Is Bridgestone’s ‘MindSet’ golf ball the secret to Jason Day’s low scores?

I recently had a chance at it try the new 2026 Tour B series from Bridgestone and found some success with the Tour B XS golf ball.

Bridgestone was kind enough to send me a few more balls for continued testing, and some of the boxes had their MindSet graphic printed on them. I had seen it all MindSet marketingwhich was developed in collaboration with one of my all-time favorite players, Jason Day, but I hadn’t put it to use until I was testing on the course just a few days ago.

The honest truth of my experience? I was pleasantly surprised.

I have to be blunt: going into this test, I wasn’t confident that MindSet graphics would actually make a difference for me. I’m a general skeptic when it comes to any “mental strategy aids” on the golf course, and I also usually try to place my ball with zero logos, graphics, or markings facing up when I hit my shot. I like to see a clean white golf ball, so I’m the exact opposite of a player that MindSet would be aimed at. However, I trust Jason Day and have made many equipment changes over the years because of his approval. But the steps seem so simple, how can clear reminders help you on the golf course?

The answer? Because they are reminders. Let’s dive into each.

The 3 Steps of the Bridgestone Mindset

Identify your target

This may seem like a simple direction, represented by the larger red circle. Off the tee, we’re looking to hit the fairway, and then the rest of the time we’re on the course, we’re aiming for the flag, right? Not exactly.

In my effort to even get into the weeds with each step of the MindSet process, I realized that identifying your target is a much more in-depth process than we give it credit for. I’m an Arccos user, and by drawing the hole map in each box, I started using this first query to map the hole. I wasn’t just bombing it and hoping to hit the road. I was looking at specific starting line targets. I knew where I wanted the ball to land, of course, but I found myself being much more specific about my goal. It wasn’t “right side of the fairway”, it was “second to last mowing line”. This became even more helpful when hitting approach shots, especially with clubs I felt I could really hit. I documented such a case on my Instagram. Going back to my point that reminders are the goal. Do I need MindSet golf balls to remember to do this? No. Will I do this every time I hit my normal golf ball? No. Will I do this every time I use a Bridgestone MindSet golf ball? You bet.

Visualize your shot path

Now that we are sure of our target, which for me is the start and finish line, we can ask ourselves how we want the ball to get there.

This is represented by the smaller orange circle. I usually play a right to left ball flight, so I usually ask myself how much I need the ball to travel to reach its target, or how much I want it to roll once it gets there. In the case of the shot above that I shared on IG, I had to make sure to hit the ball a little higher than usual, but with some spin to try and get my draw form to also roll towards the hole on the way down. Again, checking my Arccos showed that there wasn’t much room left from the hole, so with my shot form, I was confidently aiming about 10 yards right of the hole and hoping to shape it. Would I have done all of this if I hadn’t tried going through the steps of MindSet? Maybe not. There is about a 50% chance that I would have aimed for the hole and ended up off the green to the left.

Focus on the green dot

The last step is to then focus on the green dot. The smallest graphic feature intended to give the eyes a position to lock into before you start your swing. There has been a lot of research on a theory called the “Quiet Eye” that shows that a focal point can be a very valuable tool for repeat success on the course, and this has also influenced PING’s new Eye Q technology. This last step also confirms the first two. You’ve chosen your target and you know you want to land the shot. You’ve done the work to prepare; now is the time to focus and execute.

After a few holes with MindSet I could really tell a difference in my aim and that is the whole point of the alignment aid design. I’m the type of golfer who will completely forget about a pre-shot routine, so there’s a noticeable difference in getting help on the ball and not. Unfortunately for me, this means I need to do more ball testing to see if the Tour B XS can knock my Callaway Chrome Tour X out of the bag.

Even giving it a chance is proof of how confident I am that the MindSet chart can help players achieve lower scores.

Bridgestone 2026 Tour B XS MindSet Golf Balls

Features: UNATTACHED DISTANCE: New VeloSurge core sleeve integration technology delivers incredible speed for unmatched distance from the tip TOUR CONTROL: The Reactiv iQ fairing sticks longer on the clubface, generating tournament-level spin and precision control on scientifically designed shots XS to T. players separate analytical thinking from athletic performance MindSet is a visual cue of printed directly on the golf ball, serving as a reminder of a simple three-step process: identify your target, visualize the path of the shot, and focus on the point.

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