Visual technology in golf balls isn’t new. Heck, golfers have been drawing lines, dots, and other designs on their golf balls for years.

As of last year, most ball manufacturers had taken the plunge of offering some sort of ornamentation or alignment aid on their golf balls. However, Bridgestone had not. Why? Well, the company wasn’t interested in decorations for the sake of aesthetic appeal and felt if it was going to add any designs to its golf balls, there had to be a proven benefit to doing so. “We have always believed that the only reason to sell printed golf balls was if it provided added value to consumers,” Dan Murphy, President of Bridgestone Golf said at the time of the release.

Enter MindSet.

The MindSet process was created by Bridgestone Golf staffer Jason Day and his long-time mental coach, Jason Goldsmith.

“Jason Goldsmith and I worked together to develop a pre-shot system that went beyond the simple visualization I did when I was a kid. He understood how critical pre-shot visualization was to my game, but also knew I needed a more structured, complete routine,” said Day. “Now Bridgestone has made The MindSet process available to all golfers, which is going to be a game changer for a lot of people.”

To learn more about MindSet, GolfWRX caught up with David Vogrin, Director of Marketing at Bridgestone Golf.

GolfWRX: Before digging into the application of MindSet to Bridgestone golf balls, talk me through the history of MindSet.

DV: We’ve been exploring the concept of visual innovation on golf balls that enable players to improve their focus for several years. During that time, we studied the process of how our tour team used visual cues on their golf balls to get into the zone and perform consistently under pressure. The work on the project was stalled during COVID as we scrambled to meet the increase in demand that we saw during that time. In 2022, we signed Jason Day and he re-energized the project. Soon after researching Jason Day’s history with mindfulness techniques, we quickly realized that he would be the ideal candidate to work with to finish our work on the concept.

GolfWRX: For the layperson, can you drill down on the steps of the MindSet process?

DV: It is simple when you break it down. First, you “Identify Your Target.” In this step you gather information and take care of the pre-shot work that every golfer does before hitting a shot: determine the shot distance, figure out what is happening with weather elements such as wind, rain, etc., and ultimately decide on the shot and club you are going to hit. The second step is “Visualize the Shot Path,” which is a step a lot of everyday golfers skip over we’ve discovered. Here you connect to the target and visualize the shot you want to hit. People have different ways of executing this step, and one way is not necessarily any better than another. Some golfers will visualize the shot like watching a movie or golf on TV. Others will imagine a shot tracer line from where they hit their ball to the target. Some golfers are more kinesthetic and will choose to connect with the target/shot they want to hit by rehearsing the swing. Regardless of your preferred method, the idea is the same, connect your mind to the target. The final step is “Focus on the Dot.” This is where the magic happens. In this step, golfers focus on the green dot, while keeping their minds focused only on the target, then they pull the trigger to execute the swing.

GolfWRX: How does Jason Day fit into this picture?

DV: When we signed Jason and started this project up again, we knew his long history of using mindfulness techniques. We reached out to his team and were introduced to his performance coach, Jason Goldsmith. Goldsmith walked us step by step through the process he and Day have installed that keeps Jason focused. We broke the process down into key elements to make it digestible for the consumer. All successful professional golfers use a process to focus and perform under pressure, yet no golf ball manufacturer has ever endeavored to distill this process down to make it accessible to consumers or to apply it to a golf ball. Now we have. The cool thing about MindSet is that it works for top professional golfers like Jason Day as well as the recreational player.

GolfWRX: Finally, to the ball. How did this partnership come about?

DV: Once we started working through our concept and the process that Day was using, we quickly agreed that we could create a visual cue on the golf ball that would represent the process for Jason Day and consumers as well. From there, we created multiple iterations of prototypes on the golf ball to represent the process. Choosing the colors and the design became intuitive: the outer red ring represents the first step, the inner gold ring represents visualization, and the green dot represents the focal point for Jason (and now all golfers) who will use the MindSet process. Jason provided incredible feedback while working through the prototyping process until we landed on a design that would work for him and all golfers. It was a great experience and process for our team and his.

GolfWRX: Looking at the particulars, how does a golfer “use” a Bridgestone ball with the MindSet graphic?

DV: Aside from the green dot, which is where you focus before executing the shot, the rest of the design on the ball is a visual cue to remind players of the process steps that will enable them to be prepared to hit a shot. In practical terms, golfers only have the ball in hand off the tee and on the putting green. As they become assimilated in the process, they will be able to use the process even when the MindSet mark is not visible by focusing on a different focal point of the ball when they are ready to execute the shot. An example of this is focusing on the B mark, the side stamp, or even a dimple.

GolfWRX: What results are you seeing/what feedback are you getting from golfers who have put a MindSet ball in play?

DV: The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We have conducted tests with consumers of all skill levels and have seen over 80% of golfers who used the MindSet golf ball and process improve their score by an average of nearly three shots per round. With some players improving by 5 shots, 7 shots, and even 9 shots per round. Also, we believe this is a discipline and the longer you use it the more benefit you are going to see. This is an innovation that every golfer can use to help them play better.

Learn more about Bridgestone’s MindSet Tour B golf balls here.