you may be playing. First stop was the putting green with the 330RX, a 2013 pro v1x and a Callaway chrome. It only took a few strokes to notice that the new Bridgestone feels softer off the putter face than the other two. I’m not really particular about sound, but again it was pretty evident right off the bat that the Bridgestone had a much more muted sound off the putter. I really liked the feel off the putter of these balls, they had a great feel.
After putting I did some chipping, with all 3 balls. And again, it was very clear that the Bridgestone had a much softer feel off the club face and a more muted sound at impact, which I really liked. As I said, I’m not very consistent with my chipping, so I was having a hard time judging the difference in check, or roll out on the chips, but from what I could tell it looked like the Bridgestone had a little more roll out than the other two. Not by much, maybe an extra 2 or 3 feet on a 15 yard up and down. This is something I want to test more going forward.


After some chipping, I went out for 9. I decided for the first time out on the course, I would play just the Bridgestone to try to get a feel for it. It was really windy, so it was hard to gauge distances, but the ball seemed in line with what I’m used to. A few things stood out to me on this first nine. First is this ball seemed to have very good bite coming into the green on full and 3/4 shots, in line with what I would expect from the pro v1x, which seems to bite (and back up) more than the other balls I have played. Every ball that hit the green backed up, even a 5 iron backed up 6 inches, although that was into the wind. I’m not sure how much of that is the ball, and how much may be soft greens, but this is something else I will monitor going forward. Second, and again it was only 9 holes, but the cover held up as good or better than any other urethane ball I have played. Although, I found out on 8 that a cart path will scratch it.
My initial thoughts are this is a very solid ball. The marketing with the hydro core says that it is designed with a softer inner core to reduce driver backspin with a firmer outer region for faster ball speed, making it longer off the tee. Hopefully the wind will lay down for my next outing and I can draw some good distance comparisons. It does feel softer and I think I like that.

On my next trip out, I really wanted to try to get a better feel for the length of the B330RX and the spin or check coming into the green. I think my initial feelings on check coming into the greens may have been a little more a product of the really soft green conditions than I thought. The greens were still very soft, and down right wet in some areas from the rain earlier in the week. So this time out, I tried to follow up several B330RX approach shots with a shot from the same place and club with a pro v1x, to see the differences in roll/check. I chose to use the Titleist for this comparison because it seems to have the most bite, and often back up, of all the “tour distance” balls I have played. On well struck shots, the Bridgestone continues to stop in its tracks at worse, and back up some most of the time, as you would expect from a urethane covered tour ball. But when I hit them side by side, it does appear that the Titleist has a bit more “back up” to it. I will try to get more of a feel for throughout testing, and will try a different course next time that should have firmer greens to see if that changes my thoughts any. I will say, this is actually a little harder of a comparison to do than I initially thought. Even when hitting two good shots into a green that hit the green, if they hit different parts of the green, it makes me wonder how much of the difference in what I see is the ball, and how much is just hitting a different part of the green.

Distance from the Bridgestone is definitely good. Weather for this outing was cool, in the low 50s, so maybe not the longest conditions, but not too bad. Off the driver, good shots were getting out there to where I would normally expect them to get. The ball does look hot coming of the driver, with a nice ball flight, maybe slightly higher than “normal” but in no way ballooning, even with shots directly into the wind. I did not do any side by side comparisons off the driver, but while hitting the multiple approach shots above, I did not notice any measurable differences in length between the Bridgestone and Titleist. As an example, this course has a longer par 3 that I usually hit 5 iron into when the wind isn’t blowing too hard, and I hit two shots into the green, both with the Bridgestone. First one landed right on the back edge and stopped, second shot hit on the back portion of the green, which is inline if not a hair longer than I would expect with any other ball. I will continue to monitor distance and ball flight. I’m curious to see if the new hydro core in these balls has lowered driver spin any compared to previous models. As I mentioned before, I seem to generate a higher spin than average, and higher spin off the driver combined with a driver launch angle that is on the upper end of optimum will equal lost distance for me. Usually, the lower the spin the ball has off the driver, the longer it is for me. I’m wondering if the “smash” factor of the lower compression ball, “the compress it to boom it" isn't being offset some by a slightly higher ball flight and spin rate. I may try to get on a launch monitor if I can to test launch and spin with the driver compared to other balls. I think this would be a benefit to me outside of the ball testing as I’m not sure I have my driver launch and spin optimized yet.


Final thoughts from this outing are about the cover. I played 18 with the same ball, and you would never know it from looking at the ball. It looks great. Of those 18 holes, I hit at least 6 or 7 wedges, one or two thin shots and their is not a single scuff on the ball. That is great wear for a urethane covered ball, certainly among the best I have seen in other tour caliber balls.

I will have to give these a run this year from the reviews i have read. I have been playing the Q-Star and love them.

Official Testing Review: Bridgestone Tour B330
1st Test Date: 1/16 Practice Green. Temperature: Upper 30s-Low 40s Windy
2nd Test Date: 1/19 Playing 18. Temperature uppers 40s-Low 50s Windy again

First off, thanks to THP and Bridgestone for this testing opportunity. I will do my best to answer questions and be available, but work and life tend to get in the way. If I don't respond, it's not because I am ignoring you.

A little about me: I play to a 4 handicap currently and my swing speed is about the 112 range. I am high ball hitter/high spin player. I have alternatively the B330, Hex Black Tour, and Chrome+ most recently, but have really settled on the B330 as my gamer and have been playing almost exclusively the last few months. The previous model B330 has really been the best combination for distance, low spin, performance in the wind, and greenside performance. My favorite aspect of the B330 is that it allows me to chip aggressively around the green and check up when needed. I am hoping that the greenside performance remains in the updated model and it will be interesting to see how the softer cover holds up and if it helps greenside spin. Obviously, the other big change in this 2014 is the Hyrdo Core Technology, which is promoted as helping with distance. I will keep an eye on that as well.

First Testing Session: The Often Ignored Practice Green

The B330 arrived the middle of last week, so with it getting dark early this time of year, my first testing session was during my lunch break on a cold, blistery day. I headed over to the practice green and bunker and because of the weather, the practice green was wide open. This allowed me to hit up to 50 yard shots and experiment with hitting it high, low, etc. I used 3 of the 2012 and 3 of the 2014 models. In my limited testing, I didn't see a big difference between the models in terms of how they performed around the green. That is not a bad thing. Like I said, the greenside performance the B330 is something I have no issues with. Both performed like I would like them to, and checked up when needed and rolled out as expected. On high, soft shots, the ball landed nicely. No complaints here and I saw no issues with durability either.

Second Testing Session: Round of 18 Windy Conditions

I didn't know if I was going to get out play this past weekend as I had family in town but was able to sneak out and play a very fast 18. Conditions were pretty good for this time of year with temps in the upper 40s, low 50s and one-ish maybe more club wind. I was kind of in a hurry and the first few holes were a real struggle off the tee as I tried to get loose. I lost one ball on the third hole and almost another two holes later, so I really minimized using the new B330 off the tee because my swing was wild with the driver.

I hit most approach shots with the B330 and while I didn't have time to drop down the previous model for a side-by-side comparison, a few things stood out to me. The first is that I was really impressed with the performance into the wind. I remember reading that Snedeker had similar sentiments and while my game has very little in comparison with Snedeker's, the new B330 held its line extremely well into the wind with what I am going to hesitatingly say is less distance loss than the 2012 model. Again, I will keep an eye on this in future rounds. I hit a few shots that I was expecting to see drift either to the left or right, but they stayed the course and hardly deviated from my desired target. The ball flight was high, but not ballooning. I will keep an eye on if the new model is launching higher or lower.

Like the previous model, the 2014 model is a solid performer in the durability department. I thought the 2012 was one of the most durable premium balls, so it is good to see that the durability has continued in this model.

Alright, that's about all I have so far. I will probably get out for at least 18 this weekend and will update with my thoughts. Thanks for reading.

I will not post too many photos of the box as they have been posted, but I took some photos of the new and older box.
New Box on top:

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New model on left:

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