Bridgestone B330 rx

OrangeBlood · September 25, 2008

RX= U-tri tour......save your money. I can't tell the diff. other than the sound.

Totally disagree. While the U-Tri had a urethane cover it's core was significantly firmer and therefore did not go nearly as far as the RX for me.

OK.....tell us HOW much further it went than the U-Tri.

golfdad907 · September 27, 2008

I thought this ball would be the perfect ball, but I played it last week, and it just didn't
WOW me...it was soft and long, but I didn't think it held the greens as well as i wanted it to.. I played it alongside of the Tour I, I just think this is abetter ball, the Tour I is hard to beat..it is awesome off the driver, irons, and sticks to the green like glue IMHO...

I have RX's left, so I will hit them, and who knows, maybe they will WOW me...

I went the same way. Used to play HX Tour and 330s. Bought a dozen 330RX, very soft feel (tad softer than Tour i), great putting, driver ok, irons were 1/2 club longer, but chipping just didn't spin like I thought. I'll try '09 B330s, but I like the Cally i-series, and the Tour i feels great, spins perfect (easy to control, runout or sit/spin). The Tour ix is slight longer, but doesn't have the feel or greenside spin of Tour i.

Hoping the new 330s 4-piece is better than previous model, which I really like...might got snag a few dozen on clearance just in case.

SwingMan · September 28, 2008

Finally, I picked up a dozen of the RX --

I did not have an opportunity to play today, but I spent 40 minutes around the practice green with the Callaway Tour i and the 330-RX with a 58 and 60 degree wedge.

The RX felt slightly softer; the Tour i had better action on the ball.

Greenside spin of the Tour i for me wasn't significantly better on the RX that it would make a difference to me if the RX plays better on full shots -- driver, irons, wedges.

The RX was more hop, hop, with a tad bit of roll out. The Tour i was similar except that when it hit the green for the first hop, you could tell it had slightly more action so you'd get less roll out on some shots. I found the RX more predictable/consistent around the greens with what it did. From that viewpoint, I can rely on it.

Will give more in the coming weeks as I try to play the Tour i against the RX on the course.

nofeargolf · September 30, 2008

Played 2 tournament rounds with the RX this weekend. I'm a naysayer; I believed all premium balls are pretty much the same for most people...

But in the case of the 330RX, I was wrong. It is better, for me. Drives picked up 4 to 6 yards, spin was great, and it felt sold.

My swing wasn't the best, but managed to shoot 74/73...

It seems to work for me.

TempusFugit · October 5, 2008

Played the RX yesterday and today, found it great, even outstanding in most departments except spin on chips around the green, where I found it surprisingly bad.

wizo · October 6, 2008

Hey,

I played the new Rx ball and I also bought some Callaway ix tour balls. In my opinion the RX feels way nicer of the driver but a little harder to control. The RX is wayyyyy softer and if you hit it square it goes a mile. The problem I felt was that it did not counteract the slice spin as well. So you might have a hard time keeping them in play. They are very resilient. They played at least 5 holes without a mark and I mean I hit the piss out of balls especially with my short irons and wedges. I feel that the feel with irons are incredible and I love putting the RX balls.. Soft to me feels that they go further and check harder. This is great for me and the way I like to play.

The callaways are great chippers and iron balls. But they feel heavy with my driver. What I mean by heavy is that I can hit them a mile straight but I can really feel it in my hands. When you hit one, you almost feel that you mis-hit the ball but you are happy that it went so straight. When you go to find your ball you find that you are very happy with the distance and it rolls very well. I dont like putting them as much and apperance wise I prefer the the bridgestone ball.

I wish I could combine all of this in to one ball. I feel that the low spin rate of the callaway would be great for the bridgestone but you would give up a lot of what the RX really makes you love. Basically if I could have the softness of the RX but less spin that the callaway has the ball would be a 10. I will try the new 2009 330-s and hope that this ball is what I am trying to describe.

TempusFugit · October 6, 2008

The callaways are great chippers and iron balls. But they feel heavy with my driver. What I mean by heavy is that I can hit them a mile straight but I can really feel it in my hands. When you hit one, you almost feel that you mis-hit the ball but you are happy that it went so straight. When you go to find your ball you find that you are very happy with the distance and it rolls very well. I dont like putting them as much and apperance wise I prefer the the bridgestone ball.

I wish I could combine all of this in to one ball. I feel that the low spin rate of the callaway would be great for the bridgestone but you would give up a lot of what the RX really makes you love. Basically if I could have the softness of the RX but less spin that the callaway has the ball would be a 10. I will try the new 2009 330-s and hope that this ball is what I am trying to describe.

I agree that the Callaway ix can feel heavy, but certainly not the i, which feels the completely opposite way, almost too light (at least for my liking).

xdhammerbx · October 7, 2008

paula creamer won with it in half moon bay yesterday

maskedman · October 20, 2008

I got a chance to try the B330RX this weekend and can confirm what others have observed. It is very soft off the driver and longish. But not a terribly high spin ball and did not check well on chips. Greenside control was lacking. It also seemed long off the irons - enough so that I'd have to re-calibrate should I continue to use the ball. The potential for some inconsistency with the ball worries me. Played it side by side with the NOP, 2007 B330S and the Callaway Tour i which feel good, are long enough, are well-behaved in the short game--and, most importantly, their performance was very predictable. Just my 0.02.

EdL · October 21, 2008

Tried out the RX over the weekend. My SS is around 100, hdcp 5, been playing TP Black most of the summer. I did not get a noticeable increase in distance on full shots thru the bag. But the biggest difference was on and around the greens. The ball felt like it jumped off the putter face which wasn't so bad considering the greens were wet and slow, but I didn't really like the feel. Similar feeling around the greens. That low compression takes some getting used to, plus I found it more difficult to get some check on pitches and sand shots. I can't imagine people will continue to buy these balls for $43 a dozen. There are so many good "tour" quality balls at the $39.99 price point. If they change retail price to $34.99 or less, they'll get some real traction.

Tupperwolf · October 21, 2008

I have been playing the RX for a little while and have to go against anything I have said before - they are pretty decent balls, and while my initial impression was that they flew too high and ballooned, after some more time with them I have hit some drives of amazing distance as well as made some great short game shots. The feel on the putter is awesome and they check up nicely around the greens. No damage to my usual scores and I have shot some good rounds with them as well. For the price I will stick with Pro V1x - if these were $20 cheaper a dozen they would be my new go to ball.

Plan9 · October 28, 2008

I approached the RX a little differently = namely how it feels off the putter. I play a Bettinardi no insert anser. The RX is imho one of the 3 best off the putter face - the other two being Pro V1 (new) and TM TP Red LDP. I prefer a quiet sound - thud to the harder click and zoom of many other premium balls. This ball is very soft and well mannered off the putter face. If u putt 30 times with your eyes closed, using each ball 10 times I think the vast majority of amateur players would be hard pressed to get it right even 1/3 of the time.

The RX is also an excellent ball off the driver, irons and around the green. I noticed negligible differences between these three balls. Having said that, for me with 95 - 100 ss, the red is slightly longer with the driver, the Pro V1 probably the shortest. The Red is probably slightly longer off the irons as well. I think the Pro V1 spins the best of the three, but all three were within 2 feet of each other, on average, on full approach shots with the wedges. I play to a 3 hcp but I honestly can't tell which ball checked better on chips and pitches - I think the differences in this case is the indian and not the arrows.

The RX is a VERY good ball and should find plenty of fans. I would place it in between the two balls I usually play. I will say, that with 65 compression, IT BECOMES A TERRIFIC PREMIUM WINTER BALL, and clearly an alternative to the Nike PD Soft or E6 with 40/45 compression numbers.

By the way, I find it astounding that guys are getting 10 or 15 yards more (or less) distance with this ball over another premium gamer that they play. That is huge, and I saw none of it.

stp · October 29, 2008

Has anyone with a higher than suggested swing speed tried this ball - i.e. greater than 105 driver??

My SS is barely over at 110 mph and I have tried it. I used to play the B330-S, but I did the Bridgestone ball fitting and picked up an additional 8 yards off the tee with the RX, while still maintaining my spin off the irons and around the green.

I found one of these on the course the other day and tried it out on my lose a ball hole. WOW! this ball felt so good. I am a high ss player and i play at sea level about a mile from the ocean. I probably would never have tried this ball based upon its description. This ball took off from the clubface super fast and felt better than any ball i have ever struck. The hole is a straight away 430 with a bit elevated green. The fairway was very wet and i hit an easy 60 in from 96 out. Spin off the driver seemed good and low and the ball just went and went. Off the L wedge the spin was good and feel great. I intend to try this out on a full round next week.

broochy · October 30, 2008

From first tests I think this ball is exactly what it is meant to be. My driver SS is 90-95.

Trajectory off the driver was mid-high with low-mid spin. Trajectory off the irons was also mid. Distance was similar to e6+ and e5+ for me, perhaps a bit more driver carry than e6+.

Short game spin was excellent. Not crazy spin, but excellent feel and good bite. Felt great off the putter too.

Maybe the best thing is durability. Fantastic durability from a premium ball. Possibly the best I have tried.

I will continue to play this ball.

darnoldil · October 30, 2008

My thought about distance is that the angle of attack, squareness of the club face towards the intended target and the type of club being played [blade, cavity, game improvement, or hybrid iron] all contribute to compression and thus distance (along with SS of course).

I have always found that the softer a ball feels, the more compressed it was, and the further it went...to a point. You can Over compress a ball and Loose distance. So far from everything I have read on this thread it sounds like this ball wouldn't work for me because I need something with lower driver spin and better chipping and short pitching capabilities which I have found in the Callaway Tour i.

About the only thing that would have caught my eye if I had not already been playing the Tour i would have been the softer feel since this is always a priority with me but the fact that people who have played both indicate that they are comparable with the RX being only a tad softer nullifies that point. So far I have been so happy with my Tour i that I really can't see myself changing or even trying a different ball but I commend Bridgestone for coming out with this one as they make great products.

bigred90gt · November 3, 2008

This ball was recommended to me by a sales guy at a local Golfsmith. I was picking up a dozen B330S balls, and he suggested I try the RX instead. I bought it, and I'm glad I did. They feel great when hit. They come off the club face nice and hot, and perhaps it is a mental thing, but I hit them straighter. My swing speed is somewhere between 100 - 105 with my driver, and the ball just felt great. I usually play the B330S or the ProV1, but I think as long as I can continue to find this ball, even if it is the same price, I'll continue to buy it. if I'm going to spend that much money on a ball, I'd rather play one I like the feel of. As much as I like ProV1's I like this one that much better. I did find that I hit it further than the ProV1's also.

pwrfade · November 8, 2008

I had a chance to play the RX twice last week. It's a little softer than the e5+, comes of the driver with a little less spin than the e5+, but still spins good with irons. This is NOT a Tour Stage ball with a new name. This is a brand new ball developed by the R & D dept. in Covington, GA. If you're looking for a tour caliber ball, but don't swing 105+, this is a great ball.

Sorry, you're wrong. This is EXACTLY the same as a Tourstage ball that has been out.

I was going to ask him where he got his information because every premium Bridgestone ball that has come out in the past 4 years has been a rebadged Tourstage X series ball, usually a year or 2 old. I play both Tourstage and Brdigestone balls. I compare the dimple patterns and read the literature.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact that is terrific. The Japanese prices for the Tourstage balls pay for the initial costs of R&D. The US can now get these very good performance balls at prices significantly lower than the Titleist ProVs. If you wanted them the same time they come out in Japan you would probably have to pay more than you would a ProV. The value for performance is part of the appeal of the Bridgestone balls.

I like the G4 the best so far. The S3 is great when the greens are on the soft side. They have A BIT of run out on pitches/chips very similar to the run out I get on Nike One Blacks around the green.

I agree I have no problem with Bridgestone using Japan as their "testing zone" (although in reality it's just a different market for them), and we get the balls at a cheaper price.

But.. this shouldn't be marketed or at all spoken of as new technology.

That R&D in GA stuff seems... made up?

what - you guys in NY don't think hicks like us are smart enough to build a golf ball - or find engineers to fig'er it out? Every heard of The Georgia Institute of Tech'knology? We are a top 3 Engineering school in the US....and oh yea - straight from the Bridgestone site press release section.....

Covington, GA — Bridgestone Golf, headquartered outside Atlanta, GA, announced today that it has added hometown hero

Charles Howell III to its stable of PGA TOUR players. As part of the deal, the 2-time PGA TOUR winner and Augusta, Georgia native will play Bridgestone balls and clubs, wear a Bridgestone Golf glove, sport the Bridgestone Golf logo on his headwear and left chest of his shirt and carry a Bridgestone Golf Tour bag in all professional tournaments in 2008.

Howell is expected to play the new TOUR B330-S golf ball and Bridgestone's new line of irons, which has not yet been unveiled to the public, in all professional competition. Howell expects to have the Bridgestone gear in play by the

xxio · November 9, 2008

Where in the press release does it say the ball was engineered in GA?

Logically it will be a new Bridgestone ball of course. It was previously a Tourstage :)

I am not putting down the engineers from GA. I'm just stating a fact. A friend of mine used to even rip apart the balls both Precept/Bridgestone and Tourstage. He noticed the cores would be the same color on what would supposedly be the same model. Apparently Tourstage=Bridgestone color codes the cores.

There is nothing with transfer of technology. A lot of firsts in US technology has been transferred the other way as well.

teedoff · November 9, 2008

I had a chance to play the RX twice last week. It's a little softer than the e5+, comes of the driver with a little less spin than the e5+, but still spins good with irons. This is NOT a Tour Stage ball with a new name. This is a brand new ball developed by the R & D dept. in Covington, GA. If you're looking for a tour caliber ball, but don't swing 105+, this is a great ball.

Sorry, you're wrong. This is EXACTLY the same as a Tourstage ball that has been out.

The RX is a direct result of the Bridgestone Challenge. The Bridgestone Challenge allows players to test their current ball, along with their own equipment to determine if the ball they are putting into play create the most effectient performance solution for the players, matching the technology of the driver and shaft, swing of the individual, and the ball. This is the same process that the PGA Tour players go through in determining the equipment make up of their bag.

The data collected through the thousands and thousands of tests conducted across the US provided the basis of this ball.

None of the Bridgestone performance balls are re-packaged Tourstage balls. While they may have similar design characteristics, they are designed for different markets. I posed that question to one of the golf ball designers in asking about similarities in the Precept U-Tri balls with the Tourstage brand. While appearance on the surface of the ball may look somewhat alike, they were definitely different.

MMB1500 · December 6, 2008

I've been trying to find out the release date for these balls in the UK.

I contacted the UK distributor as suggested on the Bridgestone website and had no response. I then emailed Bridgestone, who after 5 days wrote back and told me they couldn't answer my question and advised me to contact the UK distributor. I contacted the distributor again by email and still no response.

I really want to try these balls but this is pretty poor customer service IMO and makes me think I should just look elsewhere.

Shame.

maggot · December 9, 2008

I tried this ball last week, I normally play the TM red LDP/Pro-V1/B330s.

The ball for me didn't impress me that much, I am right at the top end of the swing speed recommended for this ball.

For me, the LDP red goes further, as does the 330s, the rx was longer than the pro-v1 but the pro-v1 feels better.

I also found that it didn't spin as much around the greens as the 330s or pro-v1, but about the same as the LDP red.

It held up better than the LDP red, but not as well as the 330s or Pro-v1.

I think it would be a good ball for someone in the 80-95 mph swing speed range, but did not suit my game.

Daz · January 4, 2009

They are already released in the UK. Direct golf have them for £29.99

http://www.direct-golf.co.uk/golf_balls/br...olf_balls/p9233

Cant wait to try the B330 Ive been paying a fortune for Tourstage R4 so lets hope it is the same ball !

SwingMan · January 4, 2009

My son went in for a fitting and the fitter didn't think the higher compression balls he uses -- the B330-S--- was giving him enough oomph - he didn't compress the ball sufficiently in temps below 70 or so. I went to the car, got a B330-RX and he hit a couple -- ball speed jumped, and added 20 more yards.

As the fitter said, I don't hit a ProV when it's cold. I go to a softer compression and tell players to have a softer compression winter ball, and a firmer ball for summer.

Just FYI.