News
Bridgestone introduces JGR driver, Snedeker immediately puts it in play
Today’s sign the golfing apocalypse is upon us: Brandt Snedeker is switching drivers.
Sneds, who plays Bridgestone irons, has used a TaylorMade Burner SuperFast driver since 2010. Unheard of! That’s five years with the same driver (which currently has an estimated resale value of $39.60).
So, what is Snedeker — who has passed on multiple generations of driver innovation — switching to? The new Bridgestone JGR driver.
Snedeker put the club in play at last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions where the Vanderbilt alum finished third and was 12th in the field in driving distance for the week (288.3 yards).
“We set out to make the JGR Driver our fastest and most forgiving ever,” said Josh Kinchen, golf clubs and accessories marketing manager for Bridgestone. “The engineers really outdid themselves, as the JGR is not only incredibly forgiving, but also extremely fast and high launching. Combine that with the ability to optimize spin for players of all skill levels, and we expect that this driver will turn a lot of heads this year.”
According to Bridgestone, the JGR driver achieves the combination of distance and accuracy through three key technologies.
1. F.A.S.T Crown
The Flex Action Speed Technology (F.A.S.T.) crown is extremely thin near the clubface and progressively thickens toward the club head rear to enable the crown to slightly flex at impact, creating a higher launch and increased repulsion on shots contacted above center.
2. speeDARC
A pair of internal arc-shaped ridges provides increased sole rigidity and better stability for the F.A.ST. Crown to flex against, leading to a higher launch angle and more ball speed.
3. Power Milled Face
Bridgestone’s patented face milling pattern works to reduce golf ball slippage, and as a result, reduce spin. Milling is spaced further apart at the top of the driver face to maintain spin, while the milling is tighter and rougher at the bottom of the driver face to decrease spin on shots contacted lower on the face.
In addition, a new vertical milling pattern is utilized on the heel and toe of the face to further stabilize spin on mishits. The milling combines to reduce spin (300 rpm based on robot testing) for straighter and longer drives.
The club also features dual zone adjustable weighting (in the heel and center of the club).
Availability
The JGR Driver will be available March 4, and will retail for $299. It will be available in 9.5, 10.5, and 12-degree lofts. The stock shaft will be Aldila’s NV 2KXV Orange.
- LIKE311
- LEGIT48
- WOW24
- LOL3
- IDHT6
- FLOP2
- OB3
- SHANK20
Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
- LIKE1
- LEGIT1
- WOW1
- LOL1
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
…The Jailbird craze hasn’t really slowed down in 2024, either. According to Odyssey rep Joe Toulon, there are about 18-20 Jailbird putter users on the PGA TOUR.
Most recently, Akshay Bhatia won the 2024 Valero Texas Open using a broomstick-style Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter and Webb Simpson is switching into a replica of that putter at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Now, Fowler, who essentially started the whole Jailbird craze, is making a significant change to his putter setup.
Fowler, who has had a couple weeks off since the 2024 RBC Heritage, started experimenting with a new, custom-orange Jailbird 380 head that’s equipped with a standard 35-inch putter build, rather than his previous 38-inch counter-balanced setup.
According to Fowler, while he still likes the look and forgiveness of his Jailbird putter head, he’s looking to re-incorporate more feel into his hands during the putting stroke.
He told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Championship that the 38-inch counterbalanced setup “served its purpose” by helping him to neutralize his hands during the stroke, but now it’s time to try the standard-length putter with a standard-size SuperStroke Pistol Tour grip to help with his feel and speed control.
Although Fowler was also spotted testing standard-length mallets from L.A.B. Golf and Axis1 on Tuesday, he confirmed that the custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 is the putter he’ll use this week at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.
- LIKE23
- LEGIT5
- WOW2
- LOL3
- IDHT0
- FLOP2
- OB0
- SHANK4
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
So, with a couple of weeks off following his latest start at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Thomas sought to re-address his driver setup with the remote help of Titleist Tour fitting expert J.J. Van Wezenbeeck. About two weeks ago, Thomas and Van Wezenbeeck reviewed his recent driver stats, and discussed via phone call some possible driver and shaft combinations for him to try.
After receiving Van Wezenbeeck’s personalized shipment of product options while at home, Thomas found significant performance improvements with Titleist’s TSR2 head, equipped with Thomas’ familiar Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft.
Compared to Thomas’ longtime TSR3 model, the TSR2 has a larger footprint and offers slightly higher spin and launch characteristics.
According to Van Wezenbeeck, Thomas has picked up about 2-3 mph of ball speed, to go along with 1.5 degrees higher launch and more predictable mishits.
“I’d say I’d been driving it fine, not driving it great, so I just wanted to, honestly, just test or try some stuff,” Thomas said on Tuesday in an interview with GolfWRX.com at Quail Hollow Club. “I had used that style of head a couple years ago (Thomas used a TSi2 driver around 2021); I know it’s supposed to have a little more spin. Obviously, yeah, I’d love to hit it further, but if I can get a little more spin and have my mishits be a little more consistent, I felt like obviously that’d be better for my driving…
“This (TSR2) has been great. I’ve really, really driven it well the week I’ve used it. Just hitting it more solid, I don’t know if it’s the look of it or what it is, but just a little bit more consistent with the spin numbers. Less knuckle-ball curves. It has been fast. Maybe just a little faster than what I was using. Maybe it could be something with the bigger head, maybe mentally it looks more forgiving.”
Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.
- LIKE17
- LEGIT1
- WOW1
- LOL2
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK7
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
What we know about Bryson DeChambeau’s 3D-printed Avoda irons
Matthieu Pavon WITB 2024 (May)
Pavon’s WITB accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Ping G430 Max (9...
WITB Time Machine: Rory McIlroy’s winning WITB, 2015 Wells Fargo Championship
Then-No. 1 player in the world Rory McIlroy began the week at the Wells Fargo Championship at 3-1 odds, if...
Akshay Bhatia WITB 2024 (May)
Akshay Bhatia what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. Bhatia is deciding between drivers. More photos...
Emiliano Grillo WITB 2024 (May)
Emiliano Grillo what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Callaway...
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoLET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
-
19th Hole2 days agoReport: LIV star turns down PGA Championship invite due to ‘personal commitments’
-
19th Hole1 week agoGary Player claims this is what ‘completely ruined’ Tiger Woods’ career
-
Whats in the Bag2 weeks agoTeam McIlowry (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry) winning WITBs: 2024 Zurich Classic
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoTaylorMade signs 15-year-old AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year to an NIL contract
-
Equipment1 week agoGolf fans left surprised by LIV’s choice of course for its 2024 individual championship event
Dave
Mar 20, 2016 at 1:16 am
Does anyone know what the length is? And the swing weight as well? I have a 12 degree and it really goes. Very light.
gemme illimité clash of clan iphone ifile
Feb 12, 2016 at 8:49 am
This Gems Hack Tool for Clash of Clans makes it possible for you to create a potent clan, like other prime player in the
game.
prediksi togel hari ini
Feb 9, 2016 at 9:14 pm
I think what you published made a ton of sense.
However, consider this, suppose you composed a catchier post title?
I am not suggesting your information is not good., but suppose you added a
post title that grabbed a person’s attention? I mean Bridgestone introduces JGR driver, Snedeker immediately puts it in play
| GolfWRX is a little boring. You should look at Yahoo’s front page and see how they create news headlines to grab people to click.
You might add a related video or a related pic or two to grab readers excited about what you’ve written. Just
my opinion, it would make your blog a little livelier.
Narrative Clip Camera
Jan 22, 2016 at 8:27 pm
Hi everyone, it’s my first go to see at this web site, and article is really fruitful in support of me, keep up posting such articles.
Simon
Jan 19, 2016 at 1:28 am
Please do an updated 2016 WITB for Kuchar and Sneds
Noah
Jan 18, 2016 at 2:33 pm
Agree this would be great looking driver completely murdered out
AGF
Jan 16, 2016 at 8:01 am
They should have left the JGR graphic on the sole light gray (like the B). Or white. Would make the club look more sleek…
Eric
Jan 16, 2016 at 10:48 pm
No. Awful idea.
Double Mocha Man
Jan 17, 2016 at 6:08 pm
Boring. A little color is good. AGF, I’m guessing you wear a white shirt and khakis on the course.
KK
Jan 15, 2016 at 6:41 pm
Sweet looking driver but not a fan of the glued hosel.
Mat
Jan 14, 2016 at 6:21 pm
I see a patent lawsuit coming… the milling is Ping’s “True Roll” but done vertically.
Fahgdat
Jan 15, 2016 at 2:37 am
Nah. On a microscopic level, the shape of the milling is different and that is enough
KK
Jan 15, 2016 at 6:39 pm
LOL. Ping TR is variable groove depth for putters and is designed to control ball speed off putts. This is variable groove width for spin control off drives. Two completely different things. Not to mention no one gives a hoot whether drivers roll true or not.
jgpl001
Jan 14, 2016 at 3:41 pm
Bridgestone make quality equipment, but if it wasn’t for ball sales they would surely exit the golf market and that would bet a shame
LK
Jan 14, 2016 at 2:40 pm
Golf Wrx, why do you have so many club articles without a topline view? It is kind of important.
TonyK
Jan 20, 2016 at 6:27 pm
http://www.tourspecgolf.com/bridgestone-jgr-driver
Tom
Jan 14, 2016 at 1:08 pm
Great to see a straight neck glued hosel.
Chris C.
Jan 14, 2016 at 12:54 pm
I hope I have the opportunity to try the JGR. I gamed the J-815 all of last year and it proved to be the best driver I have gamed in many years. Indeed, my playing partners have threatened to hurt me if I ever showed up at team outings with a different driver. If the JGR proves to be better than the J-815, I might be approaching driver nirvana.
AA
Jan 14, 2016 at 8:33 am
I love my non-adjustable, no graphics J40 driver, but I didn’t see much love out there for the J715/718. Will be interesting to hear how this JGR driver performs. What’s strange is Bridgestone usually doesn’t have a rapid product release cycle, but last year they rolled out the J815 and J715. Now they have three drivers they have to somewhat differentiate with technical mumbo-jumbo. I guess the $299 price reflects non-adjustability, but if their highest profile touring pro chooses it over the 715/718, what does that say? I don’t care about adjustability, so I might give it a try in spite of the garish graphics.
Rich
Jan 14, 2016 at 7:12 am
This is nothing new. It’s just a glued Tourstage x-drive GR with Bridgestone on it instead of Tourstage. Released in Japan in 2014. Get with the program folks.
Will
Jan 14, 2016 at 11:13 am
Can’t believe I missed that!
Tyler
Jan 14, 2016 at 1:20 pm
Incorrect, there are a couple added technologies that make a significant difference as well as a brand new Aldila shaft.
Rich
Jan 17, 2016 at 12:00 am
You mean technologies off the J715. And of course a new shaft makes a driver new. Ok, you got me, it’s a new driver.
Mark
Jan 14, 2016 at 2:41 am
Love the shape. Not so keen on the graphics. Unfortunately Bridgestone is quitting UK so no chance to try it or their new range of balls. A shame as their hardware is excellent quality.
shimmy
Jan 13, 2016 at 9:31 pm
the different zones of face milling on this guy is interesting, especially if it does reduce sidespin.
Chuck
Jan 13, 2016 at 9:00 pm
So Brandt went from one driver without an adjustable hosel… to another one with a non-adjustable hosel.
I always liked the idea of adjustable hosels, but mostly for the fact that while tour pros could get drivers that were measured for loft, lie and face angle to within a tenth of a degree, retail buyers were stuck with whatever it said on the bottom of the club. (And, of course, testing stuff on our own, which is like finding a needle in a haystack.) It was nice, as a retail buyer, to get something that approximated what the tour players had.
But of course, when you are a tour player and they will let you choose from two dozen heads, all built the way you’d like, and then bend them and measure them to however you’d like… Who needs an adjustable hosel? It’s just a little extra weight in a place you don’t need any weight.
Joshuaplaysgolf
Jan 13, 2016 at 8:14 pm
When is it available? Or did I miss that? I’m excited to play around with this, I’m about to start my annual comparison of new equipment to my current bag and it’d be fun to get some numbers on this. It looks like you’ll pay quite a bit to get your shaft put in it, but honestly that really doesn’t matter. I always like hitting clubs from a company that isn’t on a 6-12 month product cycle, sometimes you find something that stands out from the crowd a little more definitively.
Tyler
Jan 14, 2016 at 9:33 am
Available March 4th
Double Mocha Man
Jan 13, 2016 at 7:46 pm
I’m still using the same driver Snedeker used for 5 years. I’ve always said, while trying out demo drivers, that if I found anything longer and straighter I’d buy it, no matter the price Never happened… trying SLDR, Titleist, Nike and Callaway (and some others). I’m thinking in March I might be swinging the JGR.
gdb99
Jan 13, 2016 at 7:43 pm
Someone in another story commented that the $299 driver is dead. I guess not!!
John Krug
Jan 13, 2016 at 7:26 pm
Money talks. That’s the full story.
Will
Jan 13, 2016 at 7:17 pm
Can’t wait to try this, especially since it was good enough to get Sneds to switch so fast….I will miss that Superfast he rocked all those years though!!
Juan L. Fourqiet
Jan 13, 2016 at 7:10 pm
LH +
Steve-O-Steamer
Jan 13, 2016 at 6:55 pm
Will Bridgestone finally offer their clubs for lefties? always wanted to try their irons but was never been offered in left handed version. Thank you!
Tyler
Jan 14, 2016 at 9:29 am
The J15 CB irons are available left-handed, as well as the J15 hybrid, FW, and J715 driver.
Gene
Jan 14, 2016 at 3:43 pm
Wedges available in lefty as well. Bridgestone did release the GC Mid irons in lefty some years back as well.