Bridgestone issued a press release at the end of August stating that they would be bringing their popular yellow and orange golf balls from Japan to the US starting Nov 1. This afternoon The Hackers Paradise posted hands on pictures of Bridgestone’s upcoming E6 Yellow Golf Ball. If you want a ball that is bright enough to blind somebody, this is your answer.
Apparently colored golf balls represent about 40% of the golf ball market in Japan and Bridgestone accounts for over half that number alone. I have no idea if neon yellow golf balls will catch on here like they have in Japan. Japanese culture is obviously very (and I mean very) different from US culture, but I think this trend at least has a chance.
Many golfers will appreciate a ball that looks a bit different from what you’re used to seeing. The other benefit is that your ball should be quite a bit easier to see, especially in these late fall overcast conditions, where you can easily lose your ball in the sky. I suspect that the orange version will be even easier to spot than the yellow version.
Obviously Bridgestone isn’t the first company to try this in the US. Nike first released a black colored Nike One Black in 2004. The probably was that nobody could find the damn things on the course. They followed up with some psychedelic colored Mojo balls, but those were discontinued in 2007.
Srixon currently offers their Z-stars in a “Tour Yellow” color. But personally, I’ve seen very few Srixons Z-Stars on the course, yellow or not. The E6 is an extremely popular ball (#4 at off course retailers according to Bridgestone), so I think the chances of this catching on are higher than in the past. I’ll probably be picking up a sleeve of the orange version to try out this winter.
You can buy the new Bridgestone e6 Yellow golf balls here. If you do, you help keep this site up and running. Thanks.
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