Bridgestone B330-S vs E5+

[CosmosMpower]

I found a one hit wonder B330-S on the course a few rounds ago (not sure which model year) and played it for the remainder of the round and my last round. I was really impressed with this ball and the urethane cover definitely provided some check up on greens with mid irons that I was not seeing before with stuff like the NXT tour.

 

I checked B-stone's website and it shows that this ball is for 103+ mph swingers and I'm rarely over 95-96. I didn't feel like I had trouble compressing the ball too much but it's hard to tell if I was losing much distance.

 

My question: Would the E5+ provide close to the same amount of check up on mid irons and wedges since it also has a urethane cover but has different construction? I read this ball is designed to give you some extra height on my middle irons but I do hit my driver too high and don't want it to balloon into the wind.

[Lefty4par2]

The distance you might loose of the tee would be minimal, but if the spin does seem to be alot, that would be more of an issue. The e5+ is a two piece ball, so you will loose some of the feel around the green with that ball.

 

You should try the new B330-RX. Your swing speed is exactly why they made this ball. Players who want the feel of a tour ball, but don't have the clubhead speed off the tee. Give that one a try, you'll probably love it!

[sk373]

The e5+ is a two piece ball, so you will loose some of the feel around the green with that ball.

 

i don't agree with this. feel around the greens is dependent most upon the cover, then the core. whether a ball is 2-piece, 3-piece, or 4-piece isn't a determining factor for feel around the green.

[CosmosMpower]

If internal construction is not the MAIN determinent of spin then I should be happy with the E5+ then. Can't justify normally paying $40+ for the B330-S or RX unless I can snag some on LGB.com

[Baconator]

If internal construction is not the MAIN determinent of spin then I should be happy with the E5+ then. Can't justify normally paying $40+ for the B330-S or RX unless I can snag some on LGB.com

 

The e5 will feel harder than the b330s, but I found it behaved somewhat similarly. I thought it was a great ball and would likely be playing it this year if I didn't get such a great deal on Z-Stars.

[Godfather]

If internal construction is not the MAIN determinent of spin then I should be happy with the E5+ then. Can't justify normally paying $40+ for the B330-S or RX unless I can snag some on LGB.com

 

The e5 will feel harder than the b330s, but I found it behaved somewhat similarly.

 

I disagree. I played both all of last year (the 2008 models). The e5+ was softer. It's a soft ball with good feel. The B330-S was a little clickier, but still fairly soft. If I didn't get the TM Burner TP balls for so cheap, I'd be playing the e5+ as my Spring ball again.

[Bama]

Both are fine balls. I like the e5+ better for the money. Both balls have good green side spin because they both have a Urethane cover. I also believe the B330S feels a little softer, but the e5+ is longer, being a two piece ball.

[HackerD]

FWIW Ball tests reported by uintagolf.com showed B330-S was one of the best balls for 80 mph swing. Suggests it will be fine even if SS under the 103+ they advertise.

[tquarter]

Ditto on the ballspeed. I have been playing the B330S for several years and it is the longest ball for me. My swing speed is the same as yours and I get plenty of drives over 250. In addition it is as good as any ball on checking up on the greens and helps your scoring by being able to put it where you want on the greens and knowing it will stop unless there are conditions that no ball will check up on such as a fast green running away from you or hitting a flyer.

[CosmosMpower]

Ditto on the ballspeed. I have been playing the B330S for several years and it is the longest ball for me. My swing speed is the same as yours and I get plenty of drives over 250. In addition it is as good as any ball on checking up on the greens and helps your scoring by being able to put it where you want on the greens and knowing it will stop unless there are conditions that no ball will check up on such as a fast green running away from you or hitting a flyer.

 

Those are pretty much the same observations I had. Quite a few drivers at 250-270 total distance, pretty soft off the irons and great grab on the greens. Just figured something must be wrong if I'm swinging nearly 10 mph slower than their reccomendation.

[the glenn]

My swing speed is in the mid 90's & when I punched in my info on the Bridgestone ball recommender on their website , the ball that was selected was the 330-s . I wouldn't worry about your swing speed affecting performance that much . That being said if you can save some money on the price of balls & get the same performance with a less expensive ball great . Golf is expensive enough . I have always wondered how much of the recommendations made by manufacturers are really based on science as compared to marketing .

[Baconator]

Ditto on the ballspeed. I have been playing the B330S for several years and it is the longest ball for me. My swing speed is the same as yours and I get plenty of drives over 250. In addition it is as good as any ball on checking up on the greens and helps your scoring by being able to put it where you want on the greens and knowing it will stop unless there are conditions that no ball will check up on such as a fast green running away from you or hitting a flyer.

 

Those are pretty much the same observations I had. Quite a few drivers at 250-270 total distance, pretty soft off the irons and great grab on the greens. Just figured something must be wrong if I'm swinging nearly 10 mph slower than their reccomendation.

 

Same with me - I've had some of my longest ever drives with the B330S and my SS is in the 90's too.

[Lefty4par2]

If internal construction is not the MAIN determinent of spin then I should be happy with the E5+ then. Can't justify normally paying $40+ for the B330-S or RX unless I can snag some on LGB.com

 

The e5 will feel harder than the b330s, but I found it behaved somewhat similarly.

 

I disagree. I played both all of last year (the 2008 models). The e5+ was softer. It's a soft ball with good feel. The B330-S was a little clickier, but still fairly soft. If I didn't get the TM Burner TP balls for so cheap, I'd be playing the e5+ as my Spring ball again.

 

Well, this is why all this is such a personal preference, the e5 definitely felt harder to me putting long puts and felt like a rock off the tee. But certainly they are both great balls. If you can find a Bridgestone ball fitting near you that would be a good place to go, then you'll see the real results off the tee at least for both of them.

[jay hays]

I liked the old E5 as I said in another thread. I didnt like it quite as much as the 3pc B330s, but I found it an affordable subsitute, just dont expect it to spin like a maniac like the B330s. You can still get a hop-stop reaction out of them just fine.

[possum]

It is interesting that some manufacturers (e.g. Srixon, Bridgestone) state the swingspeed the ball is best suited for and some manufacturers (e.g. Titleist, Taylormade) do not. For the longest time I had heard that you had to have a high swingspeed for the V1X but in a recent interview between The Sand Trap and Titleist on their 2009 golf balls they discussed swingspeed, and Titliest said that swingspeed is not a factor on choosing one of their balls. So the other factors about your swing (e.g. spin rate, high/low ball flight) would be more important factors in choosing the right ball. If that is true for Titleist, then you would have to think that it would be true for Taylormade and why not the other manufacturers as well.

 

I also have a swingspeed in the mid 90's, 8 handicap, and normally play one of the premium balls. I have been playing the V1 this year and used the B-330S last year and the Taylormade Black before that. I found the V1 and B330S too close to call in performance and feel. The Blacks were the longest balls that I have hit and a little firmer, I haven't tried the Reds. Recently I bought some Srixon AD-333 2 piece balls. Driver distance was the same as the V1 (that jives with the distance on the 2008 Golf Ball test) and spin around the green was also very comparable. I am not a high spin player so that probably accounts for that, a high spin player probably would see a much bigger difference on the green. One thing I did notice with the AD-333 is that some hooks and slices started showing up in my game. Now those are my fault to be sure but it did show me that the premium balls did a better job at masking my errors. I have not tried the e5+ yet but did play a e6+ that I found on the course once. I couldn't get it to stop on the green.

 

So I agree with the other posters that you don't need a 100+ swingspeed for these premium balls from my experience. You just have to try out different balls to find out which one best suites your game. Fortunately there is always another ball to try:-)

[toofless]

I'm really impressed with the e5+!

For the price, I haven't found a ball that comes close.

[Bama]

It is interesting that some manufacturers (e.g. Srixon, Bridgestone) state the swingspeed the ball is best suited for and some manufacturers (e.g. Titleist, Taylormade) do not. For the longest time I had heard that you had to have a high swingspeed for the V1X but in a recent interview between The Sand Trap and Titleist on their 2009 golf balls they discussed swingspeed, and Titliest said that swingspeed is not a factor on choosing one of their balls. So the other factors about your swing (e.g. spin rate, high/low ball flight) would be more important factors in choosing the right ball. If that is true for Titleist, then you would have to think that it would be true for Taylormade and why not the other manufacturers as well.

 

I also have a swingspeed in the mid 90's, 8 handicap, and normally play one of the premium balls. I have been playing the V1 this year and used the B-330S last year and the Taylormade Black before that. I found the V1 and B330S too close to call in performance and feel. The Blacks were the longest balls that I have hit and a little firmer, I haven't tried the Reds. Recently I bought some Srixon AD-333 2 piece balls. Driver distance was the same as the V1 (that jives with the distance on the 2008 Golf Ball test) and spin around the green was also very comparable. I am not a high spin player so that probably accounts for that, a high spin player probably would see a much bigger difference on the green. One thing I did notice with the AD-333 is that some hooks and slices started showing up in my game. Now those are my fault to be sure but it did show me that the premium balls did a better job at masking my errors. I have not tried the e5+ yet but did play a e6+ that I found on the course once. I couldn't get it to stop on the green.

 

So I agree with the other posters that you don't need a 100+ swingspeed for these premium balls from my experience. You just have to try out different balls to find out which one best suites your game. Fortunately there is always another ball to try:-)

 

I tend to agree with this line of thought. I like the B330S and e5+, but I picked up a B330 the other day. My swing speed is in the 105 range on average. I also put a lot of spin on the ball. Anyway, I played the B330, which is made for a 112+ swing speed according to Bridgestone, and I hit some of the longest drives in recent weeks with a more penetrating trajectory. Distance and trajectory was good off of my irons also. Needless to say, I had no problems compressing this ball.

 

There may be some "science" to the swing speed approach, but I think that it is just one of many factors to consider. It is not the end all be all.

 

My main two factors that I consider are feel and performance. If they match my game, I will play the ball. If not, I mark it off the list.