50 Words or Less
The Bridgestone e9 Long Drive golf ball has plenty of ball speed and low spin. Surprisingly good short game performance. Firm feel.
Introduction
With so many golf balls on the shelf, it can feel impossible to understand who or what they’re designed for. The new Bridgestone e9 Long Drive golf ball, however, puts its raison d’etre right in the name: Long Drive. This ball was developed to deliver more ball speed for more distance. I tested it to see if it delivered.
Sound & Feel
With “Long Drive” in the name, my expectations for sound were quite low, but it only took a few putts for the Bridgestone e9 Long Drive to surprise me. Off the putter, the e9 is much quieter than I expected. With a deep-milled putter, it is only slightly louder than a Pro V1. More importantly, the sound is not a harsh “click” but a medium “thud.” That audio difference is more pronounced with a fly milled putter, but the Bridgestone e9 still never produces a “click.”
While the sound surprised me, the feel of the e9 is quite firm, as expected. Regardless of the putter being used, this ball creates a feeling of impact, not the soft compression of urethane-covered ball. If you want a softer feeling ball, check out the Bridgestone e12 HERE.
Through the rest of the bag, the Bridgestone e9 Long Drive golf ball feels good. The sound off the wedges and irons is surprisingly quiet. I wouldn’t regard the sound or feel as a selling point, but it’s not a strong negative, either.
Short Game
With short game spin, my expectations for the Bridgestone e9 Long Drive were, again, low. And, again, I was pleasantly surprised. On medium and long pitch shots, the e9 spun about 1,000 RPM less than a urethane-covered Tour golf ball like the PXG Xtreme [review HERE].
On full swings with wedges and scoring irons, that gap was slightly larger, around 1,500 RPM. Overall, I found that the e9 spun about 15% less than a Tour ball. While this is a substantial gap, it’s not the difference between a ball backing up and one running through the green.
If you’re looking for a Bridgestone ball with maximum stopping power, check out the Tour B HERE.
Long Game
Before I get into the results, I want to offer two important notes. First, my swing speed is above average but far from elite. Second, I am a low spin player, especially with the driver. I say that up front to emphasize that your results may be very different from mine. Take my results as a data point, not the final word.
The long game is where the Bridgestone e9 Long Drive is meant to shine, and it did just that. From the mid irons through the driver, the e9 produced ball speed on par with the best golf balls I’ve tested. In terms of both peak speed and consistency, I got as much speed from this $30 ball as I do from those costing almost double.
Looking at spin, the Bridgestone e9 Long Drive produced measurably less with the long and mid irons when compared to a Tour ball. The difference here was smaller than with the wedges, closer to 8%. This was enough to add a couple yards of carry distance. With the driver, the e9 spun about as much as a low-spinning Tour ball. Again, higher spinning players may see a gap here, but as a low spin player, I did not. Spin consistency was impressive with the e9 Long Drive through the testing.
Conclusion
For players looking to maximize their distance off the tee and into the green, the Bridgestone e9 Long Drive golf ball is worth a look. At an affordable price, it offers excellent ball speed and low spin for more distance. There are sacrifices to be made in the short game, but it may be worth it for longer drives.
Visit Bridgestone Golf HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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2 Comments
I just recently bought a dozen of these balls to play with in a scramble
I found them to be as advertised. Long, very long. I was getting 10-20 yds on my drives and the same results when I hit my 3 wood either off the tee or off the deck
I was able to reach all the par 5 on the course I played when normally I can only reach one
I did not hit them into any greens or putt with them, after all it was a scramble.
IMO these are the perfect scramble ball.
PS
I have a SS of 97-99 and play to a 8hcp
Matt ,
Hit a Bridgestone E 6 and that had a nice feel and very long . Not sure if you ever hit a E 6 . Just wondering if
the E 9 could even compete with the E 6 . The E 6 is underrated , it can stop rather well .
Cheers Mate