Golf Balls – Page 8 – Syndication Server

Bridgestone Tour B golf balls (2020)

Bridgestone used a new urethane blend in the new Tour B balls to increase distance off the tee and improve greenside control.

Gear: Bridgestone Tour B golf balls (2020)
Price: $44.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece urethane-covered balls
Available: Feb. 14

What happens when you take 900 engineers who specialize in polymer and rubber, and combine them with expert golf ball designers and the feedback of 15-time major winner Tiger Woods? The answer is the new family of Bridgestone Tour B golf balls, which the company said will give golfers the best combination of distance off the tee and greenside spin.

The key technology in the second generation of Tour B balls is a new type of urethane used in the cover. Bridgestone calls it Reactiv urethane, and it contains an impact modifier that helps the material do some unique things.

Off the tee, the urethane rebounds more quickly than other urethanes Bridgestone has used to help golfers generate more ball speed and distance. However, on softly hit pitches and chip shots around the green, it absorbs shock and helps the ball stay in contact with the face for a longer period of time. That should help the grooves in wedges generate more spin and greenside control.

Bridgestone Tour B X 2020 — The Tour B balls have an updated cover that helps produce more distance off the tee while boosting greenside spin. (Bridgestone)

In addition to the new cover material, Bridgestone’s updated Tour B balls feature the company’s gradational compression core design. Instead of using multiple cores, Bridgestone has engineered the core of each Tour B to be very soft in the center and become gradually firmer toward the outer areas. Bridgestone said this type of core helps generate consistent compression time for increased ball speed.

Like the previous generation Tour B golf balls, there is also a firm mantle layer to create more ball speed, as well as a dual-dimple system on the cover. The outer dimple is designed to create more height and speed off the tee, while the inner dimple promotes a shallower descent angle for increased roll in the fairways.

There are four Tour B models designed for different types of players and individual preferences.

Bridgestone Tour B X and Tout B XS (Bridgestone)

The Tour B X and the Tour B XS are designed for golfers who have a driver swing that is 105 mph or faster. They are both three-piece balls, but the Tour B X (Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau’s choice) has a firmer feel while the Tour B XS has a softer feel at impact and generates slightly more greenside spin. Tiger Woods is expected to use the updated Tour B XS this week at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

In a release, Woods said, “(The Tour B XS) gives me the right feel and has shortgame spin that exceeds my previous urethane ball. Off the tee, ball speed is up and this new Tour B XS is definitely longer while still being in my window.”

Bridgestone Tour B RX and Tour B RXS (Bridgestone)

For golfers with driver swing speeds below 105 mph, Bridgestone is offering the Tour B RX and Tour B RXS. Again, both balls are three-piece designs, with the RX ball being the firmer of the two. The cover on the Tour B RXS is slightly softer, so it should provide more greenside spin.

Callaway Chrome Soft, Chrome Soft X golf balls

For 2020, the Chrome Soft’s core is bigger and the Chrome Soft X now has a dual mantle layer. Both balls offer more distance and spin.

Gear: Callaway Chrome Soft, Chrome Soft X balls
Price: $47.99 per dozen
Specs: Four-piece, dual-core design with urethane cover (Chrome Soft); four-piece, dual-mantle-layer ball with a urethane cover (Chrome Soft X)
Available: March 12

Manufacturers of premium golf balls usually focus on the performance benefits of their offerings in two areas: distance off the tee and spin around the green. When Callaway debuted the first Chrome Soft ball four years ago, it tried to go beyond those two things as engineers factored in how the balls performed with irons and wedges, too. For that reason, Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele and Francesco Molinari switched into either the Chrome Soft or the firmer-feeling Chrome Soft X.

For 2020, Callaway has updated both balls to help golfers get not only more distance but better overall performance.

The Chrome Soft is a four-piece, dual-core ball with a urethane cover. Like the previous Chrome Soft, the inner core is very soft, but for 2020 it is 34 percent larger, which should give this version of Chrome Soft more speed and a higher launch angle.

Callaway Chrome Soft 2020 balls — The Chrome Soft has a dual-core design encased in a thin mantle and urethane cover. (Callaway)

The inner core is encased in a second core, which is infused with Graphene, a nano-particle that reinforces the rubber. To accommodate the larger inner core, the outer core is thinner, but the Graphene helps make it more durable and also enhances spin on wedge shots.

The dual-core system is surrounded by a new ionomer mantle layer. Callaway designed it to transfer the speed created in the core more efficiently. It’s stiffer than the mantle used in the last generation of the Chrome Soft, and the company says it will allow wedges and short irons to grab the ball more easily and generate more spin.

Finally, the cover on the 2020 Chrome Soft is 10 percent thinner and made from a more resilient urethane to boost speed and lower spin off the tee. The hexagonal cover pattern is more aerodynamic, so it produces a higher launch with less drag for increased distance.

The new Chrome Soft will be available in white, yellow, Truvis (white and red, yellow and black) and a white Triple Track version.

The updated Chrome Soft X is also a four-piece ball, but instead of having a dual-core system like the last version, the new Chrome Soft X has one massive core. It’s 117 percent larger than the inner core of the 2018 ball and is made from a more resilient rubber to maximize speed.

Callaway Chrome Soft X 2020 — The 2020 Chrome Soft X has one core and two mantle layers under its urethane cover. (Callaway)

A dual-mantle system surrounds the core. The inner mantle is soft, while the outer mantle is firm. Callaway said they work together to amplify speed with woods and long irons while providing a foundation for the soft urethane cover so golfers can generate more spin with their wedges.

The urethane cover is 22 percent thinner. Over the firm outer mantle, it helps give the Chrome Soft X a firmer overall feel without adding excessive spin off the tee. The Chrome Soft X ball will fly higher than the standard Chrome Soft, and it will be available in white, Triple Track white and Truvis (yellow and black).

Titleist Tour Soft golf ball (2020)

The second version of the Titleist Tour provides more distance off the tee and control around the green while maintaining soft feel.

Gear: Titleist Tour Soft golf ball (2020)
Price: $34.99 per dozen
Specs: Two-piece, Surlyn-covered ball. Available in white and yellow.
Available: Jan. 22

Titleist debuted its first Tour Soft golf balls in 2018 to replace the NXT Tour and NXT Tour S in the company’s stable. According to the company, golfers who bought the Tour Soft liked the soft feel at impact and the distance produced with their irons.

Still, company research showed that if there were areas where players wanted to see improvement, it was distance off the tee and control around the greens. For 2020, with the release of the updated Tour Soft balls, Titleist made a point to address those two areas.

The spherically-tiled 342 cuboctahedron dimple pattern has not changed for 2020, but the edges and depth of the dimples were modified slightly and the Surlyn blend used to make the cover is subtly firmer. As a result, the Tour Soft now has a lower, more penetrating trajectory.

The ball also should deliver more greenside spin because the cover is thinner, so the grooves in wedges and short irons can bite into it and generate spin more effectively.

Titleist Tour Soft balls — The Tour Soft has a bigger core plus a new side stamp and alignment aid. (Titleist)

To make the ball longer off the tee, the core has been enlarged to 1.61 inches in diameter (by rule, balls cannot be smaller than 1.68 inches in diameter including the cover). It’s the largest core found in any Titleist ball, and the company said it delivers more speed off the tee and with long irons. The softness of the core also helps offset the slightly firmer cover material, so the ball still feels soft at impact.

Finally, Titleist gave the Tour Soft a new side stamp, modeling it after a popular custom offering the company had made available online. The perpendicular lines are designed to boldly stand out against the white and yellow balls and make it easier for golfers to align putts and square their putter at address.

Titleist Velocity golf ball (2020)

The fifth-generation Velocity is still long off the tee, but now it has more stopping power on approach shots.

Gear: Titleist Velocity golf ball (2020)
Price: $27.99 per dozen
Specs: Two-piece, Surlyn-covered ball. Available in white, matte green, matte orange and matte pink.
Available: Jan. 22

There is nothing subtle about the updated Titleist Velocity golf balls. They are an unabashed attempt by the Fairhaven, Mass.-based company to help golfers who want more distance off the tee and more style in their game. However, after conducting research and gathering feedback from Velocity players, Titleist has added more stopping power on approach shots.

To help golfers add yards off the tee, the fifth-generation Velocity has been designed with a slightly larger core for more speed. It also has an updated cover pattern. The tiled 350-dimple octahedral pattern was developed to give the ball more lift. Coupled with the larger core, that should aid in creating more carry distance with the driver.

The added lift also will help golfers hit their long irons and hybrids higher, which means those shots should come down on a steeper angle and stop faster after landing.

For 2020, Velocity is available in white, matte green, matte orange and matte pink. The white and pink balls are available with single-digit numbers (1-4), while the green and orange balls are available in double-digit numbers (00, 11, 22, 33).

Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls

The Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls combine a new core with low compression to provide golfers with more distance and softer feel.

Gear: Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls
Price: $19.99 per dozen
Specs: 36-compression, two-piece ball with Surlyn cover
Available: Jan. 27

Wilson has made some of the lowest-compression, softest-feeling golf balls for several seasons, and for 2020 the Chicago-based company has released another: the Staff DUO+ Soft.

The Staff DUO+ Soft is a two-piece ball designed to provide golfers with more distance thanks to its new VelocitiCor, a new core formulation. The company said it helps the Staff DUO+ Soft produce 1 to 1.5 mph more ball speed, which translates to about 4 to 6 more yards of distance.

Wilson Staff DUO+ golf balls — The Staff DUO+ Soft has a new core formulation to provide more distance. (Wilson)

Wilson also said the Staff DUO+ Soft is the lowest-spinning two-piece ball on the market. That could make it ideally suited for golfers who battle a slice or a hook because lower overall spin should translate to decreased sidespin and straighter shots.

While the Staff DUO+ Soft does not produce as much greenside spin as other Wilson offerings, it does produce a higher launch angle off irons and wedges, so approach shots should come down with a more vertical angle of descent, which will add stopping power.

Srixon Q-Star golf balls (2020)

The third generation of the Q-Star balls have been given a new core designed to provide more distance off the tee with soft feel.

Gear: Srixon Q-Star golf balls
Price: $32.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered ball available in white and yellow
Available: Jan. 17

This is the third generation of the Q-Star ball, and thanks to the addition of a new core design, Srixon said it is the best performing yet.

Last year the company debuted the FastLayer core in its Z-Star and Z-Star XV balls, premium offerings used on the PGA Tour by golfers such as Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley and 2019 British Open champion Shane Lowry. Now that core design has been added to the Q-Star.

The FastLayer core in the Q-Star is soft in the center and gradually grows firmer toward the outer areas. While many balls have a single or a dual-core design, Srixon said the FastLayer core is like having thousands of layers, giving golfers a softer feel at impact with better energy transfer for more distance.

The Q-Star’s urethane cover features an aerodynamic 338-dimple pattern that the company said helps make the ball more stable in windy conditions. At the same time, the urethane should help golfers generate more spin and enhance feel around the green. It is complemented by a SpinSkin coating that helps short iron and wedge grooves grab the ball more effectively for increased spin.