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
Bridgestone’s B330 golf balls have a dual-dimple design for a better flight.
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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- Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X
6-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC 2011 (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X Denali Blue 105 TX (3), Project X 6.5 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (50-12F), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-14F), Callaway Jaws Raw (60-08C)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (56, 60)
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Mini DB
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy PistolLock 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Wrap
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s clubs in the forums.
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What are the driver and shaft combinations of the best golfers in the world? For gearheads, it’s an endlessly interesting question — even if we can only ever aspire to play LS heads and 7 TX shafts.
At this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans, GolfWRX got in-hand looks at the driver setups of a wealth of players.
Check out some of the most interesting combos below, then head to the GolfWRX forums for the rest, as well as the rest of our galleries from New Orleans.
Rory McIlroy
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Alex Fitzpatrick
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Daniel Berger
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees @9)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Wrap
Rasmus Hojgaard
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 TX
Grip: Golf Pride MCC
Alejandro Tosti
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
Grip: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
James Nicholas
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (8 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Kevin Streelman
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Sang-moon Bae
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (9+ @8)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Russ Cochran
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke (9 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD TP 6 X
Grip: Golf pride MCC Align 
MJ Daffue
Driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max (10.5 degrees @9.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green RDX 65 TX
Grip: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord Align
Check our more photos from the Zurich Classic here.
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- Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Prototype (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Utility: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 85 TX
Irons: Callaway Apex Pro (3), Callaway X Forged (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS $-Taper 130
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (52-10S, 56-10S, 60-06C)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X
Putter: Odyssey Ai One Milled Eight T DB
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Hojgaard in the forums.
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Daniel Berger WITB 2024 (April)
Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here. Driver:...
Rasmus Højgaard WITB 2024 (April)
Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)...
Rory McIlroy WITB 2024 (April)
Rory McIlroy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus...
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Sam Burns’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9 degrees...
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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!