Gear: Bridgestone e12 HiLaunch, e12 Straight, e12 Speed golf balls
Price: $34.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece golf balls with rubber core, mantle layer, and urethane cover. All balls are available in white, with e12 Speed also coming in matte green and matte yellow.
Available: Feb. 14
Who it’s for: Golfers who want to hit shots higher (HiLaunch), reduce sidespin and the severity of hooks and slices (Straight), and players who need a spin-reducing ball to create a lower trajectory (Speed)
What you should know: Bridgestone designed each of the three e12 balls to be ideally suited to one of three different players, with the HiLaunch generating more lift and a higher apex, the Straight producing less sidespin, and the Speed lowering a shot’s launch angle and spin rate.
The deep dive: Skilled golfers can hit draws and fades on command, punch shots below tree limbs, and make the ball soar high and then land softly because they can control the clubface. On the other hand, most recreational golfers tend to miss shots and have at least one major shortcoming. Some are slicers and watch their tee shots curl into the rough time after time, while others struggle to hit their shots high enough to stop quickly on the greens. Still, others chop down on the ball and generate too much spin and height, robbing their shots of distance.
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With the release of the three-ball e12 family of golf balls for 2025, Bridgestone is trying to make it easier for recreational golfers to find a ball that is made to help them overcome (or at least minimize the damage from) their most common trajectory shortcoming.
Each of the three Bridgestone e12 golf balls – the e12 HiLaunch, e12 Straight, and e12 Speed – features a three-piece construction, with a large rubber core encased in a mantle layer, which is then covered by a thin urethane cover. However, with different player types in mind, Bridgestone made each of the three e12 balls unique.
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e12 HiLaunch has the lowest compression of the three e12 balls, so Bridgestone claims it will compress and stay on the clubface longer. That should result in a higher launch angle and shot height.
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e12 Straight also has a low compression, but it features a spin-reducing mantle layer. Off the tee, it should produce less sidespin, and golfers should expect shots to fly straighter.
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e12 Speed has the firmest feel and highest compression. Bridgestone claims it produces the lowest flight, making it ideal for players who often see tee shots and iron shots balloon too high and fall short of their intended target.
All of the e12 balls will be available in white, and the e12 Speed will also be sold in matte green and matte yellow. Each of the three e12 balls will come standard with Bridgestone’s Mindset, a visual technology that Bridgestone developed with Jason Day and his mental coach, Jason Goldsmith.
Previously, Mindset was only available on Tour B golf balls, but Bridgestone claims the visualization and mental-training aspects of the three-colored system can be a massive benefit to golfers who often shoot in the 90s and 100s. The company’s research showed that 80% of recreational golfers lowered their score by an average of almost three shots after adopting the Mindset ball and thought process into their game.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Bridgestone’s e12 golf balls enhance trajectory for more consistency
