By Leonard Finkel
Bridgestone Golf has used knowledge gained through extensive PGA TOUR testing and over 300,000 consumer in-person ball-fittings to perfect its Tour B330 family of balls. Bridgestone’s new 2016 Tour B330 and Tour B330S golf balls are specifically engineered to produce longer drives and better spin around the green for players with swing speeds above 105 mph, using new proprietary TOUR Core and SlipRes Cover technologies.
Featuring a TOUR Core that is 6% larger and utilizes a steeper gradient in softness from the inner core to the outer region, to generate faster ball speed and less spin off a driver face, leading to a smoother energy transfer and more power.
Among the best players in the world, spin optimization is critical, so Bridgestone has designed the new Tour B330 and Tour B330S balls to have the largest dispersion of cover performance ever between the two models, offering something for the wide range of spin and feel preferences on Tour. The Tour B330S offers increased greenside spin over previous versions, while the B330 offers feel for those players who prefer “hit-and-sit” short game performance.
The new proprietary SlipRes cover produces increased friction that keeps the ball more stable on the clubface, resulting in added spin on short shots. It has the opposite effect off the tee, lowering driver spin while generating longer distance.
Due in large part to the cover’s innovative, soft self-repairing formulation, the Tour B330 and B330S balls are more resistant to stains and abrasions than ever before, enhancing durability.
Both balls are already in play on the PGA TOUR, including Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar. Snedeker debuted the new Tour B330 at the 2016 Hyundai Tournament of Champions and finished T3.
“After testing the new ball I had no hesitancy in putting it in play right away in Hawaii. I usually do not put a new product in play so quickly, but the distance I was gaining with driver and the incredible greenside spin couldn’t be ignored,” said Snedeker. “Bridgestone hit a homerun. It’s longer off the tee, pure with my irons and around the greens it is just phenomenal!”
“The new B330S has serious wow-factor,” said Kuchar. “The combination of increased greenside spin and increased distance off the tee at the same time was something I never thought possible. I am genuinely excited about what this new ball can do for my game in 2016.”
The Tour B330 and Tour B330S balls will be available at retail on March 4, 2016 and will feature a street price of $45 per dozen. Visit bridgestonegolf.com to learn more about Bridgestone Golf’s entire lineup of innovative products for 2016.
Leonard Finkel is the author of The Secrets to the Game of Golf & Life and former editor in chief of Golf Journeys Magazine. His work has been featured in almost 200 publications including Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Golf Illustrated, Golf Tips and Player Magazine. He has written more than a dozen cover stories for Golf Today Magazine. He has written extensively about golf and travel and has added poker to his writing repertoire. Finkel also works as a marketing and public relations consultant. His specialty niche is writing advertorial copy. Prior to his career in golf, Finkel owned a chain of retail stores and a consulting and import company based in Asia. He attended the University of Utah.