BRIDGESTONE Tour B330-RX

Bridgestone has a new version of the Tour B330-RX out that promises to be longer and softer.

The B330-RX is a tour-level ball designed for amateur swing speeds. I like it very much, but it’s too pricey for every day use.

SRIXON Z Star Tour Yellow

Srixon claims that “Science has proven that yellow is the most visible color in the visual spectrum and psychology has correlated green with calming and stress relief; therefore Srixon has enhanced our line of golf balls based on these two findings with the introduction of Tour Yellow, which is a unique blend of yellow and green to formulate the next generation of Tour golf balls.”

The question of the day: would you play with a yellow golf ball?a

I should think I’d be laughed right out of the league.

Aside from the unusual color, this is a three-piece, “tour performance” ball. And its priced likewise.

Titleist DT Solo Golf Balls 2010 - 12 pack

The Titleist DT Solo has been reworked for the 2010 season. Titleist says that it offers significant distance gains over previous models for golfers with average / moderate swing speeds.

That was the thing that attracted me to the ball when I reviewed it for the site all the way back in 2004.

What I’m wondering is if this is designed to replace the earlier Titleist DT Carry and DT Roll, which now have been relegated to the “other balls” section of the Titleist web site.

NIKE Karma

The Nike Karma Women’s golf ball is a two piece ionomer ball with a soft core specifically designed for swings in the 70mph to 80mph range—mostly women, but quite a few men also. With Nike’s lowest compression core, it should add distance, while offering improved feel for its target audience.

A federal jury in Delaware has ruled against Callaway in its lawsuit alleging that Titleist infringed upon several of its golf ball patents.

The jury sided with Titleist’s arguments that even though its Pro V1 golf balls infringed the patents, the patents themselves weren’t enforceable because the design and construction did not represent a new concept or innovation when the patents were issued in 2001 and 2003. Titleist also argued that its design was developed independently.

Callaway had patented the use of multiple layers of different materials inside its golf balls, which Titleist contended was an obvious approach to construction.

I hope this is a trend in patents. In recent years, I have read of far too many being awarded for ideas that are head-slappingly obvious—such as Amazon’s (rumored?) patent on “one click to buy.” I suppose they’ve got a legal argument, but common sense would dictate that this is no more patentable than “take item off shelf and put it into shopping cart before taking it to the cashier.”

A recent economics podcast I listed to bemoaned the increasing trend of patent balkanization and gridlock—where so many patents have been issued for so many minute bits and pieces that it becomes almost impossible to create new products. Often these patents are held by companies whose only purpose is to generate patents on speculation, hoping someone infringes on them so that they can cash out in court.

The podcast discussed the case of a scientist who developed a new kind of “golden rice” that produces vitamin A, thus alleviating an eye disease that plagues the third world. Unfortunately, although the scientist did the work from scratch, the end result infringed on dozens of patents held by dozens of different companies. As a result, he couldn’t bring the life-saving product to market. In the end, he was able to shame the patent owners into relenting, but only after great delay and difficulty.

After listening to that podcast, I’ve wondered what other innovations are being kept from us.

Can you imagine the chaos in the golf world if someone was able to patent the idea of golf balls with multiple layers?

BRIDGESTONE Tour B330-RXS

Bridgestone had a terrific idea last year with its Bridgestone RX Tour, a “tour level” ball designed for players with slower swing speeds. Although it was too expensive for my tastes, I did try it and found that it worked very well.

Now, Bridgestone has released the RXS, a version that’s supposed to offer more spin control and a softer feel. I’ll give it a try, but I’m still waiting for them to get that price point down to the low 30s at least.

TITLEIST NXT Tour

The Titleist NXT Tour is a new three layer ball that fits somewhere between the now-venerable Pro V1 and the somewhat less respected two layer NXT.

Aside from the usual large, fast core, and responsive mantle that every three piece boasts, the main difference seems to be in the cover. The NXT Tour has a low-count, high coverage dimple pattern that’s supposed to help golfers with distance. And although I have never thought Titleist balls had a durability problem, the thin cover is said to be designed to be more durable than previous, similar designs.

I wonder about the price point, however. For a three piece Titleist, it’s not a bad price, either. Golfsmith has them for just under $30 a dozen.