2019 Official Forum Member Review - Bridgestone e12 Speed and Soft Golf Balls

[tchat07 944]

Caution with cart paths!

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[DannyDips 99]

Was headed south today and got to play a little hidden gem in South Pittsburg, TN called Sweetens Cove. It’s a redesigned 9 hole track that’s getting a lot of attention lately.



https://mobile.twitter.com/sweetenscove/status/1114240125595213824?s=12

Anyway. Played my first 9 with a Srixon Z star XV and second 9 with the e12.

Shot 37/39 for a 76 and had a couple surprising things happened with the e12.

Two of the holes I had 50-60 yards so I was hitting half wedge shots. I managed to spin one and stop it after about 10’ and the other about 15’. Those are typically the same roll outs I get on those shots with my usual balls and NEVER get with a Surlyn cover golf ball. After my testing with shorter shots and pitches I actually didn’t expect it to get that kinda spin. It was a very welcome surprise.



To keep with the scuffing up theme. I will say that scuff was probably from a tree impact and user error. On the positive side I’ve still got a full dozen e12s! No victims yet...


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[azstu324 2,337]

Caution with cart paths!

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If you you didn't already say "cart path" and I had to guess.. I'd think maybe a wolverine brandishing a cheese grader..? That's some serious path rash!

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

[GregB135 806]

Used the e12 Speed on the course for the first time during my practice round today. Didn't use them exclusively but on a mixture of tee shots and some approaches where risk of losing the ball was minimal. 

Sound and feel off the driver seemed a little more "clicky" and firm than the Vice Tour that I had in play otherwise. I was about 50/50 on fairways using the e12 (6/14 overall). Didn't seem to notice anything unexpected with the curve of ball flights, but it did seem to fly a little lower off the driver than the Vice. 

Chip/Pitch shots were rolling out a bit more than i wanted with both balls today, so I didn't have a lot of tap-in chances after missing greens (4/18).

The e12 feels and performs awesome off the irons. I liked the mid-high ball flight and off the irons I did notice a little less curve than I'm accustomed to. It also held the greens very nicely. This is also where I found my only noticeable point against the ball so far. I hit an absolutely pure strike on a 60 yard pitch and another pure strike on a full 8-iron, and both of those shots took a noticeable bite out of the cover. I could see the white 'filling' in the grooves, and while the cover mark wasn't worth taking the ball out of play, it was definitely rough to the touch and needed smoothing with the thumb and towel. You can see the 8-Iron bite in the photo below. The photo ball was used on about 4 holes worth of regular play, so it is showing a little more wear than I might like.

[Wedgie 4,876]

I really don’t pay much attention to ball threads but you guys are all doing a very nice job. Keep up the great work and I look forward to long the term results.


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[GregB135 806]

Well, I went 'guts ball' today and put the e12 Speed in play for my league tournament this week. I had a decent round as far as ball striking goes. Keep in mind, I just started a lesson plan series with a new instructor/coach and have been using the SuperSpeed training system besides. But here's what I noticed with the Bridgestone e12 played for a full round.

Irons - The three iron approach shots that felt really flush all carried about 1/2 club extra - one beyond the back of the green and the other two just beyond the target zone but on the green. The greens at today's course in general didn't hold as well as my home course so the well struck irons were seeing about 5 to 6 feet of roll beyond the pitch mark rather than hit and stick or pulling back a bit. 

Wedges - I only hit 2 greens in regulation today so I had lots of chances to hit pitch shots ranging from 30 to 80 yards. I hit about half of them absolutely flush (yep, grabbed a bit of cover on those again) and in every case, the roll out was longer than desired. Example - 80 yards out to have a chance to save par - perfect distance for a 3/4 middle (sand) wedge. Hit down and through the strike to get spin and it feels and sounds perfect. Ball on line, mid to high flight and carries to about 12 feet below the pin (YES!). Then it rolls by the hole another 12 feet to the fringe (Boo!) 

Driver/Woods - Got really good performance with the 3 wood on several tee shots. Nice medium high slight draw and maybe about 5 extra yards. Still feels a little firm off the driver with a lower flight than I prefer. I have to get back on the radar to see if I'm averaging above the 105mph that B-Stone claims the Speed is engineered for. My guess is I'm just a little below that, so combined with the lower ball flight I noticed I was a little shy of my normal yardage with the Driver. 

Straight Distance? - I will add this here. I had a couple of shots where I had to ask the ball to 'Stop Hooking' or 'Stay Left'. The e12 Speed was either really listening or the reduced drag of the dimple design was filling its bill and minimizing the side spin effect. Not that those errant shots didn't cost me a stroke or two on the scorecard, but they weren't penalty strokes.

[M. Parsons 658]

As promised, here is the durability of each of the 3 Bridgestone balls I used last Sunday.
As you can see below, the e12 Speed didn't really have much damage. Pretty durable so far.

Here you'll see that the e6 Speed looks like it got a cart path, but I promise that it didn't. Damage possibly came from hardpan, as I live in Albuquerque.

Here is the e12 Soft with just a couple of small gouges, not bad for a soft ball.



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[azstu324 2,337]

As promised, here is the durability of each of the 3 Bridgestone balls I used last Sunday.
As you can see below, the e12 Speed didn't really have much damage. Pretty durable so far.

Here you'll see that the e6 Speed looks like it got a cart path, but I promise that it didn't. Damage possibly came from hardpan, as I live in Albuquerque.

Here is the e12 Soft with just a couple of small gouges, not bad for a soft ball.



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Sounds like you have similar conditions as us here in AZ. You guys have dirt traps there too? To the untrained eye they look like sand traps.. but the sand is only about a cm thick with concrete directly underneath.. good way to wreck a nice sand wedge..

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

[tchat07 944]

Did the Bryson test with the e12's today and was very impressed. Every ball I tested had great balance. For those who don't know about the test you put the ball in very salty water (I added about a salt shakers worth to the water to get it to float) then you mark the spot that has floated to the top. You then spin the ball and if it comes back to the same spot, you do this a few times and if it keeps coming back that means the ball is unbalanced. An unbalanced ball can lead to a skewed roll which can negatively affect putts.

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[Hoyoymac 109]

I found two like new white E12 Speed balls this week and tried them for several rounds.  For the last three years my usual ball has been the Bridgestone Tour B330 RX or the new Tour BRX.  Prior to that I played the E6.

What I experienced was that the E12 Speed is very HOT!  Off of the driver, a good 10-20 yards further.  Irons were all at least 1/2 club longer than usual.  Pitching and chipping, the ball rolls out more .  Putting, same thing.  Feels harder off the putter face with more of a click.  Rolled out further too.

The ball is definitely a brighter white than the B330 RX and as other testers noted the cover scuffs fairly easily.  But, so do the B330 RX balls.

My normal ball flight is a low to mid height draw.  No problem getting the same flight with the E12 Speed.

Overall, the distance was very satisfying.  Around the greens took some adjustment to account for the roll out.

My feeling is that this is a good improvement over the last generation of the E6.  For me, Bridgestone succeeded in delivering more distance.  If you are looking for more distance and don’t mind a little more rollout on and around the greens this would be a good choice.

 

[M. Parsons 658]

10 hours ago, Hoyoymac said:

I found two like new white E12 Speed balls this week and tried them for several rounds.  For the last three years my usual ball has been the Bridgestone Tour B330 RX or the new Tour BRX.  Prior to that I played the E6.

What I experienced was that the E12 Speed is very HOT!  Off of the driver, a good 10-20 yards further.  Irons were all at least 1/2 club longer than usual.  Pitching and chipping, the ball rolls out more .  Putting, same thing.  Feels harder off the putter face with more of a click.  Rolled out further too.

The ball is definitely a brighter white than the B330 RX and as other testers noted the cover scuffs fairly easily.  But, so do the B330 RX balls.

My normal ball flight is a low to mid height draw.  No problem getting the same flight with the E12 Speed.

Overall, the distance was very satisfying.  Around the greens took some adjustment to account for the roll out.

My feeling is that this is a good improvement over the last generation of the E6.  For me, Bridgestone succeeded in delivering more distance.  If you are looking for more distance and don’t mind a little more rollout on and around the greens this would be a good choice.

 

Thanks for your input, I know we are all glad to hear from others what they have found with these balls. Also, I couldn't agree more, I saw a lot of roll out on chips and pitches.

Side note: Make sure you complete your profile so you can get in on the testing in the future. Keep hit 'em long!

[tchat07 944]

So just compared chipping the e12 to ProV1 and Truvis. Obviously both are more premium balls but the ability to hold and check cannot be understated if that is a part of your game. Now one thing I found is if you're a bump and run player the e12 can be great where as the others can sometimes check up earlier. Also on another note the e12 does not save you from a bad swing, I hadn't seen a slice or hook off the driver but then hit a big ol slice with it (ended up in the adjacent fairway).

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[DannyDips 99]

Happy Good Thursday Spies. (My own invented holiday since my 4 day work week gets cut to 3 this week.)

So I bit the bullet today(quite literally) and decided to put the e12 into play from swing 1 of my round this morning.



To be honest it wasn’t pretty, now to be completely fair my home course is fairly difficult and we had winds 15-20 mph this morning. I made a few notes on my scorecard of unexpected shots.



Hole 1- Hit 9I 10 yards over the green then chipped through the green (two things I rarely do)
Hole 2- Hit SW 15 yards long over green.
Hole 3- Hit 5 shots inside 125.
Hole 5- Hit 9I pin high to 155. (Typical yardage 145)
Hole 8- Hit 52 degree 134 pin high. (Typical yardage 115)
Hole 11- Flew PW 150 over green. (Typical yardage 125)

I found today that the ball seemed to fly 10+ yards further off almost all my iron shots. This made club selection increasingly difficult, especially in a 15 mph wind. I’ve always found chipping with the e12 difficult due to the amount of roll out on anything inside 40 yards. I’m starting to think this may be a very poor ball for my game and style of play.

Also to keep up with the durability issues check out this gem...






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[Wedgie 4,876]

It seems like you guys are seeing more length with these. Are they consistently long? I guess I want to know if you are putting a good swing on it will it go the yardage you expect or are they all over the place?


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[Low Country Golfer 71]

It seems like you guys are seeing more length with these. Are they consistently long? I guess I want to know if you are putting a good swing on it will it go the yardage you expect or are they all over the place?


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My good contact is consistently longer with the Soft version.


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[DannyDips 99]

It seems like you guys are seeing more length with these. Are they consistently long? I guess I want to know if you are putting a good swing on it will it go the yardage you expect or are they all over the place?

 

 

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As I mentioned above. Everything I hit today with a full swing 16 degree hybrid to 56 degree wedge was consistently longer. I’ve had about the same distances on my clubs for several years so whatever they have done to the e12 makes everything I hit approximately 10 yards further. I was dealing with some wind today but it seemed like downwind I was accounting for up to 25 yards of extra carry distance.

 

I haven’t noticed a lot, if any, additional distance with my Driver.

 

I will say if they made the e12 with a cover I enjoyed chipping with it could be an interesting. Bridgestone obviously made some significant development with this ball.

 

 

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[tchat07 944]

It seems like you guys are seeing more length with these. Are they consistently long? I guess I want to know if you are putting a good swing on it will it go the yardage you expect or are they all over the place?


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When I hit slices for the first time since using the e12 they surprised me how far they had gone I was expecting a major lose in distance but they still seemed to roll out a good distance.

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[ga_pike 342]

I'm roughly 1/2 club short across the board with the E12 Speed compared to the Vice Pro Soft.  

Edited April 19, 2019 by ga_pike

[GregB135 806]

On 4/18/2019 at 8:52 PM, DannyDips said:

I haven’t noticed a lot, if any, additional distance with my Driver.

 

I will say if they made the e12 with a cover I enjoyed chipping with it could be an interesting. Bridgestone obviously made some significant development with this ball.

Played another full league round with the e12 Speeds on Saturday. My results are similar to what I quoted from DannyDips here. Once again, I was painting within the lines (mostly) but the wayward shots were more swing/contact induced than anything I could attribute to Bridegstone claiming these fly straighter. I will say I did not have any big hook/big slice results, and my number of penalty strokes was down from earlier rounds with the other gamers.

Distance off the driver was not significantly different. Off the irons and other clubs it seems like I'm seeing about a 1/2 club gain with these. That's the good side. Even the flush hit irons aren't grabbing the greens like I would like. I tend to prefer a hop and stop or maybe a slight pull-back on full iron shots into the green. With the e12 it's definitely an adjustment to account for the hit and roll performance.  Especially on intermediate wedges and chip shots. I've had to account for a lot more roll out than with other gamers. But that is an adjustment I can make.

Durability is the only real down side to the e12 Speed that I have noticed so far. Flush iron shots and bunkers were what gave me the results in these photos. I didn't hit any cart paths or trees or any of the other usual suspects for marring of the golf ball cover.

Nothing more here than a flush 3/4 gap wedge

[M. Parsons 658]

On 4/18/2019 at 1:28 PM, DannyDips said:

Happy Good Thursday Spies. (My own invented holiday since my 4 day work week gets cut to 3 this week.)

So I bit the bullet today(quite literally) and decided to put the e12 into play from swing 1 of my round this morning.



To be honest it wasn’t pretty, now to be completely fair my home course is fairly difficult and we had winds 15-20 mph this morning. I made a few notes on my scorecard of unexpected shots.



Hole 1- Hit 9I 10 yards over the green then chipped through the green (two things I rarely do)
Hole 2- Hit SW 15 yards long over green.
Hole 3- Hit 5 shots inside 125.
Hole 5- Hit 9I pin high to 155. (Typical yardage 145)
Hole 8- Hit 52 degree 134 pin high. (Typical yardage 115)
Hole 11- Flew PW 150 over green. (Typical yardage 125)

I found today that the ball seemed to fly 10+ yards further off almost all my iron shots. This made club selection increasingly difficult, especially in a 15 mph wind. I’ve always found chipping with the e12 difficult due to the amount of roll out on anything inside 40 yards. I’m starting to think this may be a very poor ball for my game and style of play.

Also to keep up with the durability issues check out this gem...






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Just curious...those "pin high" shots on #5 & #8; did they roll out to pin high from your typical carry distances, or did you magically get those to stop? 

I'm super shocked at the lack of durability in this ball, as I typically scuff up a soft ball more so than a hard ball like the e12 Speed.