Here’s something we can all agree on: golf in wet conditions sucks.
Morning dew, light rain, soft fairways that leave your ball looking like a chocolate chip cookie—these aren’t just minor inconveniences. They fundamentally alter how your golf ball performs and, if you’re playing a two-piece Surlyn ball, you’re pretty much at the mercy of whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at you.
Bridgestone Golf thinks it has an answer to that problem.
The new e12 SPLASH features what the company calls RPL-X Hydrophobic Coating. In plain English, it’s designed to repel water and prevent mud balls from turning your round into a guessing game.
We’ve talked about hydrophobicity in wedges for years. The same concept has come to the golf ball world.
Wet weather wrecks your game
Anyone who’s teed it up on a dewy morning knows the drill. Your ball picks up moisture from the fairway or catches mud from a soft lie or rough or the leaves from the tree you just hit through (90 percent air, my ass) and suddenly launch angles increase, spin rates drop, and if you’re playing a lower-priced ball with a Surlyn cover, spin degradation will be even more severe.
“We’re thrilled to launch the first ball that delivers truly superior performance in wet conditions,” says Adam Rehberg, Bridgestone’s Senior Marketing Manager of Product. “For golfers who play in wet or muddy conditions, the e12 SPLASH is a performance game-changer.”
Rehberg knows a thing or two about wet golf balls. Some of you may remember him as the ball spritzer in the videos Bridgestone shot with Bryson DeChambeau.
Two-piece Surlyn balls like the e12 SPLASH remain popular because they often pair soft feel with a low price. That’s the magic formula for many golfers, but their kryptonite has always been consistency when conditions get sloppy.
What makes the e12 SPLASH different
The fundamental design of the e12 SPLASH isn’t revolutionary. You’ve still got the soft, low-compression core paired with a sidespin-reducing mantle that’s supposed to keep your ball from disappearing into the next county. Bridgestone’s Contact Force Dimple pattern is back, too, designed to maximize energy transfer when you actually manage to hit the sweet spot.
The difference is that hydrophobic coating. Instead of your ball acting like what Bridgestone describes as a magnet for every drop of moisture and clump of mud on the course, the RPL-X coating is engineered to shed water and debris.
Look, this isn’t going to magically turn your two-piece Surlyn ball into a TOUR B XS. You’re still not going to be spinning wedges back like you’re playing the Masters. But if it can provide more predictable performance when conditions get sketchy, that’s a win.
Mindset returns
The e12 SPLASH is also available with Bridgestone’s MindSet technology, which they developed with Jason Day and his performance coach, Jason Goldsmith. It’s the visual alignment aid that’s supposed to help you focus and develop a more consistent pre-shot routine.
According to Bridgestone’s research, MindSet works particularly well for golfers who typically shoot above 90—which, let’s be honest, is a healthy percentage of the golfing population. The three-step process uses the ball’s visual cue to guide you through what they call a more effective routine.
If you think the visual stuff is gimmicky, feel free to stick with white.
Who needs the e12 SPLASH?
The Bridgestone e12 SPLASH makes sense for golfers who regularly deal with wet conditions but aren’t necessarily looking to spend premium urethane money for performance they might not even notice around the greens.
If you’re a card-carrying member of the dawn patrol when the dew is thick or you live somewhere that sees more rain than sunshine, the hydrophobic coating could deliver more consistent performance than your typical two-piece offering.
At $34.99 per dozen, it’s positioned in that middle ground between cheap distance balls and the premium stuff. It’s enough money that you know there’s real technology involved but not so much that you’ll have nightmares about that ball you knocked into the pond on 16.
The verdict
Will the e12 SPLASH completely solve wet weather golf ball problems? I have no idea and neither do you until we get our hands on them.
But if Bridgestone has actually managed to solve—or even significantly reduce—the wet ball issue that’s been plaguing Surlyn balls since the dawn of time (or at least since DuPont invented the material), it could be a genuine step forward for recreational golfers.
If you want help figuring out which Bridgestone model makes the most sense for your game, they’ve got a ball fitting guide that might point you in the right direction.
In a game where weather is always going to be a factor, having equipment that performs consistently regardless of conditions isn’t just nice to have, it’s a legitimate advantage (even if most of you think you’re not good enough to notice).
Mike
9 months ago
I detest playing in the early morning, especially since I walk. Everything is and always stays wet for a few hours. No fun!