Equipment
WRX Spotlight: Bridgestone e12 Speed and e12 Soft golf balls
Product: Bridgestone e12 Speed and e12 Soft golf balls
The Pitch
Per Bridgestone: “Speed: 3-piece surlyn golf ball that delivers sidespin reducing performance, with explosive distance off the tee with a solid feel. 105 MPH and up swing speeds. Soft: 3-piece surlyn golf ball that delivers sidespin reducing performance, with added distance off the tee with a softer feel. 105MPH and lower swing speeds.”
Who is it for?
The pitch seems simple enough…. Bridgestone, who has emerged as a competitor year in and year out in the golf ball market, gives us the “e class” product that will suit the golfers from 10-handicap and up.
What’s in it?
The key words here are Active Acceleration Mantle…both the Soft and the Speed have it, but AAM will deliver in different ways on each. In the Speed ball, the AAM allows Bridgestone to firm up the core giving your higher speed player optimal launch conditions, tight dispersions, and enough feel around the greens to satisfy.
For the Soft ball, the AAM allows Bridgestone to soften the core up a bit giving your lower speed players a helping hand off the driver and ultimate touch around the greens where that player profile needs it the most.
Director of Content Johnny Wunder on the Bridgestone e12 Speed and Soft
As a player who has been in the same ball for almost 20 years (Pro V1X), my open-mindedness to trying something outside of that category has been nil. But after having a great convo with Elliot Mellow (Bridgestone Golf Ball Sales Manger), I became curious about their take on a ball for players like my buddy Dave (high speed/high handicap) or even my father (low spin/low speed/mid handicap).
My big take away is…this is a FUN golfball. Fun in the fact that both models do and feel as they are advertised. The Soft is spinny off the driver and forgiving around the greens. How that translates to your higher handicapper is around the greens when you don’t clip it just right off of a wedge, the ball doesn’t take off on you. The first hop is straight up not straight forward. You can see where I’m going there. Off the big stick, it translates into being able to carry a hazard, bunker, etc without sacrificing control due to lack of spin. Your distance gains come from elevation and height, not necessarily raw yardage distance.
The Speed is well…fast. It’s hot, holds its line in the wind and rolls out when it hits the ground. Around the greens, it’s serviceable for a higher handicap. It’s not a players ball around the greens, in my opinion. The feel off the face doesn’t match up. However, I’m guessing if you took blind feel out of it and put all these on a Trackman, the Speed ball would still hold water around the greens.
At $29.99/dozen, if you like experimenting with a new nugget here and there, try this one. It’s fun and the company fulfills the promises made on the box. Can you really ask for much more?
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Whats in the Bag
Kris Kim WITB 2024 (May)
- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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Equipment
Welcome to the family: TaylorMade launches PUDI and PDHY utility irons
TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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