Tiger's Nike ball was a Bridgestone

[NM01]

3 minutes ago, blackngold_blood said:

But just because they were produced in a Bridgestone factory doesn’t mean they are a Bridgestone ball. That is why I wanted clarification. People make blanket statements like that with nothing to back it up.


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They were a Bridgestone ball stamped with a Nike logo. 

[FrogginBullfish]

Tiger actually plays the off the shelf Tour B XS model. Bridgestone is just selling a Tiger version with his personal stampings as well cause Tiger. But for all intents and purposes the ball Tiger plays in each round is the same that can be bought off the shelf.

 
I agree that this is a non story (especially since most of the golf community knew that Bridgestone was making balls for Nike.
Heck, even the Bridgestone ball that Tiger plays new is specially made for him - it's not some off the shelf model.

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[GolfSpy_BNG]

They were a Bridgestone ball stamped with a Nike logo. 

Is there proof of this? Are we talking all Nike balls or just Tiger’s? I remember hearing Nike patents, designs, and R&D but produced in the Bridgestone plant. Which if true means they are Nike balls produced by Bridgestone.


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[GolfSpy_BNG]

Tiger actually plays the off the shelf Tour B XS model. Bridgestone is just selling a Tiger version with his personal stampings as well cause Tiger. But for all intents and purposes the ball Tiger plays in each round is the same that can be bought off the shelf.


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I find this hard to believe seeing Tiger is the most particular golfer in the world.


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[NM01]

1 minute ago, blackngold_blood said:

I find this hard to believe seeing Tiger is the most particular golfer in the world.


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It came straight from tiger and it was all Nike balls. When Nike got into the golf game they had no ball. Tigers clubs have all been made by miura too as were Rory’s for a long time..they were just stamped with whatever his sponsor was

[FrogginBullfish]

Hard to believe yes, but I trust the source. It came up in the TXG/GolfWRX episode of The 14 after he won The Masters. I don't have a timestamp on hand but the entire episode is worth a listen, imo.

I find this hard to believe seeing Tiger is the most particular golfer in the world.


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[bens197]

What a great discussion - MPR articulated the only point that I would make earlier.

I guess I get jacustom’s concerns but would reply don’t spend $650 on the big OEM driver. Instead of you have the 650 go get a driver custom built for yourself.

Personally I wouldn’t spend $1 on any club in a touring pro’s bag except perhaps a stray putter that might fit me or Harrington’s Eye 2 wedge. Other than that the clubs would be of no value to me.

Like any consumer I receive some validation from the fact that lots of guys on tour use Ping G400 drivers and Ping Irons.

There are plenty of good enough balls on the market that fit my game - I just need to pick one for the upcoming season, buy 3 dozen and be done with it - probably last years TMag Tp5x although I’m considering the optic Pro V1x - then I’d get 4 dozen customized.

Bottom line - I know what works for my game and am comfortable in that skin. Bridgestone makes a good golf ball - Nike did for a time too - whatever brand Tiger is using is going to be made exclusively for him and it’s not going to be the best choice for most players even those on tour.


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Good points here...not sure how I missed it originally.

If there was ever a testament of how a certain Tour pros ball is wrong for the masses, look no further than the Ryder Cup.

Steve Stricker was the only guy who would willingly play Four-ball with Tiger. TW wouldn’t relent when it came to playing his ball while others would either play the same or compromise.

[FrogginBullfish]

I played the Nike ball for years and there was a noticeable difference when I tested out the Bridgestone balls after Nike stopped making hard goods in cover design, so I'm more apt to believe Nike designed their own balls, but outsourced manufacturing to Bridgestone. I have no evidence to support either claim however. Only my own eyes having played every Nike tour ball since the One Platinum days in the mid-2000s.

Is there proof of this? Are we talking all Nike balls or just Tiger’s? I remember hearing Nike patents, designs, and R&D but produced in the Bridgestone plant. Which if true means they are Nike balls produced by Bridgestone.


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[NM01]

12 minutes ago, FrogginBullfish said:

I played the Nike ball for years and there was a noticeable difference when I tested out the Bridgestone balls after Nike stopped making hard goods in cover design, so I'm more apt to believe Nike designed their own balls, but outsourced manufacturing to Bridgestone. I have no evidence to support either claim however. Only my own eyes having played every Nike tour ball since the One Platinum days in the mid-2000s.

 

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Nike eventually had a ball division Rock Ishii was the lead but tiger continued to play the Bridgestone ball stamped with Nike. He is very particular in his gear which is why mike Taylor is still his club guy. Bridgestone continued to be where the Nike ball was made 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Hard to believe yes, but I trust the source. It came up in the TXG/GolfWRX episode of The 14 after he won The Masters. I don't have a timestamp on hand but the entire episode is worth a listen, imo.


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Still not completely buying it. Even if Tiger himself came out and said "The balls I won The Masters with were bought by my caddy that morning at Golf Galaxy", I would still be skeptical. It seems all golfers will say whatever the sponsors tell them to say.

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[GolfSpy_BNG]

Nike eventually had a ball division Rock Ishii was the lead but tiger continued to play the Bridgestone ball stamped with Nike. He is very particular in his gear which is why mike Taylor is still his club guy. Bridgestone continued to be where the Nike ball was made 

This is where the confusion comes in. You said all Nike balls were Bridgestone balls stamped Nike but then say Nike did have a ball division. Why have a ball division if the balls are just stamped Nike?

I have never heard Tiger say his Nike balls were Bridgestone balls with a Nike stamp so I can't confirm either way. I also don't know if Nike had a ball before a ball department.

I do know that it seems like you can't always believe what pro golfers say since they seem to say whatever the sponsors want them too.

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[NM01]

33 minutes ago, blackngold_blood said:

This is where the confusion comes in. You said all Nike balls were Bridgestone balls stamped Nike but then say Nike did have a ball division. Why have a ball division if the balls are just stamped Nike?

I have never heard Tiger say his Nike balls were Bridgestone balls with a Nike stamp so I can't confirm either way. I also don't know if Nike had a ball before a ball department.

I do know that it seems like you can't always believe what pro golfers say since they seem to say whatever the sponsors want them too.

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http://www.golfwrx.com/421166/tiger-says-he-played-a-bridgestone-golf-ball-for-a-number-of-years/

like many brands companies jump into different equipment categories and want control over aspects of that product. So they developed their ball and Rock was the head of the division. It’s as simple as asking Bridgestone to make a ball and stamp the Nike logo on it. It’s something that has happened for years with irons and having a brand just stamp a logo on iron heads.

outsourcing production of a design happens as well so Nike develops a ball and outsourced the production to Bridgestone for their retail ball meanwhile the ball tiger plays is still a Bridgestone designed ball that has Nike logo. Most if not all of this can be found using the google machine

[FrogginBullfish]

Up to you to decide for yourself. I'm inclined to take Johnny Wunder at his word, personally.

Ball talk starts around 32:45.

Still not completely buying it. Even if Tiger himself came out and said "The balls I won The Masters with were bought by my caddy that morning at Golf Galaxy", I would still be skeptical. It seems all golfers will say whatever the sponsors tell them to say.

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[GolfSpy_BNG]

Up to you to decide for yourself. I'm inclined to take Johnny Wunder at his word, personally.


[/url]
Ball talk starts around 32:45.

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I would love for Tiger to confirm this story. While I don’t know Johnny Wunder and certainly can’t call him a liar he heard the story from someone else and we all know stories can change the more they are told.

While seeing this podcast has shown that it is possible Tiger’s ball is OTR, I will remain skeptical until Tiger Himself confirms or denies it.


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[GolfSpy_BNG]

http://www.golfwrx.com/421166/tiger-says-he-played-a-bridgestone-golf-ball-for-a-number-of-years/

like many brands companies jump into different equipment categories and want control over aspects of that product. So they developed their ball and Rock was the head of the division. It’s as simple as asking Bridgestone to make a ball and stamp the Nike logo on it. It’s something that has happened for years with irons and having a brand just stamp a logo on iron heads.

outsourcing production of a design happens as well so Nike develops a ball and outsourced the production to Bridgestone for their retail ball meanwhile the ball tiger plays is still a Bridgestone designed ball that has Nike logo. Most if not all of this can be found using the google machine

 

I am not debating the golf balls were “made” in a Bridgestone factory. Everybody should know by now they were. What I am saying is there is Grey area there.

 

If they are Nike patents and R&D that go into the ball and Bridgestone merely produced the ball in their factory then they are Nike Balls.

 

I may have missed it but I can’t seem to remember seeing anywhere that Tiger says he played a Bridgestone ball that was just stamped Nike. “Made by Bridgestone” could simply be a marketing way of actually meaning produced. I will need hard facts stating he played a ball with no Nike input just a stamp.

 

 

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[NM01]

2 minutes ago, blackngold_blood said:

 

I am not debating is the golf balls were “made” in a Bridgestone factory. Everybody should know by now they were. What I am saying is there is Grey area there.

If they are Nike patents and R&D that go into the ball and Bridgestone merely produced the ball in their factory then they are Nike Balls.

I may have missed it but I can’t seem to remember seeing anywhere that Tiger says he played a Bridgestone ball that was just stamped Nike. “Made by Bridgestone” could simply be a marketing way of actually meaning produced. I will need hard facts stating he played a ball with no Nike input just a stamp.


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Obviously you aren’t going to take anyone’s word or the examples shown. Tiger has always played a Bridgestone designed & manufactures ball after switching away from a titleist.

nike outsourced it’s designs to Bridgestone for retail balls which a large majority of the ball manufacturers do. 

Tiger, miura, titleist, mizuno and Tm wont admit that miura has made all of Tiger’s irons and some of not all of Rory’s but that is common knowledge around golf as well. 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Obviously you aren’t going to take anyone’s word or the examples shown. Tiger has always played a Bridgestone designed & manufactures ball after switching away from a titleist.
nike outsourced it’s designs to Bridgestone for retail balls which a large majority of the ball manufacturers do. 
Tiger, miura, titleist, mizuno and Tm wont admit that miura has made all of Tiger’s irons and some of not all of Rory’s but that is common knowledge around golf as well. 

It isn't about taking someone's word on the matter. I question things I probably don't need to question but at the same time I like the see statements backed up with facts.

That statement of Tigers posted in the WRX article says he played a Nike ball maded by Bridgestone so it was an easy switch for him. There is no way to prove he didn't mean simply produced instead of a ball simply stamped Nike without asking the man himself to clarify.

Again if Bridgestone had nothing to do with the ball except producing it in their factory and all design, patents, and R&D we're from Nike it is a NIKE BALL!

Probably a bad example but if you put together a TV stand at home it isn't made by you just because you assembled it.

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[NM01]

Just now, blackngold_blood said:

It isn't about taking someone's word on the matter. I question things I probably don't need to question but at the same time I like the see statements backed up with facts.

That statement of Tigers posted in the WRX article says he played a Nike ball maded by Bridgestone so it was an easy switch for him. There is no way to prove he didn't mean simply produced instead of a ball simply stamped Nike without asking the man himself to clarify.

Again if Bridgestone had nothing to do with the ball except producing it in their factory and all design, patents, and R&D we're from Nike it is a NIKE BALL!

Probably a bad example but if you put together a TV stand at home it isn't made by you just because you assembled it.

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The txg video linked above it’s stated in there that he doesn’t play a Rock Ishii/Nike patented ball. He plays an off the rack retail Bridgestone which is why the transition was easy. He wasn’t playing something Nike designed. Not sure it can any clearer from that video 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

The txg video linked above it’s stated in there that he doesn’t play a Rock Ishii/Nike patented ball. He plays an off the rack retail Bridgestone which is why the transition was easy. He wasn’t playing something Nike designed. Not sure it can any clearer from that video 

I'm not trying to be a jerk so I hope you arent getting upset but where does it say this exactly? The only thing I heard was about a ball at shinnecock last year. He was already playing the tour b ball then. That has nothing to do with Nike.

Again I am not trying to be a jerk just trying to figure this out and your really the only one conversing with me!

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[NM01]

16 minutes ago, blackngold_blood said:

I'm not trying to be a jerk so I hope you arent getting upset but where does it say this exactly? The only thing I heard was about a ball at shinnecock last year. He was already playing the tour b ball then. That has nothing to do with Nike.

Again I am not trying to be a jerk just trying to figure this out and your really the only one conversing with me!

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Not trying to be a jerk either and not getting upset. The txg video somewhere between 32 and 33 minute mark the guy on the right makes the comment about it not being a Rock Ishii Nike ball. 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Not trying to be a jerk either and not getting upset. The txg video somewhere between 32 and 33 minute mark the guy on the right makes the comment about it not being a Rock Ishii Nike ball. 

I heard that too but he says it was at Shinnecock last year so he would already have been under Bridgestone contract and playing the tour b.

There is so much Grey area and confusing words being used on these types of topics which is why I keep questioning things. I have no contacts in the golf industry. I'm just a weekend hacker from Podunk Iowa but I do love everything about this game and want to know everything possible.

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[NM01]

8 minutes ago, blackngold_blood said:

I heard that too but he says it was at Shinnecock last year so he would already have been under Bridgestone contract and playing the tour b.

There is so much Grey area and confusing words being used on these types of topics which is why I keep questioning things. I have no contacts in the golf industry. I'm just a weekend hacker from Podunk Iowa but I do love everything about this game and want to know everything possible.

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When tiger signed with Nike his equipment contract was setup that he could play his curevt gear until Nike produced gear that worked for him. His irons were miura and they made more for him but stamped Nike logo on there (no one will admit this but it’s well known in the industry). The same occurred with the ball. Nike has Bridgestone stamp the swoosh in their ball, meanwhile Nike was developing their golf products for retail. That’s where Rock Ishii comes in. He along with the Nike r&d department came up with all the balls. Since tiger is very particular about his gear he continued to play a Nike logo ball that was designed and manufactured by Bridgestone. He never played a true Rock Ishii Nike ball.

the switch to Bridgestone was easy because it was the same ball he had been using since his Nike days. Unlike Phil who uses a non retail version of the chrome soft, Sergio, rose and others who have a non retail TM ball or titleist pros who use various versions of the prov that aren’t retail or even older versions of the ball, there was no need to tweak the Bridgestone ball for tiger. 

[THEZIPR23]

15 hours ago, blackngold_blood said:

Still not completely buying it. Even if Tiger himself came out and said "The balls I won The Masters with were bought by my caddy that morning at Golf Galaxy", I would still be skeptical. It seems all golfers will say whatever the sponsors tell them to say.

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“What people don’t realize is that Bridgestone made the Nike golf ball for a number of years,” Woods said. “It’s a great ball and making the switch wasn’t that hard.”

[GolfSpy_BNG]

https://thepnga.org/the-man-behind-nike-golfs-transformational-golf-balls-rock-ishii-oga-member/

Now I see where from what seems like 1996-2002 Nike didn’t have a true ball division so apparently Bridgestone made them during that time period. The article also says that Rock Ishii designed the first Nike ball. The very ball tiger used in the historical 2000 US Open win.




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[NM01]

12 minutes ago, blackngold_blood said:

https://thepnga.org/the-man-behind-nike-golfs-transformational-golf-balls-rock-ishii-oga-member/

Now I see where from what seems like 1996-2002 Nike didn’t have a true ball division so apparently Bridgestone made them during that time period. The article also says that Rock Ishii designed the first Nike ball. The very ball tiger used in the historical 2000 US Open win.




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He was with Bridgestone and designed the Nike ball tiger used. It was a Bridgestone design with nike logo. It’s semantics that I think is what’s causing you hang up

[GolfSpy_BNG]

He was with Bridgestone and designed the Nike ball tiger used. It was a Bridgestone design with nike logo. It’s semantics that I think is what’s causing you hang up

You can call it semantics or whatever you want. I just said that Nike didn’t have a true ball division until 2002. Yes Ishii was employed by Bridgestone when he design the Nike ball Tiger used. So yes it can be said that the Nike ball Tiger used until 2002 or about then were designed by Rock Ishii who was employed by Bridgestone and made in a Bridgestone factory. But I can’t find any information proving that once Nike employed Rock Ishii in 2002 and started its own ball division that Tiger still played a Bridgestone ball stamped Nike.

So technically speaking saying Tiger’s Nike ball was a Bridgestone ball is correct for at least the beginning of his career.


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[NM01]

59 minutes ago, blackngold_blood said:

You can call it semantics or whatever you want. I just said that Nike didn’t have a true ball division until 2002. Yes Ishii was employed by Bridgestone when he design the Nike ball Tiger used. So yes it can be said that the Nike ball Tiger used until 2002 or about then were designed by Rock Ishii who was employed by Bridgestone and made in a Bridgestone factory. But I can’t find any information proving that once Nike employed Rock Ishii in 2002 and started its own ball division that Tiger still played a Bridgestone ball stamped Nike.

So technically speaking saying Tiger’s Nike ball was a Bridgestone ball is correct for at least the beginning of his career.


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It’s like a puzzle you have to put the pieces together. Tiger has certain preferences and doesn’t change it’s why his irons have been the same forever and it’s taken TM this long on getting his TM stamped irons to his approval with two phases so far and at a point they can replicate them rather easily. His ball hasn’t changed it’s why whether it was a Nike ball which was nothing more than a logo stamped on Rock’s design that then stays with Bridgestone when Rock leaves to go to Nike til shinnecock when he buys Bridgestone from the pro shop it’s the same ball as was mentioned in the video that it wasn’t a Ishii Nike designed ball...which means that the Nike balls Rock designed after going to Nike were not the balls tiger played.

 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

It is definitely a puzzle but also a matter of how each person interprets the things being said.

When he bought the Bridgestone balls in the pro shop they obviously weren’t Nike balls. He was already signed with Bridgestone at that time. He bought Tour B XS.

Someone just needs to straight up ask him and keep asking until he finally comes out and gives a nondescript answer.


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[NM01]

2 hours ago, blackngold_blood said:

It is definitely a puzzle but also a matter of how each person interprets the things being said.

When he bought the Bridgestone balls in the pro shop they obviously weren’t Nike balls. He was already signed with Bridgestone at that time. He bought Tour B XS.

Someone just needs to straight up ask him and keep asking until he finally comes out and gives a nondescript answer.


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Why would they need to keep asking him. 1) nike golf balls and clubs are no longer being made 2) he’s with Bridgestone now and they are marketing that he plays the same ball everyone can get at the store which isn’t possible for Callaway tour balls, some TM and Titleist 3) most golf fans dont care 4) it’s a non story and 5) the vast majority of golfers that care know he has always played a Bridgestone ball with a Nike logo on it and miura irons stamped with titleist, Nike and now TM.

 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Why would they need to keep asking him. 1) nike golf balls and clubs are no longer being made 2) he’s with Bridgestone now and they are marketing that he plays the same ball everyone can get at the store which isn’t possible for Callaway tour balls, some TM and Titleist 3) most golf fans dont care 4) it’s a non story and 5) the vast majority of golfers that care know he has always played a Bridgestone ball with a Nike logo on it and miura irons stamped with titleist, Nike and now TM.
 

It is purely selfish reasons for wanting them to keep asking him. I agree it is mainly a non story and most probably don’t care but I would love to know.

Now as far as #5 on your list goes with the ball, we will have to agree to disagree. While you may be sure that he always played a Bridgestone ball stamped Nike, I have yet to see it backed up by CLEAR facts.

Yes he did say that Bridgestone made Nike balls for years but he didn’t say they always made mine!


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