Bridgestone Golf is dropping a small bombshell of an announcement today.
The company says it will close its Convington, Georgia golf ball plant and test facility on June 30th, ending 36 years of manufacturing in the U.S.
Bridgestone’s premium Tour B series balls, as well as its surlyn-covered e-series balls are made in Convington. That manufacturing will be transferred to Bridgestone facilities in Japan.
“We announced today a reorganization in our supply chain,” Bridgestone U.S. President Dan Murphy tells MyGolfSpy. “We’re going to consolidate our manufacturing base in Japan. It was a difficult business decision, but it will allow us to do what we want to do, which is to be more competitive in the market.”
The 24,00 square foot Convington plant employs 86 people in manufacturing roles. The company said in a press release it will support those employees through the transition and will work with local partners to help them find new jobs.
The question is why close, and why now?
It’s important to note that this move in no way means Bridgestone is pulling out of the North American market. The company is, by all accounts, enjoying a strong start to 2026.
“The Tour B is doing really well and we’ve had Tour success,” says Murphy. “We’re making our numbers and hitting our targets. The new Bridgestone Tire and Rubber CEO is into golf, and we see them coming into golf in a bigger way.
“This is just part of a restructuring that allows us to do more.”
Murphy tells MyGolfSpy that the move is the result of a long-term, multi-year analysis. The closing, while not related to recent global events, is based on economics.
“It’s optimizing where we can produce at the best possible cost for a global organization,” says Murphy.
“Bridgestone Golf remains committed to providing the highest-performing products for golfers in North America and beyond,” said Bridgestone Sports president Shunsuke Kunihisa in a press release. “The North American golf market is the largest in the world. We are confident this strategic decision will strengthen our brand and drive long-term growth.”
Bridgestone Marketing Director David Vogrin tells MyGolfSpy the move will free up resources for enhanced investment in advertising, Tour spend, social media and golfer sampling programs.
“Sampling is one of the key ways to get consumers to come over to our side,” he explains. “The more people who try our balls, the better.”
Consumers will likely see more ball fitting events in the coming months, which usually include the golfer receiving a free sleeve of Bridgestone’s to try. You’ll also likely see new marketing initiatives and possibly additions to the Bridgestone Tour staff.
36 years of U.S. manufacturing
Bridgestone’s history in the U.S. dates back to the late ’80s. The company started manufacturing golf balls in Convington in 1990. Its first golf balls were sold under the Precept brand name. Precept achieved early market acceptance, with Nick Price winning two of his three majors with the Precept EV Extra Spin ball. Nick Faldo also won majors with a Precept ball.
Bridgestone was also among the earliest companies to manufacture and sell a solid-core, urethane covered golf ball, the Precent MC Tour Premium. Additionally, it provided the manufacturing expertise for the Nike Tour Accuracy. That’s the ball used by Tiger Woods to win the “Tiger Slam.”
The first golf ball to bear the Bridgestone name was the Tour B330, launched in 2005. Bridgestone also introduced ball-fitting to everyday golfers in 2008.
This year’s Tour B golf ball models with its new VeloSurge Core-Mantle integration technology, achieved early success on the PGA Tour with victories by Chris Gotterup.
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