An Honest Review of Bridgestone e6 Golf Balls

18 years after the release of the initial e6, Bridgestone is at it again, releasing a marginally tweaked version of the famed ball in 2023.

In this post, I reveal my findings after extensively testing the Bridgestone e6. I explain how they worked for my moderate swing speed and how other players may benefit from their forgiveness.

I’ll pay specific attention to my ball speed, spin, flight, and distance performance to help you understand why I believe it best suits slower swing speeds. Despite the many positives of the e6, I conclude the review by also revealing my dislikes, like clicky acoustics and limited greenside spin.

Why listen to us? Our team has tested dozens and dozens of the top balls on the market (you can read in-depth review of each here). We keep detailed notes and findings about each one to come up with our recommendations for you.

Overall Rating and Thoughts

Tthese distance golf balls are softer and more forgiving than their peers. I appreciated the highly compressible Gradational Core, which enhanced energy transfer and ball speed while lowering spin to optimize my carry distance.

While I didn’t care much for the clicky acoustics or lack of greenside spin, it’s an entry-level distance ball that punches above its weight. It’s easy to launch and affordable, making it suitable for slow-swinging beginners and seniors.

Overall Rating: 8.2/10

Features

Two-Piece Ball

The Bridgestone e6 is a 2-piece distance ball comprising a Gradational Compression core and a durable Surlyn cover. Its simple design is built for golfers seeking minimal long-game spin, accelerated velocity, and a mid-to-high launch.

In my experience, the e6 delivered impressive distance off the tee and on approach but struggled to increase my greenside spin.

Gradational Compression Core

Possibly, my favorite feature of the e6 was the responsiveness of the Gradational Compression Core. I found it easy to compress especially on high-impact strikes, leading to reduced spin, rapid speed, and a mid-to-high launch.

I feel slow-swing speed golfers, like seniors, will welcome the added rebound delivered at impact, thanks to the Gradational Compression Core. Despite your slow swing speed, you’ll manage to consistently launch the ball and achieve adequate long-game carry and total distance.

Surlyn Cover

Bridgestone engineers opted for durable Surlyn material, which did wonders for my spin control on long shots. Its firmer nature controlled revolutions and preserved ball pace to promote consistent contact with the golf ball and maximum rebound off the club face.

Spin and speed assistance aside, I found the Surlyn highly durable and able to withstand a pummeling from bunker sand, cart paths, and tree branches. Despite doing my best to beat the cover, it showed few deformations and earned my vote of confidence.

When I consider the price of these golf balls relative to their quality, it is hard to find a better value-for-money option.

Seamless Cover Technology Dimples

I was pleasantly surprised by the impact of the Seamless Cover Technology when I first held the e6. It felt softer than any distance ball I have tried this year, which did improve my short-game feedback compared to the previous iteration of the e6.

Despite its impressive feel, I struggled to generate meaningful spin with the wedges, reducing my greenside control. However, the Seamless Cover Technology also produced sublime drag-resistant aerodynamics on the launch and enhanced lift on the landing for extended carry and a quicker bite.

Alignment Arrow

Like most golf balls, the e6 sports an alignment arrow designed to help your clubface alignment off the tee and on the green. It’s not the most robust alignment arrow I’ve seen, but sufficient enough to identify if my clubface was pointing at the intended target.

Colors

Bridgestone sticks to the classic colors for the e6 range, offering it in tour white and optic yellow. As a traditionalist, I am satisfied with the standard white finish. However, I was impressed with how easy it was to track the Opti yellow ball mid-flight and spot it in the cabbage patch.

If you experience optical challenges, the Opti Yellow is a suitable companion to help you follow your ball easier.

Performance

Price

I paid $25 for a dozen e12 golf balls, a little over $2 a ball which is half of what I spent on the same quantity of Bridgestone Tour B XS balls 3 months ago. However, it is slightly pricier than other distance balls like the Callaway Warbird, which I tested on the same day as the e6.

This lower price point suits budget seekers and high handicappers, who are likely to lose numerous balls during a round. You won’t feel hard done by every time you chunk a shot into the water or slice it out of bounds.

Feel

As far as distance balls go, the e6 delivered a soft feel off the clubface from tee to green. I was also impressed by the compression of the ball when I squeezed it between my hands. For context, it is far from the sensation experienced with a cast urethane cover on a Titleist Pro V1, but its punches above its weight for the price.

The feel of the e6 was particularly impressive on wedge shots and off the putter face. I didn’t feel that rock-hard impression I experienced with the Warbird.

Sound

The acoustics were my second worst feature of the e6. Despite efforts to reduce the “clicky” sound from previous iterations, it’s still too “clicky” for my liking.

I’ll credit the Bridgestone team for reducing the annoying sound compared to past models. When I first struck the e6 in 2007, it delivered a nasty sound that has drastically improved over the years, but the sound engineers still have work to do.

High Compression

Bridgestone doesn’t openly divulge the compression score of the e6, but judging by my results, I’d rank it medium-low. This ball was incredibly easy to compress on high-impact shots, which caused it to rebound off the clubface with accelerated pace and minimal spin.

I generated a medium-high launch, consistent flight, and adequate carry distance for consistent long-game results.

Low Spin

The stiffer Surlyn cover joined forces with the Gradational Compression core to increase rebound off the clubface for rapid speed and low spin. The combination was ideal for achieving a consistent mid-high launch.

I even noticed the ball producing low spin on heel and toe mishits to help me get airborne and gain ample long-game yardage. While the low spin worked wonders for my distance, the theme remained around the green.

The ball was soft off the clubface but did little in the way of spin revolutions to boost my control on wedge shots.

Distance

In my experience, distance is the best asset of the Bridgestone e6, and not in the way you’d expect. It won’t help you compete with Kyle Berkshire, but it will deliver consistent yardage for slower swing speeds struggling to launch the ball.

The Gradational Compression Core and Surlyn cover combination helped me explode the ball off the clubface and restrict spin on all shots. I found it one of the most forgiving legal golf balls I’ve played.

Mid-High Launch

The Bridgestone e6 ball gifted me a uniformed mid-to-high launch, even on off-center strikes, enabling me to achieve consistent flight and distance. I experienced the impact of the Seamless Cover Technology on take over as my ball resisted drag while ascending to the sky.

Once airborne, the dimples took over to keep my ball at a towering level to maximize airtime and carry distance.

Straight Flight

The e6 didn’t keep my ball straight on all shots, but it reduced the severity of the curve on slices. I pin this down to the low spin qualities of the ball and the aerodynamic Seamless Cover Technology. Together, they stabilized my ball in-flight and minimized deviation for better accuracy off the tee and on approach.

It didn’t resolve my wayward shots, and it’s not some holy grail golf ball, but it does provide an added layer of forgiveness compared to its peers.

What I Like About The Bridgestone e6

Affordable

The affordable price tag of the Bridgestone e6 golf balls is among its top assets. It makes it attractive to bargain hunters, beginner golfers, and slow swing speeds seeking extra long game yards.

Low Driver Spin

The low spin qualities of the e6 aided my distance and accuracy off the tee. I produced an average of 2400 rpm driver spin. It’s slightly higher than what I delivered with the Callaway Warbird but lower than my average.

Highly Compressible

One reason for my low driver spin was the easily strikeable Gradational Compression Core. I was able to make sufficient contact between clubface and golf ball, even on mishits. This prompted low spin, accelerated ball velocity, a mid-high launch, and dependable long-game yardage.

Straighter Flight

I welcomed the straighter flight provided by the e6 to reduce the curve severity on slice shots. It didn’t put me on the fairway on every shot, but it did end straighter on slices compared to the Callaway Warbird. However, the Warbird was straighter than most of its peers, highlighting the quality of the Bridgestone e6.

Durable

The Surlyn cover on the e6 proved durable and could withstand a beating from cart paths, bunkers, and tree trunks. Considering the entry–level price tag, it’s impressive how long these distance golf balls can hold for.

Forgiving

I found the Bridgestone e6 highly forgiving, and it helped me achieve a consistent launch, flight, and distance, despite mishits. Its compressible core optimized energy transfer at contact, boosting rebound and ball speed and minimizing spin.

When the ball took off, the Seamless Cover Technology sprung into action by stabilizing the ball to reduce deviation and promote a direct flight path.

 

What I Dislike About The Bridgestone e6

Minimal Greenside Spin

Although the Bridgestone e6 felt better off my wedge and putter face than the Callaway Warbird, it still delivered limited greenside spin. This complicated my control around the dancefloor, and I needed to adjust my landing zone to account for added roll.

Clicky Acoustics

Besides the lack of greenside spin, I despised the clicky sound endured on every shot from the tee box to the green. I prefer slightly muted acoustics. However, I must commend Bridgestone on the progress made since the inaugural edition they released in 2006.