Two Hour Drive in the Snow for a set of Bridgestone J15 CB's...will they make the bag?

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

It’s worth it, my grandpa always said he had to walk to school uphill 7 miles in both directions through knee deep snow, in Southern California no less. So, for a great set of irons? Worth it!

[rxk9fan]

:-)

This trip was just a little questionable because it was in the middle of a winter storm. My first Club Champion fitting was a few years ago in St.Louis. That was 283 miles each way...and my fitting started at 9am. I left the house at 4am, did the fitting and then drove home. My wife somehow never knew I was not at the hospital working....some things are better left unsaid :-)

[crucible]

At $240 for the Bridgestone J15 cb 4-pw you got a steal my friend. I have been playing these for several years now with the DGx100 shaft and love them. Those of us that play these irons know how good they are. It's surprising how many players don't know of these irons. I tried these against the Srixon and Mizuno counterparts and the J15 cb s just won the contest handily.

[rxk9fan]

Can't wait! I just pulled the shafts and started to throw one in the 95gm Recoil, but even with a light grip and 4gm tip weight I can only get to D0, and I prefer D1 to D3. I will get some 8gm or 10gm weights ordered and hopefully I can get that shaft/head combo to a solid D1 which is what they came in at with the steel DG Pro 300S I pulled. That will at least be a great place to start. If they beat out Srixon and Mizuno with you guys, I really think it is possible I will see the same. The one day on the monitor was very promising. If I like the sole as well as the Srixon sole, I already know the feel is fantastic!

Have a great weekend!

[dmeeksDC]

I agree with @Nixhex524 that the Bridgestone sole might be the best one going, certainly works for me. I like it better than Srixon or Mizuno soles. It seems to blend the best of higher bounce performance than it measures while also being excellent from the rough. My only quibble with the J15CB is I would shorten the blade length a touch. That’s about it. They are great clubs and perform in any conditions because the sole is pretty much perfect to me. I also like the Tour B CBs that came next. Not as much of a cult following but the one with the larger B stamp muscle pad right behind the sweet spot feels great. Still pretty similar overall to the J15
i bet you will love the J15CB. For the money, you can’t beat it.

[Nixhex524]

I have to keep an eye out for some Tour B CB... I like the look of the J15 better but after trading my backup J15 cbs I am looking for the next best alternative in case I can not find more J15s. Do the Tour B look pretty much the same from the top? Sole looks the same, that's really all I need...

[rxk9fan]

I agree that if I have one thing that is not ideal aesthetically it is the blade length. The one thing giving me a little trouble with the build is weight...they are about 7 grams lighter per head than the P770. Of course there is always lead tape.

i am really excited to hit these off of turf!! I am confident after seeing the post here...much appreciated!

[jt2gt]

Well rxk9fan, I have this same dilemma coming into this season. Started with a set of graphite shafted Z745s that beat out everything I tried last season (i210, p790, ts3, 919 forged and HMP). So I painstakingly put together a combo set of 3,4+ U85, 6/7 Z585 and 8-pw Z785 with mostly nippon modus 105s for a go. Of course, once I got that together, I found a shop worn set of J15CB with nippon 1050GH S shafts. Wondering how the Nippons will play compared to recoils on my 745s. The J15CB look great for sure...can't wait to get out for some testing.

[rxk9fan]

We must be related some how LOL.

As for shaft, if I did not have medical history that includes compound fractures of both arms and horrible elbow tendonitis, I would be playing some weight of Modus. Recoils and Steelfibers are both excellent, but IMO now way better than a quality steel shaft unless you have specific medical needs. I hope you will share with us what you find when you start testing. I am in San Diego with business until late this week, so I can't wait to get back and get a Bridgestone head on a Recoil shaft outside. I just went to a local shop here in SD close to where I am staying hoping to pick up a single SF FC 115, but they just had the i95. I have played those and they are a good shaft, but I would like to see if the FC might have a little more kick to it.

Best of luck Sir and anxious to hear what you find in your testing!

[t4t3r]

Need the shop names of where you guys are finding these J15s sitting around! Honestly I’d probably grab a fourth set if they were the right price (which it seems like they have been).

[jt2gt]

Luckily...I didn't have to drive through snow to grab my set. I've just been searching since last summer for the right condition set at a good price. Too many folks think they can throw these up on ebay, etc. for $500...while they are sooo nice, they just don't go for that much.

BTW...anyone playing J15CB find a Utility that pairs nicely with them. Don't think Bstone makes a highly rated one...thinking Srixon U85 will work well, but open to other suggestions. Thanks, JT

[wam78]

@jt2gt The u85 is a great place to start. Will prob transition the best. Check out Honma and maybe Mizuno HMB as well. I’m currently playing the u500 2i and find it pretty incredible for performance. Depends on what spot you are looking for. I also went to the tour b hf2 for my 4i spot which gives me really good ball speed and does not feel much different from my x-cb’s.

[dwboston]

I've got two sets of J15 CB's, one with Recoil Proto 125 F4 and the other with Recoil 110 F4. The 110's feel "livelier" than the 125's, with a higher launch than the Protos. The Protos feel as close to DG S300/S400 as I could get in graphite. They are excellent irons with great feel and are pretty forgiving. There's a reason so many people here love them, they are that good. I swap them out with my Miura CB's (also with Recoil Proto 125 F4) - the Bridgestones definitely feel softer than the Miuras, which have a very unique solid feel to them.

[Nixhex524]

I have been using a Mizuno MP-H4 3i head on an Aldila NVS 85 hybrid shaft for a bit now. Most utility irons look goofy next to the J15 CB as the top lines are thin and most utility irons area bit chunkier. The offset of my MP-H4 flows nicely into the J15s but it does look bigger, but man, I LOVE the performance of that club. I built it as an experiment but I have really grown to love that combo with my J15 CBs.

[wam78]

@Nixhex524 that's a great option.

[Rrsclyde]

Rxk9fan: you must get the itch for new sticks when the weather is bad; as I recall it was a cold, rainy day when you drove over and purchased my J40 DPCs :)!!

Hope these work out great for you.

[rxk9fan]

LOL

Thank you Sir! I hope you are well!

I was up your way about 3 or 4 weeks ago during a real crap Saturday. Couldn't play so figured I it was time to rack up some points with my wife before golf season came back. Unfortunately, a trip to Jackie Coopers is more expensive than sticks but she was pleased :-)

[Rrsclyde]

Ouch! Yep I’m guessing what you drove away from Jackie Cooper’s cost more than a few sets of PXG Gen 3s!

Had platelet enriched plasma infusion in my elbow yesterday so I’m on the DL for a few weeks but I’m hoping it heals the tendon tears and my golfers elbow! If not prolly looking at surgery.

[rxk9fan]

Dang...interesting procedure. I hope that helps and would love to hear thoughts after a little time! Get well my friend!

[jt2gt]

Thanks for the utility iron suggestions...may start with ZU85. Thought this thread needed at least one pic of these clean beauties.

[Nixhex524]

Those look clean!!!! Mine have held up pretty well but the chatter is evident...

 

Anybody hit the 718 AP2 also? I really love how Titleist ground the leading edge in that design as well.... wondering how they compare to the J15s outdoors.

[Golfjack]

Man I'd think you want to cut down on the sim time with the elbows. Since you drove that far in the snow, you might as well get them reshafted to what you like and test it out on the grass. Sim's no way to truly judge a club! Although in the cold weather I don't know if you'd be giving any club a fair shake. The J15 CBs are a classic though you can't go wrong.

[bryanwmilburn]

Just got a set of J15 CB heads from a member here - getting re-shafted with my favorite iron shaft (PX 6.5) right now! Can’t wait to put these babies in play. If they end up winning out against my Z785, I’ll send them to Iron Works in the off-season for the treatment. So pumped!

[wam78]

@Nixhex524 I really liked the 718 ap2 when I tested them last year. Just did not want to spend the money on them new. The ground leading edge is awesome and I have to say, they felt really soft and solid. Prob the best version of the series. They are weak lofted, at least from today’s standard with most OEMs but I like that. Believe the 7i is 34*. Just a great performing iron.

[dokodiy]

Pulled Modus off my J15CBs and installed Steelfiber i125cw which retired Z965s on Steelfiber i110cw, however I have found something better made out of 1020 carbon steel and about to start the build with SteelFiber Black Label.

[wam78]

@dokodiy how was the transition from modus to i125? Thinking of making a shaft change and want to keep that smooth feel but also help tighten up dispersion. Never played Steelfiber.

[Therealpatgiles]

Deets. 1020 sweetness. Please!

[dokodiy]

I had nippon shafts on my irons since the infamous super peening blues, so the transition wasn’t too hash. It was Also that my joints felt more appreciative. I went with 125 after testing out 95, 110 and 125. I recommend any one of them, but keep in mind that you would need reputable fitter for 110.

 

[wam78]

I played spb as well and they were prob my favorite shaft I ever played. Naturally I moved into the 120 and am having good success with them. More curious than anything to see how they feel and what flight window I can get them in. Have a high ball flight which I'm working on trying to flatten out more, but don't want to get too stiff and heavy.

[dokodiy]

New level 1126, I just need to locate the SF blacks!