Category: Bridgestone Golf Balls

2023 Bridgestone e9 Long Drive Golf Ball Review

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This year Bridgestone came out with a new golf ball, the e9 Long Drive. As the name itself suggests, it is built mainly for one purpose. That is to get as far down the fairway as physically possible. In the new 2023 Bridgestone e9 Long Drive golf ball review, we’ll see how it actually feels to play this ball on the course.

Since this ball’s purpose is to go far, it was co-developed with the World Long Drive Association. It features Extreme Gradational core technology.

A fast outer region enhances ball speed. Simultaneously, a soft inner area provides optimal spin control ensuring a steady ball trajectory.

Moreover, the ball showcases a streamlined, 330-dimple cover designed to minimize air resistance and maximize ball speed. That is all you need to smash it a long way.

2023 Bridgestone e9 Long Drive Box by golfballsworld.com
2023 Bridgestone e9 Long Drive Box by golfballsworld.com

According to Bridgestone, this ball’s compression is around 75. That would place this ball into the medium compression category. Now, this ball’s objective is to go far. However, I am inquisitive about how it will perform on the golf course. Coming from Bridgestone, I am expecting it to do well. How well it is going to do, we’ll find out.

Who Is This Ball For?

The more I read about who the golf balls are made for, the more I slightly changed my opinion. Now, it is not just because of what the experts say. It has also to do with my playing experience. I indeed started realizing that the compression rating of a golf ball does not necessarily determine who should play it.

All that being said, I am starting a new approach to who a certain ball is for. In this case, the medium compression means that the ball will feel softer upon contact. Golfers with higher swing speeds should benefit from it the most. Even golfers with lower and medium swing speeds could play it, as they point out on the Bridgestone website.

You have to remember, this ball is built with the intention to go far. That means the spin will be lower across the board. Yes, it might go further than other balls, but there will be sacrifices made. Most importantly, the short game could suffer more than any other area. Also, you might not be able to shape the shots as you want if you usually do it.

In conclusion, there is one thing that could make you want to try this ball. That reason is if you want to hit the ball as far as possible. It is a niche market two-piece golf ball that might be worth giving a try. The ball is designed for a higher launch and more carry. If you are looking for that, go for it by any means.

PROS

  • Distance
  • Higher Launch
  • Price
  • Straight Flight Trajectory

CONS

  • Lower Greenside Spin

Bridgestone e9 Long Drive Golf Ball Review

Distance Control
Chipping and Pitching
Putting
Durability
Appearance
Price

On the Green

The way the putter was connecting with the ball gave me a soft sensation. Despite the soft feel, it was making a bit clicky sound. That is probably due to its Surlyn cover which is a bit harder than an urethane one. It was nothing overly loud or unpleasant, just a bit different from what I am used to.

On short putts, things were pretty smooth. When it came to the longer ones, things got trickier. More often than not, the ball didn’t go as far as I thought it would. Nobody likes to leave the ball short. The part that worked well was the ball holding the line. Wherever I aimed it, it felt like the ball was going there. Overall, putting was a positive experience.

Around the Green

First of all, I have to say the feeling of chipping and pitching was soft. That does not come as a surprise due to the medium compression. When it comes to performance, let’s start with my go-to chip shots, bump and run chips. For some reason, I was leaving them short. Must have been a day like that, nothing to do there.

On a bit higher trajectory chips, I was consistently encountering challenges with getting the ball to release more. As with the lower ones, I just kept falling short of the targeted landing area. That most definitely did not help with the ball releasing enough. On top of everything, the lack of greenside spin did not help the cause.

Approach Shots

As I usually mention here, I test the balls on a par 3 course. That means every shot is an approach shot. This ball showed a fairly noticeable decrease in spin compared to what I am used to. That caused a lack of stopping power which often led to the ball rolling out too much after landing on the green.

The higher flight trajectory did help sometimes with the ball stopping a bit quicker on the green. When I took my shots, I could see that it consistently produced a straight and predictable trajectory. My misses were consistent compared to my usual game, so all good there. I noticed, occasionally, that the ball was a bit jumpy off the clubface.

All in all, I had a decent experience hitting this ball, but not as satisfying as it could have been.

Durability

This ball has shown a very decent level of durability. You might expect that from a ball built to be smashed by the driver. After a full round, there were only a few spots with visible damage. There was nothing too seriously scuffed or marked. Bridgestone has done a good job in this department.

Appearance and Price

When it comes to appearance, it looks nice and clean like all the Bridgestone balls. The 330 dimples are different sizes which makes the cover look a bit asymmetric. In order to see that you have to look very closely, but there is nothing wrong with it. The alignment arrow is identical to the e6 and e12 Contact models, simple and straightforward.

Considering this ball was developed for a niche market, the price could be a touch lower. Instead of it being the same as the e12 Contact, maybe it could be closer to the e6 price point. Nonetheless, it is still fairly affordable and represents a good value for the money spent. It is available in white, yellow, orange, and pink colors.

Final Verdict

At the end of the day, this is a quality product and a solid choice. That is if you fall into the targeted market, but not only then. It is still a ball that you can play even if hitting it long is not your ultimate goal. As is the case with any ball out there, some golfers will like it, some will not.

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2023 Bridgestone e12 Contact Golf Ball Review

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After refreshing its premium golf balls lineup last year, Bridgestone did the same with the rest of them this year. Here we are talking about the well-known e6 and e12 Contact. They also introduced a new ball, the e9 Long Drive, which I will review soon. Nonetheless, this is the new 2023 Bridgestone e12 Contact golf ball review.

The e12 Contact has been around for a bit of time now, to be precise this is the fourth generation. That says this ball is here to stick around for the future as well.

It is described as the ultimate choice for golfers looking to improve their game. One of the reasons for that is the FLEXATIV Cover Technology and Contact Force Dimple.

Those two combined create 46% more surface contact, resulting in more efficient energy transfer and longer, straighter distances with the driver.

2023 Bridgestone e12 Contact Box by golfballsworld.com
2023 Bridgestone e12 Contact Box by golfballsworld.com

Also, according to Bridgestone’s website, with increased friction, the spin and control around the green are better. Based on all of the above, there are reasons to be excited about this ball. I can see it being a game improvement ball since it has a three-layers construction, but it does not fall into the premium ball category. Now let’s see how the ball actually performed.

Who Is This Ball For?

The new Bridgestone e12 Contact came out with the new Flexativ technology which should improve the ball performance compared to the previous version. That improvement translates into better contact, longer distance, straighter trajectory, and more greenside spin. It still remains in the lower compression ball category.

Based on all of the above, this ball should suit golfers with slow to moderate swing speeds. I do agree with Bridgestone that it is a ball for players who are improving. However, more advanced golfers might want a bit more out of a golf ball. It might go far on tee shots, but it still lacks spin with irons and wedges compared to premium balls.

If you are in a stage of your game where you want to move away from two-layered balls, this one could be an option. It is a good transitional choice for a fair price. In case you just want a ball that goes far off the tee, it is again a solid choice. Bridgestone has been working hard on this model, it is worth trying it out.

PROS

  • Distance
  • Multiple Color Options
  • Price
  • Soft Feel

CONS

  • Less Approach and Greenside Spin
  • Not Suited for Fast Swing Speeds

Bridgestone e12 Contact Review

Review by golfballsworld.com

Distance Control
Chipping and Pitching
Putting
Durability
Appearance
Price

On the Green

To put it in simple words, this ball performed very well on the green. Let’s start with the feel. Every time I stroke it with my putter, it felt soft. It was making a pleasant sound that was on the mellow side. Now on to the putting itself. Overall, I had no issues with adjusting to this ball. Right from the start I found the right pace.

I was especially pleased with the longer putts. When I needed the ball to hold the line and hit it stronger, it did that with no problem. This was the case with uphill putts, both long and short. Putts that had a bit of break in them worked decently with no particular hiccups. It was all good in this area of the game.

Around the Green

Like putting, this ball felt soft and nice around the green. I am a primarily bump-and-run type of chips golfer. Therefore, for me, it is important how the ball performs in this area. It performed well enough with a couple of chips that did not end up as planned. I could see the lack of spin compared to premium balls, but that was not a big deal.

I have chipped more times than usual this round, so I had more chances to see how the ball does. That means there were one or two higher trajectory chips which are not my strong suit. Nonetheless, it did not end too badly. On the contrary, it actually baled me out on multiple occasions saving the round from a tragic score.

Approach Shots

Since I test golf balls on a par 3 course, each shot is an approach shot. First, I have to say the ball went straight on every shot. What I mean by that is even if it went right or left it still went straight. I did not notice any excessive fading or drawing. The ball simply held its line no matter which direction it went.

I didn’t try shot shaping, but this time it did not happen even by accident. In general, the mis-hits were manageable. When it comes to stopping power, again, it is not as great as premium balls. That being said, it was still decent. I had no problem with changing flight height when needed which is always a plus.

It is worth mentioning that the feeling when hitting it was soft. That does not come as a surprise due to the lower compression. All in all, it performed well from the tee box.

Durability

This ball has shown decent durability. After a full round, there were only a few marks and a couple of scuffs showing on the ionomer cover. There are certainly balls that are more durable than this one, but also some that are less durable. This ball falls somewhere in the middle of the pack which makes it a solid choice.

Appearance and Price

The e12 Contact is a specific ball when it comes to appearance. It has a very unique and different dimple pattern design which makes it stand out. This is not new, as the dimple design change came out with the previous model. There was a slight change with the alignment arrow, which now, in my opinion, looks modern and a bit nicer than the 2021 model.

Where the e12 Contact has a competitive advantage is the price. All its direct competitors except the Srixon Q-Star Tour come at a steeper price. For what you get performance-wise this ball is a great value for money. On top of that it is available in white, matte red, matte green, and matte yellow colors.

Final Verdict

To sum it up, this is a very good golf ball. It will certainly not give you a premium golf ball performance, but it is not even built to do that. This ball caters to the middle of the skill level golf audience. If you are looking to try something different that will not cost you big bucks, you might want to look into this one.

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