Once we final noticed Bridgestone irons, we had been an odd compilation of units that may finest be described as meshuggah. Whereas beautiful forgings had been the rhyme, there seemed to be no purpose. We had tremendous game-improvement forgings, blades, one thing that sat between participant’s distance and game-improvement and even a head-scratching packaged set.
Bridgestone has all the time had excellent cast irons. The issue was that the lineup hadn’t made sense because the J15 line. There was no sample or consistency aside from the truth that they had been Japanese forgings.
You might say Bridgestone didn’t have its geese in a row however that may be underestimating the confusion. A few of these geese weren’t even geese.
It’s no marvel Bridgestone determined to take a number of years off in North America.
It now seems these geese at the moment are, in actual fact, all geese. And they seem like getting in a row. Or no less than a line.
Right here’s what you must find out about Bridgestone’s new line of premium cast irons.
#1: Bridgestone has by no means made a foul cast-iron
Even throughout the meshuggah years, Bridgestone’s irons had been fairly darned candy. And if you wish to return to the J33 in 2005, you’ll be able to even name a few of them “classics.” The brand new line alerts an intent to return to these halcyon days.
On the very least, it seems Bridgestone is off to a stable begin.
The Bridgestone 220 MB harkens again to the attractive J33, a single-piece cast muscle-back blade. The 221 CB can be a single-piece forging however, because the title suggests it’s a extra forgiving participant’s cavity-back.
The 222 CB+ may be essentially the most fascinating of the bunch. It’s a cast participant’s distance iron, compact for the class however with sufficient expertise to make it fascinating.
The brand new line additionally consists of the BRM2 cast wedges.
“We wished to place collectively a group of golf equipment that had efficiency but in addition had place and goal within the market,” Bridgestone Advertising Supervisor Elliott Mellow tells MyGolfSpy. “We’re chatting with the man who desires to play a muscle-back blade however we’re additionally chatting with the aspirational participant with the CB and the CB+. We’re hitting a large swath of {the marketplace}.”
#2: These are real Endo forgings
In case you’re a gear geek, you’ve little doubt heard the phrase, “Endo cast.” Bridgestone is a longtime OEM buyer of Japan’s legendary Endo Forging foundry. Endo has produced a number of the recreation’s best-loved cast irons for everybody from Titleist, Srixon and Callaway to NIKE and its home model, Epon. The traditional 1999 Hogan Apex blade was Endo-forged.
For you historical past lovers, Endo was established in 1950 in postwar Japan. It made screwdrivers and stitching machine needles however shortly expanded into auto and plane engine elements, medical gadgets and golf golf equipment.
Despite the fact that Bridgestone has been out of the U.S. gear market since earlier than COVID-19, it has remained a significant participant in Japan and Asia. This new line is already in play on the PGA Tour.
“Chris Gotterup put them in play a month or so in the past,” says Mellow. “A couple of different gamers are working with them and can put them in play quickly so we’ve got some momentum.”
#3: If you wish to recreation the brand new Bridgestone irons, you higher be a “playah”
You received’t discover something game-improvement-y or super-forgiving within the new Bridgestone launch. These are premium irons for good ball strikers.
The 220 MB is a traditional muscle-back blade and it isn’t for the faint of coronary heart. The loft construction isn’t fairly what a purist would name “traditional” however we’re speaking a couple of minimal four-degree loft hole from the 33-degree 7-iron by means of the 46-degree pitching wedge. Bridgestone additionally touts a precision-milled Tour Groove Design to optimize spin.
They’re attractive, however deliver your A-game, matey.
The 221 CB contains a small cavity for a barely increased MOI. It additionally has a barely wider sole than the 220 MB for higher stability and sharp main and trailing edges for a modified, Srixon-esque V-Sole for smoother turf interplay. Moreover, the 4- and 5-irons characteristic a twin pocket cavity design that strikes the CG down, making them simpler to launch increased and spin much less.
The 6-iron by means of PW within the set have what Bridgestone calls Gravity Management Design. It’s a design characteristic you’ll discover in most irons the place the CG will get progressively increased because the golf equipment get progressively shorter. That creates decrease launch and better spin as you transition up by means of the set, offering extra stopping energy on the inexperienced.
Your typical game-improvement irons, however, attempt to shove the CG so low it’s rattling close to subterranean. That creates increased launch and decrease spin. Steep descent angles are essential to carry greens.
#4: The 222 CB+ irons may be the star of the present
As horny as single-piece cast blades and cavity-backs are, the Bridgestone 222 CB+ irons would possibly discover a broader viewers.
“It’s sort of a continuation of the J40 Twin Pocket irons we had,” says Mellow. “Relative to the market, it’s a bit smaller than different cast participant’s distance irons.”
The gap recipe for participant’s distance irons is straightforward: decrease the CG to extend launch and decrease spin. The Bridgestone 222 CB+ makes that occur with Twin Pocket cavities all through the set to get CG down, relative to participant’s cavity-backs and blades. Nevertheless, the CG will get increased because the irons get shorter to get spin up in your scoring sticks.
“Visually, it’s very interesting,” says Mellow. “If we will get the ball coming in with a steep descent angle and couple it with spin, we will create good management and assist that participant cease the ball.”
Stronger lofts for extra ball velocity are additionally a part of the participant’s distance recipe. The Bridgestone 222 CB+ lofts are per others within the class. Type of. The 7-iron is maybe a half diploma weaker than common at 31 levels. Moreover, there’s a five-degree hole unfold per iron from the 7-iron by means of the 46-degree pitching wedge so it probably received’t take a look at out as one of many longer irons within the participant’s distance class.
#5: There’s a restricted wedge providing, too
How restricted? Very.
Bridgestone is together with the BRM2 cast wedges as a part of this launch. They’d really feel like an afterthought if it weren’t for an fascinating groove and milling story.
As a line, the BRM2 seems ho-hum, with solely 52-. 56- and 58-degree fashions supplied. Bridgestone isn’t loading you down with grind choices, both. All three lofts can be found with the M Grind, a lower-bounce grind with a little bit of heel reduction for open-face photographs. The A Grind is obtainable solely within the 58-degree and has much more heel and toe reduction for versatility.
The groove milling is the place issues get fascinating. In accordance with the corporate, the milling sample is impressed by Bridgestone tire treads. There are seven rows of micro-channels between every groove to channel moisture away and permit for higher groove-to-ball contact.
It’s not an earth-shattering breakthrough, I do know. Nevertheless, should you’re going to be taken significantly within the wedge recreation, moist situation spin retention is like jacks or higher to open.
#6: The brand new Bridgestone irons are surprisingly inexpensive, however there’s a catch …
Bridgestone may be very a lot taking a crawl-walk-run method to re-entering the gear recreation. To its credit score, the brand new iron units are coming in at very golfer-friendly costs for Endo forgings.
The 220 MB and 221 CB irons might be accessible in seven-piece units (4-PW) with a inventory worth of $1,050. That’s a really affordable $150 per membership. The Nippon PRO Modus3 Tour 120 in stiff is inventory for each units.
The 222 CB+ is available in a six-piece set (5-PW) for $900, once more a really affordable $150 per membership. The lighter-weight Nippon PRO 950 GH is inventory. The BRM2 wedges are additionally $150 a bit.
The catch is that this: at launch, the Bridgestone premium cast irons and wedges might be accessible solely by means of a customized becoming at Membership Champion.
“Bridgestone Golf is all about getting shoppers into personalized merchandise that finest match their wants,” says Mellow. “We’re encouraging people to go get match. As we ramp up down the street, there will certainly be wider distribution.”
As of proper now, Bridgestone says the units will not be meant to be blended which is unlucky, though comprehensible, given the crawl-walk-run method. It can most likely occur down the street as will metalwoods.
#7: Why re-enter the gear recreation? Why the hell not?
As we talked about, Bridgestone hasn’t (in my reminiscence, anyway) made a foul cast-iron. Bridgestone’s cast irons have traditionally been fairly good. The issue is that “fairly good” doesn’t kick down doorways whenever you’re exterior trying in.
Bridgestone’s scattered current historical past in irons doesn’t assist, both.
“Our purpose is to get again to being a full-line producer. It’s only a matter of discovering the precise time,” explains Mellow. “We’re specializing in the low- to mid-handicap cast-iron participant. As we get traction, we’ll see what the long run holds.”
You little doubt discover a numerology similarity between this providing and the Mizuno Professional line. Earlier than we begin screaming “copy,” perceive numbers can be found to everybody. Moreover, whereas this product line is new to North America, Mellow says it does have a worldwide presence and Matt Kuchar had a set of 221 CBs in play on the PGA Tour in 2022.
Bridgestone’s final complete product launch was the J15 line of irons and metalwoods in 2015. The place the Bridgestone J33, J38 and J40 traces had their followers, the J15 didn’t discover its area of interest. Bridgestone’s subsequent product traces, the JGR and Tour B irons and metalwoods, flew to date beneath the radar that most individuals missed them fully.
Within the massive image, Bridgestone has nothing to lose by launching a brand new line of cast irons for 2025. It’s been an extended six years or so however should you’re a golfer, there’s nothing improper with having one other cast-iron selection.
For extra info on the brand new line of Bridgestone premium cast irons and wedges, take a look at the Bridgestone web site.
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