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Today I will be reviewing the newest Bridgestone e6 golf ball, which earned a gold award in Golf Digest’s 2015 Hot List.
In contrast to the e5 and e7, the e6 is designed to fly straight at a moderate trajectory.
Read on to find out what you need to know about these quality golf balls to make an informed purchase.
What are the reviews like?
The reviews for the e6 ball are very positive.
What People Like
- soft
- long
- solid ball flight
- low spin off the tee
- decent spin around the greens
The 2015 e6s arguably feel and perform a little better than their 2013 counterpart.
What People Don’t Like
- some customers are underwhelmed with the fact that this ball doesn’t seem to do anything extraordinarily well
The e6 is generally regarded as being a solid all-around golf ball at an affordable price point.
Overview & Features
Bridgestone states that the e6 is the softest multilayer golf ball currently on the market.
Putting the intended meaning of that aside, the e6 has a core compression rating of 50, which is quite soft on the softness spectrum.
These balls are likely best suited for golfers with slow-to-average swing speeds of around 80-100 miles per hour. It will help them compress the ball with irons and maximize distance.
Features of the e6 include:
Three-Piece Construction
This consists of a surlyn cover, soft gradational core and anti-spin mantle.
The inner layer (mantle) is said to resist sidespin and therefore result in shots that are much straighter. The soft surlyn cover provides durability and low spin.
WEB Dimple Technology
The e6 has a 326 “dual-dimple” design, with Bridgestone’s “WEB Dimple Technology” (increased surface coverage by more than 10%).
This is supposed to increase lift, reduce drag, and increase ball speeds with all clubs for a better and longer ball flight.
How does this ball perform from tee to green?
Short Game
Impact feel is great. But it turns out that, with wedges, the e6 leaves a little something to be desired in terms of spin.
It’s not the worst, but its RPM numbers are on average much lower that what you would find in a tour-caliber golf ball. There are certainly other balls out there that spin more — the e5 immediately comes to mind.
Although, if you’re a high handicapper or any other golfer that isn’t overly concerned with maximizing spin around the greens, I would expect this to bother you very little, especially considering the e6 still has solid stopping power.
Long Game
After testing these balls thoroughly, I can safely say that the claims of less curvature on shots are indeed true.
If you’re someone who tends to fight a slice or a hook, there’s a very good chance of improving or nearly eliminating the issue entirely with the e6 ball.
Of course, that’s not to say that it’s impossible to hit a bad shot — you certainly will if you make a bad swing — but the tendency to do so is reduced. If you make a good swing, chances are the ball will go straight where you want it to go.
Keep in mind, the natural consequence of this is that the workability of the ball is limited, so if you’re one that likes to shape shots, you may want to look elsewhere.
What about feel & sound?
When I tested out the 2013 e6 balls years ago, I found the feel to be lacking a little bit; it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either.
The 2015 e6 balls, though, offer a much better experience in the feel department, in my opinion.
With the putter and shorter clubs, the impact sound is very muted and low pitched as you would expect for a relatively soft ball, but then again it is a bit surprising given the surlyn cover.
With the driver and other longer clubs, the ball feels firm (but not hard like a rock) and hot off the face, which is great.
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 e6 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 e6 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.
I would recommend buying packs with ratings of AAA or above. You can find excellent deals for e6 balls on this eBay page. Just modify the search query as desired.
Conclusion
Pros
- excellent for alleviating slices or hooks and hitting straighter shots
- good distance
- retains benefits of a soft ball despite surlyn cover
- great price
Cons
- does not provide tour-level spin control around the greens
- limited workability (shot shaping ability)
The Bridgestone e6 are great general-purpose golf balls, ideal for low-to-mid handicappers, for golfers who have accuracy problems, or for players who just want a good solid golf ball to play.
Interested in the e6 ball? If you have any thoughts or opinions about it, feel free to drop a comment below.
I haven’t played golf in over 20 years and I never was any good at it. Unfortunately, the performance of the Bridgestone E6 golf ball is lost on me. But, I do have a golf ball story.
In the late ’70s, I was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina with 5th Special Forces. Like many of my buddies, I had gone through the Special Forces SCUBA school in Key West and was certified for advance open water.
One weekend, four of us dreamed up the idea to take our SCUBA gear to one of the golf courses in nearby Southern Pines, dive the ponds, recover the golf balls and sell them back to the golfers. We’d be rich, or at least have some beer money.
When we got to the golf course and took our SCUBA gear to the first pond, golfers began to gather to watch.
As we strapped on SCUBA tanks, tested our air supply and prepared to enter the water, more golfers gathered.
Finally, we checked and rechecked our gear. You can’t be too safe when you’re SCUBA diving.
Then, with dozens of golfers watching, we walked into the water, and walked, and walked. When we stood in the middle of the pond, the water was less than knee deep.
Wow, that must have been pretty embarrassing. I think the golfers watching you guys thought you would throw balls to them for free. I’d love to see something like that at one of my local courses. Thanks for the hilarious story Horton!
Horton’s story is hilarious, wow…Haha, all the time it must have taken to check all that gear only to enter knee-deep water.
Thanks for your review of these golf-balls. It can be difficult sometimes to figure out which balls to buy, so it’s always a big help when someone like you has done a thorough review. You’ve got a lot of valuable information here, thanks again.
Hilarious indeed. I can just picture it.
Thanks Bryan. Once you understand what your needs are when it comes to your game, it’s quite a bit easier to decide. For those who aren’t too picky, don’t play that often and/or don’t care about shaping shots, the E6 is really great option.
I have always played with cheaper balls because I always used to loose them. I am starting to play more regularly now and am thinking about investing in some balls. I am playing off of 15 but I still have a problem with hooking the ball off of the tee.
The all around capability of the e6 is appealing, but I think that a TopFlight or Ping ball are easier to control. I am not 100% sure though, could you please help! Thanks
It really depends on the specific model of ball. I’d say controllability is more relevant to your swing and your clubs than it is to the golf ball, unless by “control” you mean the spin rate. Nonetheless, you should get a ball that suits your swing speed and ball flight — whether the e6 does in your case I can’t say without more information. As I said in the review, the e6 is ideal for golfers with driver swing speeds of around 80-100mph (slow to average) and moderate trajectories. I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you might have.
2015 e6! Great ball! Thanks for your review and tips on supply. Why on earth did they fiddle with it? Another marketing fail