The first thing you notice when you unbox a Bridgestone e12 Contact golf ball is the dimples. Wide, hexagonal, deep dimples with raised circles set into them.
The Contact Force dimples are the inspiration for this new ball which replaces Bridgestone’s e12 Soft and e12 Speed balls and which it says will increase the surface contact between clubface and ball by 38 percent.
The effect of increased ball-face contact? Better energy transfer, straighter flights, longer shots – says Bridgestone. I pegged one up at Slaley Hall, a former European Tour venue, to test its claim that the e12 Contact can deliver “straight distance.”
The first thing to say is that this is a three-piece ball with an ionomer cover and sits right in between two-piece distance balls and the best golf balls used at Tour level.
(Image credit: Matthew Moore)
The feel at impact is reasonably soft, especially for a ball that is marketed for its distance gains. Off the tee, e12 Contact proved itself as long as some of the best premium golf balls and launched fairly high promoting better carry distance.
It was noticeable that the ball flight had less shape on it. I’m battling an open club face at impact at the moment and on two occasions I hit high straight pushes with my driver, whereas with my usual ball that would be a high blocky slice.
Iron shots had a solid mid-level trajectory with plenty of stopping power and control going into the greens and less draw than usual. When I tried to work shots with a gentle fade, the e12 stayed straight, which better players could find frustrating.
If you’re someone who wants to straighten up their ball flight, the Bridgestone e12 Contact ball could benefit your game, as it undoubtedly has a straightening effect. The e12 did seem to stay on the face fractionally longer and it was genuinely soft and responsive when chipping and pitching. For a mid-range mid-price ball, there was a good level of feel.
It comes off the putter face nicely with a sharp click and was enjoyable to putt with, although isn’t as butter…
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