20 Second Intro:
Model: Bridgestone Tour B series – XD-3, XD-5, XD-7 drivers, XD-F fairways, XD-H hybrids, X-Blade, X-CB irons
Lofts: Drivers 9°, 9.5°, 10.5°; FW’s 15°, 18°; Hybrids 18°, 21°, 24°; Irons 4-PW (3 optional)
Stock Shafts: Read on
Price: Read on
By late spring, the equipment end of Bridgestone Golf will be virtually unrecognizable.
And considering the company’s chameleon-like mutations over the past decade, that’s saying something.
Before we jump into Bridgestone’s new Tour B series of metalwoods and irons, we need to put this week’s product introduction into some context: equipment aside, the new line marks a major – and we mean major – change in the way Bridgestone will be bringing clubs to market.
Every time TaylorMade or Callaway releases anything, Torch and Pitchfork Nation storm the castle. Bridgestone, however, once went half a decade without releasing anything new. The J15 series, introduced in 2015, ended five years of silence and Bridgestone – a company with deeper pockets than Nike – was poised and ready to be a playah.
But Bridgestone learned a bitter business lesson over the last two years: it doesn’t matter how good your product is (and Bridgestone’s J15 series was very good), quality doesn’t sell itself, especially in a marketplace crowded with heavy hitters and savvy marketers.
Make no mistake; Bridgestone had big plans for the J15 series. But ball-focused marketing combined with virtually non-existent distribution doomed Bridgestone’s equipment market share to the dreaded Other category. Clearly, another change in direction was needed, and brother, is Bridgestone changing direction.
Bridgestone Goes Upscale
In announcing the Tour B series, Bridgestone is taking a page out of the PXG/XXIO playbook: exclusive distribution, limited availability and premium pricing.
“When people think of Bridgestone irons,” says Zack Kupperbusch, Bridgestone’s Manager for Clubs and Accessories, “they think of premium Japanese forgings, and this is as premium of a product as we’ve ever brought to market.”
But don’t be looking for the Tour B series at Dick’s, Golf Galaxy, Edwin Watts or PGA Tour SuperStore – it’s not going to be an off-the-rack offering. Tour B will be sold only through select green grass accounts and specialized fittings centers authorized by Bridgestone (dealers will be listed online as early as next month). Bridgestone’s JGR line will be the company’s traditional retail product offering.
“Tour B is a fully custom product line,” Kupperbusch tells MyGolfSpy. “There are no stock shafts and no real stock product. Everything will be custom fit and custom built.”
Pricewise, the metalwoods are a tick below PXG levels: drivers at $699.00, fairways at $399.00 and hybrids at $250.00. The Endo forged iron sets are more in line with other high-end forgings at $1,200.00 for a full set.
Those prices are expected to include a full fitting and, with a few exceptions, a full array of no-upcharge custom shafts.
And based on the success of PXG and, to a lesser extent, XXIO, there’s clearly a viable, sustainable niche for the high end, premium club buying experience. We’re talking about golfers with money to spend, who want what they want, and who don’t care about anyone else’s idea of dollars-per-yard value.
“I think you’ll see a lot of manufacturers will go this route,” says Kupperbusch. “There’s a proven market for high end – guys who are gear heads with disposable income who really want to play what’s best for their game.”
The Equipment
The Tour B series is very much designed for better players – 10 handicaps or lower, according to Bridgestone.
“We view this golfer as someone who’s cognizant of what they have in their bag and has probably been fit before,” says Kupperbusch. “We know that’s not the entire market – that’s why we have the JGR line moving into the 2nd year of its product cycle.”
So Tour B starts with three drivers: The XD-3, 5 and 7.
“The XD-3 and XD-7 models are being tested by our Tour guys,” says Kupperbusch. “Those are for your lower handicap guys who prefer smaller heads and low or medium launch.”
If you’re looking for a logical numbering progression, forget it. The XD-7 is a 445cc, pear-shaped head with a medium face for lower ball flight and a fade bias. The XD-3 is next at 455 cc, with a deep face, a more rounded look, and a neutral shot shape bias. And the 460 cc XD-5 features a shallow face, a flatter head shape, and a slight draw-bias. Bridgestone figures most players will fit into the XD-5.
The XD-3 and XD-5 will be available in 9.5- and 10.5-degree models, while the XD-7 will only be available in a 9-degree model. All three are adjustable, but for lie and face angle only. The fairways and hybrids are not adjustable.
The big tech story that carries through the full metalwood line is Power Ribs: a set of stabilizing bars supporting the base of the clubface (think Callaway’s JailBreak, only horizontal). Bridgestone says Power Ribs, combined with its Flex Action Speed Technology crown, allow the face to flex properly and create more ball speed.
Forged Iron Sweetness
Bridgestone is getting back to basics with the Tour B irons lineup – the X-Blade and the X-CB cavity back. This is a welcome departure from the somewhat confusing J15 lineup.
“Bridgestone is known for our cavity backs,” says Kupperbusch. “I think when we expended into five lines of irons with J15, we kind of lost sight of what our bread and butter is, and that’s our premium Japanese forgings.”
Both irons are 1020 Endo forgings and are very simple and straightforward with no hidden tech. What you see is what you get.
Both the X-Blade and the X-CB will be available in 4 through PW sets, with optional three irons. As with the metalwoods, the Tour B irons will be completely custom fit and custom ordered, so there are no stock shafts to speak of. Bridgestone is offering a wide range of no-upcharge shafts, as well as some graphite shafts with a minor upcharge.
One curious thing is that, despite being a custom offering, Bridgestone will not let you buy a combo set. That’s most likely an inventory issue – Bridgestone is bringing in far more cavity back components than blade components – but it’s a restriction the company may want to reconsider, especially for the intended market.
Pricewise, the Tour B irons are pretty much in line with other premium forgings, especially when you consider the $1,200 price tag will usually include a full fitting and most any premium shaft.
What’s It All Mean?
Bridgestone’s confounding, often schizophrenic path as a golf equipment company in North America is apparently taking another sharp and interesting twist. The JGR lineup remains the standard retail channel offering, with Game Improvement metalwoods and forged irons priced to move. In fact, this week’s announcement of the Tour B line –and its marketing strategy – makes sense of last fall’s rather odd release of the JGR-CB irons.
The Better Player market is the smallest segment of the golfing population. And considering every mainstream competitor provides solid options for that better player, the playground is crowded. By taking the path blazed by PXG and going the premium, custom-fit route, Bridgestone is exiting a crowded, price-driven market for a more open, service-and-value-driven niche.
Torch and Pitchfork Nation will no doubt cry that Bridgestone is pricing itself out of the average golfer’s price range, whatever that is. Well, yeah, that’s exactly what Bridgestone is doing with Tour B, and it’s doing so intentionally. By definition, the premium market Bridgestone is targeting is low volume – Bridgestone isn’t making a market share grab with this move. But the premium market is a profitable market where success is measured by margin and not volume.
Bridgestone tried fighting the mainstream market battle with the J15 line and got nowhere, even though the lineup was as good as anything out there. By segmenting its offering – JGR for the mass market and Tour B for the premium market – Bridgestone is taking a much different approach in which its better player market share may, in fact, go down, but the company may finally find a profitable niche.
Tommy
7 years ago
When you hit them, you’ll understand the high price. There’s nothing sweeter than a Bridgestone/Endo forging. They feel every bit as good as any Miura, at half the price.