COVINGTON, Ga. – (January 24, 2019) – Bridgestone Golf, the #1 Ball-Fitter in Golf, is announcing exciting changes to its groundbreaking Ball Fitting program that will help golfers determine which golf ball is best suited for their game for tee shots, approach shots and greenside performance.
To date, Bridgestone’s Ball Fitting program has relied on a method of head-to-head driver testing – with a player’s current golf ball selection being pitted against a selection from the Bridgestone line that was derived from a series of driver swing measurements on its Science Eye launch monitors. In 2019, in addition to the trusted driver performance analysis, Bridgestone will begin measuring approach shot performance using an 8-iron as its testing control. Bridgestone will look at spin rates, launch angle, ball speed and other key measurements to help determine changes in accuracy, consistency and distance on approach shots from ball-to-ball. Once a player is fit into a category of ball based on the driver and approach shot testing, Bridgestone will provide that player with 2-ball sample sleeves to conduct their own greenside testing before making a final determination as to which ball they make their “gamer.”
“In 2006, we launched a program that changed the conversation golfers were having from which players were playing which balls on Tour, to which ball should I play that best fits my game,” said Adam Rehberg, Golf Ball Fitting Manager, Bridgestone Golf, Inc. “As we have continued our efforts to educate consumers through many different methods about the best way to choose a golf ball fit for them, technology has advanced and consumers have become more sophisticated about what questions to ask. So, in 2019, we are adding approach shot analysis and short-game considerations to our in-person fittings. We will be able to confidently fit golfers the same way they play the game, from tee to green.”
Bridgestone’s Ball Fitting program, which launched in 2006 as “The Bridgestone Challenge,” is credited with being the first consumer-focused system to use science-based launch monitor data to educate golfers on how different golf balls affect their games – encouraging them to choose golf balls based on data metrics rather than the emotional appeal of what Tour players are playing. What Bridgestone found was astonishing. An incredible 7 out of 10 players tested benefitted from being fit for a golf ball, gaining distance and/or accuracy off the tee. Through 2018, Bridgestone has conducted over 300,000 in person fittings and over 2.1 million golfers in total have been aided in their golf ball selection with tools like B-FIT Chat, On-Line Golf Ball Selector and the B-FIT Swing App that allows golfers to conveniently measure their swing characteristics using their smart phone’s camera. In addition to being used as a diagnostic tool, Bridgestone has also relied on Ball Fitting in product R&D with several balls being developed as a result of information gleaned through the program.
In 2019, Bridgestone will return to a greater emphasis on its in-person fittings, relaunching teams of ball-fitting professionals to conduct one-on-one fittings at golf courses, retailers and other special events throughout the golf season.
“Greenside testing is challenging because feel is so subjective when it comes to player preferences on chips and pitches, so what better way for a player to ensure they have a ball that fits their game on and around the greens than doing some testing of their own with complimentary balls,” said Rehberg. “We are confident that with the evolution of our Ball Fitting methodology golfers will have a clearer picture than ever before about how a golf ball’s construction impacts every facet of their game.”
Bridgestone’s new Ball Fitting program will kick-off in Atlanta during the Super Bowl Experience at the Georgia World Congress Center and Super Bowl LIVE in Centennial Park. This spring Bridgestone’s evolved Ball Fitting will make its way to select Sunbelt markets, expanding its reach nationwide this summer and fall. For more information about Bridgestone’s enhanced Ball Fitting program visit www.BridgestoneGolf.com.
