Titleist TruFeel Golf Ball v Bridgestone e12 Contact Golf Ball: Read Our Head-to-Head Verdict

Titleist TruFeel Golf Ball v Bridgestone e12 Contact Golf Ball: Read Our Head-to-Head Verdict

If you're looking for the best value golf balls and best distance golf balls, there aren't many better brands than Titleist and Bridgestone, with both making some of the most recognized models that money can buy. Bridgestone is a serious player in the ball market nowadays, with tour professionals such as Tiger Woods and Lexi Thompson among others, choosing Bridgestone golf balls. With a number of different models, Bridgestone make some of the best golf balls on the market. 

Titleist golf balls of course need no introduction, they're the most popular golf balls in the professional game but the brand also cater superbly for golfers of all abilities. 

However, when it comes to deciding on your next golf ball, there are a number of factors that need to be considered. One of these is price, not everyone is going to want to splash out $50 on some of the best premium golf balls, some just want a golf ball that provides control and distance.

That's where these two models come in, with the Titleist TruFeel and Bridgestone e12 Contact models producing good performance that won't break the bank. Both are designed to be some of the best soft feel golf balls on the market, but both have notable differences that will affect your game. Below, we have tested both out and compared the two to find out which one is best for you.

Looks

We'll start with the Titleist TruFeel, which continues the evolution of the softest ball in the Titleist range. The core of the two-piece TruFeel is 1.6 inches, which is pretty big for a soft golf ball. Externally though, the TruFlex cover has the same 376 tetrahedral dimple pattern as before, but the cover is now thinner to accommodate the larger core. 

Featuring in white, high optic yellow and an all new matte red version , the TruFeel also features the red line alignment aid in the sidestamp, which carries over from the 2020 ball. It has been one of the most popular sidestamp designs on Titleist’s custom ball service and is one of the better ones out there for keeping you lined up.

The three-piece Bridgestone e12 Contact ball comes in more color options than the TruFeel. You can buy the e12 Contact in matte green, matte yellow, and matte red in addition to the standard white.  

The contact force dimple technology gives a slightly unorthodox look to the e12 Contact, with sharper, boxier, and more pronounced dimples than the more traditional dimple of the TruFeel. There's also a handy alignment line to help with aim on the greens or even off the tee.

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Feel

The TruFeel features a two-piece design so won't feel as controlled as a three piece ball with a urethane cover such as the Titleist Pro V1. However, it is half the price of the Pro V1 and does still provide a sufficient amount of feel from all over the golf bag. In this price bracket, the TruFeel compares to the firmer Titleist Velocity golf ball. However, if you prefer a softer sound and feel then the Titleist TruFeel is the one to go for as it certainly won’t hurt your ears on and around the greens. 

Whilst both balls felt pretty good for this price point and category, the TruFeel was the softer feeling of the two in the long game, while the Bridgestone produced better feel and control on approach and around the green. The e12 Contact actually felt surprisingly firm in the long game but a big positive is how the ball feels notably softer using a putter than many other balls in this price range. 

This is by design. This cover contains modifiers that allow it to react to the amount of force applied at impact. This helps optimize the moment of impact, yielding faster speed on more powerful contact and higher spin rates on less powerful contact. This performance earns the ball a place in our 2023 Editor's Choice. In the longer shots the e12 Contact felt like it was coming off the clubface a little hotter, probably due to the new FLEXATIV suryln cover. Both balls felt more premium than their price point would suggest.

Ball Flight

The latest release of the TruFeel has seen a slight increase in ball speed and spin over its previous model. In testing, we found that, with driver, the launch was a degree or two lower at just under 100mph club head speed. This makes the TruFeel one of the best golf balls for slow swing speeds and a great option as the softer ball will respond better at these speeds.

Ball flight with the Bridgestone e12 Contact was fairly consistent and straight, with a nice trajectory. It was super windy during testing, so results might vary on calm days but we found overall performance to be competitive with other similarly mid-priced balls in the category. 

Distance

The Titleist TruFeel gets its speed through a new type of faster rubber in the TruTouch core material. If you generate too much spin, then the lower spinning nature of the TruFeel might help you gain some distance and straighten out some of your shots.

The e12 Contact produced a strong and stable ball flight off the tee and wasn’t adversely affected by some fairly strong winds that we tested in. 

As mentioned above, the cover on this Bridgestone ball is designed to react differently to each type of shot. So with a driver, the cover behaves like a firmer material for faster ball speed and more distance, and less sidespin for straighter shots and enhanced forgiveness on mishits. And with a wedge or short iron, it behaves like a softer, slower material – creating more spin and control around the greens.

Control

Made from a new surlyn ionomer formulation, the thinner TruFeel 2022 cover provides a softer feel with spin control and, what's more, the control around the green was decent with chips and pitches, probably better than most in the soft ball sector.

The Contact Force Dimple of the e12 Contact did seem to allow the ball to stay in contact with the face a fraction longer than you would normally expect for a ball designed primarily with distance in mind. This was a real bonus and added to the feeling of control. On full shots, the e12 Contact produced a little more spin than the Trufeel which facilitated some extra stopping power.

Which one should you choose?

Choose the Titleist TruFeel if…

- You want a golf ball that will help aid your alignment
- You have a slower swing speed
- You produce a lot of spin and want to lower your dispersion

Choose the Bridgestone e12 Contact if…

- You prioritize distance over spin
- You play in windy conditions often
- You prefer a firmer-feeling ball