Bridgestone is turning heads with its Fall 2011 product lineup, a full offering from driver through wedges.
The J40 Forged Cavity Back Irons steal the show and are among the highlights of all the new equipment coming onto the market, leaving golf enthusiasts drooling over the clean looks and confidence-inspiring design they’ve come to expect from Bridgestone.
The J40CB got a nice boost recently when Brandt Snedeker put them into play and promptly fired a 61 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs.
“With the J40s, we now offer even better performance and cleaner aesthetics. The J40 series truly reaffirms that Bridgestone is the brand of choice for premium iron enthusiasts,” said Corey Consuegra, Golf Club Marketing Manager, Bridgestone Golf, Inc.
Lacking in the massive product placement on Tour of some of its competitors, Bridgestone is certainly not suffering for fans among gearheads and on golf message boards, where the J33 irons are always included in the conversation among the best ever produced. The updated J40 model appears to build on that foundation. Both sets of the J40 irons are premium forged from 1020 mild carbon steel for that unmistakable soft feel of a forged iron and feature conforming grooves for optimum distance and spin control.
According to Bridgestone:
The J40 Forged Cavity Back irons offer the ultimate balance between form and function. The J40 Forged CB’s striking good looks and clean traditional design is tailor made for better players who prefer a classy no-frills look and thin topline at address. The J40 Forged Cavity Back irons key design features include:
•compact head with higher face progression for a mid-height launch
•unique v-cut cavity design that places more mass higher on the clubface for a higher center of gravity, resulting in a more controllable, penetrating ball-flight
•tapered sole-design for more versatility in shot making, allowing players to ‘work the ball’ and more easily control trajectory
•enhanced trailing edge relief for better performance from a variety of lies, especially out of the rough
For a player in need of a bit more forgiveness, Bridgestone’s J40 Forged Dual Pocket Cavity might be the right fit.
According to Bridgestone:
The J40 Forged Dual Pocket Cavity irons are designed for the serious player that demands a buttery feel and more traditional topline, but needs a bit more help with squaring the clubface at impact. The J40 Dual Pocket Cavity irons key design features include:
•midsize head for producing a mid-to-high launch
•revamped dual pocket cavity that provides increased Tour Stability by moving more discretionary weight to the perimeter, creating even higher MOI than the previous version
•improved leading edge relief to help prevent digging in softer conditions
Both models of J40 will come standard with ProjectX flighted shafts and feature a street price of $699 (MSRP $799). The standard set will be 5 iron through pitching wedge, and 3 and 4 irons will be available as an option.
Classically clean wedges
Bridgestone is also making a strong move into the ultra competitive wedge market with the J40 Wedges.
Featuring Variable Bounce Technology, standard Dynamic Gold™ Spinner shafts and two performance finishes, the simple elegance of these wedges are drawing rave reviews from those who are fed up with the bells and whistles being trotted out by some of the giants in the wedge game.
“The J40 Wedges offer a design that will appeal to golf equipment purists, with a clean, classic look and consistently precise performance,” said Consuegra. “With the choice of Black Oxide or Satin Chrome, golfers can feel confident over shots with a club that suits their eye.”
The J40 Wedges are available in 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 degrees of loft and feature a street price of $109 per wedge.
Woods aimed at killing spin
At the other end of the bag, Bridgestone unveils a full complement of woods and hybrids, with a driver aimed at the better player among the mix, while balancing the line with more forgiving options.
“The J40 Driver and Fairway Woods maintain Bridgestone’s focus on producing low spinning and high launching heads to maximize distance,” said Consuegra. “In the J40 445 construction, we’ve made forgiveness the most important aspect of the driver design and with the J40 430 we focused our efforts on workability and control. We now have high launch low spin offerings for two very different types of players, both of whom value increased distance and consistency.”
According to Bridgestone:
The J40 445 promotes a mid-to-high launch trajectory with low spin for long, accurate drives. The new Bridgestone Golf J40 445 Driver’s key design features include:
•445 cc round clubhead shape designed for Tour-level stability
•short hosel for maximum control
•deep face for increasing vertical gear effect
•6-4 titanium, 4-piece head construction that allows Bridgestone to move discretionary weight to the perimeter of the clubhead for increased MOI and less twisting at impact
•Bridgestone’s proprietary Variable Face Thickness Design providing increased mass on the face towards the heel and toe of the club for higher ball speed on off-center hits.
The J40 430 is designed to promote a controlled low to mid-launch with very low spin. The new Bridgestone Golf J40 430 Driver’s key design features include:
•traditional 430 cc pear shape head
•longer hosel for maximum workability
•deep face for the ultimate in spin reducing distance
•6-4 titanium, 4-piece clubhead that allows Bridgestone the ability to modify the weight distribution for enhanced forgiveness on mis-hits
•Variable Face Thickness Design that increases ball speed on off-center hits
The J40 445 Driver is available in 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degrees of loft and the J40 430 Driver is available in 8.5 and 9.5 degrees of loft. Both J40 Drivers come standard with a Project X® Graphite shaft and Golf Pride® grips. Custom shaft and grip options will be available.
The Bridgestone J40 445 Driver will feature a street price of $399 (MSRP $449). A set of fairway woods is also on the way, in 14 (3+), 16 (4), and 18 (5) degrees of loft and come standard with a Project X Graphite shaft and will retail for $199 each. The J40 Fairway Woods are constructed of 17-4 stainless steel and utilize many of the same design attributes as the J40 drivers, including the new Variable Face Thickness Design and thinner crown for enhanced perimeter weighting, to provide improved stability in both distance and direction.
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A ‘Players’ hybrid to round out the bag
Rounding out the fall 2011 Bridgestone lineup is the J40 hybrid, sure to be a key player. A nod to the significant switch away from long irons to hybrids, J40 iron sets will come standard starting at the 5 iron, with most players turning to hybrids to fill that gap.
“The hybrid is taking on an increasingly important role in golf given the decline in long iron usage,” said Consuegra. “Our new J40 hybrids are longer and more forgiving than our previous offerings, and we expect them to find a place in many serious players’ bags.”
According to Bridgestone, the J40 hybrids feature:
•longer heel-to-toe design for more forgiveness on off-center hits
•17-4 stainless steel casting for the ultimate in soft-but-solid feel
•clubhead shaping and tungsten weighting designed to increase stability and distance with a draw bias on all shots
•Bridgestone’s proprietary Variable Face Thickness Design providing increased mass on the perimeter of the face for higher ball speed on off-center hits
•blade-like masking at address that increases visible face area for more confidence at address
The J40 hybrids are available in 18 (2h), 21 (3h), and 24 (4h) degrees of loft and come standard with a Project X® Graphite shaft. The clubs will feature a street price of $179 each.
Bridgestone’s entire line will be available Oct. 15. For more information visit www.bridgestonegolf.com.
