Quick, can any of you tell me what Bridgestone’s best-selling golf ball is?
Without looking at the picture at the top of the page?
OK, OK, when it comes to set-up questions, that one was probably more duh than huh, so I get it. But until getting the lowdown from Bridgestone, I did not know the e6 franchise is not only Bridgestone’s best-selling ball in its history, it’s also the longest-tenured ball in its history. It’s been a mainstay for 18 years, ever since Bridgestone Golf started selling balls in the U.S. under the name Bridgestone Golf.
“It’s a horse for us,” says Bridgestone Marketing Manager Elliott Mellow. “I can’t tell you how many people I’ve run into over the years who say, ‘Hey, I play the orange box,” and we know exactly what they’re talking about.”
So what has changed in this new model? Well, that depends on how good your ears are.
Bridgestone e6 Soft golf balls: Quick history lesson
For the longest time, the Bridgestone e6 was part of the e5-e6-e7 ball continuum. That trio was designed for golfers who wanted performance but wouldn’t benefit from premium, “Tour-level” urethane golf balls. In fact, the e6 was Bridgestone’s most recommended ball in its live ball fittings for years, over the B330/Tour B level balls.
In 2017, Bridgestone dumped the e5 and e7 models, largely because they weren’t keeping up with the e6 in sales. Bridgestone simplified the offering with the e6 Soft and e6 Speed. Two years later, Bridgestone introduced the e12 golf ball line and it would essentially become what the e6 had been. The e6 was moved to a single model at a lower price point.
Today, the Bridgestone e6 Soft is competing in the “soft feel” category with players such as the Callaway Supersoft and the Wilson DUO Soft.
That’s nice but what’s new?
Let’s get back to how good your ears are.
Soft feel is a lot about compression but it’s also a lot about sound.
“We talk about feel but it’s a combination of vibration and sound,” explains Mellow. “We don’t want to overly soften a ball from a compression standpoint to where it will hurt performance but we do want to create the sensation of a soft feel.”
Therein lies the biggest difference between the 2023 and 2025 models of the Bridgestone e6 Soft: the ionomer cover has been softened a bit to create a softer sound.
“We’ve created a different Hertz, pitch and decibel level at impact to create a softer sound,” says Mellow.
Overall, the compression of this new e6 Soft is a few points lower than the previous iteration. Mellow says it’s below 40 which again puts it in the same neighborhood as the Supersoft and DUO Soft.
Why do I want a soft golf ball?
Golf balls don’t get much simpler than the Bridgestone e6 Soft and its two-piece, low-compression kin. It’s a relatively firm cover over a soft, gradational core (soft on the inside, gradually firmer toward the outside). Golfers love them primarily for two reasons: low price and the fact they feel wicked good to hit.
However, the biggest benefit of a low-compression golf ball is low driver spin. Because it’s soft, it stays on the driver face a bit longer, causing it to launch higher and spin much less than a firmer ball would. For the chronic slicer, that lower spin could be the difference between the right fairway and the right rough or the right rough and the right pond, lake or forest.
A downside to low-compression golf balls is that low compression comes with a ball speed penalty. Think of it this way: If you hit a baseball with a bat swinging at a certain speed, it will go a certain distance. If you hit a marshmallow with the same bat swinging at the same speed, it won’t go as far. That’s a slight exaggeration but you get the point.
That low spin off the driver helps offset that loss of ball speed. A high-trajectory dimple pattern keeps the ball in the air as long as possible but if the ball should land in the fairway, it’ll roll farther thanks to its low spin. Hey, you play the ball where it stops. Nobody cares how it got there.
If you need help choosing a ball, Bridgestone does provide a useful selection tool on its website.
Bridgestone e6 Soft golf balls: Price and availability
Hey, now here’s a nice surprise. The new 2025 Bridgestone e6 Soft golf balls are actually less expensive than the 2023 version was at launch.
(I’ll stop now and let you collect yourself.)
Granted, it’s not a big drop. The new model is $23.99 per dozen, a buck less than the 2023 model, but a buck is a buck is a buck.
The Bridgestone e6 Soft golf balls will be available in standard white and Optic Yellow. They hit retail Feb. 14.
For more information, hit up Bridgestone’s website.
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