Bridgestone Golf is dropping a little bombshell of an announcement today.
The company says it will close its golf ball manufacturing and testing facility in Convington, Georgia, on June 30thending 36 years of US production
Bridgestone’s premium Tour B-series balls, as well as its Surlyn-covered electronic series balls, are made in Convington. This production will be transferred to Bridgestone’s facilities in Japan.
“We announced today a realignment in our supply chain,” Bridgestone President Dan Murphy tells MyGolfSpy. “We will consolidate our manufacturing base in Japan. It was a difficult business decision, but it will allow us to do what we want to do, which is to be more competitive in the market.”
The 24,000 square meter Convington factory employs 86 people in manufacturing roles. The company said in a press release that it will support those employees during the transition and work with local partners to help them find new jobs.
The question is why is it closing, and why now?
It is important to note that this move in no way means that Bridgestone is pulling out of the North American market. The company is, by all accounts, enjoying a strong start to 2026.
“Tour B is going really well and we’ve had success on Tour,” says Murphy. “We’re making our numbers and hitting our targets. Bridgestone’s new tire and tire CEO is on the golf course and we see them coming to golf in a bigger way.
“This is just one part of a restructuring that allows us to do more.”
Murphy tells MyGolfSpy that the move is the result of long-term, multi-year analysis. The shutdown, while not related to recent global events, is based on economics.
“It’s optimizing where we can produce at the best possible cost for a global organization,” Murphy says.
“Bridgestone Golf remains committed to providing the highest performance products to golfers in North America and beyond,” Bridgestone Sports President Shunsuke Kunihisa said in a press release. “The North American golf market is the largest in the world. We are confident that this strategic decision will strengthen our brand and drive long-term growth.”
Bridgestone marketing director David Vogrin tells MyGolfSpy that the move will free up resources for expanded investment in advertising, tournament spending, social media and player sampling programs.
“Sampling is one of the main ways to get consumers on our side,” he explains. “The more people who try our balls, the better.”
Consumers are likely to see more ball fitting events in the coming months, which usually involve the player receiving a free sleeve from Bridgestone to try out. You’re also likely to see new marketing initiatives and possibly additions to the Bridgestone Tour staff.
36 years of American manufacturing
Bridgestone’s history in the US dates back to the late 1980s. The company began manufacturing golf balls in Convington in 1990. Its first golf balls were sold under the brand name Precept. Precept achieved early market acceptance, with Nick Price winning two of his three runs with the Precept EV Extra Spin ball. Nick Faldo also won majors with a Precept ball.
Bridgestone was also among the earliest companies to manufacture and sell a hard-core, urethane-covered Precent MC Tour Premium golf ball. Additionally, he provided precision manufacturing expertise to the Nike tournament. This is the ball used by Tiger Woods to win the Tiger Slam.
The first golf ball to bear the Bridgestone name was the Tour B330, launched in 2005. Bridgestone also introduced the ball fit for everyday players in 2008.
This year’s Tour B golf ball models with the new VeloSurge Core-Mantle integration technology achieved early success on the PGA Tour with victories by Chris Gotterup.
