MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of the golf balls on the market to help you find the best ball for your money. Today, we’re taking a look at the 2022 Bridgestone Tour B XS. To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.
About the Bridgestone TOUR B XS
It’s strange to think that we’ve been at this Ball Lab thing long enough to measure three generations of Bridgestone TOUR B Series.
With that should come some familiarity. Not much has changed in that the TOUR B XS remains “the Tiger Ball“. It’s not the softest in the TOUR B lineup but it is the softer of the two balls that Bridgestone bills as being for high swing-speed players.
It remains a three-piece offering with 330 dimples. The major point of differentiation between the new ball and the prior generation is the addition of the REACTIV IQ cover. As with other Bridgestone offerings, the bulk of product sold in the U.S. is manufactured at the company’s factory in Covington, Ga.
Compression
On our gauge, the Bridgestone TOUR B XS has an average compression of 84. Unsurprisingly, the closest comp in our database is the prior-gen TOUR B XS which also measured 84. That’s the same as the Maxfli Tour and just a touch softer than the 2021 Titleist Pro V1.
Diameter and Weight
With respect to the USGA rules for weight and diameter, none of the balls tested failed to meet the USGA’s minimum size requirement. We did find a single ball that was over the allowable limit for weight. Accordingly, that ball was flagged as bad.
With respect to the market as a whole, the size and weight of the TOUR B XS are both within the average range.
Inspection
Centeredness and Concentricity
When it comes to Bridgestone’s premium urethane offerings, we seldom find any concentricity issues. That proved to be true this time around as all of the balls passed our visual inspection.
Core Consistency
Core color was generally consistent. We found no significant deviation in color, no swirly patterns and no miscellaneous chunks of out-of-place material.
Cover
No cover defects were noted.
Bridgestone TOUR B XS – Consistency
In this section, we detail the consistency of the Bridgestone TOUR B XS. Our consistency metrics provide a measure of how similar the balls in our sample were to one another relative to all of the models we’ve tested to date.
Weight Consistency
- Despite the single ball over the USGA weight limit, the weight consistency of the Bridgestone TOUR B XS falls within the average range.
Diameter Consistency
- Diameter consistency for the Bridgestone TOUR B XS falls within the average range with no particularly noteworthy outliers.
- It’s worth mentioning that, as with the 2020 TOUR B Series, the largest diameter on any given ball was typically measured on the pole. This may be due to the injection-molding process.
Compression Consistency
- Compression consistency qualifies as poor.
- Box 1 trended a bit firmer while Box 3 was noticeably softer.
- Two balls were flagged as bad due to significant compression deviation.
- One for being 12 points firmer than the median compression value.
- The other for being nearly 10 points softer.
- The 20-point compression delta across the sample is cause for concern.
True Price
True Price is how we quantify the quality of a golf ball. It's a projection of what you'd have to spend to ensure you get 12 good balls.
The True Price will always be equal to or greater than the retail price. The greater the difference between the retail price and the True Price, the more you should be concerned about the quality of the ball.
Bridgestone TOUR B XS – Summary
To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.
A single weight hiccup and a compression distribution that’s significantly broader than what we’d expect from Bridgestone. That, in a nutshell, is the story of the 2022 TOUR B XS. As we evaluate the other three models in the TOUR B lineup, we should get a much better sense of whether this was an anomaly or indicative of a larger problem.
The Good
- Average weight and diameter consistency
- Soft-ish compression for a Tour ball should have broad appeal.
The Bad
- Three balls in the sample were flagged as bad.
- Compression consistency is not up to the Bridgestone standard.
Final Grade
The Bridgestone TOUR B XS gets an overall grade of 59.
Michael
3 months ago
I’ve noticed compression consistency issue with the XS on course. Once ball just seemed to fly over target and be a tad longer off the tee. Switch out ball a few holes later and ball doesn’t seem to have the same pop. I was questioning what was going on and came to find this test and score. Only cements my suspicions. And I love the performance of this ball. Too bad really. Hopefully the new 2024 ball will score better.