Bridgestone have refreshed their four-strong Tour B line-up by injecting what can best be described as a bit of magic dust into the three-piece tour balls.
Polymer impact modifiers and dense middle layers probably aren’t on anyone’s list of things they want in a golf ball, but they’re the silent partners powering the new 2024 Bridgestone Tour B series. A new middle layer formulation offers extra speed and distance off the tee while a softer urethane cover creates gob-smacking spin around the greens.
Regardless of your skill level, the Bridgestone Tour B line-up will take performance to a new level in 2024.
IMPACT MODIFIERS AND REACTIV X
The new Tour B line-up is propelled by what Bridgestone’s “Contact Science” department like to call the Reactiv X system. Reactiv X consists of interacting twin technologies: polymer impact modifiers in the urethane cover and a new middle layer called XCLRNT.
Impact modifiers are the secret sauce in the Tour B line-up because they behave differently depending on the force applied to them. The extreme speed of a driver sees the impact modifiers firm up and push back, which makes energy transfer from club to ball much more efficient and boosts ball speed and distance. However, a more delicate wedge shot sees the impact modifiers relax. And that makes the cover stay in contact with the ball for longer, generating additional spin from the grooves for additional stopping power.
Meanwhile, the new XCLRNT middle layer complements the cover and provides a two-fold advantage. Being firmer and denser, the new middle layer helps generate higher initial ball speed. And that same rigidity means the cover can pinch up against it with more force, which boosts control and greenside stopping power.
To customise performance in each of the four Tour B balls — the Tour B X, Tour B XS, Tour B RX and Tour B RXS — Bridgestone tweak the Reactiv X system to suit different swing speeds and spin requirements.
SOFTER, FIRMER, LOWER AND BETTER
With the firmer middle layer increasing ball speed at launch, it freed up Bridgestone to make the cover of each Tour B ball softer without changing the overall compression of each ball. The new middle layer formula sees the balls launching a little lower, which translates into a slightly lower apex, and it also creates a deeper and more satisfying impact sound.
THE 2024 RANGE OF BALLS
Bridgestone’s four tour balls are split down the middle for different swing speeds: Tour B X and Tour BXS for driver swing speeds over 105mph, and Tour B RX and Tour B RXS for driver swing speeds under 105mph.
2024 BRIDGESTONE TOUR B X
ThenewTour B X is the longest, lowest launching and lowest spinning ball in the Bridgestone Tour B line-up. The Tour B X is played by Tiger Woods and Jason Day and is one of the firmest tour balls around, with a compression of 94. Lower handicappers and high swing speed players (over 105mph) who hit the ball too high with too much spin will have the most to gain playing the Tour B X.
2024 BRIDGESTONE TOUR B XS
The Tour B XS offers extra spin and a softer feel compared to the Tour B X. It’s perfect for lower handicappers and high swing speed players (over 105mph) who prefer a softer feeling tour ball and will help players generate extra spin on their approach shots and around the greens. The Tour B XS has an 84 compression.
2024 BRIDGESTONE TOUR B RX
The Tour B RX offers tour ball performance for swing speeds under 105mph. Freddy Couples has been fitted into the Tour B RX for 2024 and it offers excellent distance off the tee while retaining remarkable spin around the green. The Tour B RX has overall compression of 79.
2024 BRIDGESTONE TOUR B RXS
The Tour B RXS offers extra spin around the green and a softer feel than the Tour B RX. Featuring a 65 compression, the RXS should appeal to players with swing speeds under 105mph and it is the softest of the four new Tour B balls.
TIGER WOODS TOUR B X
Bridgestone called on Tiger Woods to contribute to the design of the new Tour B range and his knowledge, feel and insights have been extremely beneficial for everyone who plays the game — including him.
Tiger previously played the Tour B XS for its softer feel and extra spin, but the new design has seen him shift allegiances to the Tour B X. It offers Tiger greater ball speed but retains similar spin and feel to the previous generation Bridgestone Tour B XS.
Bridgestone offer a special Tour B X Tiger Woods ball, but its construction is identical to the regular Tour B X. The only differences are cosmetic: “TIGER” is printed on the side, and each ball is stamped with the number 1.
BRIDGESTONE TOUR B MINDSET
All four versions of the Tour B balls are offered in a new MindSet configuration, which sees a three-circle pattern printed on the side of the ball. The Mindset concept was developed by Bridgestone staffer Jason Day and his mental coach Jason Goldsmith, and the new approach is designed to help golfers be more intentional over the ball.
An outermost red circle is used to identify the target. The middle yellow ring is used to validate the first step and remind players to visualise the shot. And the solid green dot in the middle helps a golfer focus before executing the shot. Jason Day uses the Tour B X Mindset model in tournament play and debuted it at The Sentry Invitational in Hawaii last month.
