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Here I’ll be reviewing the newest Bridgestone e5 golf ball, which earned a gold award in the 2015 Golf Digest Hot List.
In contrast to the e6 and e7, the e5 is designed to fly a higher trajectory with more spin for a longer carry and potentially more distance on the course.
Read on to find out what you need to know about this quality golf ball to make an informed purchase.
Note: The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing, body and clubs are different, results with a particular golf ball may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The 2015 model of the e5 golf ball has very good ratings overall. It has countless glowing reviews on the official Bridgestone website, but I suspect they’ve been filtered.
What People Like
Customers have generally been very satisfied with the e5 and state that it performs as expected.
- a soft feel at impact
- solid workability
- a higher ball flight that holds greens well
- superb value for the money
What People Don’t Like
- most agree that it is not quite on the same level (from hairy lies, for example) as the much more expensive tour-calibre Pro V1/V1x
Overview & Features
The e5 is designed for the golfer with a slower swing speed (around 90 mph) who wants more spin or who could stand to gain more distance through a higher trajectory.
Like the e7, the e5 has a high compression rating.
Two-Piece Construction
Unlike the other balls in the e Series (e6 and e7), the e5 has a two-piece construction: a “tour-calibre” urethane cover and a large gradational core.
The urethane cover, as opposed to the harder surlyn cover found on the e6 and e7, provides a softer feel with more spin.
Web Dimple Technology
The 326 dimples (216 hexagonal, 110 dual) of the e5 follow a web design as part of Bridgestone’s “WEB Dimple Technology”, also found in the 2015 models of the e6 and e7.
This technology is said to improve ball flight and distance through a 10% increase in surface coverage.
How does the ball perform from tee to green?
Short Game
Typically one of the benefits of a urethane cover is an improved softer feel and increased control around the greens; the e5 certainly doesn’t disappoint in this regard.
It’s safe to say that it offers the best short game performance in the e Series. With wedges and the like, it produces spin rates on par with many more expensive tour-calibre balls.
The new alignment aid on this model is a nice touch and definitely helps when lining up putts.
Long Game
As expected, launch trajectories, spin rates and stopping power are all impressively high with the e5 throughout the bag: hybrids, long irons, mid irons and short irons.
More skilled players should have no problems hitting shots with their short irons that stop dead or even back up on the greens.
One drawback of the higher trajectory and spin rate compared to a ball like the e7 is that fact that it’s more susceptible to the effects of the wind.
Nonetheless, the e5 is great in situations where you need to carry trouble and land the ball softly.
Off the tee, the e5 yields great results, with trajectories that indeed tend to be higher than the norm.
While this can benefit golfers with a naturally low trajectory, it can hurt distance results for those who already have a high trajectory and spin rate. It would be wise to consider this before using a ball like the e5.
The e5 arguably holds its line better than the previous 2013 model, and overall accuracy is very decent.
What about feel & sound?
As I mentioned above, the e5 has a fairly soft feel thanks to the urethane cover, although it’s not the softest ball in the e Series — the e6 takes that title.
The 2015 model of the e5 does appear to have a better feel than the 2013 model, as it should; it is being marketed as an upgrade, after all.
With the driver and other longer clubs, the ball has a nice firmness to it and seems to rocket off the face.
The e5 sounds crisp off the putter and other clubs, with a pitch that is somewhere in between the e6 (low pitched, muted) and the e7 (high pitched).
Where should you buy these balls online?
These balls are tougher to find because of their age. Your best bet is buying them on eBay, ideally recycled ones.
If you’d prefer not to pay full price for new e5 balls, you have the option of getting them refinished or recycled.
Refinished Balls
Refinished balls are usually stripped and repainted to look like new, and I would recommend avoiding them. There’s a lot risk involved when it comes to their performance.
Recycled Balls
Recycled e5 balls are a much safer bet. They are balls that have usually been found on golf courses, and very often they’ve only been hit once or twice.
In the case of the Bridgestone e Series balls, they are often mixed together and sold in combination (e5, e6 and e7).
I would recommend buying packs with ratings of AAA or above. You can find excellent deals for e5 balls on this eBay page. Just modify the search query as desired.
Conclusion
Pros
- soft-feeling/versatile/controllable around the greens
- added height and spin to shots can revitalize the game of those that need it
- easy to get into the air with longer clubs from a variety of lies
- great stopping power
- affordable price point
Cons
- extra height can make shots more vulnerable to the wind
- golfers who already hit it high may lose distance
Golfers of all skill levels can find success with the Bridgestone e5 (eBay link) golf ball, but it’s most ideal for those who struggle with a low trajectory and could stand to gain more distance and control through a higher spin rate and trajectory.
Interested in the e5 ball? If you have any thoughts or opinions about it, feel free to leave a comment below.
Hi Paul.
Forgive me for sounding critical, but there is one part of your review that sounds very contradictory and makes little sense. On the one hand, you say the e5 “is designed for the golfer with a slower swing speed (around 90 mph) but right after that claim that it has a “high compression” rating of 103. You realize that those two things are not compatible, correct? A high-compression ball is designed for the opposite of a slow swing speed – it is designed for a high swing speed. That is one of the most basic rules of ball fitting, matching the compression rating to a golfer’s swing speed, at least as a general rule. At the very least, a slow swing speed should NOT be matched to a high compression ball, because the golfer will lose distance because they will not compress the ball sufficiently. Please explain?
I’m sorry, but where in the review do I say that the e5 has a compression rating of 103? I can’t seem to locate that. Regardless, the compression rating is not the only thing you should consider; in the case of the e5, its urethane cover helps a lot with spin and shot height which is advantageous to players with slower swing speeds. It is true that (as you say) high compressions generally call for higher swing speeds, but it’s sometimes the case that high compression balls can actually accommodate low swing speed players, and the e5 appears to fall into that category. Balls should ideally be considered on a case-by-case basis — the easiest way to clear up any doubt is to just try it out and see how it plays for you.
I have several reputable sources to back up the high compression claim, but because Bridgestone does not actively market the e5 as “high compression”, I will consider cutting out that statement from the review to avoid potential confusion. Thanks for the comment.