In the golf equipment business, four years between release cycles is nothing short of an eternity. So when a company, in this case Bridgestone, finally unveils a new driver - it better be worth it.

Bridgestone's J715 460 driver uses a combination of four innovative technologies to maximize distance and accuracy off the tee: variable thickness in the face, a patented milled face pattern, customizable center of gravity and an adjustable hosel. It's a feature set that has representatives from Bridgestone feeling confident that their product will live up to four years of anticipation.

"At Bridgestone we don't release new products just to release new products. Our philosophy is to wait until we truly have something innovative and unique that will benefit golfer's games," says Josh Kinchen, Bridgestone's Golf Clubs and Accessories Marketing Manager. "We haven't put out a new driver in several years because we don't believe a new color offering or some other less impactful technology is really worth asking consumers to part with their hard-earned dollars for. We want consumers to know that when we introduce a new club, it will always offer real tangible performance benefits."

Here's a brief rundown of the key technologies and how they impact performance:

F.A.S.T Crown

The Flex Action Speed Technology crown is thinner near the clubface and progressively thicker towards the rear allowing the crown to slightly flex at impact creating higher launch conditions and increased repulsion.

Powered Milled Face

We're accustomed to seeing milling patterns in putters and micro grooves in wedges, but nothing of the sort in drivers. The idea behind this innovative design is to help the ball adhere to the face for a fractionally longer period of time - reducing unwanted slippage and enhancing the quality of the compression.

According to Bridgestone's robot testing, the Power Milled Face reduces spin by 200 to 300 rpm. Think about that for a moment. A driver technology that lowers spin without any adjustments to loft or center of gravity location.

Spin Flight Control Technology

The J715 delivers on the hottest trend in driver technology - adjustable CG. The default system consists of two weights (10 grams and 4 grams) that can be swapped around to increase launch and spin, effectively raising the club's MOI. Inversely, leaving the heavier weight in the front port will move the center of gravity low and forward helping to flight the ball down and reduce spin.

Variable Adjust System

The J715 is Bridgestone's first adjustable driver. Bridgestone's implementation offers face angle adjustments of up to 1 degree (closed or open) also allowing the club to be set 1-or-2 degrees upright or standard.

The J715 driver ($399) will be in stores on February 1, 2015 in lofts of 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12- degrees for right-handers (9.5 and 10.5-degrees for lefties available April 1st). The driver comes standard with the Mitsubishi Fubuki ZT shaft and custom yellow Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip.

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