2019 Official Forum Member Review-Tour Edge EXS Driver

[Golfspy_CG2 25,108]

Follow our three testers of the Tour Edge EXS Driver as they bring you all the details and performance of this under the radar driver.  Will it perform for them, does it sound like a driver that would fit your game?  They will leave no stone un-turned or ball un-hit in the effort to bring you a in depth and fully unbiased review of the driver.

They will start with their Stage Ones which give you a good look at the brand new driver and tell you about their games.   While they are putting the driver in play over the next month to six weeks, they will update this thread with their thoughts and be available to answer any questions the community may have.  So fire away with anything you want to know about the Tour Edge EXS!

 

 

@Badams69                                         Stage 1                                       Stage 2

@03trdblack                                          Stage 1                                          Stage 2

@ZJBogey2                                            Stage 1                                       Stage 2

[Badams69 118]

STAGE 1 - BUDDY 5/28

Twitter - @BuddyRi56658612

Instagram - buddyrich8

 

Hi guys, I want to thank MGS for selecting me to review one of the products this year!  I am excited to be chosen for this driver in particular on the heels of reading about it and being quite intrigued.  

I must point out that I have yet to have much experience with this driver other than holding it, taking photos of it, and trying to figure out “why does this club feel so odd”.   Aha ..... the driver I received and the subsequent replacement shaft that I received both had the driver measuring at 44” playing length requested. (explanation to follow) Which turns out to be exactly as requested by me.  I was wrong in thinking my current driver was under 45".  It is at minimum 45.5 and I like it, but have always thought it was cut short as per my request when I changed from Rogue to HZRDUS. That request was not granted accurately. 

 

 

My current profession is High School Golf Coach which is enjoyable overall.

As for me and my game - I’ve been playing since 6 or so and have enjoyed spells of pretty solid golf and experienced spells of horrific golf as well while chasing new techniques or some magic move to change my fortunes forever.  Hdcp has been generally mid to lower single digits until about 5 years ago. Since then it is a bit more hit and miss 86 one day, 73 the next with neither day looking like the same person.

 

I’m 48 years old and definitely not the tallest cat around coming in at around 5’5”.  As I’ve aged with scoliosis(fusion and steel rod) sometimes I have trouble getting things moving to begin the day.  With all that said, my driver SS comes in around 105 average. 102 when back is acting up and 108-ish when I’m able to get the body moving well.  My better ball flight is med/high draw with a tournament safe drive that is a bit lower draw to chase fairways. My miss is the common low hook or block right.  

When going right tempo is quicker than most(think Nick Price if Nick Price were having a very bad day).  When going wrong tempo is spastic.

 

I only get to play a few times every couple of months during the school year so most of my rounds are between May and September these days.  It is my plan to get things going this year and hope that the TE EXS driver is a big contributor to this bounce back season!

Currently I am playing with M1(original model) with ProjectX HZRDUS Red 6.0 62g.  I enjoy this setup better than any other I’ve used since my 983k moons ago. I would guess my average driver these days is in the 255-270 range depending on various factors.  I have general confidence in what I have now so to switch to the the EXS it will mean it really is what they say!

What I look forward to discovering is whether the EXS will allow me to go after driver as aggressively as I want without losing connection with the shaft while also allowing me to dial it back 20-30yds and simply hit a low draw that chases center cut. Also if the forgiveness is as good as advertised!!!

Oops - almost forgot …….

The setup that I requested has Tensei CK Blue shaft in stiff 60 grams at 44”, I chose the basic Lamkin stock UTX grip.  

 

This is a very attractive driver and has quite a bit of adjustment capability as well.  

The three areas of intrigue to me when it comes to the tech in this driver are the

• ROLLFACE TECHNOLOGY (incorporates modified bulge & roll on the toe to help straighten out shots)

• VARIABLE FACE THICKNESS(variance in thickness to increase forgiveness)

• SLIPSTREAM SOLE(increased swing speed - I need that !!!)

 

Hope to get the opportunity to share with you guys how well they work for me relative to my current M1 setup.

 

I have put TOUR EDGE and MGS folks through the paces so far with shaft length snafu, and I couldn't be more impressed.  Thank you all.

[Badams69 118]

Stage Two - The Review 7/15/2019

TOUR EDGE EXS DRIVER – Official MGS Forum Review by badams69

Intro

This review is entered with mixed emotions for me.  I fully intended to film and spend loads of time with this club but that never materialized for a variety of reasons. But I hope something I share helps at least one of you in deciding whether this is a club you should look at or not. 

Spoiler alert: …. This is a solid golf club.

It took awhile for me to get going with the EXS mostly due to my error when initial club was delivered. Then - good news for me, bad for my review, I guess.  I became a candidate to take over a fairly prominent high school golf program. This kept me away from the golf course until late last week for several process related reasons until becoming the final choice late last week.  It has been all golf since.  

My initial intro to the to the EXS was horrendous and I almost just sent it back.  First three on course tee shots were in a tournament and all resulted in penalty on holes I didn’t know could be penal. So I reconstructed my setup and swing and made adjustments in the settings (tried ‘em all) and the results are as follows:

Looks (9 out of 10 points) Not perfect but CLOSE!

• The shape of the driver to my eye is very positive. It is a mix of pear and extended but it did take a bit of getting used to - after which time it is a nice sight. 

• The graphics of the club are classic mixed with energetic/modern - very good color scheme and placement of graphics in my opinion.

• Overall the look of the driver head is very pleasing - I personally do not like the shaft color and that is a large part of the point deduction (I realize it is not the EXS driver - but that is their only stock offering - so it kinda is a part of the equation)

• For drivers in this price range it is superior! For drivers at any price point it stands up tall - unless it simply doesn’t suit your eye.  Ideally, for my eye, the looks would be slightly more classic but that isn’t the golf world we are in today. Please don't infer that this is an offensive club head, just stating my druthers.

Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 points)

• I found the sound of this driver to be at worst unobtrusive and at best quite nice.  I prefer a muted thwack sound but also nice to have enough sound to draw attention - when you nail it!!!! The EXS has both !!!!

• The best way I can describe it - if some drivers are an old rusty truck door slamming - this is a lexus securely slamming shut. Others may disagree.

• As for feel until I finally caught one I wasn’t sure what to think. I could tell I hit it but always wondered “is that it???” ..........  THEN  F I N A L L Y - BOOM!!!! - it was like a cushioned dynamic shock.  Felt splendid and powerful!!!

• In my opinion mishits were not as pronounced as an M1 but maybe more noticeable than I expected.  It was less consistent across the face than I expected but more consistent than prior PING, CALLAWAY and Taylormade drivers I have used. (prior models)

• When I hit a shot 8/10 and up it is a very workable and useful club, on the lesser shots I really felt they were surprisingly weak at impact - I have no proof - but I sense this is the shaft more than the head.

 

Two of my best drives during brief play.  Hit another 323 but shotscope registered it to the M1 (hit them both but M1 went in creek forty yards ahead.

 

This chart plots just over 30 tee shots -the shortest is 234 and longest with EXS is the just shy of 331 above.

All of my better drives with the EXS were hit after I changed to NEUTRAL (9deg /57.0deg lie angle) setting with 3gram in the heel and 9g in the rear.  This takes out a lot of the slice prevention which I do not need.

Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points) (one point off for every 10 yds off M1 average - petty I know)

• Personally I like the flight of the ball off of this driver more than I do with my M1 it is much flatter but not sinking.  I never noticed the ball getting too high with this club no matter the setting I tried. 

• My pattern is straight(my fade) but mostly right to left, I did not have success hitting a fade with this club but am thinking that will come in time as I have been able to draw it when I want (and hook when I don’t want) more than my current driver which is basically one speed - straight---fall left.

• I personally found this driver to be very accurate when struck reasonably well. No worse and likely better than my current club.

• The distance with this club is solid.  I have some data that shows what I consider to be serviceable distance numbers for an old guy like me. Average distance with this club on shotscope is about 263yds.  During those rounds I hit M1 three times --- averaging 297. Once I tagged both on the same hole and same line and M1 was 40yds ahead - mentioned above. 

• I felt this club is most likely more forgiving than my M1 but cannot state that for certain as I had several mishits that didn’t achieve more than 225 yds which is hard to live with. This I would more attribute to my mixing two swings at once - which we all know doesn't work well.

• Regarding adjustability - I finally figured out my ideal setting within the last round and a half I played prior to this writing.  I will say that I tried several and can attest that each adjustment did have a significant impact on all facets from timing/release to flight pattern.  My regret is that it took me so long to get that aspect dialed it. It was a hook machine in these hands before that.

• BE SURE TO MOVE THE WEIGHTS AROUND!!! This had the greatest impact for me.

• Would I want this club in my hand under pressure?  Today- NO. In three weeks - most definitely! There is nothing about this club that makes me doubt that I can hit the shot I would want with a few more reps. Even though I don't love the shaft.

• Would I play it over my current club? …… yes/no is all the same to me as each provides different positives and negatives.  I am pleased with this club head in most every way. It is solid and I sense it is more forgiving than my current driver and distance is fine for me.  If I were “gaming” this club I feel I can shoot good scores with (not in spite of) this driver.

• What I wish were different in this driver:  1. A different shaft choice.  The shaft is decent but not optimal for someone who at times wants to get on with it and tends to be a little quick. 2. More distance (which may be a shaft related issue). 

• NUMBERS??? I went to the PGA Superstore and below are my numbers for those of you that may have similar numbers it may help you.  - In fairness this was on a day where my back was stiff and I ultimately had to delete my first 35 shots and chose the only few that I was able to make reasonable contact after getting slightly loose. Three straight days of golf caught up to me.

On-Course Performance (25 out of 30 points)

• This is not a club I would, as of today, feel comfortable ‘going after it’ to get more distance.  In fairness this may be related to my swing insecurities - but I don’t have those insecurities when holding my current gamer.  Using the EXS did not change my strategy or goals on any tee box and I never felt as if my game was suffering for using this club.  There are a few times I felt I was benefitting from this club in my hand which asked me to manage my swing a bit more. One of my main goals when it came to this testing was to see if I could hit my version of a “fairway finder” and that came up on the last hole I’ve played with it. I choked down, cut my swing down and although I just knew it was likely doing to be a smothered hook - everything worked out perfect. 

• Why 5 points off? Well, if you got a new driver wouldn't you want it to add to your game rather than just not disrupt it? I just didn't feel it added anything - but if this changes, I'll update.

 

Miscellaneous (9 out of 10 points)

I will say thank you to EXS for being so good to me during my mistake - not theirs.  The point here is simply because I did not receive a little card that outlined the adjustments (what the settings were).  I didn’t understand why in three shipments I didn't get one.   Also as pointed out previously - I am not a fan of the shaft and really don’t understand in the golf world we are in today - how you could offer only one shaft at no upgrade charge.  This isn’t 1985 or 2005(won't list ALL the years it isn't). 

 

Play it or Trade it? (19 out of 20 points)

I am going to PLAY this club until it tells me where it wants to be (in bag or garage) and although this is STAGE 2, I intend to post how that goes.  In reality I have only played three rounds with this club and have an ok average for distance and when put on the monitor my peak performance shows numbers that I feel are solid.  When I get an opportunity to do so and wife isn’t looking, I’ll be replacing this shaft. It is not taking place of M1 yet but just may - more to golf than distance (thank goodness or many of us would have to quit).

Image below shows Shotscope average from EXS and M1 - I only hit M1(297) three times though. Same courses. The EXS (263) average is factoring in a lot of mishits.  I didn’t mishit the M1 on any of the three.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion - is this the best driver on the market for me or you? 

MAYBE - and certainly worth a shot!

Yes or No would depend solely on what you like and how you feel about the $$ value of a driver.  Also whether or not you buy used or new.

If it were me and I were in the market for a new purchase and $300 seems like a lot, then $550 or $650 is really going to hurt and based on my experience isn’t going to change your results much - provided you get the right shaft. 

I coach a golf team and if any of our players said they were looking at this club or had purchased this club it would be met with enthusiasm (with the shaft caveat mentioned already).

Final Score: (88 out of 100 points)

[03trdblack 749]

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!

[03trdblack 749]

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)
 

  

[ZJBogey2 177]

Stage 1 - Zach - 5/22/19

Intro:

I started reading MGS regularly this past fall. This will be my first official MGS testing. Thank you MGS and Tour Edge for providing this great opportunity! This test stood out to me because of the price point being a value driver and my higher handicap. I want to provide real feedback for those higher handicaps that didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg for “new” tech.

My name is Zach aka @ ZJBogey2, 32 years young, and I play in the mile high city of Denver, CO, stretching down south to Castle Rock (6,224 feet above sea level). Yes, as I learned in youth baseball, the ball flies considerably further at altitude.  I’ve been playing putt putt for 25+ years and playing real golf for 5 years now. I grew up near some great public golf courses but never played…I take that back, one summer as a youngster I would try and smack some balls around the neighborhood park. I grew up playing just about every other sport at competitive levels, and was fortunate enough to receive a football scholarship for college.  The first time golfing was at my sister in-laws wedding, and I was upset my wife made me play. I didn’t kept score but it would have been 130+. I wasn’t obsessed immediately and would play occasionally, but the last 2 years I’ve become fully immersed in the golf world. I’m quick to remind my wife that it’s entirely her fault! 

My 2.5 year old son is also addicted. We have a putting green in the backyard, basement hitting area, and PGA Tour Live/Golf Channel on 90% of the time (10% whatever Disney movie is the weekly flavor). Hopefully adding a SkyTrak this winter. It will be interesting to watch my son grow up around the game and see what path he chooses.

Prior to this year I was your average weekend golfer and played in a friendly work league. I’m self taught with tips from friends and family. This year I decided to join the local men’s league so I’ve added tournament golf to my weekly round. What use to be 10-15 rounds a summer is now more like 30-40 rounds. I also discovered YouTube and watch countless videos on every golf instructional topic imaginable. As a former collegiate athlete, I am competitive by nature. I love the game because of the unique challenges each round. I love practicing and the drive to get better so a range session is just as fun for me.

Personal Golf Stats:

My handicap was 22, but now after some bad tournament starts rose to 25.2. The goal this summer is to get it below 20. Most guys I play with in the men’s league are better than me. My work league, I’m middle of the pack. 

Swing tempo is on the faster end and continually remind myself to slow down. Driver swing speed hovers around 95-98, might push 100 on occasion as I’ve been taking lessons focusing on swing path and not coming over the top. Here is a swing video:

Typical ball is high with a slight fade with a typical miss being slice right. I get lazy and come over the top trying to overpower things. It would be tough to say I have a true strength compared to most. For those in 20+ handicap range, my iron play was my “strength” and I was terrified of Driver. I took some lessons this year solely hitting my 7/8 irons and now my strength is the driver/woods off the tee. I’m starting to get the irons back though after some increased focus. I’ll carry my driver 260+. Putting is average, mostly two putts. I’ve also discovered some consistency in my chipping gaining confidence around the green.

Current gamer is TaylorMade M2. I wasn’t fit for it, going to Golf Galaxy off the used rack. I’ve loved it for 12 rounds this year. My #1 priority with the driver is hit fairway taking penalty areas out of play, I’ll take chances, reaching the P5 in 2, but I’ve tried to focus on better course management to get my handicap down. Typical club into par 4s is a 9I (145).

First Impressions:

I won’t regurgitate the OEM claims (click here). The claims by the OEM I’ll be paying attention to and putting to the test over the next few months include:

• Flight Tuning System
• RollFace Technology
• SlipStream™ Sole

 For some more info from MGS check out these links:

•  https://mygolfspy.com/first-look-tour-edge-exotics-exs-driver/
• https://mygolfspy.com/pga-show-first-look-tour-edge-exotics-exs-driver/
•  https://mygolfspy.com/2019-tour-edge-exs-driver/

The box was sitting in my living room and my brother in-law asked what’s Tour Edge?

That was my initial thought as I was reading MGS. I remember seeing some signage at the local shops but hadn’t ever taken a look or hit a club. Cheap driver, cheap results right? I’ve always been drawn to the bigger brands. After reading up on drivers the last few months, I’m willing to look past brands.

Specs: 10.5 Loft / Mitsubishi CK Blue 60 Stiff Shaft / .25” long (45.75”) / Midsize Grip. There weren’t significant shaft options to choose from. I’m 6’4, a bigger/athletic build, so the stiff shaft and slight increase in shaft length really helped. Grip options were meh, I’ll be putting a GP Align eventually.

At first look, I was impressed with the aesthetics. It is a great looking driver, maybe I’m bias but I love the blue accents (my favorite color). It doesn’t look like a “value” priced driver that’s for sure.

Over the next handful of months, I will be testing the EXS on the range, on the course, with my SC200, and launch monitors at my local facilities as often as possible. I’ll throw on an Arccos to track stats as well. I fully intend to focus on evaluating the Tour Edge Claims and providing candid feedback to the MGS community, especially those higher handicappers where I can relate.

I’ve had it on the course twice and a few range sessions with promising results. The launch monitors and SC200 are ready to show me some data and validate the OEM claims. It hasn’t earned a spot in my bag permanently yet, but it has a chance…more to come!

Follow me on Instagram (@jones_zs) and Twitter (@Joneszs). I’ll be sure to post pics/videos of my rounds/swings there too. If there is anything specific you want to know or want me to test...don't hold back!

Edited May 22, 2019 by ZJBogey2

[ZJBogey2 177]

Stage Two - The Review 7/3/19

Tour Edge Exotics EXS Driver – Official MGS Forum Review by @ZJBogey2

Intro

This Driver has been put through the ringer the last 6 weeks or so. Outside of hitting my previous TM M2 on the range a handful of times for comparison, this EXS Big Stick has been in my bag for each round I’ve played (roughly 10). I’ve tested it on the range, in the hitting bays, and of course on the course. I’ve taken it out of the bag just to hit it when I would normally play it safer off the tee and I’ve hit it on the range more than I probably should have…my short game and lack of practice can bear witness to that. If I had to put a number on total strokes with this bad boy, it would have to be close to 250-300. I’ve toyed with the loft settings and weight distribution (not to the extent of a mad scientist Bryson or club maker savant @03TRDBlack). The biggest thing with this review is the price point vs performance, and any tradeoffs.

**disclaimer, I had some cool videos/pictures on my brother-in-laws GoPro, but he hasn’t been able to get them to me.

Looks (9 out of 10 points)

I think the look of the club is wonderful. I would compare it to the Kia sports car you see drive by, and you do a double take thinking it might have been a “higher” class ride. If I saw the club on the rack at the store, it would pop and catch my eye. The combination of the blue and carbon fiber ties together nicely with a good balance. It’s not obnoxious, but not dull. The general shape seemed a little larger to me than what I was accustom to me and the slightly closed face at address took a bit getting used to for me. I kept second guessing my alignment and grip before just finally accepting it. The alignment aid is simple but does the trick. Thinking to other Drivers on the market, in my opinion, it’s not as obnoxious as the Epics, more laid back looking than a TM M2-6, but has more life than a G410.

 

I’m taking off one point because a small chip in the paint/carbon fiber on the top was noticeable and not sure how it got there. Probably from one of my many mishits, but I hadn’t ever experienced this with prior drivers/woods.

 

Sound & Feel (5 out of 10 points)

The sound of the club is the largest detractor to me. I just couldn’t get use to the “tingy” or “clunky” sound. It reminded me of a “dead” baseball bat. Even on my best shots, 280+ down the middle of the fairway (granted few and far between), I never loved the sound. Others in my groups would also notice the sound. Similar to the sound, the feel was always kind of meh and dull. I never really felt like I struck the ball well (even when I did). It was kind of a muted but harsh sound. My personal preference is that smooth, pop of a fresh baseball bat sound where there is no doubt a bomb was just unleashed. The sound and feel was generally consistent though, and felt and sounded the same rather I shanked it, sliced it, power hooked it, or hit a Volvik Long Drive torpedo.

 

For me, it did have an impact on my game but the more rounds I played, the less pronounced that impact was. The sound made me think I hit it 230-240 so that was a mental hurdle I had to get over. Despite the sound and feel, the performance did not drop off.

Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points)

 ●        Trajectory – Significantly higher than my gamer M2. Even adjusting the loft settings, it was higher than I expected. Sticking with the baseball reference, the trajectory gave me the feeling of a warning track fly ball that would get hung up in the sky.

●        Workability – I’m a 20+ handicap…I don’t work the ball. The only workability my ball gets is on the mishits trying to avoid a cart path or tree limb.

●        Accuracy – This is what stands out to me the most. Mishits, average hits, perfect strikes…I was consistent hitting my target. First few range sessions, I thought I was hitting it well, 275, 280, bombs for me and relatively straight…yeah yeah yeah, just the range this won’t translate. Well, as I brought it out on the course I noticed significant improvement in my accuracy. I started getting more frustrated when I didn’t hit a fairway because I started becoming accustom to hitting them with this bad boy. I had a real tough time making the ball go right and slice….thats the biggest win right there.

●        Distance – On the course, I thought it was always consistently longer than what I normally felt I would be hitting…however when in the hitting bays, and diving into the numbers, it was on average 15 yards shorter than my M2.  For me those 15 yards aren’t a big deal to me and I would take the accuracy improvement and I saw over the distance of my old gamer. The distance was also consistent where my confidence grew and I knew exactly where it was going to land (as long as it was in play and not in the woods). 

●        Forgiveness – Very forgiving club. My mishits would lose some distance as expected, but the line would be close to what I was intending. This club will stay in my arsenal of too many clubs primarily for this reason. Good day or bad day, I know what Im going to get.

●        Adjustability – Nothing special to what is available on other clubs. The movable weights did seem to have a lower quality feel to them and I felt like I could easily strip them. This would get the lowest grade in the section.

●        Pressure – I played in a Member/Member club event this past weekend. My partner was a 5 HC. Two holes to go, we are up one and playing in a modified alternate shot format for these two holes. My partner miscalculated and hit his in the water so pressure was on me to hit a playable ball. Normally, I would club down to a 3 or 7W and just get it in play…but this driver, with the forgiveness and accuracy, I stepped up not wanting to let him down, having full confidence in the EXS.

●      I was extremely pleased with the accuracy, consistency, and forgiveness. Going back to the price point, you are getting.

●      The biggest detractor of this club for me is the sound and feel. It’s all mental but a difficult hurdle to get past.

 

On-Course Performance (27 out of 30 points)

I’ve posted some of my distance stats and fairways hit in previous posts. My average distance using the EXS is 277 (low of 250 with one at 320, an anomaly!). Fairways hit are at 59%, if I expanded that to the next cut, I imagine it would be about 80% with most misses left (I cant stress how different this is for me because historically, it’s always been right). If I compared this to my M2 I bet the low/high range are a wider spread, with misses right and a sub 50% accuracy rate. Typically, it was leaving me with a wedge in hand but more importantly it was leaving me with a decent, playable lie.

 

This wasn’t the biggest test MGS has, but I couldn’t be more thrilled that I was selected because I discovered a club I might not have otherwise. This club performs, and performs well. Adding in the price point, it blows it out of the park. I’ve recommended it to at least 20 people through my men’s league and friends. If you’re worried about pony up $500+ for a driver, then this is the club for you. If you don’t care about price and want a solid performing, accurate, forgiving club without sacrificing much distance…this club is for you. Wrapping up this test, I can honestly say I will be giving Tour Edge a look anytime Im in the market for getting a new club to whack around the course with.

 

I would suggest some improvement to the feel and quality of the weights in future iterations given they just felt a little cheap. At the price point, I wouldn’t change much. This club improved my score by 4 or 5 strokes most rounds just by the confidence I had in the accuracy and forgiveness to help me keep the ball in play. Some of that can also be attributed to an increased focus on just improving overall but the club helped no doubt.

 

Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)

I’m basing this on the compliments I received when partners saw or swung the club. They loved the look of it. On top of that, the price is as good of a value as you’ll find.

 

Play it or Trade it? (14 out of 20 points)

This one is tough for me. I loved the results and performance the club gave me but I never could quite adjust and get use to the sound of the club. I keep going back to the thought that it just sounds like a dead baseball bat (results don’t reflect that!). That is a mental hurdle Im not quite sure I can jump and don’t want extra thoughts in my mind while swinging. Objective qualities perform with anything out there, but that subjectivity of the sound is going to vary by golfer. I’ll keep the driver around but we’ll be friends with benefits AKA I’ll keep my options open and trying other big sticks. If I try out a few more over the summer and don’t have the same performance results, this one is absolutely sticking. The golfer that would benefit most from this product is the cost conscious golfer that wants to have the tech of a larger brand. Where budget isn’t a factor, other clubs will have more fitting options that would probably end up steering folks that way but this wasn’t a big sticking point for me.

 

Conclusion

The more expensive the club, doesn’t necessarily correlate to the performance of the club. This club confirms that for me and opened my eyes to the options out there.  If you’re looking for something fairly priced with above average performance this club has to in the running and given some swings. Forgiveness, accuracy, consistency are the things I noticed swing after swing, round after round. The final number is about what I was expecting, in that B range. A solid performer!

Final Score: (83 out of 100 points)

Edited July 9, 2019 by ZJBogey2
Stage 2 Loaded

[sirchunksalot 8,786]

This should be a great review, Tour Edge has a reputation for great fairway woods. It's going to be interesting to see if a $299 driver can keep up with the more popular OEM's.

This is a great group of testers, and I can't wait to hear what y'all think.

Sent from my SM-G955U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[cksurfdude 7,931]

6 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

This should be a great review...

...I can't wait to hear what y'all think.

Same here! Give us all the deets, guys - good and not so good

[03trdblack 749]

25 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

This should be a great review, Tour Edge has a reputation for great fairway woods. It's going to be interesting to see if a $299 driver can keep up with the more popular OEM's.

This is a great group of testers, and I can't wait to hear what y'all think.

Sent from my SM-G955U using MyGolfSpy mobile app
 

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... 

[JohnSmalls 5,959]

Can't wait to see how these stack up to your gamers.  Bring on the reviews!

[PlaidJacket 7,724]

I'm most interested too as I recently purchased one and it's been in play now perhaps 1.5 months and around 8-9 rounds. I keep telling myself to consider a little added weight in the rear port. My distance has increased which is good but I've decided that's mostly due to my lower ball flight. I ditched the stock Tensei Blue S shaft as it was a non-starter for me.

Good luck guys. I'll be watching and commenting. 

[azstu324 2,777]

It really is refreshing in the world of $500+ drivers who all claim that looks and tech have to = $$$, to see those claims debunked with a driver like this. It really does have the potential to check all of the boxes. Can't wait to follow!

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

[PlaidJacket 7,724]

I hope it's ok for me to make comments about my EXS experience in this topic. I think you guys are going to like the EXS very much. Today I had my lowest round of the year so far. +2. I've been teetering on the brink of going low for the past few weeks. My game today was solid tee to green. But... my EXS set it all up. Who says it's bad to drive for show? I only had one bad tee shot all day where driver was used. Everything else with the EXS was long in the mow. I've suggested here in the forum and to myself to add a little more weight in the rear of the head but now I'm having reservations. I liked everything about my ball flight and distance today. Funny how a good ground changes your thoughts. But actually, my driving with the EXS has been generally good recently. Perhaps I'm finally beginning to grow into the club after a 5 year successful run with the SLDR. 

Let see you thoughts guys. I'm ready. 

[J.B. TexasEx 307]

On 5/18/2019 at 1:06 PM, PlaidJacket said:

I'm most interested too as I recently purchased one and it's been in play now perhaps 1.5 months and around 8-9 rounds. I keep telling myself to consider a little added weight in the rear port. My distance has increased which is good but I've decided that's mostly due to my lower ball flight. I ditched the stock Tensei Blue S shaft as it was a non-starter for me.

Good luck guys. I'll be watching and commenting. 

What shaft did you get to replace the Tensie Blue S? Just curious

[PlaidJacket 7,724]

8 hours ago, J.B. TexasEx said:

What shaft did you get to replace the Tensie Blue S? Just curious

JB I had a spare Fujikura Speeder 57-S like I have in my SLDR. I pulled the EXS tip/adapter from the Tensei and put it on the Speeder. It made a complete difference to me in how the EXS played - performed. I guess it just goes to show how important a shaft can be. Without the right shaft for your swing profile no club/driver will live up to it's potential IMO.

[ZJBogey2 177]

I'll have my Stage 1 up mid-week. After a few range sessions and putting the club in the bag this weekend for 36 holes, my feelings are still mixed. More deets coming soon! 

[edingc 7,269]

Looking forward to this one! At $299, I bet this is a steal.

[03trdblack 749]

Stage 1 Uploaded!

[StrokerAce 10,475]

Great job !  You're exactly right and it was one of the first things I thought of.... 299 for that driver is an absolute steal of a deal!  That looks just like drivers that are 200 dollars more.

Hope the initial testing works out...sounds promising!!