Bridgestone Is Back in the Game with New Forged Irons & Wedges

When most golfers in North America think of Bridgestone they think of golf balls, and rightfully so—they were the originators of golf ball fitting, and have players like Jason Day, Fred Couples, and Tiger Woods on their tour staff.

Now, if you were to ask the same question to golfers in Asia, the answer would be completely different. That's because for years Bridgestone has been producing and distributing a full array of equipment including premium forged irons and wedges along with their golf balls in global markets.

But, leading into 2025 Bridgestone is looking to merge these perceptions by introducing the 22 series of forged irons including the 220 MB, the 221 CB, and the 222 CB+, along with the BRM2 wedges to North American golfers.

“Historically the Bridgestone brand has been synonymous with best in class forged irons that are built to exacting standards, and this product continues that tradition,” said Elliot Mellow, marketing manager, Bridgestone Golf. “This family of irons can fit the best players in the world as well as amateurs and has already been in play at the tour level. Each one of the sets delivers the perfect balance of launch and spin for maximum performance for various player profiles.”

This philosophy of fitting golfers is key to what Bridgstone is looking to achieve with the reintroduction of irons into the North American market and to get them into golfers hands they will initially be available at Club Champion locations across the US.

This strategy of targeting fitting studios rather than big box stores is not unlike the one another Japanese brand, Srixon, used over a decade ago to introduce their products into the North American market, and since then they have gone on to build a very strong brand following that also includes a solid collection of PGA Tour staff players.

Beyond fitting, another way Bridgestone is looking to entice golfers to give their forged irons a fair shot is with price. With a more focused approach and smaller footprint the new forged irons are priced as a very competitive $150 each which prices the 7-piece sets (4-PW) of the 220 MB and 221 CB at $1050, while the 222 CB+ will be $900 since it’s only offered in a 6-piece set (5-pw).

As for model breakdowns, the 220 MB is a modern-lofted blade, the 221 CB a classic cavity back design, and the 222 CB+ a stronger lofted and slightly larger cavity back designed to offer improved forgiveness and distance for those who still prefer a premium forged club.

These should be arriving at Club Champion locations soon, so check with your local location to book a fitting and test them out.