HELLO Golfers. With all the hype on social media and from tour players I’ve been waiting for a while now to review the new golf ball range from Bridgestone.
Bridgestone have been a huge player in the golf market but in recent times especially in relation to golf balls and they arguably deserve a podium place when it comes to producing the best balls available. This month we have the Bridgestone Tour Range balls, the
Tour B X, Tour B XS, Tour RX and Tour RXS.
I really love what Bridgestone offer because it allows golfers of all abilities to benefit from a tour performance ball regardless of skill level and swing speed.
In breaking down which ball will suit you and your game, I think it is e a good idea to firstly set out what each ball is designed to do and who it’s best suited to.
Tour B – X: Swing Speed Over 105mph (tour distance)
Tour B – XS: Swing Speed Over 105mph (tour spin)
Tour B – RX: Swing Speed Under 105mph (tour distance)
Tour B – RXS: Swing Speed Under 105mph (tour spin)
Something that can make ball selection and fitting difficult, is made relatively easy from the four options available and the answers to some simple questions. What is my driver club head speed? Does it fall over or under the 105 miles per hour (mph)? And do I have a preference of distance or spin?
What I prefer to get my students to do when it comes to ball selection is to always start on the green and work back from there, in making sure your scoring clubs and the ball are reacting the way you want them to. From here you can then narrow most of the selection down to either one or two selections and chose a ball to suit your game. Something Bridgestone do very well is their online ball fitting. They ask very simple questions, including which ball you currently play, driver club head speed, ball speed, launch angle, back spin and side spin and a preference on what performance you are looking for out of your ball. It’s a great starting point as a tool and can really help narrow down what ball options to look for.
New to the Bridgestone Tour Range is the VeloSurge core-mantle integration technology, which delivers breakthrough velocity for unmatched distance off the tee with all models in the range. VeloSurge is included in the 2026 Bridgestone TOUR B golf balls, designed for higher ball speeds and distance. It uses a denser, higher-acid-ratio mantle layer and updated core formulation to optimise energy transfer and increase stability. It should also be noted that Bridgestone have also given offer the Tour B range with or without the Bridgestone Mindset, which is a specialised visual, three-step, coloured pattern (red, yellow, green) designed in collaboration with Jason Day and his coach to separate analytical thought from athletic performance. It isn’t new to Bridgestone but is available in the new Tour B range of balls.
Back to the review and I noticed immediately when I was around the green and I hitting roughly a 25m pitch that there wasn’t much difference from the Tour B – XS, Tour R – RX and the Tour B – RXS however when I got the Tour B – X model I noticed straight away that I couldn’t get the launch conditions and spin I was after. This did make sense as it’s a slightly firmer ball compared to the others. The Tour B – XS, Tour R – RX and the Tour B – RXS performed very similar to each other around the green as well as when I started to make some full swings with my 6-iron. It wasn’t until I got the driver in my hand where I really started to separate the balls from each other. I was keen to see what would happen when I hit the Tour B-X and the Tour B-XS with the driver because from the online fitting, and from doing my research they were most likely be the balls for me. Because of the short game testing and the Tour B-XS responding so well, I wanted it to perform the best for me, which it did. I was able to get my launch angle a little higher, which I always struggle with when using the driver but more importantly the ball didn’t spin as much as others do when I do launch it higher. The Tour B-X went further in total distance but in carry I lost a few meters because of the launch and spin being too low, however it was food for thought when playing in winter. If I know it launches lower and spins less, I might be able to get away with it when playing on the softer green surfaces.
To wrap things up, Bridgestone have once again shown why they deserve to be firmly on the podium when it comes to golf ball performance. The strength of the Tour B Range lies not just in its tour-level technology, but in how clearly and simply each model is positioned to suit different swing speeds and performance needs. From greenside control to iron consistency and then driver performance, each ball does exactly what it’s designed to do. Add in the VeloSurge technology and the option of the Mindset visual aid, and you have a range that is both technically advanced and genuinely user-friendly. If you’re serious about getting the most out of your game, taking the time to be fitted properly into the right Bridgestone Tour ball could be one of the easiest and most effective improvements you make this season.
Michael Cooney is a teaching professional at the PGA Centre for Learning and Performance at the Sandhurst Golf Club in Melbourne and is always on the hunt for the latest and greatest in golf products.
The post WE TRIED IT! Bridgestone Tour B Golf Balls first appeared on Inside Golf. Australia's Most-Read Golf Magazine as named by Australian Golfers - FREE.
Article Link: https://www.insidegolf.com.au/news/we-tried-it-bridgestone-tour-b-golf-balls/