Is there such a thing as love at first sight with golf balls? OOOHH la la! Her measurements are 340-325-335.. No those aren’t the measurements a severely overweight coed golfer. Those are some of the drive lengths I achieved when I put the new Bridgestone B330RX into play for the first time.
My local pro shop is sold out of B330-RX’s. They’re flying off the shelves. The word is out that this ball is freakin’ awesome.
Technology
The B330RX is a multi-layer (3) golf ball optimized for amateur players with a swing speed less than 105 MPH. That is me, less than 105. Freddy Couples on the other hand, is around 118 MPH. Tiger? 125. So the B330-RX would NOT be the right ball for them.
Some new Bridgestone golf balls, including the RX, have a new technology in the core. The core is the center of the ball, like the Earth’s core. Rather than being one consistent material, Bridgestone has developed a “gradational core” technology. What that means in terms that a caddy could understand, is that the core varies in density from the center outward. The net result is optimum compression and smooth power transition. DISTANCE and lots of it.
The outer layer (cover) of the ball has 330 dimples, thus the 330 in the name. Unlike many golf balls, the 330-RX is manufactured in such a way that there is no visible seam. This is called “seamless technology.”
On The Course
I’m picky when it comes to what golf balls I’ll put into play. Super hard core balls kill my golfer’s elbow and with a swing speed of around 100MPH I can’t really compress them all that well anyway. I’m also not a fan of hard cover balls, but if the core is soft I can handle them.
When I got a 330-RX in my hands I initially thought it was going to be a rock just based on the cover. But the core of the 330-RX is touted as the softest core out there and my golfer’s elbow would agree. No pain, which is good.
The first solid contact I made with an RX was on the par-5 12th hole at one of my (many) home courses. This hole measures out at 530 yards. Solid drives with other golf balls usually put me to around 230 yards from the green. This awesome drive I hit with the RX put me at the 200 marker.
I thought maybe I hit a sprinkler head or perhaps just a one in one hundred perfect swing where you knock it farther. But the rest of that round all of my drives were 20-30 yards longer than normal and I wasn’t hitting sprinkler heads on every driving hole.
Driving isn’t the only story with the RX. The performance of the ball off the irons is great. I love feeling the ball compress on iron shots. Well struck approaches, even with long irons, stop within a few feet of where the ball lands on the green.
Around the greens the RX is great. The ball doesn’t have an insane amount of spin so I don’t accidentally check and stop chips short like can happen occasionally with other high end golf balls. The feel and consistency of the ball’s performance around the greens is very nice and predictable.
The RX is very durable and should last many dozens of holes. I have yet to wear an RX out to the point that I have to take it out of play. I knock them OB or in hazards long before that happens!
Last but not least is the 2nd best performance feature of the RX, the first being driving distance. PUTTING with the RX is a joy. This rock rolls as pure and consistently as any golf ball I’ve played. My putting distance control is dead on. I logged the lowest total putts for a round with an RX I’ve had in a long time with an RX, 27.
Price
The Bridgestone B330-RX retails for an astounding $56.00, but I’ve seen street prices in the $39-$43 range.
Critiques
My only critique about the RX is that it didn’t come out about 10-15 years ago.
Conclusion
I know why Bridgestone named this ball the “RX.” That is because this ball has “prescription strength” distance and performance. I highly recommend this ball to any amateur (or pro) who has an average swing speed.
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
Damn fine review !
Tell them to send me some, say 3 dozen, and I’ll review ’em too !
I have my winnings from last weekend burning a hole in my pocket. These look like a good bet, think I will try some.
I used this ball last weekend and was very impressed with the distance and feel