© Bridgestone Golf

Spin: High

Dimples: 330 featuring a dual dimple within each dimple design

Compression: Mid

Category Comparison: Tour

Spec: (Three) 3 Piece / Layers

Cover: Urethane Cover, SlipRes technology, Seamless Cover

Core: Gradational Compression core

Price: $44.99

The Tour Series. These are the top-line Bridgestone golf balls, and there are many of them to pick from as you prepare to make your first purchase. One of the popular models in this part of the line include the Tour B X. If you are an accomplished player with an average score somewhere in the 70s or low 80s, you will likely want to pick out a ball from the Tour Series. These golf balls each have their own individual traits, but generally they are going to offer a nice combination of distance, spin, and feel. Of course, as you would expect from a premium line, these carry a price tag which is comparable to the other top golf balls on the market today.

The Tour B X model is designed for a golfer with a low-handicap, but is still looking for and needing a long distance advantage, but not at the cost of low accuracy. The distance advantage comes with a firm feel at impact. The tour B X has a mid compression of 85.

The Bridgestone Tour B X Golf Ball retails for $44.99 a dozen (MSRP) and it is built and designed for improved control and better accuracy compared to the previous generation, both features aimed at giving you the upper hand on the golf course. Also, the company claims that their latest Bridgestone Tour B X Golf Ball gives them a big advantage over their competitors, due to their latest technologies incorporated into its built. The Tour B X boasts Bridgestone’s proprietary SlipRes technology, which makes you feel you’re in control of the ball’s trajectory on every shot, and you also feel more birdies. The enhanced feel and control of the Bridgestone Tour BX Golf Ball is due to a state-of-the-art cover, which is softer than in previous generations as a result of the aforementioned SlipRes technology. The Bridgestone Tour B X Golf Ball also comes with a gradation core built, which promotes lower side-spin, hence the ball’s pin-point accuracy.

The company’s Tour B line of golf balls offers more options than any other major company, four options respectively, including the Tour B X, and all make for premium pieces of golf gear, i.e. multi-layer urethane covered balls. As per the company’s own words, the Bridgestone Tour B X Golf Ball is specially built and designed for low handicap players, and it’s the end result of Bridgestone’s research into more than three million average golfers via online ball fittings. The Bridgestone Tour B X Golf Ball offers solid control over spin and trajectory if hit solidly on the face, hence it works well for better players. The Tour B X comes with Bridegstone’s proven and patented 330-dimple pattern, but due to technological improvements in the manufacturing process, the dual-dimple is now present in all 330 dimples. In this particular dual-dimple design, initial launch and spin are improved by the outer edge, while the inner shaping promotes more roll on tee shots via a shallower landing angle. The tech-improvement in the dual-dimple technology also improves aerodynamics dramatically, hence enhancing distance in the process.

- Compression Video

- Spin Video

- Dimples Video

- Golf Ball Brands Video

- Titleist Video

- Understanding Spin Video

Bridgestone Tour B Golf Ball 2020 Edition is Here

©Bridgestone Golf

2020 seems to be the year of the golf ball, and to prove this point, Bridgestone unveiled its latest Tour B series, which, according to the Japanese company (and rather unusual), has a totally revolutionary design and the whole nine yards. Speaking of revolutionary design in a golf ball is a bold claim, to say the least, since basically all golf balls look and play the same, more or less, so what is Bridgestone Golf trying to tell us?

Well, since we live in the current year, with smart technology and smart appliances, it’s the golf ball’s turn to “turn smart” (pun intended), i.e. the new Tour B golf ball has a smart cover, which took Bridegstone years to develop and put into practice. Yes, you got that right, smart golf balls are here to stay. Here’s the deal: when it comes to golf ball design, and generally speaking product design, the engineers must make compromises in certain areas, as they’re basically forced to sacrifice one thing to gain another. For example, since we’re in the golf ball department, there’s always a trade-off between increased distance and, let’s say greenside spin.

The Tour B series is claimed to be free of such sacrifices, as in these balls are all about high performance and nothing else. There were no corners cut, no trade-off, just a pact signed in blood with the technological devil. Basically, the new golf ball Made in Japan boasts a revolutionary Reactiv urethane cover, that was developed by the combined know-how of over nine hundred rubber and polymer engineers. The Reactiv cover is said to offer quicker rebound at greater speeds, but in the same time, it offers excellent greenside control when it comes to lower speed shots, i.e. it’s the best of both worlds, just like Nissan GTR was back in the day, and needless to say, this new cover material is not available in any other golf ball on the market, since it’s proprietary to Bridgestone.

And yes, Bridgestone calls this urethane-thing to be the world's first smart cover. Here’s Dan Murphy, President & CEO Bridgestone Golf:

The REACTIV cover technology is the most dramatic step change to cover construction since 1999 when we led the industry from Balata to Urethane covered Tour balls.Combining Tiger Woods with 900 polymer engineers from Bridgestone Tire has proven an unstoppable formula. This new technology will redefine what pros and amateurs expect from a golf ball.

©Bridgestone Golf

Yes folks, the Tour B is Tiger Woods approved, and somehow that speaks more to us than fancy words and “900 engineers” working on a golf ball. We know that sometimes it takes a small army of scientists to develop a golf ball, since there are tons of strict rules enforced by the PGA in regard to equipment conformity, but 900 engineers working at a ball cover seems a little bit too much. However, Bridgestone is a huge company with multi-decades of experience when it comes to rubber compounds and polymers, hence we bet that the new Tour B is absolutely phenomenal.

There are 4 models to choose from, each of them being targeted to appeal to players at different swing speeds, and each of the four models offers distinct differences. There’s the Tour B X and the B XS, for golfers with driver swing speeds of 105 mph and above, featuring the Reactiv urethane cover, plus Bridgestone’s patented Gradational Compression Core technology and Active Acceleration Mantle.

Then, we have the Tour B RX and Tour B RXS, which are best for golfers with swing speeds below 105 mph, i.e. using these you’ll get a softer feel and more distance. Just like the others, the B RX and B RXS boast the Reactiv urethane cover, with the core powered by the Gradational Compression Core and Active Acceleration Mantle layer.

And here’s Tiger Woods himself praising the new Tour B golf balls:

“I’ve worked with Bridgestone’s R&D team for nearly 20 years now, so I know they are the market leader in golf ball innovation, but the last couple of years have been different. Working closely with the R&D team, I’ve been able to take ownership of this design more than any other ball spec in my career. We have taken it to the next level with the new REACTIV cover. It gives me the right feel and has short game spin that exceeds my previous urethane ball. Off the tee, ball speed is up and this new TOUR B XS is definitely longer while still being in my window.”

The new golf balls will become available to the general public starting with February 14th and they’ll be priced at $44,99/dozen, in classic whit and optic yellow (the RX and RXS only).

- Compression Video

- Spin Video

- Dimples Video

- Golf Ball Brands Video

- Titleist Video

- Understanding Spin Video