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You were interested in the turf interaction if I remember correctly, right? I haven’t gotten it out on course and tried different lies yet, but that’s coming. On the Bermuda grass of the local range, out of 30 shots I didn’t have one that felt “grabby”.

Teaser post before the intro... Paired with the 83g HZRDUS SMOKE Black Hybrid shaft, the EXS Pro 20 degree is an anti-hook machine for me. The turf interaction is premium. Stay tuned!

Intro Thank you to My Golf Spy for my first ever test opportunity! I am extremely excited to share my thoughts and experiences while putting the Tour Exotics EXS Pro Hybrid through a longer-term playing test than most typical demo experiences. Currently (post-COVID lockdowns) I play to a 6 index, but my low index was a 3. Everyone I golf with calls my swing SMOOTH, and when I’m playing my best I feel like I have all day to start my transition. When swinging well my driver swing speed tops out at 112mph, and I play my 9 iron from 150 yards. Hitting fairways is a strength of mine, but hitting greens from fairways is a glaring weakness. I struggle with turning the face over resulting in a ball flight that draws more than I’d like, and turns into an ugly low hook when my tempo gets too fast or I try to put on extra speed. I can often reach par 5’s in two, and the maximum length par 5 I can reach is about 570 yards with two pure shots (driver/3-wood). I am super aggressive with my lines, and will often take on shots with very high risk. For a run of the mill 380-yard par 4 I often take a driver then wedge to the green. Prior to this test I have not gamed a hybrid, as I have not found one that really fits my eye. Also, I don’t struggle to get height on my long irons. So why did I want to test the EXS Pro Hybrid? Well, its billed as a hybrid for a player that likes a compact head shape, and its designed to avoid the right miss. That sounds perfect for tee shots that I still need a long carry, but want to take the left out of play without a large obtrusive clubhead. I also wanted to fit the 30-yard gap between my 5 wood and 4 iron. For this reason, I chose the 20-degree EXS Pro, with the 6.0 Flex 81g HZRDUS SMOKE Black shaft cut ½” longer than standard. First Impressions When I first saw the package at the front door, I was excited. Then I opened it and saw the actual EXS Pro and was more excited. The graphics looked great, the finish was perfect, and the Slipstream sole was not as pronounced as in the pictures. Tour Edge EXS Pro Hybrid Claims – 1. This club is designed with the better player in mind. Someone who doesn’t necessarily need game improvement in their club, and does not ever want to see their ball go left. – Can confirm this as VERIFIED. 2. The Slipstream sole channels optimize turf interactions in all conditions. – Can confirm this as VERIFIED. Looks (9 out of 10 points) The Exotics EXS Pro Hybrid is one of the smallest hybrid heads I’ve come across, which is a big boost to the score in this category. The glossy black crown might be bright here, but it’s the only detractor in the looks department. The dark glare-free clubface is clean and has reduced offset. The graphics on the bottom are attractive with a splash of color that doesn’t edge into gaudy territory. Overall, a fantastic looking entry into the hybrid market. Sound & Feel (7 out of 10 points) Possibly the one drawback to the EXS Pro Hybrid is the Sound & Feel category. Although somewhat muted, there is a definite and sharp sound off the face at impact. I could see this as a confidence booster for some golfers as the sound is not disconcerting; however, I prefer a much quieter general acoustics. The feel of the face is incredibly firm, and you know you’ve hit the ball HARD. Also, the face is very consistent in its feedback giving you immediate insight into how centered your strike was. I’m going to subtract a few points because I don’t believe that the EXS Pro Hybrid will be the best performer in this category; however, it should not be taken too far down as it doesn’t feel bad, just not preferable. Basic Characteristics (16 out of 20 points) I don’t currently game a hybrid, so I will be using my MP-4 4 iron as my baseline. Trajectory – Middle. This club doesn’t launch moonballs, nor does it smash line drives. Overall great flight. Workability – Nothing to see here, it fades all the time unless its extremely mishit or I try very hard for a draw. Accuracy – Falls offline easily compared to my 4 iron; however, it gets high marks here for being very consistent in the way it misses. Distance – This club smashes the ball, very hot off the sweet spot. Forgiveness – Not the most forgiving club as slight misses have dramatic effects to ball flight. But even major trajectory and spin changes do little to affect the left-to-right bias with this club. Adjustability – No real adjustability compared to some other offerings. Pressure – Because this club almost always misses to the right of my target, I can always count on this club under pressure. I am never scared of a left shot, or catching an extra hot one that flies over the target. Absolute winner in a pressure situation. On-Course / LM Performance (29 out of 30 points) On course this club is an absolute gamer. It smashes the ball while completely eliminating the left side of the course for me. I could end this review right here, but I won’t since we are all equipment junkies here. I averaged 228 yards of carry with this club, which was pretty much exactly what I wanted to fit the gap between my 4 iron (215 yards) and my 5 wood (240 yards). I found 17 of the 19 fairways from the tee box on the tightest holes of my course. Quite simple really. Aim down the left edge of the fairway, swing hard, then let the ball fade back into the middle. Rinse. Repeat. I found my most common miss with this club was a low heel that come off like a stinger and kept about 80% of its distance. My buddies were all impressed that I had found such a low penetrating ball flight, and I did not bother to tell them it was a mishit. Since a lot people also use their hybrids out of desperate situations and difficult lies, I put balls down in all sorts of situations in an attempt to gauge the recovery shot capability. Overall it is less forgiving than one might expect, and a clean strike is still required to get consistent results. This is not a game improvement hybrid after all. But, when a decent blow is delivered to the ball the EXS Pro does not disappoint from deep rough, divots, hardpan, leaf litter, or sand. The EXS Pro is also very handy for chipping when the ball is tucked up against a collar. One note though, with the HZRDUS shaft, less than full effort swings are not always the easiest to pull off. I wouldn’t change anything but the feel in the next generation. I think this club has a found a niche of a better player’s hybrid, and performs as expected. If I absolutely HAD to choose something to improve it would be partial shot workability, though I suspect that could be done with a simple shaft change. Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points) Nothing really to detract from a score here, shipping was adequate, website was adequate, and customization options were adequate. Nothing really special to boost it into the top of the category either. Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points) This is absolutely a Play It. What a confidence booster to not even look at the left and still deliver a long ball. It absolutely helps me play my best. I do think the asking price is fair because you are getting a small batch of better player’s hybrids. Conclusion A better player’s anti-left, long-bombing, smooth-gliding, rescue-shot-making, pressure-relief-outlet, give-it-all-you-got hybrid. Tour Edge has found a niche for this club, and I do not recommend it to players with a low swing speed or impact location problems. Although it takes a knock for sound/feel, the EXS Pro is a winner. Final Score: (89 out of 100 points)

Sounds like a good couple rounds in my book. Starting to compile enough rounds to be statistically relevant, and I hit 56% of fairways but 44% GIR. But I have been hitting my irons flush and just missing the green long and a bit left on average. If my short game is on fire I score well, and if not or I’m playing a course with difficult slopes around the greens I score poorly.

Been doing some reflecting and this is exactly what I’m feeling. I missed most of the greens, and typically had a downhill chip, the other day. So I “felt” like I was swinging great, but missing in bad spots.

I don’t know what Stan’s BBQ is, but any time I hear good BBQ get shut down it’s a tragedy.

I definitely have those rounds where I know where I’m at and I have an idea of my score through the round. That’s describes most of golfing “career”. It’s only recently that I feel like I’ve made progress with my ball striking. Don’t miss the sweet spot often, but I’m still missing greens. You get that “I flushed it” feeling then card a bogey...

Great post. Thinking back I haven’t been playing with my next shots in mind as much as I should be. Thanks for the reminder!!

Anybody else ever walk away from a round, add it up and think “how did that happen”. I’ve been hitting the ball fairly pure, but just missing greens, getting up and down fairly well, and driving it fairly well for a month. But I walk away with an 80 or 82, when you feel like you shot a 75/76. Today I even made 2 putts over 40 feet and still walked away with an 85. What to you guys and gals do to snap a streak of poor scores?

That’s a doozy. Almost need to practice a shot just for the hole. Some subtle grip change or something you can count on to give you that little fade when you have to have it. I have a 3 iron with minimal offset and a Dynamic Gold X-100 that is hook proof. It’s not always in the bag, but I’d hit it as hard as I could at the left bunker and just know it’s falling right.

I have a local course that bites me. I always shoot well over my handicap there. The worst thing is, it’s an easy course. Extremely short. 5500 yards with relatively flat greens. Fairways are only 15 yards wide and burnt, and greens are postage stamps. But it’s all in front of you with no slope. I cannot for the life of me put a good score on that course.

Definitely need a new driver shaft. My PWR65 Stiff felt like a limp noodle today on my hard swings, and I had some bad hooks. Not quite ducks, but they were turning hard. Sidenote: I flipped a 4 iron upside down and hit it lefty out of a bush from 80 yards and put it on the front fringe today. Guess those lefty swings are paying off.

Played a true practice round with a couple extra wedges and an x-stiff 3 iron in the bag. Hit the ball all over the place, similar to when I broke my first swing speed plateau. Reinforces my thoughts that speed comes first, then face control. I did hit a 250 yard 3 iron though, so there’s that. Otherwise my chipping and putting felt pretty average and I gave myself different looks at common pin placements.

New personal best tonight. Post-workout second driver swing was 119. By my standards that is SMOKED. Breaking through that second plateau.

Been on both sides of this one. I’ve hit into groups that either I didn’t see, or thought I couldn’t reach and hit my drive 30 yards further than usual. Best one was on a 315 yard par 4, and I smashed it by my standards. Ended up hitting the flagstick while the other group was putting. I always go and apologize when that happens. Typically if a group hits into us once, I wave at them. If it happens more than once I’ll go and chat with them. I’ve been hit into even after our chat, and I had to get the pro shop involved because it’s dangerous. Occasionally in the men’s league I play in, one of the guys will hit up on the group ahead. In good fun the ball gets teed up where it lies. Sometimes on a beer bottle or other prop.

Pretty good stuff. I feel like most beginners I’ve helped get steep, which drops the toe into the ground first. Hitting ground heel first is generally the lesser of the two evils, unless there is a big loop in the swing. But who knows, he could be the next Furyk or Wolfe. Take lessons is an easy answer, and a good coach will help him understand how to deliver the club into impact. This might cure his lie angle problems. I suspect not if he has to fight his natural movement patterns. I would bend the irons flat until his swing produced a level ground interaction. Only then you can tweak his face-to-path angle consistently. If the heel is digging different amounts on every swing, particularly in different turf conditions, the face will come into the ball at a different angle to the path. Lie angle can be monitored as his skills improve.

Like @jlukes said, if you want to be your absolute best a fitting is essentially mandatory. Otherwise, play what you like! If the clubs look good that’s a big head start for your confidence. There are “muscle back” profiles loaded with technology like the new Cobras. There are some really sharp looking cavity backs now too, with thinner soles and reduced offsets. Or you could game a lot of offset in a bigger club head bc it makes you feel like you’re going to smoke it! Personally I love the look and feel of a traditional forged muscle back, so I play Mizuno MP-4s. Am I losing a stroke or two a round? Maybe so. But that compact head, chromed finish, and thin top line are exactly what I like to look at.

1. Putt to smaller targets like coins to make the hole look huge. 2. Ladder drill as said before. 3. Try to hit different spots on the face to gain strike awareness. 4. Play a pressure game with $1 per hole with a buddy, but everything inside 3’ must be placed 3’ away.

You’re not leaving much on the table for distance. You are hitting it with near peak efficiency, and all the charts say at 95mph swing speed max carry is somewhere around 225. IF I was going to nitpick, you should be somewhere between the two settings. Your launch is great on the lower setting but too high on the second, and vice versa regarding spin. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 13-14 degrees of launch with 2800RPMs should be the target. That being said, I’d be more concerned with face direction. You do not want to start trying to guess a two-way miss. Zeroing out the path to face relationship at impact will also optimize launch.

Welcome back to golf! Depending on your price point there are a lot of options out there. The boxed sets are decent value these days, and aren’t as bad as they used to be. If it were me though I would go to a PGA Superstore or some other retailer that carries used sets. They will do a decent job of fitting you into a set.

Well, there is nothing wrong with playing old equipment. I still play my X Hot fairway woods because nothing at the current price point goes significantly further or straighter than mine. If I get around to it I’ll post a picture, but I have wear marks the size of quarters right on the center of the face. I’d just hit some new clubs occasionally and see if any just fit your liking. Lots of private courses of demo days open to the public, so I’d start there if you can find one. I prefer these bc you can watch the ball flight, and some even have trackman available now. If not a big box store can get you an idea of the new offerings, but often don’t have the options a fitter or demo day might have.

Are you looking on advice for where to get lessons, where to play, or how to start learning? If you don’t have a lot of spare time, the easiest skill to master that translates to everything in the game is learning the swing from hip high to hip high. Lots of great YouTube content out there. Build a grip and a stance and put a short tee in the ground so the ball is just above the grass. Make little swings hip high to hip high just trying to meet the ball on a gentle arc with the middle of the face. See if you can purposefully hit the toe and the heel and practice those for face awareness. Pay attention to the curve of the ball. You shouldn’t be concerned with distance, even if it goes 10 yards that’s great. As you get comfortable hitting the center of the face you can swing a bit faster and take the club back further. If you want to play, then don’t worry about the tee boxes or par or playing by the rules. Start close enough to the green so that you can get there “in regulation” so if your hip to hip 3 wood goes 60 yards, tee off no further than 120 yards on a par 4 and 180 on a par 5. Tee the ball up on every shot so it’s just above the ground and try to clip it towards your target. Once you are comfortable with taking more full swings and can hit it further distances move back to the tee boxes appropriately and start playing the ball on the ground. Golf is definitely a buildup approach, and I think too many players want to look like the pros to early. Work on the basics first, be forgiving to yourself on the lie, and add skills as you go. You’ll have more fun that way IMO.

I’d rather hit my irons less crisp and make every putt, than feel like my iron swing is flush, and watch putts stop 1” short. So hard to convince yourself to just hit it 1” further lol

You ever have one of those rounds you just can’t finish? That was me today. Hitting drives 280 in the fairway, hitting GIRs, but just slightly too far away to convert. Had 6-7 putts stop within 2 inches. Ended up with a 77.

No need to make it strong unless you get fit for it! You can lengthen the shaft to give you some extra width to your arc if needed. 1/2” equals about 5 yards for most people. A lot of amateurs don’t lose much either if their driver impact isn’t optimal.