It is a drive that I will never forget. I was playing the first hole -- which was acting as the 17th hole -- in a match at Argyle Country Club, my home club. My partner and I were two down and needed to win the last two holes to walk away unscathed.
The first hole is just about 400 yards, and it's a little downhill.
I teed up the prototype 2022 Bridgestone Golf Tour B X golf ball that I was playing a little higher than usual, and I looked down the hole and caught a glimpse of the flag -- a spot I don't normally look for when starting a round. I gave it a rip.
The flight on the ball was amazing going into the lowering sun. That ball went outrageously far, and I knew it. However, it wasn't until we got to the ball -- just 10 yards from the green -- that I knew how far.
At that point, I was sold on the new Tour B X.
For 2022, Bridgestone Golf says they have taken their Reactiv cover from the 2020 generation and made it better -- smarter, even. It's been dubbed the Reactiv iQ cover in this release, which still features four models: Tour B X and Tour B XS for driver swing speeds over 105 mph, while the Tour B RX and Tour B RXS are softer and for driver swing speeds below 105 mph.
Reactiv iQ features an unnamed compound that's called an "impact modifier," with the new generation featuring ball-specific applications that adapt to the kind of impact it takes to deliver maximum benefits. On higher-velocity shots, the material rebounds quickly for maximum distance. On wedge shots, the material keeps the ball on the face longer for maximum spin and short-game control.
Bridgestone says staffers Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau were quite instrumental in the Tour B XS and X balls, respectively, while Lexi Thompson will be in the B RX and Fred Couples staying in the B RXS. In other words, there's a ball for all kinds of different pros, which should say something about how the balls can help average players.
In the 2020 release, the first generation of Reactiv, the company seemed most pleased specifically with the performance increase in the Tour B RXS. This time around, the energy is more across the board. The B RX, specifically, has seen a substantial improvement in greenside spin, while the B RXS has improved both in ball speed and scoring spin. With the Tour B X, the ball flies a little lower and spins a little less with the driver.
The Bridgestone Tour B family is available in February for $50 per dozen.
