Bridgestone B330-RXS

[wolverine_man]

Been using Pro-V1x and TP Black religiously but decided to try out the B330-RXS this past weekend. First ball I could really feel compress dramatically on the face of my driver. I mean, it felt like those slow-mo videos of a golf ball exploding off the face of a tee shot hit by a pro. I couldn't really tell if I was getting more distance on my drives or not, possibly. Seemed pretty good around the greens but almost just a tad too soft off the putter face. Thought I might have been losing a couple yards with my irons vs the Pro-V1x, as the RXS seemed to perhaps go a tad higher but I am not sure.

Anyone have any comment or experiences on this ball, the "S" version of the RX?

[DuffMan]

I haven't played the RX but I play the B330-S and can tell you it is a great ball. I don't feel like I lose any distance off the tee and I can get tons of spin with these. I'm not sure if these are available in your area but Bridgestone sells a demo sleeve with one of each of their premium balls, it's your best chance to find out which one you like the most.

[clubchamp]

I got a free sleeve of the RX and I did not like them in anyway. I'm sure it is the right ball for some people but it played shorter, didn't spin much, and felt awful off the putter for me.

[Dave40]

I played the RX last year and bought a box of RXS recently to try them out. The RXS do spin more than the RX, which is nice when chipping over a bunker to the green. But the combination of low compression and very soft cover make the RXS feel a lot less "lively" than the ProV1. If this bothers you and wish to remedy the situation with another Bridgestone Ball, try a sleeve of the new B330-S. The 330-S is now a 4 piece ball and it really jumps off the clubface. Don't worry too much about the swing speed recommendation, just try a sleeve and see what you think.

[wolverine_man]

Thanks guys. I actually tried out the RXS because I got a free two-ball sleeve of them from golf galaxy using their online ball fitter promotion. The recommendation I originally got was for the B330-S but I fudged my responses because I wanted to try the RXS, which is a lower compression. I will have to look for that demo sleeve of balls from Bridgestone. I may try the TP Red as well, as I have only used the black.

[Doolal]

My no. 1 ball of choice would be the Pro V1, but I've tried both the RX and the RXS, and would seriously consider them if they weren't so 'mushy' of the putter face. I haven't tried the B330-S yet, and have heard that they have similar playing characteristics to the Pro V1, but I'm confused about the swing speed.......is this your driver swing speed or iron swing speed?!? Your swing speed drops considerably the further down the set you go. I find it odd how you can be fitted for a ball based on your swing speed that will only be hit at that speed for say 14 shots per round?!? Surely they need to give a guide to swing speed/compression ratios for iron play, as this is the most important and most common part of the game!??

[Clambake]

....is this your driver swing speed or iron swing speed?!? Your swing speed drops considerably the further down the set you go. I find it odd how you can be fitted for a ball based on your swing speed that will only be hit at that speed for say 14 shots per round?!? Surely they need to give a guide to swing speed/compression ratios for iron play, as this is the most important and most common part of the game!??

There is a well defined linear relationship between driver swing speed and other clubs (reference "Physics of Golf" is one of many sources), so picking one club for this metric is an easy and consistent way of assessing which ball core technology is best suited for your swing.

[Doolal]

I appreciate that there is a linear relationship throughout the whole set, but surely the compression of the ball will differ with each club? I know for sure that I cannot compress a golf ball as much with a short iron than I can with my driver, but I would hit a short iron nearly every hole?!? By fitting a ball to you driver speed of say 110mph, that ball is optimised for that speed/compression, and the ball would feel too hard when being hit with an iron, but spot on for the driver (the B330) and the opposite would happen if using a B300-RX/RXS, too soft of the driver and spot on for the irons. I think the B330-S would probably be the middle ground between the two. Unfortunately, something has got to give but it's down to the individual to choose which part of their game they feel can be sacrificed.

[KARR2001]

The swing speed companies use for recommendations is based on your driver.

[JoelCochran]

I went to a Bridgestone fitting recently but got rained out, so all my info is based on talking to the rep.  The last time I had my driver swing speed checked it was right at 105, which is on the bubble for the Bridgestone balls, so he said I could comfortably play with any of them.  In the last 2 weeks I have tried the RX, RXS, and 330S (only one more to go for the whole set!)  Here are my results so far:

RXS - this is the best feeling ball on the greens, and I hit it about the same distance as most other balls I've played

RX - this is the longest ball I've ever played, even longer for me than the Pro V1X, but I didn't like the feel on short shots or putting.

B330S - for a soft "feel" ball I was immediately impressed by how it responds off the driver:  This ball has very good distance, for me it was in between the RXS and RX.  I also thought it felt good around the greens, but did not putt quite as nicely as the RXS.

On all of these balls I could play an entire round and never saw a blemish on the ball, I think the durability is outstanding.  Overall, I've settled on the 330S as a nice combination of distance and feel, but the jury is still out until I try the regular B330.

[JoelCochran]

Played two rounds with the B330 this weekend.  About the same distance as the B330S but without the extra spin I get on the B330S and RXS I kept more poor drives in play.  This ball also felt good on the greens and short shots.  I played 27 holes with one ball and only took it out of play after hitting a cart path and a tree that left a bunch of sticky sap residue on it.

So, to sum up my Bridgestone "testing":

B330RXS - definitely the best feel ball on and around the greens, and the shortest distance for me.

B330RX - unquestionably the longest of the lot for me, but I did not like the feel on and around the greens.

B330S - Great feel off the driver and fairly soft on the greens.

B330 - Also great feel off the driver and much straighter off the tee.  Good feel on the greens.

Overall, both the B330 and the B330S feel great off the driver and have comparable distance.  The B330S is a little softer for putting, but I found the B330 straighter off the tee.  In fact, the straight got me into trouble a few times when I played for my typical draw/hook and the ball didn't turn over as much as expected.  I think for now I'm going to play the B330, but I could see switching back to the B330S if my game was feeling a bit more controlled.

[twilliams16]

Bridgestone b330 series are my favorite balls to play. Almost the same feel as a titleist but for a reasonable price

[JoelCochran]

I'm so wishy-washy: I kept vacillating on which ball I should play, so I got on the Bridgestone ball selection guide website .  Every scenario I put in said I should play the B330RX, so I went to Dick's and bought a box - now I'm committed to them, at least for a while (just can't tell my wife there are still 3 dozen Maxfli Tour's in my locker!)  And I putted very well with them last night, which was my original issue with the RX.