Bridgestone isn’t used nearly as much on tour as brands like Titleist, Taylormade, and Callaway. A big part of that is how much more the other brands pay players to use their ball.
They’ve been in the golf ball game for a long time now, and for the average player, most likely make something just as solid as any other brand.
What it’s going to come down to is what model to use. Like all brands, not every ball is created equally. Some are better for beginners, some are for distance, and some are for spin.
In this article, I’m going to help you find the right Bridgestone ball. We’ll go over the differences, the benefits, the drawbacks, and which one you should use.
If you don’t want to read through everything, here is a quick takeaway on the best Bridgestone balls based on your skill level:
1. Bridgestone e6 Soft
The high handicap pick
Read More ↓
2. Bridgestone e12 Speed
The mid handicap pick
Read More ↓
3. Bridgestone Tour B XS
The low handicap pick
Read More ↓
The ball you play should depend on your skill level (aka handicap). The way I categorize handicap is:
- High handicap shoots 90+
- Mid handicap shoots 80’s
- Low handicap shoots 70’s
If that’s all you were looking for, great. If you want to learn more about the differences and why they’re recommended for different golfers, continue reading.
The Current State Of Bridgestone Golf Balls
As of now, Bridgestone is the 5th most used ball brand you’d find on tour, slightly behind Taylormade. The Tour B X and Tour B XS are the models used by Tiger Woods, Jason Day, and Fred Couples.
If you’re a low handicap/scratch golfer, you might want to give one of those two balls a try. If you’re an average golfer like me, they have a number of options that are likely better.
Here is the current list of Bridgestone balls that are available:
- Bridgestone e6 Soft
- Bridgestone e12 Speed
- Bridgestone e12 Straight
- Bridgestone e12 Hilaunch
- Bridgestone Tour B X
- Bridgestone Tour B XS
- Bridgestone Tour B RX
- Bridgestone Tour B RXS
The Tour series is their premium model. The e6 is their low compression entry-level model. The e12 series is somewhere in the middle.
What’s important to note is that just because a ball is more expensive doesn’t mean it’s better. It’s better for a specific type of golfer, but it’s not better for everyone.
Before we get into each ball and who it’s designed for, let’s quickly talk about how the balls are different and why some of them are more expensive.
Compression
The compression rating of Bridgestone balls is between 40-100, depending on the model. We have an updated database on compression ratings, which you can see HERE.
If you don’t know, compression is how much the ball compresses at impact. Low compression balls will compress more. High compression balls need more speed to compress fully.
Generally, softer balls are for slower swing speeds.
It seems like most people prefer a softer feeling ball. Depending on your swing speed, that means less than 80 for the average player.
Once your swing speed gets into the 105+ MPH range, you can start to think about playing a higher compression ball.
With the Bridgestone lineup, the e6 Soft is the softest ball (one of the softest on the market). The Tour series are the firmest, with the Tour B X being the hardest.
Cover
Balls will usually have one of two covers, urethane or ionomer. Urethane is used on more expensive balls while ionomer is used on the cheaper ones.
They both have pros and cons, but the one you go with will usually depend on your skill level.
Urethane is softer and will spin more. Ionomer is harder and will spin less. If you have troubles hitting the fairway, less spin is probably better. If you want the ball to hit the green, bounce a couple of times, and stop, urethane is the better choice.
With Bridgestone, the Tour series all have a urethane cover. The other balls use an ionomer cover. Learn more about the types of covers HERE.
Layers
Bridgestone balls are built with 2 or 3 layers. The Tour balls all use a 3 piece design. The other balls (except the e12 Straight) use a 2 piece design.
In most cases, 2 piece balls will spin less than 3-5 piece balls. This is why they tend to fly straighter and are the better choice for beginners and higher handicaps.
Bridgestone Golf Balls Comparison
Bridgestone e6 Soft
| Handicap | High |
| Layers | 2 |
| Compression | 40 |
| Cover | Ionomer |
| Feel | Soft |
| Driver Spin | Low |
| Wedge Spin | Low |
This is the main entry-level ball from Bridgestone and is also the softest one they make. It’s had different specs over the years, but the e6 has been on the market for quite a while now.
It’s a 2 piece ball that uses an ionomer cover. The compression rating is around 40, which makes it one of the softest balls on the market.
This makes it a solid choice for people with slower swing speeds (under 90 MPH).
The main benefit to this ball (other than price) is the forgiveness. Because it’s one of the lowest spinning options, you’ll likely get the straightest shots. This is super important for high handicappers who slice their shots.
For average swing speeds, you’ll most likely get less distance out of this ball. It’s also going to be one of the lowest spinning around the greens.
Bridgestone e12 Series
| e12 Speed | e12 Straight | e12 Hilaunch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handicap | Mid-High | High | High |
| Layers | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Compression | 75 | 65 | 60 |
| Cover | Ionomer | Ionomer | Ionomer |
| Feel | Mid | Soft | Soft |
| Driver Spin | Low | Low | Low |
| Wedge Spin | Mid | Low | Low |
These are the mid-level balls from Bridgestone and are a bit more expensive than the e6 Soft. There are 3 models in the series:
- e12 Speed
- e12 Straight
- e12 Hilaunch
The names are pretty self explanatory, so the one you go with will depend on what you’re looking for. Do you need more distance? More height? Straighter shots?
I have experience with all of them. What I’ll say is that one of them is a really good ball. One of them isn’t great. One of them is decent.
The Speed and Hilaunch use a 2 piece design. The Straight uses a 3 piece design. The compression ratings are mid and the cover is ionomer.
All three balls have similar spin rates off the tee (for me). With the irons and wedges, the Speed was the clear winner.
In terms of distance off the tee, the Speed was 3-5 yards longer than the other two. They were all very close with a mid iron.
In summary, the Speed was better in terms of distance and short-game spin. The Hilaunch was the worst for me.
Bridgestone Tour Series
| Tour B X | Tour B XS | Tour B RX | Tour B RXS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handicap | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| Layers | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Compression | 95 | 85 | 85 | 70 |
| Cover | Urethane | Urethane | Urethane | Urethane |
| Feel | Firm | Mid | Mid | Soft |
| Driver Spin | Mid | High | Mid | Mid |
| Wedge Spin | High | Higher | Mid | Mid |
These are Bridgstone’s tour-level balls and are what you’d want to consider once you can consistently shoot in the 70’s. At this point, you can probably justify the higher price.
There are 4 balls in the series, which are:
- Tour B X
- Tour B XS
- Tour B RX
- Tour B RXS
According to Bridgestone, the BX and BXS are built for swing speeds over 105 MPH. The BRX and BRXS are built for swing speeds under 105 MPH.
I think this is more of a marketing thing. You should base your decision on what you like, firm or soft. Also, do you want more or less spin.
The BX is a pretty firm feeling ball. The BRXS is a softer feeling ball. The BXS and BRX are somewhere in the middle. The balls marked “S” will spin a bit more compared to the non “S” models.
In terms of distance, all four balls are pretty much the same. The BX might give you an extra 1-2 yards, but tee-to-green, they’re basically the same.
The main difference comes with spin. With driver and mid irons, the BXS spins more than the others. The other three balls are essentially the same.
With the wedges, the BX and BXS spin more than the other two. Both the BXS and BRXS spin about 100 RPM more than the non “S” versin.
What Bridgestone Ball Should You Buy?
When trying to decide which Bridgestone ball to play, the most important things to consider are your skill level and how much you want to spend.
In my opinion, someone shooting above 100 shouldn’t use the same ball as someone shooting in the 60’s. Their games are very different and they need different things.
If you want more spin, you need to pay more money. Average golfers lose multiple balls per round, so why spend a bunch of cash? Once you get better, you can pay for better performance.
Other things you might want to consider are swing speed, ball flight, and how the ball feels. Let’s dive into the details, but generally, they make balls that fit into three categories: low, mid, and high handicap.
1. The high handicap pick: Bridgestone e6 Soft
If you’re a high handicapper (shoot 90+), this is the ball you should play. It’s not only the cheapest option, but it’s also going to (likely) perform the best.
At this point, you should be focusing on hitting fairways and greens. You don’t need spin and you don’t need max distance.
This is the lowest-spinning ball Bridgestone makes, so it’s going to be the straightest flying. I hit the most fairways using this ball.
You could also consider one of the e12 balls but I don’t think the extra cost is worth it. From my experience, the Hilaunch and Straight perform pretty much the same as the e6. The Speed is the best of the bunch.
2. The mid handicap pick: Bridgestone e12 Straight
Once you’re consistently shooting in the 80’s, you can think about upgrading your ball. At this point, you’ll be losing fewer balls and don’t need as much forgiveness as you did before.
The ball I’d recommend is the e12 Speed.
It’s the clear winner compared to the other two e12 balls. It’s longer by 3-5 yards and it spins quite a bit more around the greens.
I still wouldn’t recommend one of the Tour balls because I don’t think the cost is worth it. You likely still hit the occasional hook/slice, so you still need a bit of forgiveness. You also probably don’t strike your wedges solid enough to benefit from the increased spin.
3. The low handicap pick: Bridgestone Tour B XS
If you take away the price, the ball with the best specs that would suit a range of (better) golfers is the Tour B XS. If it’s good enough for Tiger, it’s probably good enough for you.
Even though it’s not quite as long as the BX, the spin you get with the mid irons and wedges make this one of my favorite balls around the greens.
When you match the high spin with the lower trajectory, you get a ball that really helps you dial in your distance control.
It’s also not a super firm ball, which I’m a fan of. I think an 85 compression rating is right in the sweet spot where a lot of people would agree.
As for the other balls, the BRX and BRXS have noticeably lower spin rates. You might want that if you’re struggling to keep the ball straight, but if you want to fine-tune your short-game, the BXS is the one you should try first.
Conclusion
I hope that gave you a better understanding of the current Bridgestone balls and which one (or two) you should try first.
It’s important to note that everyone has a different swing. What works for me might not work for you. I think my results will give you a good starting point though.
The main thing I want to leave you is that you DO NOT need to spend a lot on balls. The average golfer will save money and most likely get better results with a cheaper ball.
If you have any questions that weren’t talked about in the article or you’d just like to share your experience, make sure to leave a comment below.
And if you want to learn more about other brands, check out one of these guides:
