Mizuno has long been known as an expert in forged irons, but the majority of golfers don’t realize the company makes everything a golfer needs. Mizuno woods, wedges, putters, bags, clothing, and even golf balls are extremely high quality. Golf balls might be the least known, but the new RB Tour series could change that.
Mizuno’s RB Tour and RB Tour X golf balls are both three-piece, urethane cover, golf balls that are designed for skilled players looking for precision. The RB Tour launches lower and produces less spin with driver, while the RB Tour X does the opposite and has a slightly firmer feel. Both have a glossy white finish and smaller logos and markings that should appeal to discriminating players.
For more details on the Mizuno RB Tour golf balls. make sure to check out the Club Junkie podcast below, or on any podcast platform. Just search “GolfWRX Radio.”
RB Tour
The RB Tour is the ball that is designed for players looking for a flatter launch, lower spin, but who still want to have a lot of green side control. Out on the course, I easily noticed that shots off the tee started out in a lower window and had a very flat trajectory. The RB Tour did offer a straighter flight with less curvature to my draw and hook while offering a soft and solid feel. Distance was good with the ball but I think the combination of lower launch and spin took a few yards from me compared to the RB Tour X.
With irons and wedges, I noticed less of a difference in launch, and I was easily able to launch the RB Tour high, and it landed softly on the green, when I hit them. Wedge shots carried a lot of spin and a fairway lie would often result in a ball that had very minimal release. I am not one to zip balls back off the green but felt like the small amount of release on the green was consistent and predictable. Shots out of the rough had a little more release after they hit the green, but again the amount was easily judged and only took a few shots to get used to.
The feel on the RB Tour is soft and solid with minimal audible click at impact. RB Tour is a soft ball, but not so soft that you lack feedback. Feel off the putter or wedge is pleasant, and you know immediately where you struck the shot.
RB Tour X
This ball fit my game a little better with the higher launch and added spin on tee shots. Driver launch was clearly higher that the RB Tour and hit my preferred trajectory. The added spin seemed to help my shots stay in the air a little longer and carry just a bit further than the RB Tour.
Like I said before, the iron launch seemed to be very similar, and the RB Tour X was easy to get up in the air from the turf and land softly on the green. The higher flight and aded spin aided in distance control on the green where there was very minimal roll out. Shots from the fairway checked up immediately while shots from the rough rolled out a shorter distance than the RB Tour.
Around the green, I felt like the RB Tour X checked up just a little bit faster for me. The shorter chip and pitch shots had a little more grab on the first hop and less roll after that. Opening the face to hit higher lofted shots resulted in soft landing ball that again wanted to stop pretty quickly. Putting with the RB Tour X yielded a slightly firmer feel, but not wildly firmer than the RB Tour.
If you weren’t really paying attention, or using a soft insert putter, I think some golfers couldn’t tell the difference between the two. The roll is good and you get a slightly more audible click at impact that can be more responsive when you miss the center of the face.
Overall, I think the new Mizuno RB Tour golf balls are solid tour-level golf balls that offer good performance. If you are looking for a new golf ball this year, I think trying the new options from Mizuno out on the course would be worth your time.
