03trdblack

The slight triangular shape is right on the edge of being strange looking. I'm fully ok with a triangular look as long as it's longer from front to back than it is from heel to toe. The Callaway Fusion is like this. The EXS however almost looks like the face from heel to toe is longer than it is from front to back. It's easy to get used to but I definitely prefer the more traditional rounder shape of the Exotics XJ1.

Stage 1 Uploaded!

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So far my initial range sessions have been really impressive. It's definitely living up to the bang for the buck. More info coming soon...

Stage Two - The Review 6/27/19 Tour Edge Exotics EXS Driver – Official MGS Forum Review by 03TRDBlack Intro I’ve been giving this driver a serious amount of play and practice time for this review. This is mostly unheard of for me since I have so many clubs floating around my house and I love trying new things. I’ve even completely disassembled and put back together the EXS driver in order to learn everything about its construction as well as customize it to best perform for my game. Overall, I’ve been extremely impressed by this club’s performance and can safely say it can compete with any club on the market if it fits your game. I was lucky the stock Tensei Blue works fairly well for my swing. I think the major thing this club has against it is the lack of fitting options as well as places out there that will properly fit it (or even carry it in the store). Throughout my Stage 2 review, I have to keep in mind how I want to rate this club. For some of the “negatives” I could easily overlook them due to the price point of this club whereas if I was reviewing a $500+ driver they would be an issue. Looks (8 out of 10 points) The EXS has a slightly triangular shape to it, similar to the Callaway Fusion driver from a few years ago. The main difference is that the face looks slightly longer from heel to toe than it looks deep from front to back if that makes any sense. This makes the head look less pulled back than the Callaway Fusion. I’ve included some crude drawings as a comparison. Obviously, these are exaggerations but it’s the impression I get when I look down at each of the heads. I actually prefer the more stretched back look of the Fusion triangular shape so I deducted a point for that. EXS shape example: Callaway Fusion shape example: Everything else about the looks of this club are top notch. The finish looks ultra premium with all the carbon fiber and blue colored paint trim. The black/blue color scheme looks really classy with the shade of royal blue giving just the right amount of color pop without being too over the top. My only small observation about the finish of the club was the slightly sloppy glue around the edges of the carbon fiber plates on the sole. You really had to look closely to notice this though, but I would have probably seen this if it was sitting on the shelf at the golf store and deducted another point for it. Sound & Feel (7 out of 10 points) As it does with most clubs, the sound and feel changes with this driver depending on what type of ball you are hitting with it. It has a much more higher pitched metallic sound than all of the carbon fiber would lead you to believe it would have. I wouldn’t call it clanky sounding but if you hit a harder two piece range ball or a harder compression ball, the sound can get a little higher pitched and a touch on the hollow sounding side. When playing my normal urethane gamer balls though, the sound is just fine and not offending at all. The sound also changes depending on where you make contact so I could easily tell where my mis hits were based on the tone of the strike. I did end up adding just a few grams of hot melt to the inside of the head which just help to take the edge off of the higher pitch when hitting harder golf balls. I usually don’t mind a louder sounding driver as long as the pitch isn’t offensive but overall I prefer a slightly more muted “thwack” sound. Compared to something like the Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero, this club sounded fantastic! Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points). I’m going to bullet point the next section for ease of reading: Trajectory – Quite a bit lower than I expected for the default 9.5* setting w/ a mid launch shaft. I was hitting low-mid bullets with the standard setting out of the box. I usually play 9-9.5* drivers and sometimes have to adjust them a little lower depending on the club but I had to adjust this club UP to the +1 setting at 10.5*. Once I moved the loft up a degree I was very surprised at how high I was hitting tee shots and it was way above my normal flight window. This initially concerned me but when I saw where my shots were landing, I was really surprised. The trajectory was high but the shots didn’t balloon which tells me the spin was under control. MyGolfSpy just released their center of gravity reports for this year and stated that the EXS measured in at a lower than stated loft of 9* instead of 9.5 so maybe I have a lower lofted club as well. If that is true then I guess I might have it set on 10*. The higher setting gave me approx. 5-8 yards additional carry over the standard setting. Workability – I really don’t try and “work” my driver but I didn’t have any trouble hitting cuts with this club. Since I adjusted the loft up a degree it closed the face. I usually play a pretty straight shot to a slight fade so the closed face kept me hitting a straight ball. I also had the heavy weight in the draw setting to minimize a right miss. Accuracy – I felt this club had great accuracy and had no problem hitting it exactly where I wanted to. It was very reliable and with the closed face I was able to clear my body out and not worry about losing it right. I was surprised that the MOI numbers when the weight was in the draw setting (6962 combined – similar to the Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero) weren’t that high compared to a lot of the current drivers on the market this year. When the weight is in the back position the MOI goes up quite a bit more (7493 combined) and sits in the same company as the Titleist TS3 and Tommy Armour Atomic drivers. The COG is very close the neutral axis with the weight in the rear which would explain the lower spin rates. Distance – Not the longest driver I’ve hit this year but definitely not the shortest either. It comfortably sits at the upper range of my distance zone and I don’t feel I’m giving up anything in terms of usable yardage on the golf course. I’ve hit a few bombs with this club but the BEST part is the distance is extremely reliable and consistent. I practically hit the same carry numbers no matter where I miss shots on the face. So far this year the Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero has been my longest club and the Cobra F9 has been best on shots hit lower on the face. Forgiveness – I can mis hit this club and it still will get strong, consistent distance which tells me the ballspeed stays high on a lot of the face. Shots hit lower on the face don’t spin up too much either. I was really surprised at how well low heel shots seemed to perform since those usually end up as a weaker fade flight. The center of gravity report showed the COG to be slightly heel side of center which would definitely help with that low heel shot. Shots hit high on the toe don’t feel good but fly high and come off with very low spin so carry a long way. Adjustability – Same adjustability as almost every club out today. Easy to change the hosel neck sleeve as well as swap around the two weights. The weights do see to be quite slim and you have to be careful to not cross thread them. Pressure – As I mentioned above, this club is very, very reliable. I’ve been able to configure the club to work perfectly with my swing which makes hitting it automatic. I know exactly how far shots are going to carry and can easily rely on it to carry trouble at certain distances. I did have to initially get over looking down at a closed club face but now I use it as a swing thought to clear my lower body all the way through so that it won’t go left. I was very pleased with the clubs overall looks and consistent distance performance. It’s an accurate and reliable performer that I have no problem playing round after round with. If I was to refine it just a little further, I would say that spin could still probably be slightly lower but the stock stiff shaft might just be on the border of too soft for my swing speed. I would also shape the head just a little bit less triangular and try to find a head that had the loft I needed but with a square club face. The sound could also be a little less hollow with harder golf balls. These are all minor things that don’t overshadow the performance.   On-Course Performance (25 out of 30 points) I’ve been tracking my distances with ShotScope and have posted a few of those rounds throughout the review thread. Overall, I’ve averaged 256.47 yards for all the shots I’ve hit with the Exotcs EXS. When I first received the driver I was averaging between 100-103mph clubhead speed but since the weather has warmed up and I’ve continued to work out with the Superspeed program I’m now averaging between 105-109 mph with an occasion of seeing 112mph on my swing radar. Had I known I would be swinging faster I would have requested the X flex shaft and possibly been able to squeeze out a few more yards with lower spin. Bottom line is this club performs and has been a real joy to test. It’s easy to hit, reliable and does everything I need it to during a round of golf. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have given it much of a look in a store (although not many stores near me even carry it) but I’m very happy to recommend it to anyone I talk to about it. Tour Edge has always made solid golf products and their drivers are often overlooked. I really like the amount of adjustability in this club and was lucky that it mostly fit me and my swing. I think if they offered some toe side weighting it would appeal to the audience that doesn’t want to see shots going left. This is obviously a smaller audience since most golfers’ slice but it would broaden the appeal regardless. They could also stand to slim down their shaft adapter as it’s pretty chunky and probably weights quite a bit. I can’t really say that this club improved my game a whole lot over any other driver as I’m a pretty decent ball striker and tend to hit drivers really well. It didn’t boost my distance over any other club on the market so I didn’t gain any advantage there either but I can say that I was so reliable with this club that I rarely if ever got into much trouble or hit any wild shots. I’ve had some clubs in the past where I felt like I put a good swing on the ball but looked up to find a crazy looking shot shape or trajectory. I NEVER ONCE had that issue with this driver. Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points) Not sure there was anything I really needed to add here that I haven’t already stated above. You’re getting fantastic value for money with the EXS. Play it or Trade it? (10 out of 20 points) I had to score this one a little lower. If I only had the budget that this club costs and I had to have a new club then I would easily pick this club up. The biggest problem is I can only say that after testing it as much as I’ve been able to. Given the limited distribution of Tour Edge drivers, most golfers aren’t going to be able to test this club or even have a chance to hit it. There are so many good drivers out on the market in the past few years that it’s impossible to say one driver is miles ahead of any other. This club didn’t gain me any major distance nor did it make my score go up or down. It’s a fantastic performer and can hang with anything on the market but doesn’t really stand out over anything else other than in price. It’s a great performing, reliable and affordable workhorse of a driver. Tour Edge Exotics have next to no resale value in the used market and people wanting to save even more money will probably be able to get this club used for even less than it already costs new in a very short time. Now that I’ve written my review, I may try and grab an X flex shaft and see if I can squeeze a little more out of this club in the warmer Summer season. It should continue to be a fun experiment for a clubmaker and tinkerer like myself. Conclusion The major take away from this driver review is that you shouldn’t be afraid that you’re going to give up something by spending less money for this club. If you fit into the stock shaft choice, this club will meet or exceed the performance of most all other drivers in the marketplace today. If you were in the market to spend $500+ on a driver and you like the look and feel of this driver, BUY IT and have some money left over to upgrade the shaft to something that might fit your game. My final score number for this review seems lower than this club deserves but I’d recommend it to anyone. Final Score: (77 out of 100 points)

Stage One – Rob Introduction - 5/22/19 Intro Follow me on my Instagram! @rob.c.slade (I'm in the red shirt). Also on Twitter @robslade. First and foremost, I want to thank MGS again for the chance to review another product. I was lucky enough to be selected to test the Snell MTB Black a while ago as well as having the chance test out the new SuperSpeed Golf program. I’m really starting to see the benefits of the Superspeed in my swing speed now that it’s warmed up. The link below to my Snell review gives a little background on me and my game but I’ll recap some info as well. I'll also include a link to the SuperSpeed program review. Snell MTB Superspeed I’ve been a pretty decent golfer since I started playing at age 14 (now 37) and currently carry a handicap of 2.4. I live in NC and do most of my playing in the Southeast region where it’s hot a humid. I’ve always been an equipment junkie which led me down the road to building golf clubs as soon as I started playing and I’ve been a clubmaker now for over 23 years. My favorite club has always been the driver and is one of the strengths of my game. My ball striking is very consistent and pitching and chipping are solid. Putting can be streaky and some days are better than others. My swing has a very smooth tempo and even when I feel like I’m swinging all out, it still looks very smooth and lazy like an Ernie Els or Fred Couples. I used to hover around 100 mph with a driver but now I’ve been recording 104 mph and have even steadily hit 106-108 mph in my practice sessions. I attribute this to the SuperSpeed program as well as warm weather and wearing normal short sleeve golf clothing. I’ve been into weight lifting and working out at the gym since I was in high school and visit the gym 3-4 times a week religiously. Over the last few years I’ve added quite a bit of muscle mass but unfortunately as I’ve gotten older I’ve also gained a bit of undesired weight as well. I currently weigh around 240lbs at 5’9” tall. I don’t stretch as much as I should and my flexibility could use some work. The TLDR Personal Golf Stats: Current HCDP: 2.4 Smooth swing tempo w/ driver swing speed currently between 104-108mph. Driver ballflight is usually Mid/High with my miss being a pull fade. My driver carry distance, on average, is NOW around 250-255 yards. Currently playing a Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero 9.5* set to 8.5* w/ Aldila Rogue 125 Stiff at 45” and D2 swingweight. I love driver and have a TON of different drivers that I like to take out and play with on a rotating basis. I wasn’t officially custom fit for any of them but know my game and what works best for me. I am very accurate with a driver and am not afraid to aim exactly where I want it to go. Given my recent slight increase in swing speed I’ve been able to hit more aggressive lines and reach a lot more par 5 holes in 2. First Impressions: I was very excited when the Tour Edge Exotics EXS driver arrived. They asked us what specs we wanted in the driver and I requested the following: 9.5* Loft 45" length (-.5" from standard) Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue 60 Stiff (I'm still wondering if the X stiff might have been better) Pulling it out of the box it looked very high quality and the color scheme of Black/Blue really looks classy. WARNING picture overload! Exotics claims on their site that the EXS has all the features of the major (expensive) drivers and performs as well but costs much less. It has an adjustable hosel, adjustable weights, carbon fiber, exotic titanium, variable face technology, dual roll on the face and a premium shaft. "The tech-loaded EXS driver features a Flight Tuning System (FTS) that includes 9-gram and 3-gram interchangeable weights, an adjustable hosel that allows for plus two or minus two degrees in loft, RollFace Technology for an expanded sweet spot, Dual Carbon Fiber placement for ideal weight distribution and a new and improved SlipStream™ Sole for faster clubhead speed. The EXS 460cc head features premium Japanese exotic metals; TSP 910 Beta Titanium face plate featuring Variable Face Thickness Technology and a 8-1-1 Titanium chassis. The TSP 910 Beta Titanium face has been made even thinner and lighter in the EXS over previous Exotics driver models to produce a greater spring-like effect. Engineers paired the superior TSP 910 Beta Titanium face plate with the exceptionally light Carbon Fiber Crown and with additional Carbon Fiber located on the toe of clubhead, allowing weight to be strategically repositioned lower and deeper in the head for optimal spin and creating an extremely high MOI. The Dual Carbon Fiber Technology also helped Tour Edge engineers to significantly improve the acoustics of the driver and enabled them to account for the gram weight of the FTS weights and the adjustable hosel. A new RollFace Technology incorporates modified bulge and roll on the toe to create straighter shots for shots hit off the toe, which is where the majority of miss-hits with a driver are made. In conjunction with the sweet-spot enhancing Variable Face Thickness technology, the RollFace makes this the most forgiving driver face ever produced by Tour Edge. The aerodynamics in the EXS driver are greatly enhanced by a more sloping crown and wider speed channels on the sole. The new, more tapered head profile also reduces aerodynamic drag. An ultra-premium Tensei CK Blue 2G shaft series by Mitsubishi Chemical is the chosen stock shaft for the EXS driver. Extremely light yet extremely stable throughout, the Tensei Blue CK features advanced materials like Carbon Fiber and Kevlar mixed with other lightweight materials that weigh in the 50-70 gram range depending on flex." In an up close inspection there is NOTHING about this club that would indicate it should cost less than the $499+ price that other OEM's are charging. The only thing that was slightly off was some glue in the seems of the carbon fiber on the sole and that is nitpicking at best. I've played and tried various Tour Edge Exotics drivers over the past and still have a Tour Edge Exotics XCG-V Driver and a Tour Edge XJ1 Supermetal Driver in my collection. The XCG-V was my favorite Tour Edge driver and the XJ1 seems to share a lot of similar technologies as the EXS but was VERY expensive when it came out. The common theme around the internet (and one that I shared) seems to be that Tour Edge makes some of the best fairway woods on the market but their drivers never quite lived up to the performance of the other OEM's out there. The original CB2 fairway and now the CBX are considered legendary in performance. I'm really excited to see if the EXS can live up to the performance of other drivers out there, especially for hundreds of dollars less in price. The EXS has a slightly triangular shape to it compared to the more traditional shape of the XJ1 SuperMetal. It also has a slightly different type of carbon fiber weave in the crown. XJ1 on the left, EXS on the right: EXS on the left, XJ1 on the right: EXS carbon crown weave: XJ1 carbon crown weave: Triangular shape comparison to the Callaway Fusion Driver: So far I've been able to get the EXS out to the driving range and compare it side by side with a number of drivers. I've also been playing around with the settings and weights to optimize the performance for what I am seeing on the range. Next steps are to get out and play quite a few rounds as well as get some launch monitor numbers and really get it dialed in to my swing. I won't give away too much until Stage 2 but let's just say that initial testing has been looking VERY promising....STAY TUNED!

Slight price drop

PROJECT X HZRDUS BLACK SMOKE 60 6.0 STIFF FLEX DRIVER/FAIRWAY SHAFT. Perfect pull from a PXG driver. Measures 43.5" and should play between 45" and 45.5" in most drivers. SOLD

I feel like MGS had to know this was going to happen....

I'd also like to see them make a zero offset hybrid. I prefer a hybrid that has a little onset like a mini fairway wood so that I won't hit it left. Maltby made one years ago called the CT250 that was exactly this and I played them for years.

These are so fantastic looking

I'm waiting on this, the most wanted driver results by swing speed, AND the updated 2019 clubhead center of gravity reports. I eagerly check the site every day in anticipation of one of these to drop and every day I'm left disappointed.

I'm very tempted. I've always enjoyed a more game improvement style iron, even as a lower handicap, but hated the massive offsets that most sets had. I can get fairly steep so the wider soles of GI irons help my game but lots of offset makes me hit it too far left. A number of years ago Ping released a set of the Rapture irons in Japan called the "Rapture J" irons. They had the same larger head and wider sole as the standard Rapture irons but featured much less offset. I grabbed a set and really enjoy using them, especially during the winter when I can't play as often and it's often very wet.

I remember back when Tiger was first starting to try and come back to competitive golf that Bob Parsons said in an interview that he wouldn't ever consider signing Tiger because he's past his prime and wouldn't move the needle like he used to. Then he signs Gary Player... I guess Bob wanted someone who talks about themselves as much as he does.

Zach Johnson -12

I played Wishon Sterling irons for a little over a year and then was presented with the opportunity to pick up some PXG irons for a great price so I switched. I played the PXG irons for another year or so but decided I missed the consistency of the single length set so I converted my PXG irons into single length this past Fall. With the weight screws in the PXG's I was able to get the head weights to all match and since they are forged it was easy to bend the lie angles to all be that of a 7 iron. So far they've been playing great and I have the best of both worlds. I've sort of had my eye on the Cobra Forged Tec one length set (the all black heads) and may give those a look when it warms up some more.

And awesome as always. Can't wait to see the breakdown by swingspeeds. The current data ballspeed numbers are fairly low and I'm really curious to see what changes as swing speed increases.

10:02 AM...still broken.

Was supposed to be unveiled at 9AM Est. I can barely get the home page to load and when it does the most wanted driver results page fails out.

Yah it's broke. Pretty rough they've been hyping this for so long w/ the countdown timer and the instagram posts and then it fails when it's time to go live. Embarrassing!

Did I see MGS featured on one of the commercials? Maybe it was the Teeless driver or something but it surprised me a little bit. It came off like they were endorsing it and I've never seen a test posted on the site.

I definitely do. Just like if I were at the gym!

I'd like the donor tag plus the USA and the "Broke 70" tag.

Surprising to me was he got 160.9 ballspeed out of the Wilson Cortex at 111mph club speed and only 158.3 on the TM w/ the same swing speed. The Cortex was 2.6mph faster off the face (on average, assuming multiple face impact locations). He still hit the TM a little further but due to launch and spin and not the ballspeed that TM claims would increase.

Found an old Nike Unitized Leo putter on Ebay that is arriving today. Should be pretty interested to mess around with.