Bridgestone Golf Balls History – Becoming a Powerhouse

The golf industry is large and very competitive, especially when it comes to golf balls. It is a growing market, and every participating company is trying to establish itself as a big player. Bridgestone Golf is one of the biggest ones. We will have a bit more detailed look into the Bridgestone golf balls history. There are not many golfers out there who are not familiar with their trademark “B” logo. They have been present in the golf world for a long time, but it seems their popularity is still growing.

I was getting more and more intrigued with the Bridgestone golf balls. So I decided to look into how a tire company made its way to becoming a powerhouse in the golf balls market. Below I will focus on the company’s origins, the golf ball production, the expansion with the golf subsidiary, and some elite golfers they have captured.

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Tire Company Origins

Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational corporation mostly known for its tire production. They produced tires for the first time in 1930 with the tire division of the Japanese Tabi Company.

Shojiro Ishibashi established Bridgestone Tire Co. a year later, from that same division. Its name comes from Mr. Ishibashi’s last name, which in Japanese translates to “Ishi=Stone” and “Bashi=Bridge”.

The headquarters were in Kurume, a city located on Kyushu island, where the first production plant was built in 1934. Later on, in 1937, Bridgestone moved the head office to Tokyo where it is still located in present times.

Bridgestone expanded the product range over time, and apart from tires, they make conveyor belts used to move objects from one place to another in heavy industries, hydraulic hoses for industrial usage, seismic isolators for buildings used to protect structures from earthquake damage, automotive components like seats and anti-vibration products, bicycles, and golf equipment.

The Birth of Bridgestone Golf

To generate more success every company that wants to be a serious player in the golf market has to have a significant role in the North American market. There are several reasons for that. Firstly, North America is a big sports market currently valued at almost 80 billion U.S. dollars. Next, the North American golf market’s value is around 7 billion dollars. Then, about half of all the golf courses in the world are located in North America. Finally, there is close to 25 million golf participants in North America. Those numbers should be quite convincing when deciding where to put the expansion efforts.

Bridgestone golf equipment was present on the North American market for years. It is a company with a long tradition of producing and selling golf products. However, the Bridgestone Golf subsidiary was only formally established in 2005. Its headquarters is in Covington, Georgia, in the United States. The company focuses on golf balls, golf clubs, and golf accessories.

Golf Balls Production

Golf balls were the first golf-related item in Bridgestone’s portfolio. Production started in 1935. For the longest time, golf balls were the only golf product offered by the company. Being a giant in the rubber industry helped the ongoing domination of the golf balls market in Japan. All the available technology helped achieve breakthroughs in golf ball production in Japan and later overseas.

The custom ball-fitting program was one of those breakthroughs. It started in 2006 and it helps identify a golfer’s ideal golf ball based on swing characteristics. Additionally, the program continuously helps Bridgestone to come up with new golf ball designs year after year.

Their ball manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia, increased production capacity by 30% and production staff by 20% in 2021. This speaks about the growing demand for Bridgestone golf balls.

Bridgestone e12 Contact Alignment by golfballsworld.com — Bridgestone Golf Ball by golfballsworld.com

High Profile Endorsements

Product quality and marketing are very important for growing a brand, but when some top athletes in the business use and promote the products can make a difference when it comes to awareness. Sir Nick Faldo was the first professional golfer to win a major tournament using a Bridgestone golf ball at the 1992 Open. He did it with the four-piece Bridgestone Precept Tour Double Cover ball. Also, he is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and has 43 professional wins including 6 majors.

Giving a lot of money to an athlete to use the products can often seem too much until it starts paying off. It is certainly paying off for Bridgestone Golf as its popularity is growing on a global scale. Currently, there are five professional golfers on their tour team, 1 lady competing on the LPGA Tour and 3 gentlemen competing on the PGA Tour.

Here are the 4 Bridgestone Golf Tour Team members:

Fred Couples – turned pro in 1980, has won 62 professional tournaments, and competed on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. During his playing time, his drives were long and accurate. When competing, he uses the Bridgestone TOUR B RXS ball.
Matt Kuchar – turned pro in 2000, and has won 17 professional tournaments. He competes on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He won the bronze medal at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics. His ball is the Bridgestone TOUR B X ball.
Lexi Thompson – turned pro in 2010, has 14 professional wins including 1 major. Also, she was the youngest ever golfer to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007 at age 12. The only lady on the team uses the Bridgestone TOUR B X ball.
Tiger Woods – turned pro in 1996, one of the greatest golfers ever to play has 109 professional wins including 15 majors. He is still active but has already been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021. A legend who reshaped the world of golf and popularized the game globally since he appeared on the tour. The Bridgestone TOUR B XS is the ball he uses when he plays.

Only the Beginning

Bridgestone is a giant in the rubber industry and has a long history in golf ball production. It has come a long way since it began making golf balls in 1935, and today holds 800 golf ball design patents. All the technology and innovation helped position Bridgestone Golf as the industry leader in the golf ball market. Their popularity is growing at a fast pace, and it is exciting to see what they will come up with next. The present and future golf stars will help write the next chapter in their story, this is only the beginning of a more successful era.

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