ClubTest First Look: Bridgestone E12 Contact golf balls, with a new dimple design

Dimples on a golf ball have a drastic effect on how the ball flies through the air. Different depths, shapes and patterns trip airflow in certain ways to influence flight and spin. As such, most dimples are designed with one thing in mind: aerodynamics.

Bridgestone, for example, has experimented throughout the years with many different dimple designs, and as the company says, those non-conventional dimples were made to influence aerodynamics.

Bridgestone’s new e12 Contact golf balls, however, have dimples designed to improve performance at impact, not just as the ball is in the air. By creating a raised portion on the interior of each dimple on the golf ball surfaces, the e12 Contact surlyn-covered balls are designed to increase speed on long shots, increase short game spin, and reduce sidespin as the ball flies.

Using engineering tactics from its own rubber tires, Bridgestone has developed what its calling Contact Force dimples on its golf balls. The raised area in the center of each dimple, according to Bridgestone, leads to 38 percent more contact with the clubface at impact.

How does this construction help golfers? Bridgestone says that the increased amount of contact helps yield more efficient energy transfer and further engages the softened core construction of the golf ball. That means more speed on long shots, and lower spin, too. Bridgestone also says the outer portion of the dimples creates better aerodynamics to help reduce sidespin during flight.

“Bridgestone has long been a pioneer in bringing to market unique dimple shapes, sizes and constructions in the golf industry, but up until this point, that has primarily been a means of achieving optimal aerodynamic performance,” said Elliot Mellow, Bridgestone’s golf ball marketing manager, in a press release. “In the new e12 Contact, dimples actually serve as a source of increased power and distance, as well. They also contribute to minimizing hooks and slices, making the newest e12 a golf ball that provides performance you can actually see in terms of straight distance.”

Additionally, the Contact Force dimple designs provide more ridges for wedge grooves to grab onto, so the golf balls can spin more on short shots. Bridgestone says its testers saw increases around 600 rpm of spin compared to the company’s previous e12 golf ball releases.

Bridgestone’s new E12 Contact three-piece balls will hit retail on February 26, selling for $29.99 per dozen. They will be available in matte green, matte red, matte yellow and traditional white.

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