REVIEW: Is the Bridgestone e9 Long-Drive Ball Good Enough for a Round of Golf?

If you asked 100 people whether the golf ball you use matters during your round, you will likely get a pretty even split. Half will tell you that a good ball and the right ball for your game can make a difference in your score and your performance. The other half will pick up the cheapest dozen of Noodle or Top Flite balls you can find and swear that the golf ball is simply a marketing ploy that generates revenue and only truly matters if you make millions of dollars playing this game.

The fact of the matter is the ball truly does matter. Any fitter you go to will suggest a ball that helps with your spin rate, launch angle, and preferred feel. Maybe it is not a priority for every golfer, but it should be looked at as a simple way that you can improve your game.

I’ve tried a lot of different balls over the years, and sometimes the superstitious side of me gets the better of my judgment. When I hit my first birdie with a Nike RZN White in my first year of playing golf, it was all I used. I swore by them, and when Nike got out of ball manufacturing, I did everything I could to find a plentiful supply of the RZN White to fill my golf bag. Of course, supply was limited, and demand, at least to me, was high. Eventually, I had to let go of the fact that the shot, a 75-yard chip, was likely due to a few factors that the ball had nothing to do with.

Eventually, I moved on to Callaway, then TaylorMade, and then Titleist. To this day, I still use my TP5X and Pro V1x, as they are the two balls I truly believe benefit my game the most, especially as I prefer a softer ball with some good spin on the greens. 

But there are still times I like to mix it up, and when Bridgestone sent me several dozen of their e9 Long Drive ball, I thought, “What’s the worst that can happen? My drives go ten yards further and I don’t get the same response on the greens? Oh well.”

Before Hitting The Course

The e9 looks like any ordinary golf ball. It’s shiny and costs $29.99 a dozen, and is geared toward generating higher ball speeds, which can help some of us with more moderate swing velocities, but it is truly geared toward those who are hitting it for competitions. 

“The e9 Long Drive was engineered with direct feedback from WLD competitors using key Bridgestone technologies, and until now were only available to consumers in white,” said Elliot Mellow, Golf Ball Marketing Manager, Bridgestone Golf. “With WLD majors in Kingsport, TN, Oceanside, CA, and Atlanta, GA, rapidly approaching, we knew people would see the colored balls on the telecasts and be interested in buying them. Now they can.”

The ball was designed with maximum carry and launch angle in mind, but it also offers forgiveness. Off-center hits will still provide the player with enough ball speed and launch angle to achieve more distance, which is something I noticed in several tee shots I hit with this ball. My 3-wood is usually my best club off the tee, and this ball helped me gain an extra 9-12 yards in my experience with it.

“Features of the e9 Long Drive include an injection molded, seamless Surlyn cover and Bridgestone’s proven 330-dimple design. An extreme gradational core (softer in the center, firmer toward the exterior) promotes explosive speed and lower long game spin. Unlike many distance-oriented models aimed at faster swingers, the e9 Long Drive was designed with a slightly lower compression, making it a great choice for anyone, including average swingers, who desire higher launch, more speed, and longer carry distance.”

On-Course Performance

I’ll be fully transparent: the first time I decided to put these in play was on a bachelor party golf trip. I was at the Pete Dye-designed Rum Pointe Golf Links in Ocean City, Maryland, with three of my buddies, and I had been playing the Pro V1x for most of the round. I decided I was going to throw them in the bag by the fifth hole and test out some of these Bridgestone e9s.

The first shot I hit with this was an eagle chance on a Par 5. Just about a 12 or 13-yard chip from right off the green. I took my 56-degree wedge, hit a bump-and-run, and sunk it for Eagle to get the boys to -3. 

Needless to say, I had a good feeling about these.

Perhaps it was superstition setting in once again, but I found myself hitting the ball just as well as I was with the Pro V1x, except my tee shots were going quite a bit farther. Of course, the ball is designed for this, in particular, and while there was plenty to write home about in terms of that, I was more interested in seeing whether this ball had green responsiveness that rivaled the most premium balls on the market.

@jklendsholla #golfasmr #asmr ♬ original sound – jklendsholla

The video above is not from Rum Pointe (obviously, look at the tee boxes). I decided to put these in play for a full round at a course close to my house and enjoyed using them, but there are a few things you should know before you do:

Yes, You Will Hit the Ball Further

It seems that I did gain some distance with these, but whether that benefitted my game or not, I am not sure. More doesn’t always mean better, but if you’re in a contest with your friends, you might want to consider gaining a little bit of extra yardage through the e9.

You Will Not Get the Same Spin on the Greens

I tried a few 20, 30, and 40-yard pitch shots with these at my club, where there is a short game area. I tried to get a good idea of how the e9 would respond to pitch shots, and you should not expect there to be the same amount of spin.

They do check up, they just won’t do it as much as a Pro V1x or TP5x or any other $50-per-dozen ball out there. Even with my cleanest of pitch shots with grooves void of any debris, I could not quite get the ball to do a bounce and spin to stop on a dime.

My 50-yard pitch has been one of my best shots over the past two years as an instructor friend of mine once told me to swing down on the ball, keep my hands forward, and abbreviate the finish as fast as humanly possible. This has led to some great spin with a good ball and clean groves over those two years.

Even doing that with this ball did not help. I just couldn’t get the responsiveness I was looking for out of the e9.

That is not to say this isn’t a ball that is suitable for a round. If you are good enough, you can use this lack of spin to your advantage. But let’s not forget that these are not geared toward being the highest-spinning ball on the market that will help with your short game. Longer drives are all about reducing spin, and that’s what these balls are engineered to do. Expecting a lot of spin out of this ball around the greens simply is not fair.

The Bottom Line

The e9 will make your drives and iron shots go a few yards further, if that’s important to you. If you want to outdrive your friends and you’re relatively close in terms of average driving distance, this is the ball that will help you gain a few extra yards to do so.

Would I play a round with it again? Absolutely. I enjoyed the feel of the ball, and the chipping of the first one I hit into the hole for Eagele definitely didn’t hurt my sentiment.