Golf Ball Review - 2015 Lady Precept

Stupid Florida courses with all the water they have. I just realized I am out of my Lady balls. I blame Rees Jones.

I will miss them too. I will likely pick some up and say they are for the wife who is just getting into the game but they will certainly find there way into my bag from time to time. I am still partial to 3 piece balls but the Lady Precept continued to show an ability to keep up with her extra layered brothers. The ball seems very good and reliable. I would compare it to a Toyota Camry. It may not be the flashy choice, or the longest, or the one that spins the most around the greens. But it does everything well. It is long enough, spins enough for me, and is very durable. It just doesn't stand out or do any of those things better than the ball I normally play.

nerfny said:

Is anyone else seeing the lack of response with these balls around the green?

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From what I've seen they are pretty comparable to most other surlyn cover balls I've played in terms of spin/stopping power

Full shots tonight, on greens that were softened by yesterday's rain (which was badly needed). Held better. Greens were playing more normal instead of rock hard. This was a 9 iron from 142.





Switched to an RX and was seeing similar results as far as holding near pitch marks.

cbaker2882 said:

From what I've seen they are pretty comparable to most other surlyn cover balls I've played in terms of spin/stopping power

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I agree with this fine fellow.

nerfny said:

So ddec and I got out and played these last Friday. I was able to play this model vs. the old model and I was seeing some increased distance off of my driver and hybrids. My irons and I haven't been getting along lately. This has more to do with such a long winter then it does anything else. We didn't really have a spring so I haven't had my usual practice.

That being said I did have some really good shots at the greens from 100 yards and in with very little response from this ball around the greens. I had more than one shot that hit the green and ran off the back. I hope next time I get out and play I can play this vs. the e5 my other ball when I'm not playing the lady precept.

Is anyone else seeing the lack of response with these balls around the green?

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I've seen spin consistent with other balls in the class - not a ton of bite, but it's been predictable. I haven't had problems holding a green from 7i down, but I hit a pretty high ball. Obviously a big difference between the reaction of the ball compared to something like the Chrome Soft or Z Star.

mpeterson said:

I've seen spin consistent with other balls in the class - not a ton of bite, but it's been predictable. I haven't had problems holding a green from 7i down, but I hit a pretty high ball. Obviously a big difference between the reaction of the ball compared to something like the Chrome Soft or Z Star.

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Pretty much what I am seeing. Holding just as good as most other balls in the category do. To me the thing that stands out about this ball is the sound and feel you get with it. Very quiet and when hitting pitches it feels like it's not even there.

ddec said:

Pretty much what I am seeing. Holding just as good as most other balls in the category do. To me the thing that stands out about this ball is the sound and feel you get with it. Very quiet and when hitting pitches it feels like it's not even there.

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That's a good description. I went to the range today and worked on a lot of pitches and half shots - because I've been so used to the feel of the precepts, everything almost felt like I was missing, since the balls were pretty much the opposite than these.

ddec said:

Very quiet and when hitting pitches it feels like it's not even there.

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You're not kidding. First shot off my wedges with it I thought I missed the ball haha

Wanted to put together a little longer write up than just the short responses that I've had in here recently. Last weekend I played 27 holes, and then another 9 on Tuesday night. So these comments are based off of those 36 holes. Some of it may seem like repeated information because there are just certain things that really stand out to me about the ball.

Over the weekend portion of the testing, I put the ball head to head against a ball I thought would play similarly, Callaway Supersoft. Both are 2 piece golf balls and compression is from what I understand very similar being in the 30's.

Off the tee: Ball feels good, which is a common theme here. I think the old thoughts of 2 piece balls feeling like rocks without a doubt flies out the window with these(and many other options out there I might add). Alternating between last years, the Callaway, and the new Lady ball, I will say that the new Lady ball was not the longest for me, or at least used on my longest drives of the day. Distance however was good. Did not seem like it was a short ball by any standards.

Irons: Over the weekend the greens were still incredibly firm, and stayed that way until rain came through Monday and in to Tuesday. From longer approach shots the ball was hitting and rolling out some 10-15 feet most times. When the iron range got to that 8 iron and in mark( under 150 yards), the ball held better, with a a pitch mark and rollout of some 5-10 feet. Compared to last years ball and the supersoft, those results were common. Again a soft feeling ball, but does not have the stopping power of the higher end balls, which is expected due to the type of cover.

50 yards and in: I'm mentioned it many times in the thread, the feel of this ball really stands out here and while putting. Without using the word marshmallow as a negative, that's how it feels to me. It's silent, and that lends to the incredibly soft feeling sensation that I am seeing when around the green and on it. I've used some soft balls in the past that feel somewhat similar on chips like the W/S Zip or 50/50, but when you putt them they give a different click noise than what these produce.

Durability: Well I'll be honest, I've lost 2 of these balls on the same hole with the same shot. So those 2 got about 4 holes of action. However the other ones I have played for these rounds have held up quite well. I haven't seen any real scuffing or cuts in the cover. That's always a plus to me.

Dad's Test: During the 18 hole round, I played with my father. Little background on him, he is in his mid 60's, plays senior shafts, and has a swing speed in the mid to high 70's and when it's going well creeps in the 80's. He's not opposed to playing lady golf balls because to him, he can compress them a little better. I gave him 1 from this year and 1 from last year to see if he could tell much difference. After the round here were some quick snippets of his thoughts.

- Said he never really got the sweet spot on the driver, but the ball seemed to fly out fairly well.
- He was indifferent on the softer feeling inside 100 yards. Said it felt like he needed to put more in the swing because he couldn't get a feel for the ball around the green. With time that could change.
- Liked the blue lettering, but liked how last years ball said Lady Precept instead of it just saying Lady.
- Overall, couldn't tell much difference between last years and this year version.

I'm not sure if he played it at all during the week, I'll check with him to see if there were any more thoughts on it. Outside of that I will leave you with this.

Just bought a dozen at dick's. They just came in yesterday. Not even at golf galaxy yet.

Went back to my 330-RX today. I hit it a little longer off the tee but didn't see any much if any improvement around the greens.

Howzat said:

Went back to my 330-RX today. I hit it a little longer off the tee but didn't see any much if any improvement around the greens.

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Very interesting. I would need to test it out. I just practiced with the lady, it was like hitting a ping pong ball, definitely echo what ddec said, like the ball isn't even there. I can't say I like it off the bat just yet but I'm sure my gf will find it better suited than the super soft.

Plin said:

Very interesting. I would need to test it out. I just practiced with the lady, it was like hitting a ping pong ball, definitely echo what ddec said, like the ball isn't even there. I can't say I like it off the bat just yet but I'm sure my gf will find it better suited than the super soft.

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I wasn't a fan of the Super Soft. I do like the Chrome Soft and the Bridgestone 330 line. I don't tend to put much if any spin on the ball with my wedges so I usually gravitate towards a 3 piece ball to help limit the release. I haven't had any issues getting the Lady to stop where I expect it to.

Howzat said:

Went back to my 330-RX today. I hit it a little longer off the tee but didn't see any much if any improvement around the greens.

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I found a decent amount of difference between the Lady and the B330-RX spin wise FWIW. Two completely different golf balls, but the B330-RX I can get to check and stop, while the lady I just have to try and control the bump and run. I like the B330-S a little more than the RX, but the lady is just one more home run for them these days. I could honestly play any ball they put out and be ok.

cbaker2882 said:

I found a decent amount of difference between the Lady and the B330-RX spin wise FWIW. Two completely different golf balls, but the B330-RX I can get to check and stop, while the lady I just have to try and control the bump and run. I like the B330-S a little more than the RX, but the lady is just one more home run for them these days. I could honestly play any ball they put out and be ok.

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I am guessing my poor technique and inability to impart spin on the ball has a lot to do with it. I plan to pick up some more this weekend for my wife and get her on the course to try and look into it a little more. Bridgestone's line-up is certainly solid and getting B-fit is the best way to narrow down the options.

A really solid ball striking day with the Lady today. 2 birdies, 31 putts, all of my misses were close. Shot a 78 from the senior tees at my home course and it really could have been better. I have about 7 rounds with this ball now and have only lost one. This is a fun ball to hit.

The ball off of the driver still continues to really feel great and the distance is right in line with what I am used to with the e-6 & B330-RX. I am not a long driver of the ball so really I can't imagine any ball being appreciably longer than any other. The irons and hybrids were particularly good today and again the feel is great with the distances being so close to my usual gamers as to be negligible. The feel for chips and putts is really good and the roll out is still very predictable. I do sometimes have trouble with pitches and full on wedge shots as that seems to be the time I get the most roll out. Knowing this it is still hard to not go flag hunting when that close to the green.

I also am having no trouble shaping this ball, on the first hole I played (a par 5) the second shot called for a cut and I moved it easily. The tee shot on the second called for a cut also and again it was in great position. With the driver it was baby draw all day with the exception of 2 holes that I got through fast and they were long hooks.

I plan to try this ball out the next time I play what I consider a tough course, most likely Lane Creek with Ole Gray & maybe KellyBo to see how the ball reacts for her compared to how it reacts for me. This ball is truly a gem for those of us with slower swing speeds.

Another round in with these

I still love them for putting, no doubt. The sound off the driver still bugs me, and my yardage a bit shorter but not much. Wedges getting a good bite on the green and especially when chipping with an 8i. I normally play the chrome soft and had no real problems playing it yesterday.

For my wife the sound off the driver doesn't phase her, She doesn't notice anything that game wise that stands out for her in either a pro/con other than yesterday she somehow cracked the skin (she didn't hit a tree or cart path or anything else that I seen, very wierd). I'm figuring just a fluke thin spot. All in all she says a big yes so far as in being her new gamer ball. Other than switching out the cracked ball on 15 she has been impressed with how the durable they appear for her. She has noticed the sound is some what muted but figures it's the cover. I haven't told her how low the compression is so she can't be biased. I'm just getting her to tell me what she thinks after each different kind of shot randomly through out the round. She'll be gaming only these again tomorrow. I've told her to get her playing partner to hit them who hits like a man, fast and hard.

Got another 9 in with these:

So the feel is still super soft with these...like stupid soft. Basically just a thud off my woods and almost no sound off low irons/wedges. Unfortunately today that led to me being hesitant on some chips/pitches where I ended up short because I didn't get much feedback. On the flip side they do react very well off wedges, so it was really just a mental block today. Had two very good pitch shots from 20/30 yards out that ended up being tap ins, and I thought the one was going to run into the hole for me.

Distance wise they are still very good on short irons on down, but I am losing some yardage on driver-hybrid. Don't know how much of that I can blame on the ball, but my swing feels very solid right now, and when I last played with the B330-s, my yardages were 5-10 yards longer.

Putting was very iffy today. Had a brand new putter out with me, so I'll attribute a good amount of it to that, but the balls didn't inspire any confidence for me on the greens. Since they are so soft, they provide almost no audible feedback on putts (which might have a lot to do with using a soft insert putter), so I couldn't read how far they were going very well. The greens weren't in the best shape, and weren't necessarily rolling very true anyway, but the balls made me hesitate or over think putts just like with my wedges because of it.

Overall it didn't perform too poorly for me and did most of what I wanted when I got myself out of the way. Not sure I could use them as my official ball, but I don't necessarily dislike playing with them. I still very much maintain that they would be very very good for someone of lower swing speeds and someone who struggles with getting shots airborne off wedges. It is kind of fun being able to take light swings and still get results with it. But the lack of feedback and lack of confidence (personal problem) with chips/pitches isn't something worth putting into play mentally for me.

Still, performance wise didn't do too bad and performed about normally for myself with a 42 and 16 putts. Just allowed for more roll out when chipping and got the results I expected.

THank you to everybody for the reviews. The official review period is now up, however feel free to add more if you choose. Thank you all again.

Thank you for this testing opportunity Bridgestone and THP, and yes, I will continue to post thoughts on the Lady occasionally.

Thanks to THP and Bridgestone for a great testing opportunity and to the testers for doing a great job.

Thanks to THP and Bridgestone for the opportunity. I really enjoyed these. Only a couple left but I'll post any thoughts that come to mind before the last couple disappear.

Thanks for the opportunity Bridgestone, I'll put more up as the wife will still be gaming these, only 1 ball not playable & nothing lost so we got some life in these still.

Since the official review period is now up, I want to thank Bridgestone and THP for the opportunity. With all that being said I have some review thoughts on this ball from the weekend played with THPers at Olde Stonewall.

I played this ball the entire round from tee to green. The surprise to me was the reactions on the green. Now anyone who was there knows that the greens were softened by the rain Friday night and it made the greens very receptive. On many occasions the ball checked up or gave a slight tug back on the greens. Something different than I was seeing at home, but as I mentioned in previous posts those greens were very firm due to lack of rain. In that setting, I really enjoyed the ball around the greens. Off the tee the ball was producing some solid distances. On iron shots, esp teed up shots, the combo of ball and iron produced a somewhat different sound, but the results were good.

My final thoughts on this ball is that it's just as good as any other 2 piece ball out there. It feels soft around the greens and off the putter, which I like. Distance wise, I didn't think it was the longest ball, not even in Bridgestone's lineup. To me that gold medal does to the e7. However these felt better greenside than the e7, so sacrificing those handful of extra yards is just fine with me. Price point is really good. Maybe a ball I will look at more for early and late season golf. Put it in line with the Duo and the Supersoft. It's a good option if you can get over the Lady branding of it.

Michigan Slice said:

And I guess I was under the assumption that all Bridgestone balls were made in the USA, these were made in China.

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Wife brought a dozen home and they are made in China. We also thought they were all made in the USA. Wrong again.