By Brian Sommer
I have written about my initial encounters with Bridgestone Golf’s new VS prototype golf balls, specifically the Black and Blue models, which are being ushered in as successors to the venerable Tour B X and Tour B XS. That exercise alone confirmed that, when it is serious, Bridgestone still knows how to produce a golf ball without insulting intelligence or touch.
Recently, however, I had the opportunity to put the remaining members of this chromatic zoo, the VS Red and VS Green, into play. One must first acknowledge, with mild amusement, that the color scheme invites a certain confusion. One is tempted to ask whether we are testing golf balls or participating in a round of Red Light, Green Light. I resisted, barely, any jokes involving redheaded stepchildren.
Setting classification aside, the second act was far more substantive than the palette might suggest.
I played several holes – nine to be exact with each model – giving them ample exposure across the bag: driver, fairway woods, long and mid irons, wedges, pitch shots, chips, and putts. In other words, these balls were not merely introduced they were interrogated.
Between the two, my preference tilted clearly toward the Red.
- It felt marginally softer.
- It sounded marginally less clicky.
- And it behaved in a manner that suggested continuity rather than surprise.
This will not astonish anyone familiar with Bridgestone’s previous Tour B lineage. If the color logic holds, the Red corresponds roughly to the old RXS softer, slightly higher spin, friendlier in the short game, while the Green occupies the former RX territory. In that sense, Bridgestone has not reinvented the wheel so much as rebalanced it.
Performance-wise, there were no meaningful yardage discrepancies. The Red and Green each carried their expected numbers, and neither betrayed any notable loss or gain compared to the Black or Blue. Distance, that fetish of modern marketing, remained reassuringly boring.
Where differences emerged was in trajectory and launch behavior.
The Red produced:
- A higher flight window with irons
- A lower flight window with the driver
The Green did the opposite:
- Lower iron and approach trajectories
- Higher launch off the woods
Neither is intrinsically superior. One must be wary of declaring theological truths where mere preferences are involved. For my part, I prefer a golf ball whose launch characteristics are more consistent throughout the bag a single dialect, rather than a bilingual speaker switching accents mid-sentence.
There were a handful of Red VS shots iron shots, notably that launched higher and seemed to have spun more than expected, even traveling a few yards beyond their intended destination. Extra distance is rarely offensive, but unplanned distance is another matter entirely. Predictability, not generosity, is the virtue sought. This may well have been an anomaly, and further testing would be required before drafting any indictment.
The Green, for its part, launched higher off the woods and carried well, but it ultimately fell short for me on one crucial front: sound and feel. It was firmer. Clickier. Unmistakably reminiscent of the older Tour B X a ball admired by many, but never by me.
The short game clarified matters further.
The Red and Green were firmer and less expressive off wedges and the putter face than the VS Blue or Black. Neither lingered on the club face with quite the same intimacy. The sensation was competent, reliable, but not lyrical.
And that leads to the only honest conclusion.
Bridgestone has assembled a winning lineup for 2026. The VS family will accommodate nearly all golfers’ preferences and prejudices. The Red and Green do not embarrass themselves; they perform admirably.
But to borrow Dom DeLuise’s immortal assessment from History of the World, Part I:
“Nice. Not thrilling. But nice.”
In the modern golf-ball arms race, bloated with claims, colors, and pseudo-scientific bravado, nice, when earned honestly, is not an insult.
It is a relief.
Brian Sommer holds a Ph.D. in Leadership from Concordia University Chicago, where his dissertation, “A Paradigm Shift in Teaching and Learning Golf”, reflected his commitment to presence-based learning. His academic background also includes degrees in History, Political Science, Business Administration, and Finance (Cornell University, University of Miami, and Lynn University).
As a Partner at CDI Global, Brian has advised clients across the aerospace, defense, construction, technology, and energy sectors, supporting transformational growth in companies ranging from startups to multinationals.
In each of his roles – coach, professor, strategist, and partner – Sommer brings people back to the ground of being. He invites them to look beyond technique, narrative, or image, and return to the source of authentic performance.
