Equipment
Bridgestone’s new B330 golf balls
At GolfWRX and in the golf industry as a collective, we talk a lot about club fitting, encouraging golfers to put the right tools in their hand. But if they’re not using the correct golf ball, then is performance really optimized?
In the development of its new B300 golf balls, Bridgestone used feedback, statistics and information from its golf ball fittings — more than 300,000 to date according to the company — to develop golf balls better suited to its target audience.
As such, Bridgestone has developed four new golf balls: the B330 and B330S for those who swing faster than 105 mph, and the B330 RX and B330 RXS for those who swing slower than 105 mph.
The urethane covers of all the B330 golf balls are made with new processes and different polymers, a technology the company calls SlipRes. By reducing slippage between the cover and inner layers of the golf ball, SlipRes covers increase friction, and thereby spin, on wedge shots around the green. On driver shots, the technology actually decreases spin for more distance. Bridgestone also says the new covers are softer and more durable than past models.
Learn which B330 golf ball is best for your game below.
Bridgestone B330 and B330S
According to Bridgestone, only 25 percent of golfers swing more than 105 mph with their drivers. If you’re one of them, Bridgestone says its upgraded B330 and B330S golf balls are best for you.
Like previous models, both balls use a four-piece design. They use 28 percent larger cores (Bridgestone calls them TourCores) than their predecessors, however, which will create increased ball speeds. Combined with the SlipRes cover, the new golf balls are said to provide better control, distance and durability.
The B330S balls have a slightly softer feel and will produce more spin than the B330 balls, which are designed for maximum distance.
Bridgestone’s B330 and B330S will in stores on March 4 and sell at retail for $45 per dozen.
Bridgestone B330 RX and B330 RXS
With a softer compression than the B330 and B330S, these golf balls are designed for the 75 percent of golfers who swing less than 105 mph with their driver. They have what Bridgestone calls an AmateurCore, which has lower compression than the TourCore, producing a higher trajectory with more spin for most golfers.
Both balls with help golfers with slower swing speeds produce maximum height and distance with their drives and longer shots, while still offering tour-caliber feel around the greens with its SlipRes cover and three-piece urethane construction.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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Equipment
Spotted: TaylorMade P-UDI driving iron
It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.
We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.
From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.
“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.
TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°
TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
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Whats in the Bag
Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)
- Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-SB09, 56-LB08), TaylorMade MG4 TW (60-TW11)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
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Chip
Jun 28, 2016 at 11:19 pm
I can’t speak to the B330S, but you are wrong about the B330…it is a 3 piece ball, not a 4 piece ball.
Eddy
Jan 28, 2016 at 3:46 am
I very much likes the durability of the old Bridgestones. In my opinion much better than the Titleists (much more abrasion on those).
john
Jan 26, 2016 at 11:08 pm
the old 330 felt … heavy, went the same distance as every other tour ball with the same greenside spin, just felt.. i don’t know how to describe it other than ‘heavy’. I will give the new ones a go if the price point is fair, i’ve found with “Tour” balls (prov1 included) that they are perform pretty much the same – just the one who’s branding you like and price point is the ball for you
nick
Jan 26, 2016 at 1:50 pm
durability on the 330’s (s/and regular) is lacking. last years anyways. compared to the 2015 pro v, its not even close. cheers to bridgestone if they correct this. i do buy them when they go on sale.
RHJazz
Jan 25, 2016 at 9:12 pm
Do they still add water to the core? I’m amused by their campaign that you need to compress the ball to “boom” the ball… Water doesn’t compress.
Mat
Jan 25, 2016 at 3:29 pm
Durability? B330s I have used have zero problems related to their durability. What are you doing to them?
Nihonsei75
Jan 25, 2016 at 11:10 am
Will somebody please post from the merch show if Bridgestone has really improved durability? I like Snell over the previous 330 and RX for durability alone, nvmd price. Thanks if you do!