Bridgestone

What makes a multilayer golf ball fast is not the urethane cover. The grabby urethane polymer is actually more essential to helping short shots spin than helping the ball go far. But Bridgestone, which has access to more than 900 engineers (a helpful asset when you’re designing balls for Bryson DeChambeau and Tiger Woods, two of pro golf’s more discerning minds), developed a new element to add to its urethane cover. 

The substance, called Reactiv, uses a mixture of what are called impact modifiers. The urethane in these balls is designed to behave differently depending on the force of contact. So on high-speed full shots, it helps the urethane lose less energy. But on the slower impacts like chip shots, it’s a shock absorber, which enhances spin. The four models target two swing-speed classes with two feel options for each. Faster swings get a softer (XS) and firmer choice (X), and those at less than 105 miles per hour (including, for perspective, Fred Couples) can choose the firmer RX or the softer RXS.