First look: Bridgestone’s Tour B JGR metalwoods and irons

Bridgestone’s new Tour B JGR line was designed with the mid- to high-handicapper in mind, but even the best players in the world can get behind more forgiveness and ball speed. Earlier this season, Tour staffers Brandt Snedeker and Matt Kuchar added the Tour B JGR driver to the bag after noticing an uptick in speed and distance during testing. Snedeker would go on to shoot 59 during the first round of the Wyndham Championship with the club in the bag. A 9-time TOUR winner, Snedeker admitted he was somewhat surprised by how seamless the transition was from the previous version to the new driver. “I didn’t expect to make the switch so easily,” Snedeker said, “but when I compared the data on trackman, I was seeing three mph more ball speed and an extra six yards.” The new Tour B JGR driver (9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees; $399), fairway woods and hybrids all feature the company’s Boost Wave Crown technology, comprised of internal and external channels that assist the crown in flexing more effectively at impact for a higher initial launch and increased ball speeds. The rear portion of the crown has been thinned out as well to allow the entire structure to flex. While the Boost Wave Crown is found in all three woods (driver, fairway and hybrid), only the driver boasts a rib-like design in the sole that works in tandem with the Boost Wave Crown technology to stabilize the lower portion of the face, while allowing the crown to flex more at the same time. A redesigned power milled face offers double the depth of its predecessor to reduce slippage at impact and keep the ball on the face longer at impact, decreasing the amount of unwanted spin on off-center shots. For the high-handicapper, the driver offers a 25-gram internal weight in the heel for a built-in draw bias; an external 10-gram weight port can be found in the heel as well. With so much weight positioned in one area of the head, it’s clear Bridgestone is trying to help those players who fight a considerable slice. The Tour B JGR fairway woods (15 and 18 degrees; $229) and hybrids (19, 22 and 25 degrees; $219) come with a Boost Wave Crown and variable thickness face designed to help with ball speed protection, particularly on mishits that find the low portion at impact. Taking a page from the metalwoods, the Tour B JGR HF1 (1030 forged construction; $849) and HF2 (1025 forged construction; $899) irons were designed with a power slit face design, whereby the junction of the face and sole is noticeably thinner than the surrounding areas. The design is supposed to improve initial launch and ball speeds by acting as a hinge at impact. “Our JGR lines have built up a loyal following since the original launch in 2015. The new TOUR B JGR builds on that success by providing golfers with the combination of style and forgiveness,â€� said Zack Kupperbusch, Bridgestone, golf club marketing. The HF1 offers slightly stronger lofts, a larger profile and wider sole with a hollow cavity that “provides easy launching distance in an extremely low COG forged head.” The forged two-piece HF2 is geared more for the mid-handicapper with a slightly more compact profile and rubber polymer insert that was added to the cavity to enhance feel and sound while reducing unwanted vibrations at impact. Bridgestone’s Tour B JGR line will be available Oct. 12, with the following stock shaft offerings: UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ES (driver), UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ES FWY (fairway wood), UST Mamiya Recoil 780 ES (hybrid), UST Mamiya (HF1) and True Temper XP 95 (HF2). PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE: Buy equipment here

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