Bridgestone MindSet Golf Ball Testing - (Sampling and Shot Scope Ops)

[Preeway]

I feel like I hit the ball hard enough but maximizing my green side spin is really my bigger need.

[Javs]

10 minutes ago, Preeway said:

I feel like I hit the ball hard enough but maximizing my green side spin is really my bigger need.

You definitely hit it hard enough. My issue is I often generate too much spin. If you need spin, then you picked correctly. I am always trying to take off spin. 

[Rob Person]

Bad news first.  My golf cart Phone caddy broke and my phone dissappeared somewhere on the course after the 2nd hole. I didn't notice until the 4th hole. Called the clubhouse on another person's phone and told them what happened and to BOLO for it please. This also means no video or photos from today's round.

The good news! This was the 4th round with the same ball. It had minimal wear signs other than a few very minute scuffs here and there.

I also decided to play the forward tees today, (more on that in the Play thread later) I shot a 39 on the front,  and a 41 on the back. This not only a personal best, but the ball was just on absolute fire for me today! I put it up against the triple track (last years model) and they performed almost identically,  except the  Bridgestone had alot more drop and stop power, where as the TT would check and roll a bit. Best shot of the day was from the 3rd hole. Ended up 135 out, 3/4 9i, and stuck the pin at 6", rolled back to 2 feet. Putted for eagle.

More bad news. Hole 17. Caught the blind cart path. Ball bounced to the right, and dissappeared into the woods. I don't mind losing a ball or a stroke, but I really wanted to see the condition of the cover!!!

Oh, and my phone was waiting at rhe clubhouse!

 

[Indy_Oz]

On 4/14/2024 at 12:43 PM, Indy_Oz said:

You know the course is rather damp when a 270 yard drive checks back a few inches. Ha ha. Mud balls galore.

Third 9-hole round completed with the same Bridgestone Tour BX ball.

Today this ball hit a cart path (played for the 15mph winds, which were gusting stronger), but I pushed the approach shot right just as the right to left wind completely calmed down and the pin flag dropped. Ha ha. A couple of holes later I clipped upper tree branches with a 3-wood tee shot (trees guard front right green approach). So I'm definitely testing this ball's endurance! As you can see on the bottom photo, the coating does now have a couple of tears/ holes.

My plan was to use it to tee off the first hole of tomorrow's 18-hole round and see how long it lasts, but now I've noticed the little tears, I may just have to retire and start with a new ball.

I really liked playing with this ball. With strong winds, it wasn't too affected and flew well. Around the green I really liked the feel and played some really nicely judged chips. The ball definitely span enough to check well, but it was with the putter it really shone.

I found this ball worked very well with my Sik putter face. Not too clicky at all, but not too soft. It rolled very well and I found I was judging my putt distances really well. Lots of lag putts to within 18 inches of the hole on some challenging sloping greens.

Ahead of this test I didn't think it was likely it would challenge the Chrome Tour and TP5X, but around the green the BX is right up there! I need to get to a practice green with all three balls and really compare the feel and results, but so far so very good for the Bridgestone.

I'll get some sim data to add to previous data sets this week. I need to do a full driver comparison with this and a selection of other balls as the Callaway Chrome Tour comparison was with my old Callaway Rogue ST Max LS driver and I'm now gaming a Ping. I want to be fair to the Tour BX!

Tomorrow's round is on a challenging course, so I look forward to seeing how the BX holds up.

Ok, so I stuck with the above 27-hole old ball for today’s round and it lasted the distance! So the following ball is now at 45 holes.

The Tour BX performed pretty flawlessly on a breezy, sunny day  - the wind didn’t really affect flight much, which is great, and it seemed low enough spin with driver that there were no big ballooning slices. 

It 

I played 18 at Purgatory GC, Indiana. It’s a links-style course with tons of bunkers and fun, challenging difficulty level on a normal day. After the round I asked the pro if I’d booked just after greenkeepers’ revenge weekend, or whether they were just angry at members for some reason. Some of the pin placements were just evil! Tucked in corners, top of slopes, on ridges etc. Below is an example. The greens were cut so short and well rolled that an uphill putt to the below hole that stopped short proceeded to roll back to my feet. Two of my playing group had exactly the same happen to them. 

 

My putter was ice cold today, and I just struggled for a feel on the greens. They were much faster than the other courses I’ve played this year so it’s all a me problem. Feel off the face with tee shots, irons and wedges was great. I hit some really nice chips and pitches and the Tour BX held the green well and rolled out nicely when chip and run shots were played. 
I hit some really nice tee shots with driver and 3 hybrid off the tee

I alongside be playing again later this week and hitting the sim, so I’ll collect some data alongside other balls. 

More to come…

[GolfSpy_APH]

9 hours ago, MajorCavalry said:

Haven’t yet received the golf balls for testing.  Anyone else chosen to test these that haven’t gotten them yet?

They will be on the way! 

The order was placed and will just take a little time to get all the golf balls out to the testers. Same thing I believe I had mentioned before (which could have easily been missed) is it took a fair bit of time to get the testers due to Shot Scope requirement etc. Also the main difference between the sampling and Shot Scope is the Shot Scope testers will be getting two dozen! 

[DonnieGolfs]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

They will be on the way! 

The order was placed and will just take a little time to get all the golf balls out to the testers. Same thing I believe I had mentioned before (which could have easily been missed) is it took a fair bit of time to get the testers due to Shot Scope requirement etc. Also the main difference between the sampling and Shot Scope is the Shot Scope testers will be getting two dozen! 

Where do the non shot scope testers post? I'll be playing a 9 with them this week and I wanted to update things on my sim work with them.

[GolfSpy_APH]

8 minutes ago, DonnieGolfs said:

Where do the non shot scope testers post? I'll be playing a 9 with them this week and I wanted to update things on my sim work with them.

Here!

[Bubba1985]

9 hours ago, Michael.Sandoval33 said:

So I forgot to mention that I did end up receiving a box of the Bridgestone Mindset RX balls last week and today I was able to roll some putts with them. I will preface this by saying that I am not the biggest alignment aid fan as most of the time I do forget to even use them, but today I made an effort to.

Using a sleeve of 3, I rolled putts from various distances and actually saw success with the line on my putts Unfortunately the speed was hard to gauge as the greens have been punched recently. Still, the fact that my line was where I wanted says a lot for the mindsets. This was a quick hour long putting session as I was a bit tired from the range (They had actually had a grass range!!!!) but I consider day one a success and will continue sampling these on the course.

I need to practice more..ur putting game is the same place I pull out a 7 iron .. That's a long putt! 

[Rob Person]

Will be playing either 18 or 27 today if time permits. Will be moving on to ball #2!

 

[Josh Parker]

Played with the Bridgestone today and really liked the ball flight and spin. 

The mindset worked ok off the tee and I really liked it for putting.  

Birdied the putt.

[Rob Person]

Kept the 2nd ball whole round! No unusual marks or wear considering the course conditions we were playing on. Today I was able to not test the tree or cart path theory I said I would! (Sorry)

[curtdusoleil]

Third post about the Mindset B RX...

I played several rounds with these balls and was generally very pleased. As I'd mentioned before, they felt very similar to the Maxfli Tour ball I normally play, so that already was a plus for me.

I also commented on liking the reminder to think through each shot. I have always tried to be mindful of this, but can get lazy about it. On that...

I just shot my first sub-80 round during a tournament (and won.) I've shot below 80 before, but only during recreational rounds. While I didn't play with the Mindset ball (used my normal Maxfli) I do believe the Mindset left a residual effect. It was the first time I really made sure to map out my shots fully. Particularly, visualizing the shot, which is something I'd never really done. I believe it made a huge difference. I was consistently shocked and pleased that my shots were actually doing the things I envisioned. It also kept me very focused on the shot at hand and I didn't get wrapped up one way or the other after I made the shot, good or bad. I just moved to the next and went through my routine. 

[Big moose]

I was planning on going to a sim and hit the mindset balls to get some data for the test until I hurt my back putting mulch in our landscaping. I just hope it's better before we leave for vacation or it's not going to be fun at all. Hopefully everyone else is doing well. 

[Bubba1985]

8 minutes ago, Big moose said:

I was planning on going to a sim and hit the mindset balls to get some data for the test until I hurt my back putting mulch in our landscaping. I just hope it's better before we leave for vacation or it's not going to be fun at all. Hopefully everyone else is doing well. 

How it gets better bud.. naproxen (over the counter) seems to be the only thing that helps mine when it goes to hurting 

Just now, Bubba1985 said:

How it gets better bud.. naproxen (over the counter) seems to be the only thing that helps mine when it goes to hurting 

Hope*

[Big moose]

9 hours ago, Bubba1985 said:

How it gets better bud.. naproxen (over the counter) seems to be the only thing that helps mine when it goes to hurting 

Hope*

I have a perscription for the 500mg strength they work great, thanks appreciate that. 

[RedCell24]

Finally Testable!!!

The weather here in NE Ohio has been very uncooperative lately. In any case, Here I go. 

Temp- 62 Degrees

Light Wind <5mph 

Rain/Storms last night so Distance was not all I hoped for.

My test was against The Calloway Supersoft Matte Green and the Kirtland Signature Plus. I played 18 at a metro-parks course that suits my game. The format I went with was to alternate Tee shots on the first nine with Kirtland and then play both balls from the tee shot landing spot. I did this on both the front and back but switched to Calloway on the back nine. I felt this would give me a more rounded experience with the ball for most of the shots I would experience in a regular round. My initial impressions were -surprising. I loved the sound off the face compare to both balls and most of my errant shots were still very playable. I did have some WTF Shots as usual but my misses with the mindset were definitely more playable than my other balls. I think the Mindset philosophy helped me to minimize my errors and see the shots in a different way. For me it was as if my missed shote were somehow more playable than the other balls. I mentioned the rain/storms last night and that caused several plugs which killed my distance off the tee but helped me stick some otherwise would be off the green shots. I tried to stay as consistent as I could with my swing and noticed an increase of G.I.R shots as opposed to either of the other balls. My putting was also better than usual but that might be due to a new Odessey mallet I picked up. (More to come on that). For the conditions, I'd say that the Bridgestone outperformed the Calloway off the tee and most of my second shots of around 200 yds and was comparable to the Kirtland on approach shots. My Weakness is off the green. I tried to be consistent but I seem to be afraid of committing to a shot and this kills me back and fourth from green side to greenside. If the cost is comparable, I would have no trouble switching to the Mindset right now. The focus point helped me take my eye off the club and create a new focal point for club face delivery. I felt better about my pre-shot routine than I ever have before. I want to thank Golf Spy and Bridgestone for the opportunity to test and thus improve my own game.

[LinksgolfFever]

I got my second round in today with the new V5 from shotscope and the mindset balls.  The mantra for today's round was focus, and be in the moment (mostly, not reliving a bad shot when it comes).  Today's round while not my best, it was for sure the easiest round to manage my play and expectations.  Early comparisons suggest this is working for me (while the tee shots are lower, fairways hit were much higher and putting was significantly higher for strokes gained).

 Last Year (2023)

  Today's round

There really should a metric for calmness, I can't say enough how much easier the round felt today focusing on the mind set philosophy.  

Resting tomorrow, practice round Saturday and a 4 ball Match play event at Tehama on Sunday

Happy Golfing....

 

 

Edited April 19 by LinksgolfFever
spelling

[Michael.Sandoval33]

Played 18 with the Mindset RX's (well, one of them as I didn't lose any of the sleeve I brought). I liked the distance I saw from off of the tee and throughout the day. The first 9 I focused on using the ball mainly as an alignment aid while putting and again saw good success. In the back 9 I stopped using the aid after making the turn and stopping in the pro shop for a Gatorade and I saw the difference. Especially on the 17th hole where I FOUR putted a par 3...

A couple of small knicks on the surface but definitely still playable after the round.

[Timberwolfmadcat]

Coulda used some mindset balls to calm my nerves on Stadium today. Stupid water ball doubles Honestly this is terrifying from the tips, trying to hit precise distance shots (+/-5 yards) at totally different elevation and temperature than you're used to.

Still waiting for my balls

Sent from my Pixel 8 using Tapatalk

[acatalano32]

Finally got some decent weather! 

I was playing the BX and comparing it to the tp5. The Bridgestone BX was consistently longer than the TP5. I felt the Tp5 was spinny of the driver and the Bridgestone was much more penetrating. Bridgestone off my wedges and irons felt solid, but it’s nothing spectacular, just felt like a good solid golf ball. The greens I was playing on were punched, so im not gonna put much stock in the way the ball performed on the green or with putting. 
 

Bridgestone compared to the Tp5 were very similar, they even feel similar on the putting green. In my opinion the BX was overall a little less spinny from tee to green then the TP5

 

ill be comparing the Bridgestone with the prov1x next

 

if you made it this far… you’re awesome

[Rob Person]

I put the mindset through its paces in the bunker and on the putting green today. I have to say that I had some issues with it. Releasing too far out of the bunker, but that could possibly be because I'm not very good in the bunkers, however, on high lofted over the bunker shots. It did seem to land stop and roll only a foot or two. I will more than likely be playing 9 holes with the same balls this afternoon. And we'll get back to you on their condition

[JackBurtonsPorkchopExpress]

I just finished my 2nd 9 hole round with the RX and feel I can start to give a pretty good (albeit non-statistical) analysis of the ball. the TLDR version is I like these balls alot. I typically game a Maxfli Tour X and I think this ball is super comparable. For my game, there's 2 things I can really weigh in on: Driving & Putting. As a caveat, I did just purchase a new (new to me at least) driver and this might have something to do with it. That said, off the driver, the flight is straighter than the Maxfli. Distance is excellent, in my first round with them, I cranked out 278 & 318 (lots of roll out with a hill) yd drives. both of these numbers are off the chart for me, which is probably attributed to the driver, but the ball stayed in the fairway because of it's straighter flight. So the driver (G425) & ball are very much symbiotic friends. 

On the green, I like putting a firm ball, and these have a great feel to them. My putting has been great so far this year and being able to confidently know my speed off the putter & the feedback from the ball has been awesome. 

Finally, for the Mindset piece of this, I think it works. when walking up to my ball (especially if I see the circles), I take my time and purposely visualize what I'm trying to accomplish, think about all the crap I need to do with my swing, and hit it. 

Finally, in a true testament to the ball, I've played 18 holes and I am still on my first ball. It's a little scuffed up from a cart path, but otherwise the ball has held up. This is stacking up as the best free purchase I've made in golf :).

[bama no 1]

2 hours ago, acatalano32 said:

Finally got some decent weather! 

I was playing the BX and comparing it to the tp5. The Bridgestone BX was consistently longer than the TP5. I felt the Tp5 was spinny of the driver and the Bridgestone was much more penetrating. Bridgestone off my wedges and irons felt solid, but it’s nothing spectacular, just felt like a good solid golf ball. The greens I was playing on were punched, so im not gonna put much stock in the way the ball performed on the green or with putting. 
 

Bridgestone compared to the Tp5 were very similar, they even feel similar on the putting green. In my opinion the BX was overall a little less spinny from tee to green then the TP5

 

ill be comparing the Bridgestone with the prov1x next

 

if you made it this far… you’re awesome

Wish i had a 331 off the tee.

[poprocksncoke]

Ready to roll.....

 

[buckpillar]

4 hours ago, Rob Person said:

I put the mindset through its paces in the bunker and on the putting green today. I have to say that I had some issues with it. Releasing too far out of the bunker, but that could possibly be because I'm not very good in the bunkers, however, on high lofted over the bunker shots. It did seem to land stop and roll only a foot or two. I will more than likely be playing 9 holes with the same balls this afternoon. And we'll get back to you on their condition

@Rob Person how was the feel coming off DB? Lucille had the feeling that the Bridgestone was a little firmer than the Callaway and prov1.

[buckpillar]

Testers, do you feel that you are focusing more on the mindset at address than your line?

[Indy_Oz]

18 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

I put the mindset through its paces in the bunker and on the putting green today. I have to say that I had some issues with it. Releasing too far out of the bunker, but that could possibly be because I'm not very good in the bunkers, however, on high lofted over the bunker shots. It did seem to land stop and roll only a foot or two. I will more than likely be playing 9 holes with the same balls this afternoon. And we'll get back to you on their condition

I have bunker-envy! That practice bunker is better than most of the course bunkers I've played around here. Too many rock hard, or full of stones. That looks great.

[Big moose]

I have only had a chance to hit chip shots in the yard and hit a few into a net. I did line up the ball with the green dot up and it did really help me to stay in the shot longer and not pick my head up early. Like I said before I play this ball so I know pretty much what it is going to do on chip shots i.e. how far it will roll out. This is my favorite ball my second choice is the titleist tour soft so when I get to play again I going to test them against each other.  Hopefully the next time I post it will be with real world results. 

[Rob Person]

7 hours ago, buckpillar said:

@Rob Person how was the feel coming off DB? Lucille had the feeling that the Bridgestone was a little firmer than the Callaway and prov1.

The RX felt average to me compared to other balls in this category.  I will say that the biggest noticeable difference is when I go slightly to the toe side of putting (usually on long breakers) where I have to give it a little more.

7 hours ago, buckpillar said:

Testers, do you feel that you are focusing more on the mindset at address than your line?

Nope! Not one bit. I memorized the mantra- I V F - on day one, and regardless of the ball I'm using, or it's  marked position,  I have began to integrate the thought process in almost every shot.

6 hours ago, Indy_Oz said:

I have bunker-envy! That practice bunker is better than most of the course bunkers I've played around here. Too many rock hard, or full of stones. That looks great.

I agree! Alot of our courses don't have quality bunkers or proper drainage. (Played one earlier in the week that Fred Flintstone probably could have worked in!)

But RTJ prides itself on customer experiences. I am grateful for that.

 

Add to note. The B RX Ball does tend to roll out further on high wedge shots. Happened this morning,  and happened while playing too this afternoon. 

Once you dial.in a balls tendencies,  you can adjust accordingly though.

For some reason, I posted a long blurb in another Bridgestone topic. So here is a short compilation of today's testing.   Distance of the tee against a vice pro.

If there are any other balls out there you want to see it put up against on the course, and with a specific format (driver,  putting,  wedges) please ask as i have  access to almost any ball out there (almost)

 

 

[Rob Person]

I found it!!!  Decided to take a gander and realized there were 2 separate trees about 50 yars apart . After re-watching the video and zooming in I actually went through the first tree, and bit the second one. Creeped through a gap and walked through some thorn vines, and underbrush and there it was. Along with about a dozen other balls. For smacking a tree and disappearing, it's actually still very usable!

Legs are a bit tore up though...

Before

 

 

After a run through the ball scrubber...