Gear: Bridgestone e12 Contact golf balls
Price: $29.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece Surlyn-covered balls available in white, matte red, matte yellow and matte green
When golfers consider which ball they should play, the term “contact science” does not enter most minds, but Bridgestone is making it a cornerstone of its golf ball family. Last season with the release of the new Tour B family, Bridgestone talked about contact science, and now with the release of the new e12 Contact ball, the phrase has returned.
With last season’s updated Tour B Series balls, Bridgestone focused on contact science with the debut of the Reactiv urethane cover. By adding an impact-modifying agent to the urethane, the ball felt firmer and provided more speed off the tee while staying on the face of wedges longer to help produce more spin.
The e12 Contact features a newly-designed dimple. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
In the e12 Contact ball, contact science refers to something new. The core and the casing layer have not changed meaningfully, and if you hold an e12 Contact in your hand and look at it quickly, you might not notice anything different either. But if you look closely, something jumps out: The dimples are different. They are partially filled, with a raised, circular section in the center of each dimple.
Bridgestone refers to them as Contact Force dimples. The company said they increase the ball surface that comes into contact with the clubface by up to 38 percent. Bridgestone said that translates into a more-efficient transfer of energy through the cover and into the core for more speed on tee shots. It also reduces spin, which for recreational golfers should reduce the curvature on shots, so hooks and slices will be decreased in severity.
The Bridgestone e12 Contact is available in white and different matte colors. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The increased surface area creates more friction with irons and wedges, which translates to more spin and control. Compared to the 2019 version of the e12, player testing showed Bridgestone that the new e12 Contact produces about 600 rpm more spin with wedges.