Bridgestone's core expertise is in rubber and polymers, and the inside of a golf ball is made of rubber. Furthermore, the founder of Bridgestone (Shojiro Ishibashi) was an avid golfer. read more
Bridgestone was founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi, who also had a passion for golf. In 1935, Mr. Ishibashi channeled his passion into business and began producing golf balls. Although tires and golf equipment may seem "non-transferable competencies", the common denominator was the passion of the founder. read more
The technology used to make tires can be used in developing and manufacturing golf balls as well, which he started doing in 1935. The first model looked like this: With technical developments in tire technology came breakthroughs in golf ball technology that have led Bridgestone to be the number one golf ball producer in Japan. read more