Bridgestone is Making a Splash

Bridgestone has added a ball that aims to minimize the damaging effects of water and mud

By Tony Dear

Ten years ago, TV viewers watched amused and bemused when Bubba Watson struck an iron shot during the Hero Challenge at Albany in the Bahamas and yelled “Mud ball” at the ground.

He’d done it at the Masters too, three years earlier. Mud balls made various other appearances over the next few years, but wouldn’t really be the center of attention again until the PGA Championship in May of this year when Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele both found the middle of the fairway on the 16^th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow but walked off the green with double bogey sixes having been unable to control their approach shots because of the mud.

Scheffler voiced his frustration at not being able to lift and clean his ball as golfers across the world who had suffered a similar fate nodded in agreement and perhaps a little sympathy.

Mud and water can seriously affect your golf ball’s launch and flight. If there’s mud on the left side of the ball, it will typically fly right and vice versa. If the mud is on the top or back, you’ll usually see a lower flight, loss of distance, and less spin. The words to note here are “typically” and “usually”, because there really is no way you can be entirely certain how the ball is going to behave.

Bridgestone is confident, however, it has discovered a way of minimizing the effect of mud and moisture. Clubmakers can design grooves in irons that reduce the negative impact of soft fairways or rain, and other golf balls have likewise claimed to perform better than previous models in poor weather. Bridgestone, however, has spent several years creating a hydrophobic coating it calls RPL-X and which is designed to repel water and prevent mud from becoming attached to your ball.

In February, Bridgestone released the e12 HiLaunch, e12 Straight and e12 Speed, so the Splash continues to grow a family of balls that has proven very popular with mid-high handicappers and recreational golfers. Bridgestone says the Splash is built on the e12 Straight Distance design which means it aims to reduce hook and slice spin and thus keep your ball flying straighter and farther.

The e12 is a three-layer ball with a gradational compression core that increases speed and distance, a mantle layer designed to reduce sidespin, and Bridgestone’s Contact Force Dimple which likewise lowers sidespin. It also features the company’s now familiar MindSet technology, a graphic including circles and arrows that are designed to help you develop a clear mental thought process and consistent pre-shot routine in which you Identify, Visualize, and Focus. The system was developed by Bridgestone staffer Jason Day and his mental skills coach Jason Goldsmith, and first appeared at the start of last year on Bridgestone’s Tour B Series golf balls.

$35/dozen
bridgestonegolf.com