Equipment
Electron: Bridgestone unveils golf ball for juniors, in partnership with First Tee, Dick’s Sporting Goods
While we don’t traditionally cover junior golf equipment, here’s an interesting one. Today, Bridgestone Golf announced its new Electron golf ball, a model developed specifically for junior golfers.
Created in collaboration with First Tee and available exclusively at Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy, the Electron is designed to enhance the experience of younger players by making the game more accessible and enjoyable.
“The new Electron is an entirely new product for Bridgestone,” said Dan Murphy, President of Bridgestone Golf. “It’s designed to help younger players launch the ball more easily and have more fun playing golf.”

Bridgestone Electron golf ball: Key features
- Two-piece construction with a low-compression core
- Engineered for easy launch and maximum distance for moderate swing speeds
- Soft feel for enhanced short game performance
- Shallow dimple design for faster launch and higher trajectory
- Each dozen includes four different facemark colors
Bridgestone used data from its ball-fitting program to tailor the Electron to junior golfers’ swing profiles. “Bridgestone pioneered ball fitting, and we’re proud to have used our data to develop the Electron specifically to meet the needs of junior players,” Dan Murphy said.
The ball also features messaging inspired by First Tee, the nonprofit known for instilling life skills and character development in young golfers. “Partnerships like this create great opportunities to build awareness for First Tee’s mission and further engage kids and teens in the sport,” said First Tee CEO Greg McLaughlin.

Bridgestone notes this release comes as youth golf participation continues to climb, with a 48-percent increase since 2019 and an additional six percent growth in 2024 alone.
The junior boom provided Bridgestone the opportunity to test and refine a ball tailored for this expanding demographic. “We believe in the power of sports to change lives,” said David Progar, Senior Vice President of Golf and Hardlines Merchandising at Dick’s Sporting Goods. “With this partnership…we’ll be able to offer junior players a new experience as they learn the game of golf and hopefully build a love for it over a lifetime.”

Pricing, specs, availability
At retail: Now
Price: $21.99/dozen
Exclusive retailers: Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy

Equipment
Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.

“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.

From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Whats in the Bag
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4

3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms

Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105

Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
