Bridgestone Golf Introduces 2024 Tour B Golf Ball Lineup
The newly upgraded TOUR B Series by Bridgestone Golf includes direct feedback and collaboration with Tiger Woods himself.
Bridgestone Golf has unveiled their new TOUR B Series of golf balls for 2024. Designed to deliver the ultimate combination of distance and greenside spin and control, the latest TOUR B golf balls feature the new REACTIV X System that takes Bridgestone’s Contact Science to a new level. The 2024 TOUR B family comes in 4 distinct models, TOUR B X and TOUR B XS (for swings over 105 mph), and TOUR B RX and TOUR B RXS (for swings under 105 mph).
As in years past, Bridgestone solicited the direct feedback and collaboration from the game’s greatest players, including Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Lexi Thompson and others to bring this exciting new golf ball family to life.
“Any time you have Tiger Woods contributing to a golf ball design you’ve got a major advantage over the competition,” said Elliot Mellow, golf ball marketing manager. “When you combine Bridgestone’s 900 polymer engineers and Contact Science with Tiger’s knowledge and feel, the results are impressive, and that’s what we have with the new TOUR B lineup. Tiger’s insights give our engineers feedback that allows them to push the design envelope beyond what we originally thought was possible.”
Tiger recently switched from the XS to the X following multiple sessions with the Bridgestone engineers as he needed a bit more distance in his long game. This is not an insignificant change as Woods played his previous golf ball model for nearly 20 years.
“I love working with Bridgestone’s engineers and fitters, and really enjoyed the R&D process of the latest TOUR B,” said Tiger. “Since I now play the TOUR B X, I’m partial to that model, but all four new balls sound, feel, and play better than ever. Once you get fit for the right model, regardless of your skill level, you’ll know you have the best Tour ball made today.”
Here’s more information on the new golf ball construction for each model direct from Bridgestone:
The newly developed REACTIV X System, which combines the brand’s patented REACTIV IQ cover with an EXCLRNT mid-layer, is the result of years of development and multiple iterations of REACTIV technology. In the initial version, REACTIV utilized impact modifiers in the urethane cover of each TOUR B model to create a cover that reacted to the impact velocity of every shot. On aggressive swings off the tee, the cover became firmer for faster ball speed and more distance, while on scoring shots with wedges and short irons it became softer for more spin and shot stopping control.
In the second iteration of REACTIV, called REACTIV IQ, the “smart,” cover of each ball in the TOUR B lineup was specifically tailored to optimize performance for the different players types of each of the four TOUR B models. Now, with the REACTIV X System, not only is the REACTIV IQ cover of each TOUR B model optimized and “smart,” due to the use of impact modifiers, but a denser XCLRNT mid-layer acts as a backboard at impact to create even more shot-stopping spin around the greens. The new XCLRNT layer in the REACTIV X system also contributes to a more efficient transfer of energy from the core at impact for increased ball speed and distance, as well as a slightly deeper sound at impact.
The new Bridgestone TOUR B golf balls will be available on February 16, 2024 and retail for $49.99/dozen.
Bridgestone Tour B Golf Balls Review
The new Bridgestone Tour B Series golf balls offer four new models for a wide range of golfers.
Bridgestone Golf’s new Tour B golf ball family consists of four models to fit as many golfer profiles as possible: the Tour B X, Tour B XS, Tour B RX, and Tour B RXS. We had the chance to try out each recently and were very impressed with how they complemented one another while remaining truly unique.
Background and Tech
Officially announced at the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show, the new Bridgestone Tour B Series is an upgrade to an already stellar line of golf balls. The biggest story in this release is the fact that Tiger Woods had years of direct input into the design of the B XS, which Bridgestone put front and center in their trade show booth in Orlando.
Bridgestone Tour B X golf balls.
As far as tech goes, Bridgestone’s new REACTIV cover featured in the Tour B Series promotes more distance and more spin across the board. As was discussed in a recent podcast episode, this is a tricky combination that very few brands have been able to perfect over the years. How do you find the balance of enough spin (but not too much!) on approach shots and around the green while maintaining optimal spin off the tee for more distance?
The short answer: it’s really damn tough. But somehow, Bridgestone succeeded.
The swing speed recommendations for the new series is simple to follow:
If you swing over 105 mph, you’ll want to try either the Tour B X or Tour B XS.
If you swing under 105 mph, you’ll want either the Tour B RX or Tour B RXS.
All four models offer similar benefits in spin and control thanks to REACTIV technology in the cover, so you’re pretty safe from making an “incorrect” choice based on swing speed. It all boils down to feel and performance for your game.
First Impressions
Our tester has a swing speed under 105 mph with his driver, so using Bridgestone’s recommendations, we focused on the Tour B RX and Tour B RXS golf balls.
Off the tee, total distances with each ball were 5 to 10 yards further than his gamer. This was true pretty consistently throughout the test and measured using SkyTrak technology. Spin rates were slightly lower than average, with launch staying within the 14 - 18-degree window.
On approach shots, both golf balls tested similarly to one another in terms of distance and spin. Our tester already plays a relatively high-spinning golf ball on the regular, so he didn’t see any significant change when compared to the Tour B golf balls. This was seen as a positive since more spin would have been a dissatisfier.
In terms of feel, our tester preferred the Tour B RXS. While difficult to measure aside from subjective feedback, our tester believed the feel of the RXS was “softer” especially around the greens and while putting. This ball felt very similar to his gamer, which caught his attention — and ultimately his preference — right away.
Overall Impression
While our tester did not see a significant change in spin on approach shots or around the green, he did appreciate the boost in distance off the tee. Cover durability with extended is yet to be determined, but first impressions are very positive of the new Tour B RX and RXS golf balls.
As a quick aside, our tester did try a few shots with the X and XS models as well. Neither golf ball out performed his current gamer, nor did they perform better than the RX or RXS balls. This is a very important observation as it validated what Bridgestone recommended for his swing speed.
The entire Tour B Series golf ball line is available to pre-order now on their website, and all models retail for $44.99.
