Tour Edge was built on solid products at decent prices. When you were shopping for new clubs, they looked great next to the more well-known brands, and cost enough less that your wallet wasn't completely emptied. Still, Tour Edge clubs were not as sexy as some of the other brands.
Two years after Tour Edge launched its Exotics brand, that has changed. Reviews in golf magazines and on golf review Web sites indicate the Exotics fairway woods and driver are being well received for their ability to give golfers extra distance. And pros -- among them Lucas Glover and J.P. Hayes -- are using the clubs on tour.
"From the experience I have with the battle of getting clubs in play on the PGA Tour, the product has to perform," Tour Edge rep Andy Harris said. "When I look at what we've done at Tour Edge, it's not earth shattering in terms of numbers, but the way contracts are written these days with the big-name club companies, there aren't a lot of players that are open to play other clubs anymore, but our progress has been steady and sure."
The key to the Exotics woods is the combination of titanium and steel in the clubhead. Titanium gives longer distance and feel; steel helps provide a lower center of gravity than is possible with titanium alone. Most clubs that combine the two materials weld them together, as the two metals don't naturally bond.
"For years, golfers have enjoyed the face-striking benefits of titanium drivers: longer distance and incredible feel," Tour Edge president and founder David Glod said. "However, titanium fairway woods have come up short, unable to deliver the low center of gravity (CG) found in steel woods."
Exotics use a chemical bonding technique called Combo-Brazing to integrate titanium and steel. The club face is cold-rolled titanium with a high precision rim, while the bulk of the body is precision- cast steel. Each piece is heat-treated separately, at the ideal temperatures for each material. An interlocking channel keeps the two pieces together, but the real secret to bonding the metals is the chemical treatment. After treatment, the pieces are connected and vacuum heat-cured.
"The optimal weight of the two parts combined with the elimination of welding allows every single gram of excess weight to be removed from the face area and shifted to the rear skirt and sole for a deeper c.g." Glod said.
The idea is that the process allows a more complete transfer of energy from clubhead to ball, translating into more distance. Tour Edge cites a test done with Iron Byron -- at the high swing speed of 107 miles per hour and with stiff-flex shafts, the Exotics 15-degree 3-wood averaged 253 yards, compared to the Callaway Great Big Bertha at 230.38 yards, the Ping G2 at 229.75 yards, the Cobra SZ at 223.13 yards and the Titleist 980F at 223.0 yards.
While the average golfer is unlikely to approach that swing speed, the higher center of gravity does help a mid-handicapper to get the ball in the air with a longer trajectory. And an improved transfer of energy helps all golfers get more spark behind their hits.
The company uses the Combo-Brazing technology in its drivers to join an SP700 Beta Titanium face, 15-3-3-3 Beta Titanium crown and the investment cast 6A4V titanium body. No welding in this club does the same as with the fairway wood: Delivers a lower center of gravity.
Two 6-gram tungsten screws position weight where it can help produce the best trajectory and energy transfer, even on mis-hits.
The complete Exotics line includes driver, fairway woods, iron-wood hybrids and irons. Besides being simply a brand of clubs under the Tour Edge umbrella, Exotics is also a manufacturing division. The focus is on smaller production runs and faster market cycles, so the company can introduce new technologies more quickly. Clubs are also hand assembled for top quality.
Exotics drivers retail for $399.99, while the fairway woods are $349.99. For more, go to www.exoticsgolf.com or www.touredge.com.
