Bridgestone e12

[Intruder1800]

Hi All

 

Just picked a dozen of the above to try out, not playing until this Friday so I was wondering if any body else had given them a good thrashing and would like to comment? As a comparison I normally game the Wilson DX2 Optic which I beginning to think maybe is a bit too low on compression for my swing speed, I tend to leave a big ball imprint on the driver head.

[Club Rat]

There's a good review on the new E-12 on MyGolfSpy.

While I have a few promotional packs of the new ball, I've been waiting for the course to come around and give them a shot.

E-12 review

  Quote

Some e12 basics: it’s a 3-piece, Surlyn covered ball featuring Bridgestone’s Gradational Compression Core, which is soft in the middle for feel and gets progressively firmer for more distance. It’s a completely new ball for Bridgestone and is not a replacement for the 2-year old e6.

“We can joke all day long that e12 is twice as good as e6, but that’s not where the name comes from,” says Elliott Mellow, Bridgestone’s Golf Ball Marketing Manager. “The name actually comes from our 12 years of ball fitting and the data we’ve collected that led us to make this ball. Lest we forget, Bridgestone essentially invented the idea of ball fitting and has collected millions of swings worth of data, which is an R&D gold mine. The data told Bridgestone it had a problem, but also pointed toward a solution.

Bridgestone has never been one to talk much about compression, saying different OEMs will measure compression in different ways. That said, the company confirmed that by their own methodology, The e SOFT has a compression of 50, while the e12 SPEED is around 75 which, no matter how you measure, are both reasonably soft.

“The target player for e12 certainly appreciates a soft feel, and there are certainly golf balls on the market that deliver soft feel,” says Mellow. “But we want to deliver soft feel with the added performance benefit of distance, as well.”

So with e12, what you have is a 3-piece Surlyn covered ball. Surlyn does not – nor should you expect it to – spin anything like a urethane ball. While that’s a benefit off the tee, it’s something you’ll have to deal with as you get closer to the green.

That said, Mellow asserts its test players have been pleasantly surprised by e12’s spin.

“By no means does e12 spin as much as a urethane ball,” says Mellow. “But it definitely spins more than a traditional Surlyn ball does. With this firmer mantle layer, if you’re punching down on this with a short iron or wedge, it’s creating added friction, which increases RPM.”

As for which ball is right for which player, Bridgestone is making the distinction as Swing Speed: the e12 SPEED is recommended for swings speeds over 105 MPH, and the e12 SOFT for those under 105 MPH.

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[Intruder1800]

Thanks Club Rat, makes for interesting reading, looking forward to Friday. I’m thinking of playing the front 9 with the Wilson DX2 and the back 9 with the e12 to compare, my gut feeling is the e12 will be a winner.