Inaugural Food Bank fundraiser tournament set for April 7

The Food Bank of Delaware is holding its inaugural Sussex County golf fundraiser at Rehoboth Beach Country Club Tuesday, April 7.

The nonprofit organization distributes food to Delaware residents in need, working with a network of partners. In the Cape Region, these include charities such as the Cape Henlopen Food Basket and the Milton Community Food Pantry.

Proceeds from the fundraiser event will benefit food bank’s backpack program. This school-based system provides nonperishable foods and shelf-stable milk on Fridays to help students meet nutritional requirements during weekends and school holidays.

On-site registration for the event begins at 11 a.m., with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. Entry fees for golfers are $500, with reception-only tickets available for $150.

Several sponsorship opportunities remain, from a presenting sponsor slot at $15,000 down to the Tee Sponsor level at $500. 

For more information, go to fbd.org or call Jessi Dominguez at 302-292-1305.

Bridgestone Tour B ball line 

During Demo Day at the 2026 PGA Show, I met Jackson Foltz, a sales manager for Bridgestone Golf. We discussed the new Tour B line of four golf ball products and Bridgestone’s return to the American club market.

“The Tour X and the Tour XS are designed for higher swing speeds and the Tour RX and RXS are designed for lower swing speeds,” Foltz said. 

The model names are the same used for Bridgestone’s long-running high-end ball line, but incorporate many changes from past years.

“They are four fully re-engineered and designed golf balls,” he said. “We combined our 3 million amateur data test points with a bunch of new amateur and pro testing to design this new ball. The testing has been pretty consistent, with everybody gaining about 2 to 3 mph speed and about nine yards on their drives.”

Foltz said one major change “integrated” the core and mantle of the ball, which are normally separate parts of ball construction.

“By doing that we’ve increased the energy transfer when you make contact with the golf ball, the increased moment of inertia which helps keep your axis stability, so your offline shots try to keep them in play,” he said.

In essence, the new ball reduces sidespin compared to prior models.

Foltz also discussed ball compression, noting that the new Tour B balls have an 85-compression limit.

“We wanted to keep that feeling of the ball sticking to the club face and that reaction. Our new Tour BX is longer and faster than ever,” he said, citing the recent success of PGA Tour pro Chris Gotterup. “That is still a compression that you can feel around the greens. Within 100 yards, you’re going to get all the spin you want or need.”

Foltz stressed the importance of ball-fitting as the season begins.

“We really encourage everyone to fit the right ball for your game, whether it’s just a verbal fitting, or even just reading the back of our box. Just look at which ball roughly fits you best, or if you can go for a fitting with one of our fitters, anything like that, we’ve got the Tour ball for everybody,” he said. 

Bridgestone’s business model tends to let other ball companies take the first steps toward increasing prices.

Foltz said, “The pricing on the balls went up 10%. Our retail price is $54.99, to kind of match the market. Last year we remained at $49.99 [per dozen], and we were one of the only manufacturers still at that price point. This year we’re matching the market demand, and we believe we’re still below a few competitors.”

And as he put it, “You really don’t want to be the cheap ball.”

We also discussed Bridgestone’s irons and its equipment expansion into the U.S. market.

“Last year, we were exclusively at Club Champion, where you would have to go and purchase the set,” he said. “This year, we’ve expanded to more retail shops, more on-course shops, maybe at your local country club depending on where the sale rep has been able to place them.”

Foltz said, “They’re more readily available, they’re selling extremely well, and they’re accurately priced for the market. With the three different models we have you can really find one that fits your game. CB Plus is the most forgiving head, you have your CB which is kind of in the middle between a muscle back and a cavity back, which provides a little bit of forgiveness with still that workability in it. And then we have our full-on butterknife blade that Chris Gotterup just used in Hawaii and all the other good players can play.”

Foltz recognizes the risk of making the wrong club choice.

“Rory [McIlroy] just switched to cavity backs. He said, if there’s forgiveness to be had I’m going to take it. To each their own, but there’s a good argument for not playing the blades,” he said.

“Buying an expensive golf ball as a beginner will not hurt your game at all. Buying an expensive blade will hurt your game if you are a new golfer. There’s an important distinction there,” Foltz said with a grin.