Dissapointed in Bridgestone Tour-B330RX

[bioman]

i had to come back to this thread after gaming these balls

Nike One Platinum is probably the shortest premium ball ever made and the shortest I've played.

[misty_mountainhop]

They have a urethane cover so they're going to be shorter

Sorry. No. A urethane cover

per se does not make the ball lose distance. In addition, the modern balls have layers to reduce driver sidespin etc; they aren't like the old balatas. As for the 330-RX, I love them. Very long for me (but I was always a bit of a low ball hitter), especially off my irons. Durable - very. Very good spin. Great feel for chipping and putting. Only slight downside is the price - I think they should be at a slightly lower price point; if they were, they'd be a real challenge to the Pro V1.

[enis750]

i was able to pick these up for $38/doz. (incl. tax)
my buddy is a manager at Nevada's Bob's so i get them at his cost
retial i think is $44 + tax

this is an ok price for me...$60.50 w tax for Pro-V's is absurd

[Dub]

Yeah, i was dissapointed in the ball, too. I thought it be a slight upgrade for my swing from the prov1. But there isnt much response in B330rx at all. If you have a consistant swing speed of more than 100, they're going to feel like youre hitting one of those foam practice balls. Plus, the '09 prov1 is more durable, believe it or not.

I agree with you. I bought two dozen last month before going on a weeklong visit with my wife's family and my family. Dad and I got in a little golf...not as much as I'd hoped. My thought was to give him a dozen of the balls....he wasn't interested...he is absolutely sold on nothing other than the ProV1. I've used two sleeves since then and agree....the B330RX is a great ball.....but......I'd rather have the ProV1s in my bag. I'm going to game the remainder of what I have as "last resort" balls. I've also got a dozen Gamers that I'll do the same with. I've got a few bids working now on ProV1's. The B330S ball is a better match for me than the B330RX.

[Ruckus]

I was actually pleasantly surprised by these balls. My swingspeed is right on the cusp of the recommended swing for these balls (102), and I was getting decent length from the Callaway iX. However, these balls fit me perfectly and added a little more than 5 yards... not much, but the feel is also a lot better to me.

By the way, what's your handicap, mutadayen?

[Hitman]

I guess it goes to show that each person is different, I for one liked the 330RX , gained about 10 yds with the driver, flies straight, but for me I couldn't get them to stop on the green if it had thrown out an anchor. I have been playing the 330S ball with good sucess, still play the Taylormade TP Red's but the only Pro V I can or like to play is the Pro V1x as for me the pro V's feel like a rock off my driver, because I don't swing fast enough to play that ball well. I have a legitamit 98 mph swing with the driver.

[Blades4me]

I was given a box of these balls a few weeks ago and I really have to say that i'm greatly dissapointed in these balls. These balls seem to have less distance on them and less control. In comparison to other balls i've hit (Titleist NXT Tour, Bridgestonr e5 or e6, TaylorMade TP or Burner), they rate on the bad end. I've actually come to enjoy hitting the NXT Tour and e6 golf balls more than other right now which is pretty surprising to me.

I too was disappointed with the 330rx. I thought is was a tricked up e6+ which I use for my winter ball b/c its long and in the winter the greens are receptive so I don't need spin. IMO neither the rx or e6+ have good green side qualities. However I do really like the 330s during good weather.

[flap]

I too do not like them.I feel I lost some yardage compared to the cally I ball.

[topspin4hand]

I too do not like them.I feel I lost some yardage compared to the cally I ball.

I lost distance as well. I purchased 2 dozen new for about $32/dozen and was very excited to try them out. Since the beginning of the 2008 season, I've played with the E5 ball (not the E5+, the regular E5 2007 version). My last couple rounds, I've really smacked a couple drives and the best ones were about 250 at best. Normally, if I hit the occasional good drive for me, then I'm 20-25 yards longer.

However, my putting improved TREMENDOUSLY with the B330RX's and they clearly are more sticky on pitches around the green ... so I'm torn. Likely, if my scoring improved is sustained with these B330RX/s then I'll have no other alternative than to stick to them rather than change back to the E5.

[Mathlete1123]

Sorry. No. A urethane cover

Care to elaborate on that a bit more. I'm fairly certain that a softer cover would always cause a loss of distance compared to a harder ball. In physics we did live ball/dead ball experiments and the live ball always had more momentum after a collision, I'm pretty sure the same laws of physics apply in this situation.

I really don't see how a ball can have a layer to reduce driver sidespin, its not like they're putting gyroscopes in golf balls so they can differentiate between sidespin and backspin. A layer that reduces driver spin in general I can beleive though. If your a slicer and make two equivalent swings, a ball that spins less is going to have less sidespin and will slice less, and a ball that spins more is going to have more sidespin and slice more.

[Dub]

I had two ProV1 balls left that I started the day with.....played 27 holes. Unfortunately these balls didn't make the entire journey with me....you could say they were cut down in their prime.

I pulled a couple B330RX balls out as replacements. They certainly played just fine, however they were just bit "dull" compared to the ProV1. Not as lively....plenty of checking power (one hop and stop) but no pull back(not really important...but I can't help myself, I love doing this). The main area of notice was with the hot little wedge chips that hit and zip to a stop....the RX balls realeased a little.

[misty_mountainhop]

Care to elaborate on that a bit more. I'm fairly certain that a softer cover would always cause a loss of distance compared to a harder ball. In physics we did live ball/dead ball experiments and the live ball always had more momentum after a collision, I'm pretty sure the same laws of physics apply in this situation.

You got me there

; I'm sure you're right but I'd suggest the difference is insignificant for a golfer. Some of the longest balls on the market are urethane covered i.e. ProV1x. Some of the urethane balls may gain extra yardage via spin/lift cf. harder covered balls even though they're less elastic in the collision when hit by a club.

I really don't see how a ball can have a layer to reduce driver sidespin, its not like they're putting gyroscopes in golf balls so they can differentiate between sidespin and backspin. A layer that reduces driver spin in general I can beleive though.

You're right, but I did say "sidespin

etc "; should have said spin, in general, off the driver. To be honest, I'm not sure how this bit of technology works but I believe it's true.

[enis750]

i have noticed that if i leak one right, w this ball it definately stays in play
the Nike oneplatinums i would lose all over the place

i also think they provide a really nice amount of spin
i had a par 3, 169yds into a 2 club wind - bunker in front & pin tucked tightly behind it
normally w no wind and perfect conditions, this is a no brainer 7i for me

pulled out a 5i and blasted it into the wind - it hit the green, and literally stuck one ball behind the divot, 8ft from the pin - WITH A FRIGGEN 5 IRON!
that's some good sh*t right there

ever since i switched to this ball, i have posted some of my lowest scores all year

im sold

[Fourputt]

I was given a box of these balls a few weeks ago and I really have to say that i'm greatly dissapointed in these balls. These balls seem to have less distance on them and less control. In comparison to other balls i've hit (Titleist NXT Tour, Bridgestonr e5 or e6, TaylorMade TP or Burner), they rate on the bad end. I've actually come to enjoy hitting the NXT Tour and e6 golf balls more than other right now which is pretty surprising to me.

Yeah, i was dissapointed in the ball, too. I thought it be a slight upgrade for my swing from the prov1. But there isnt much response in B330rx at all. If you have a consistant swing speed of more than 100, they're going to feel like youre hitting one of those foam practice balls. Plus, the '09 prov1 is more durable, believe it or not.

I didn't care for them either. I lost distance and the ball just felt mushy on full shots. I don't have a high swing speed... fairly average in the 90-95 range with driver, but the e7+ was not a good ball for me.

[ArrrrJay]

I've been playing these balls all year, and love the feel of them, especially around the greens.

I have a slower swing speed, so the ball's softness works well for me.

The only problem I run into is my slice, these balls to exaggerate the spin a bit, great for my approach, bad for my drives.

[Bridgestone91]

I didn't care for them either. I lost distance and the ball just felt mushy on full shots. I don't have a high swing speed... fairly average in the 90-95 range with driver, but the e7+ was not a good ball for me.

Same here. I much prefer the E5+ in the bridgestone lineup. However my ball of choice has to be the prov1. I also found the nxt tour/extreme to play great for the money. I also enjoy the hx tour, but they fall appart way to quickly for me.

[allin]

You got me there

Deformation of the ball has a large impact on distance, that is at least part of the reason slow swingers that can't compress balls like the pro v's don't get the same distance benefit.

[misty_mountainhop]

Deformation of the ball has a large impact on distance, that is at least part of the reason slow swingers that can't compress balls like the pro v's don't get the same distance benefit.

Close.....but no cigar. You're right, but not in the way you say.

The more deformation during impact, the more energy is lost and the lower initial velocity. The fastest balls off the clubface are the hardest but if you don't generate the optimum spin (i.e. lift) on a harder ball, you may find a softer one more optimal for distance.