Bridgestone E12 Soft Vs Titleist Tour Soft Golf Balls Comparison Review

The differences between different manufacturers’ premium category balls can seem pretty negligible at times.

You hear things like multi-layer construction and “the biggest core” we’ve ever made all the time but what does that really mean?

What performance difference does it really make for the everyday golfer in the end? This is precisely what we wanted to figure out so we pitted the Bridgestone E12 Soft against the Titleist Tour Soft – 2 premium category balls – against one another.

Bridgestone E12 Soft Balls Overview

The Bridgestone E12 are categorized as premium balls but their performance doesn’t quite live up to the classification.

The Bridgestone E12 balls certainly live up to their own name; they are definitely soft.

You can feel how soft it is from the tee and even on short approaches. These balls roll out nice and gentle after a couple of bounces so they are fairly predictable.

It was also apparent that these balls do a pretty good job of reducing side spin.

We were also impressed by the greenside control you get. However, you do lose a bit of energy if you have a faster swing speed.

Titleist Tour Soft Balls Overview

The Titleist Tour Soft balls are among the softest you are going to find in the premium ball category.

You get great distance and short game control with these balls.

So overall, we would say that they truly do live up to the “premium ball” categorization.

This is definitely a ball you can smash with a 99 MPH swing without losing a lick of energy.

We really liked the distance that we were getting from the Titleist Tour Soft balls.

Still, we were left pining after a urethane cover with both the Titleist Tour Soft balls and the Bridgestone E12 Soft balls.

Both of these balls will impart a soft feel to both your drives, your shots off the deck and around the green.

However, only one stayed in check the way you would want on important pitches.

Bridgestone E12 Soft Quick Facts

  • Compression: 50

  • Cover Material: Surlyn

  • How Many Pieces: Three-Piece

  • Spin : Mid-Level

  • Core Material: Polymer

  • Dimple Type: Delta Wing

Performance Off the Tee

These Bridgestone balls were actually better for players with swing speeds under 90MPH than they were for faster swing speed players from the tee.

While they did reduce side spin, some energy was lost on fast swings.

Performance from the Rough

We really liked how seemingly easy it was to scoop the ball up and out of the rough thanks to the dimple pattern and Surlyn cover material.

Performance from the Fairway

From the fairway, the Bridgestone E12 Soft balls provided the springiness you would expect from a ball with a plunging compression rating of just 50.

Titleist Tour Soft Quick Facts

  • Compression: 65

  • Cover Material: Ionomer

  • How Many Pieces: 2-Piece

  • Spin: Mid/Low

  • Core Material: Unknown

  • Dimple Type: Spherically Tile (342)

Performance Off the Tee

The Titleist Tour Soft actually played quite long off the tee.

The larger core made sure that no energy was lost even on faster swings and the spin rate off the tee was much lower than around the greens too.

Performance from the Rough

This is where we struggled a bit with these balls.

The ionomer cover tends to bury itself in particularly tall rough.

Performance from the Fairway

The Titleist Tour Soft balls played pretty well from the fairway and gave pretty good bounce on long approaches, reacting well on the 2nd or 3rd bounce.

Bridgestone E12 Soft Selling Points

  • Very durable
  • Good bounce
  • 3-piece cover
  • Good in the rough
  • Good for slow swing speeds
  • Good short game control

Bridgestone E12 Soft Cons

  • Not great for fast swing speeds
  • Loses some energy off the tee
  • Seemingly thick cover material
  • Smaller core

Titleist Tour Soft Selling Points

  • Large core
  • Good for fast swing speeds
  • Thin cover
  • Plays longer
  • Has a more premium feel
  • Good flight

Titleist Tour Soft Cons

  • More expensive
  • 2-piece design
  • Only available in 2 colors
  • Loses its line

Who Are The Bridgestone E12 Soft Balls For?

 

The Bridgestone E12 Soft balls would definitely suit slower swing speed players more.

We’re talking about players who are hovering in the 9-15 handicap range. Players in this range will love the distance and added help they get from the tee with these balls.

How Are They With Short Irons? 

The Bridgestone E12 Soft balls work surprisingly well with short irons.

You get great response chipping the ball in with a wedge and the feedback you get with 8 and 9 irons is excellent.

On The Green

Once you’re actually on the green you might have a little trouble controlling roll with these balls.

They are a bit unwieldy on long eagles and have a robust spin rate even when you think you’re feathering it.

Overall Rating: 92/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Shop_Now

Who Are The Titleist Tour Soft Balls For?

The Titleist Tour Soft balls are truly premium category balls and would work best with single digit handicaps.

More importantly, if you are swinging around 95+ MPH from the tee then you will absolutely love these balls.

Even though they have a 2-piece construction and lack a urethane cover, they yield excellent distance with fast swings.

How Are They With Short Irons?

The feedback and response of the Titleist Tour Soft balls with short irons was comparable to that of the Bridgestone E12 Soft balls.

The cover is a bit thinner than the Bridegstone balls so you get excellent feel so long as your short irons are decent.

Whether you need to work the ball on a tricky green or bite down on a fast one with some back spin, you will find that the Titleist Tour Soft can accommodate.

On The Green

You will have to get used to the Titleist Tour Soft balls a bit on the green.

They have sort of the opposite problem that the Bridgestone E12 Soft balls have in that they make you work for it if you need extended roll.

Still, the other performance factors more than make up for this shortcoming.

Overall Rating: 95/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Shop_Now