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

[buckpillar]

5 hours ago, Golf2Much said:

I received my two dozen of Bridgestone Tour B RX Mindset balls today.  So, starting next Thursday (my next round) and the month of May, I'll be dedicated to utilizing the Mindset principles (prompted by the graphic) to see what impact (if any) they have on my overall performance.  

Above, you'll see I played four rounds with a Tour B RX to see how it stacked up against my current go-to ball Maxfli Tour S.  The numbers suggest that both balls performed equally as well with the same distance, accuracy and score-wise.  That should remove any significant performance number impact by switching balls leaving me to focus on the impact of following the Mindset philosophy.

  

Packaging seemed consistent with every other dozen golf balls packages I've gotten in the past with the exception of the enclosed Mindset card.  The 4"x6" card outlined the Mindset general process steps and gave a QR code for applying the principles.

Given the previous feedback that participants found some defects, I decided to inspect all 24 golf balls under a pretty intense (and unforgiving) LED light.  There was some static attracted debris which was likely cardboard that easily brushed or blown away.  Of the 24 balls, I did find two that had a very small nick between three adjacent dimples.  I likely would not have seen the very small surface imperfections without the intense light and looking very close to the balls' surface.  The nicks were so small, that I couldn't catch the edges with my thumb or fingernail.  Given they were difficult to see and feel, I can't imagine they would have a noticeable impact on any of the performance metrics.  

I found all the Bridgestone printing and Mindset graphics clean, crisp and without defect.  

Now it's time for a Mindset refresher, find ways to incorporate it into my existing pre-shot routine and head out on the golf course to see what happens.

 

I see you have the right MINDSET.. One of my all time favorite albums in the background.

[Josh Parker]

Putting with the mindset ball took a little getting used to. It's not as direct as I would like for lining up my putts.  

[nupezb]

Received my balls today. Plan to get a round in this weekend to start my review.


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[Golf2Much]

31 minutes ago, buckpillar said:

I see you have the right MINDSET.. One of my all time favorite albums in the background.

I have to agree with you on that one!   

What you can't see is a Meatloaf guitar pick and ticket stubs for the six plus times we saw him.  Included is his March, 1978 concert at Susquehanna University that my wife went.  At that concert Meatloaf ripped his pants wide open doing splits on stage during Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.    He wasn't wearing underwear at the time.  

[gualandi99]

I got a dozen of the Bridgestone Tour B X mindset balls and to be honest I like them.  The play nicely distance of the tee is good to excellent, spin on iron shots is good as well they are a hop and stop ball which is what I lkke as I tend to spin balls like the ProV1 and Z star too much.  these perform similarly to the proV1x or my current ball the Trust Bison X.( they are more durable than the Bison X but more than twice the price)  The Mindset has forced me to slow down and I can see where a little more concentration comes from utilizing the system.  I think any ball could be made I to a.mkndset ball too but all in all I like these and would definitely consider playing them in the future too.  I have only gone through 2 balls of the dozen I got from Bridgestone, but so far so good.

 

[buckpillar]

55 minutes ago, Golf2Much said:

I have to agree with you on that one!   

What you can't see is a Meatloaf guitar pick and ticket stubs for the six plus times we saw him.  Included is his March, 1978 concert at Susquehanna University that my wife went.  At that concert Meatloaf ripped his pants wide open doing splits on stage during Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.    He wasn't wearing underwear at the time.  

Commando!!!!!

[Erin B]

I like the technique but not a fan of the balls. 

I played with one of my scramble partners today and let him play them. He loves them. I think he’s damned near sold on them. He’s a lefty and we were playing in the wind. He has a banana ball flight. But with the Bridgestones, he was hitting them straight and for the first time I’ve played with him, hit som baby draws. These balls are made for him. I played the Titleist TruFeel balls for the first time and really liked them. So weird!?!? 

Anyway, I have a conundrum, I’m still playing the OnCore Vero X2s and am back to loving their performance, the Chrome Tour X, the ProV1 - and the ProV1/X, and now the TruFeels. I never thought I’d like the TruFeels. Someone gave me a sleeve to try, and it was windy and I didn’t want to lose my high dollar balls so I said what the hell. But I’m glad my buddy likes these Bridgestones.

[PhilM75072]

On 4/6/2024 at 7:03 AM, PhilM75072 said:

I definitely appreciate the opportunity, and I'm really looking forward to testing these balls to see if they can address two of my weaknesses. I've generally used alignment aids on the tee (par 3s, 4s and 5s), and on the greens. However, I am poor at even thinking of visualizing my shots, and I tend to focus on the general area of the ball instead of a specific spot on it. It will be interesting to see how this "reminder" graphic changes my pre-shot routine and approach to the game, and if I can carry it over to when I can't take the ball in hand and the graphic isn't showing or isn't properly lined up.

In the way of introduction, I am in my mid 70s, and I have been playing golf since before I reached my teenage years. I have carried a single-digit handicap for many years. I finally made a concession to my age and declining length with all my clubs by moving up to the senior tees in January 2022 at the age of 74. A big reason for my handicap being as low as it has been, has typically been my ability to make birdies, something that has become more difficult, as you will see in the next paragraph.

Historically, my strength has been my iron game, but you would never know it based on recent performance, but I feel there is a reason. I joined a different course last year, and before they replaced all 18 greens, they were very small, much smaller than I have ever been used to, and, thus, difficult to hit. As part of the renovation process, they enlarged most of the greens, some by as much as 30%, but, being new, they are exceptionally firm. Hit anywhere but on the very front of the green and you will go long. They are also being watered heavily in the mornings when I play and they all slope from back to front, so that takes away the idea of landing short and having the ball bounce up onto the green. If you can't hit many greens in regulation, you aren't going to make a lot of birdies!

I have been a Shot Scope user since the V3 was introduced in July 2020, upgrading to the X5 when it came out. Being retired, I play golf every weekday, weather permitting, year 'round. Living in North Texas, you can't play every day, or even necessarily every week in the winter, but certainly one can get out several times per month even during the worst of winters.  As a result, I have a lot of data accumulated that I will be able to compare with the results of my Bridgestone Tour B RX testing.

Finally, in the way of pre-testing additional information, I have been primarily playing the Vice Pro and Pro Plus, with the Plus surprisingly performing well for my game despite my slow swing speed. That is actually confirmed by MGS' 2023 ball test! Again, it will be interesting to see how this Bridgestone ball compares in both feel and performance.

I just received my Bridgestone Tour B-RX balls in the mail yesterday. My experience unboxing them was no different from anybody else's experience. Each dozen comes in a good, protective outer box with the two of them taped together, with the box of balls itself typical, holding four individual sleeves of balls. The back of the box of balls, and the back of the individual sleeves both talk about the Mindset philosophy, and a little bit about the ball's construction.

My intent when testing these balls will be to focus on the Mindset process, and not so much how the ball compares in distance, spin, launch, etc., compared to what I have been using. Instead, I want to focus on using the three-step process as it addresses two of my weaknesses, visualizing my shot and concentrating on a specific spot on the ball instead of looking at the club head or in the general area of the ball. I want to see if I can stick to the method throughout the round, if I perceive it is having a positive impact, and trust that the Shot Scope data will prove that out. Can I be successful applying the process even when I can't take the ball in hand to line it up or to see the Mindset graphic?

The balls themselves are "clean" looking with minimal markings aside from the Mindset graphic and the Bridgestone "B". One thing I noticed when looking at each of the balls from the first sleeve I opened is that the green "dot" does not appear to be perfectly lined up behind the arrow. Does that make a difference, is it even necessary? Maybe my perception is slightly off. I will also have to see if the arrow used for aligning the ball on the tee and on the green is larger or long enough to provide accuracy as I am used to much longer lines, some I place myself, for alignment purposes.

On-course testing may be a little delayed as both my wife and I have come down with the flu. Stay tuned!

[MIGregB]

@nupezb @PhilM75072  @Golf2Much Well of course the 2 doz are finally starting to arrive, I'm away from home for about a week. Sheesh!!

[PhilM75072]

Did you guys see another website is asking 100 of their members to sign up to test the Mindset ball? 100! Is Bridgestone not able to sell these and is resorting to giving them away? 

[Rob Person]

24 minutes ago, PhilM75072 said:

Did you guys see another website is asking 100 of their members to sign up to test the Mindset ball? 100! Is Bridgestone not able to sell these and is resorting to giving them away? 

I don't have another golf site to visit. This is it.  But I maybe have seen an ad on IG requesting it. 

[Rob Person]

Now that I have the Mindset mantra permanently set into my lobes, my next phase will be focused on Ball performance on the course. I don't have access to a sim now that they closed their doors after 6 months of being open. Don't have a LM to grab from either, so it will be based off my personal real feel opinions. 

[PhilM75072]

When I finally get these out on the course, I am going to try to commit to the process, even when the Mindset graphic is hidden. However, after seeing how that goes, I did mark another ball with a lot of green dots using a Sharpie if I feel I need something to focus on when I can't take the ball in hand.

[RDel90]

Finally going to get to take the BXS Mindset for a spin today. Main concern is the 20mph wind we have today in south Florida. Thinking I’ll play the front 9 with the mindset and then switch to Maxfli Tour for the back. I’ll be looking to evaluate the Mindset methodology first and foremost and then look at how they handle with the wind compared to the usually lower flight of the Tour.

After reading some of the other posts, I decided to take a closer look at the balls. All balls had a chevron type mark in pretty much the same spot between the mindset arrows and the ball name print. Wonder if that’s from the ejection after being cast. Not sure if it’s coincidence or not but sleeves with ball numbers 1 and 3 were significantly worse than sleeve numbers 2 and 4. I did find only one ball that had something additional stuck on the dimple and only one ball of the 12 where I didn’t notice any type of “visible defect”. Images below are all different balls from the 1 and 3 numbers.

and the ball with something stuck in the paint…

 

Edited April 27 by RDel90

[PhilM75072]

6 hours ago, Rob Person said:

I don't have another golf site to visit. This is it.  But I maybe have seen an ad on IG requesting it. 

I visit a total of three, as they each have their particular strengths.

[Preeway]

Nothing in the mail again today and I’m getting a little jealous of all you. On the upside, it does mean a few more rounds logged in my ShotScope data for comparison purposes. 

[Timberwolfmadcat]

I received a dozen of the Bridgestone Mindset golf balls as part of the initial MGS offering and was selected later to be in the formal Mindset/Shot Scope review.   
The "official" Bridgestone/Shot Scope balls have been ordered and I wanted to save my review of the Mindset methodology until I get the balls for that portion of the assessment.   Our charter was to use our Shot Scope performance data to assess the impact (if any) of the Bridgestone Mindset identify, visualize and focus principles. 
As part of that assessment, we submitted data from at least 10 rounds with our "go to" gamer ball as a performance baseline.   The intent is to compare those results with ten rounds using the Mindset philosophy to see if there's indeed improved performance.   With my go to ball is a Maxfli Tour S, I felt any performance improvement or decline with the Bridgestone Mindset principles may also be influenced by changing to the Bridgestone Tour B RX ball (touted for slower swing speeds looking for more distance).   So, I set out to attempt to take that variable out of the equation.
I put the initial box of Bridgestone Mindset Tour B RX balls in play for four rounds but did not use to Mindset cues to assess if just changing balls had a significant effect on my personal performance number.  Here's what I found:
 
Looking at the Shot Scope performance data, both balls seem to perform equally as well.  There is some variability in performance distance between the Maxfli and Bridgestone balls, but not enough to get too excited.  The Bridgestone data is only over four rounds while the Maxfli data represents thirty-three rounds. 
There are similar numbers with club performance, tee shots and approach shots for both balls with a slight improvement in short game and putting seen with the Bridgestone. 
Looking at the overall average scoring, the Bridgestone Tour B RX did show about a two stroke lower average scores.  However, the lower scoring is likely more due to a few good chipping and putting days and less due to the Bridgestone's ball performance.  Getting up and down more often and eliminating three putts can go a long way to explain the two-stroke improvement.  I would expect this gap to close with additional Bridgestone Tour B RX rounds and data points.  
I will continue to play Bridgestone Tour B RX without the Mindset philosophy until the official Bridgestone/Shot Scope ball arrive to see if there's any significant changes in the above numbers.  Once the official balls arrive, I'll be totally dedicated to the assessment of the Mindset philosophies.   
Overall, I can feel fairly confident in my situation that both balls perform very similar to one another.  So, any improvement I see in the next phase can most likely be attributed to the application of Mindset principles.  
I can't wait to see what happens!

I think I should do similar if mine ever get here then confirm. On the upside, new driver hit more fairways....though in 40 km/h winds gusting to 70km/h my gir was...not great


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[Michael.Sandoval33]

 

Went rolling with the Mindsets again today, another good day on the practice greens. Need to take them back out for the full run through again but with putting I get solid feedback and bounce from the RXs.

 

[MajorCavalry]

The two dozen Tour BRX golf balls just arrived!  My thanks to MyGolfSpy, Bridgestone, and Shot Scope for choosing me to evaluate the Mind Set system.  
I currently use Oncore Elixr 2022 golf balls.  Came to use these after trying a dozen Bridgestone BRX followed by TaylorMade Tour Response.  I liked each of those balls but preferred the $20 a dozen (on sale) for the Oncor. They seem to work as well off the tee and around the green.

My interest is mainly to see how the Mindset graphic affects my consistency. It will also be interesting to see the results from Shot Scope performance metrics. First round will be Monday. I have already reviewed the videos.

One thing I am not sure of is how to upload the Shot Scope data.
 

Edited April 28 by MajorCavalry

[Rob Person]

For just the shotscope testers with a sub 90 swing speed

I'm without an ability to measure data and have a few requests when you begin.

Looking for carry numbers,  spin rates, distances,  and spin control. This is through the entire bag if possible please.

I am attempting to collide the info from these balls with my real course results. 

 

Thanks

[MIGregB]

11 hours ago, Rob Person said:

For just the shotscope testers with a sub 90 swing speed

I'm without an ability to measure data and have a few requests when you begin.

Looking for carry numbers,  spin rates, distances,  and spin control. This is through the entire bag if possible please.

I am attempting to collide the info from these balls with my real course results. 

 

Thanks

I'm not sure you know, but nothing in the Shot Scope system (or any shot tracking system of which I'm aware) provides carry, spin and spin control (I'm assuming you mean spin consistency) values, so we won't have any way to provide those unless someone has a launch monitor they can deploy while playing. Carry numbers is the one thing I wish any of the shot tracking systems could provide as I believe they're more important than total.

[Rob Person]

15 minutes ago, MIGregB said:

I'm not sure you know, but nothing in the Shot Scope system (or any shot tracking system of which I'm aware) provides carry, spin and spin control (I'm assuming you mean spin consistency) values, so we won't have any way to provide those unless someone has a launch monitor they can deploy while playing. Carry numbers is the one thing I wish any of the shot tracking systems could provide as I believe they're more important than total.

I did not know that.  Thank you

[PhilM75072]

12 hours ago, Rob Person said:

For just the shotscope testers with a sub 90 swing speed

I'm without an ability to measure data and have a few requests when you begin.

Looking for carry numbers,  spin rates, distances,  and spin control. This is through the entire bag if possible please.

I am attempting to collide the info from these balls with my real course results. 

 

Thanks

Are the Bridgestone balls themselves "new", or is it just the addition of the Mindset logo and usage philosophy? If the ball hasn't really changed, wouldn't the last MGS Ball Test give you an idea of those numbers?

[MIGregB]

1 minute ago, PhilM75072 said:

Are the Bridgestone balls themselves "new", or is it just the addition of the Mindset logo and usage philosophy? If the ball hasn't really changed, wouldn't the last MGS Ball Test give you an idea of those numbers?

From my understanding, you are correct! There could be a new ball model in there somewhere that happened to drop recently, but it looks like they have the Mindset option available on most, if not all, of their upper end models. So, I agree that the MGS Ball Test reports would be a great place to start.

Like you, I find it interesting that Bridgestone is giving away so many boxes of Mindset balls. You could be right that they aren't being accepted nearly as well as they expected and that they need to get them out there to try build a following. 

[Big moose]

I have been going through all the reviews by the testers and hopefully the weather will cooperate when I get back from aruba so I can start comparing the mindset ball to the titleist tour soft. If I get to play this week I will definitely post my results. Hit'm well everyone. 

[Rob Person]

2 hours ago, PhilM75072 said:

Are the Bridgestone balls themselves "new", or is it just the addition of the Mindset logo and usage philosophy? If the ball hasn't really changed, wouldn't the last MGS Ball Test give you an idea of those numbers?

Yes, these are the new balls released a few months ago. Great idea to find if there was an official MGS performance evaluation done

[aguybadatgolf]

I’m really enjoying the balls so far. I love the feel and performance even before adding mindset. The mindset addition has been a game changer. I am currently going through some big swing changes and am struggling with alignment due to changes in my set up. This process allows me to take the time to line up my tee shot and make sure I am really aiming where I think I am. Also having a routine to go through really helps me feel more relaxed when I take my shot. Will be buying more. 

[RDel90]

On 4/27/2024 at 11:55 AM, RDel90 said:

Finally going to get to take the BXS Mindset for a spin today. Main concern is the 20mph wind we have today in south Florida. Thinking I’ll play the front 9 with the mindset and then switch to Maxfli Tour for the back. I’ll be looking to evaluate the Mindset methodology first and foremost and then look at how they handle with the wind compared to the usually lower flight of the Tour.

 

Well the 20-25mph wind was rough. I can’t imaging how they played in Augusta what what kind of wind. I’m glad I made the decision to only play 9 with the Mindset and save the rest for a not so windy day. I did wind up losing 4 balls with some big wind gusts. The BXS is a little too spinny for me off the tee which led to some balloons in the wind. However I absolutely loved the spin with my irons holding greens and especially with wedges. I holed out from 20 yds off green side and had 2 other 25 yd pitches to within 8ft for 1 putts. Shot 42 on the front. Switched to Maxfli Tour for the back 9 (normally I’m an TourX guy but figured the more piercing flight I get with the regilar Tour would be better for into the wind) Still shot a 43 but definitely had a harder time holding greens. I did have lower flight and spin while giving up some carry distance with the Tour. I felt like I was constantly scrambling to get up and down for recovery which brings me to the Mindset methodology.

I definitely feel there is something there with the Mindset process. Focusing on the Green dot was easy to keep an eye lock on. I felt so ‘focused’ that any other swing thoughts were blocked out and all I could see was the green dot. My swing tempo and swing itself felt so much more controlled and natural. With my Maxfli on the back I definitely starting thinking and focusing on my tempo and low hands/path during my takeaway. 

Putting….I made sure to take the time to line up the arrows and use the process. Not so much for the arrows and alignment itself but moreso to have the Focus dot available. Again locking in on the green dot I felt like I could stay locked on the ball through impact and not look up until well after. Stroke felt so much more naturally controlled and confident. Without Mindset, it was easy to lose the dimple or spot on the ball I was trying to focus on. I could feel my eyes drift a bit from the ball back to my putter head during the takeaway to see if was coming straight back and thinking about/questioning stroke distance mid putt.

On the back my playing partner even made the comment “why don’t you switch back to the Jason Day ball!” So the mental confidence difference off the tee was even noticeable to others. In summary, definitely a fan of the process. I’m wondering now, how much is the Mindset graphics or can I do and feel the same by putting a colored dot on my regular gamers. Next round, hopefully without windy conditions, I can put the BXS Mindset up against my regular Maxfli TourX (with their Max Alignment).
 

Edit: I did go through the Pick a Target and Visualize shot part of the process as well. But that is something I do regardless of ball. Typically done in my pre-address as I stand behind the ball. So the ‘focus’ of my critique was on the Focus aspect. Just don’t want anyone to think I just skipped out on 2/3 of the process
 

 

Edited April 28 by RDel90

[LinksgolfFever]

Four more rounds with the mindset this week.  The feel is really great, and I find them to react consistently.  I think the only  downside I’ve really found with these is they tend to mar/scuff a little easier than my other gamers (Srixon/Z-star).

off the tee I think is where I have found the most success.

more fairways and more targets reached.  

Greens or at least the pseudo greens (on the collar). Have increased, as well.  
 

3 more rounds set for this week and my final review. STAY TUNED

[bama no 1]

13 hours ago, aguybadatgolf said:

I’m really enjoying the balls so far. I love the feel and performance even before adding mindset. The mindset addition has been a game changer. I am currently going through some big swing changes and am struggling with alignment due to changes in my set up. This process allows me to take the time to line up my tee shot and make sure I am really aiming where I think I am. Also having a routine to go through really helps me feel more relaxed when I take my shot. Will be buying more. 

I guess one burning question I have, does the mindset routine impact the routine you had before you used the ball? Did it add more focus or did it disrupt any swing routines before the strike?