Welcome to GOLF.com’s ClubTest Proving Ground, where managing equipment editor Jonathan Wall and senior equipment editor Ryan Barath put the latest designs and groundbreaking technology in the equipment space to the test on the range and the course.
The tools: Bridgestone Tour B X Mindset golf ball
The test: To determine if Bridgestone’s Mindset visual technology can improve your pre-shot routine.
The results: About two years ago, I stopped relying on a visual aid that had been a part of my golf game for more than a decade. The putter had gone cold, and I was spending an inordinate amount of time lining up the side stamp to the target, which led me to do something Scottie Scheffler did recently: remove the line and shake up the pre-shot routine.
“I like not having to line the ball up,” Scheffler said of his Titleist Pro V1 after his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “I line this putter up well in the middle of the face. It’s very good visually. And yeah, I try not to focus too much on the results, but my process was really good this week and the results so far are pretty tough to argue with, I would say.”
Scheffler started focusing on the single black alignment line on the putter crown and allowed himself to rely more on his eyes and feel to visualize the path to the hole. As the great Ty Webb once said, “Be the ball.”
Simplifying the process not only worked for Scheffler, but this gear scribe as well. Relying on a single sight dot and removing the sight line — I have the blank space on the ball facing me at address — brought the feel and confidence back within a few practice sessions. This was a massive win in my book.
There was no reason to mess with a good thing, but my interest was piqued when Bridgestone sent me a dozen Tour B X’s with their new Mindset visual technology, the multi-colored design developed by Bridgestone, major winner Jason Day and Day’s long-time mental performance coach, Jason Goldsmith.
Bridgestone Tour B X MindSet Golf Balls
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Since he was 12 years old, Day has employed a multi-step visualization process that came about through work with Goldsmith. It was through their work that Mindset was conceived.
The visual technology on the side of the ball is designed around three different circles that act like a stop light: Red helps the golfer stop and identify what needs to be calculated — things like distance and wind. From there, the yellow circle is designed to help the golfer prepare for the shot by visualizing what needs to be accomplished. Once the golfer is fully engaged, the green circle gives them the permission to fully commit to the pre-shot work and execute.
Even though I have simplified my process on the greens, I tried my best to be mindful (no pun intended) of the pre-shot process and focus on the colors before tee shots and putts. It wasn’t all that easy at first. As someone who plays fast and tries to keep the brain free of additional thoughts on the course, making sure the visual technology was visible on the tee and putting green took some getting used to.
Taking an extra beat to consider the variables and visualize the shot is something more golfers should do before they pull the trigger, but we’re so focused on avoiding a pesky fairway bunker or the lake running down the left side of the hole that we tend to forget how even a simple pre-shot routine can help us block out the noise.
As I started logging more rounds with Mindset, I began to notice how much I enjoyed leaning into visual tech. I tend to get frustrated after a poor shot and let the bad vibes linger, but I found myself becoming more resilient after a poor shot and focusing on the one at hand.
In my estimation, I removed roughly 1.5 “poor shots” — one that required a punchout or drop from the hazard line — during each round, which ended up improving my score anywhere from 1 to 3 shots depending on how I was hitting it that day.
While it’s still early days, I believe Bridgestone’s visual technology can make you a more resilient golfer, provided you stick to the pre-shot process and don’t consider it a quick fix.
Conclusion: I’m not going to sit here and proclaim Mindset will make you a worldbeater overnight. What it can do is give you a valuable pre-shot process that can help you cut down on silly mistakes. It adds purpose to each shot and forces you to live in the moment instead of continually focusing on the last three-putt or the long par-3 ahead that always eats your lunch.
If you’re a golfer who doesn’t have a pre-shot routine or gets easily frustrated, consider giving Mindset a shot. And if you’re like me and have a simplied approach on the greens, don’t sweat staring at the visual tech. Never once did I feel like I had to rely on design to help me line up the ball, so rest easy knowing you won’t become robotic with your approach.
