Moment of inertia (MOI) represents a club’s resistance to twisting on off-center hits. The higher the MOI, the more distance and accuracy you get when you miss the sweet spot. It’s an attribute that has set off a marketing numbers race among club manufacturers as they begin to push towards the limits set by the USGA.
Tour Edge, based in Batavia, IL, has become something of an interesting maverick among club manufacturers. Founded in 1985 by former club pro David Glod, they have gradually built a solid reputation for delivering innovation and performance in clubs that don’t come with a premium price tag.
So, while they have created a premium-priced line of clubs under the Exotics moniker like the Exotics CB2 3-wood we recently reviewed here, their core line of clubs under the Bazooka designation are solid, playable, affordable sticks. So how does their newest high-MOI driver stack up? Here’s the review…
Design and Construction
As I wrote in a Bag Drop when the club was introduced, the GeoMax is another entry into the 460cc high-MOI driver category the market became awash in this year. But unlike square and scoop-crowned drivers, the GeoMax comes with a much more traditional shape.
It’s an all-titanium clubhead that pushes the legal limits of the breadth-to-face ratio set by the USGA to 9.75. They did this to achieve the comparatively high MOI of 5,000 g/cm². The designers pulled the trailing edge back away from the face in a lot less radical way than Nike took with their SasQuatch, as Titleist did with the 907 D1, or even as much as TaylorMade did with the new Burner.
Sweeping lines and polished titanium combine to give the sole a beautiful finish.
Further contributing to the high MOI is a 20-gram tungsten sole weight placed as far back from the clubface as possible. This helps move the center of gravity deeper and lower in the head that not only contributes to the high MOI, but it helps deliver a slightly higher launch angle.
While we’re looking at a deep clubhead from front to back, the face is comparatively shallow by modern 460cc standards measures just 2″ deep. As we will discuss later, this attribute, along with others, contributes to a higher launch angle.
It’s somewhat curious to me that the designers chose to put scoring lines in the impact area. Painted in white while the flanking score lines are black, they help somewhat with alignment. But from what I understand, grooves on a driver don’t contribute much, if anything. In fact, most players would benefit from less spin with their driver… not that these grooves will create much, if any, spin.
Scoring lines in the impact area are a bit unusual today in a driver, but certainly don’t detract from performance and may help you line up the club better.
The shaft is a Grafalloy made to Tour Edge’s specifications. In stiff, it’s a 65-gram model with 3.8 degrees of torque (moderately low) and rated as a mid-launch stick. More on its performance later, but in this flex it does seem to have a slightly softer tip than some other shafts I’ve tried this year.
The grip is branded for Tour Edge. I can’t tell if it’s a Golf Pride, Lamkin, or brand X but it feels like a Tour Velvet albeit with Crossline-type scoring. But no matter, it’s a very comfortable grip. There is no reminder rib.
Esthetics
I have to say that this is one of the better looking drivers introduced this year. In the address position it presents itself as an almost traditional driver shape, despite the fact the rear edge has been pulled back away from the face.
The iridescent color of the crown is very pleasing and not distracting. I’m also very partial to the head shape. It’s about as classic as a 460cc driver with high MOI can achieve.
The crown is a deep iridescent blue. Think of a blueberry version of candy apple red (of course, to know candy apple red, you need to know the California custom car culture of the 50s). In the shade or in room light, it looks black. But get it out in the sunlight and the color comes alive. While I might favor black, this is a very attractive color choice that is subtle enough not to be distracting.
The alignment mark on the crown is the Bazooka logo: “italicized” crosshairs in a circle. It looks good and does the job for those who like an alignment mark.
On the sole are two yellow-painted scallops. I don’t know what it is, but yellow sure got to be the “in” accent this year showing up as it does on Nike, Adams, and TaylorMade clubs, among others. On the GeoMax, the blue and yellow scheme continues on the shaft. While most of the shaft is painted a dark silver grey, the top five inches just under the grip is painted blue and separated from the grey by a painted yellow shaft band simulation.
It’s a great looking stick. I particularly like the shape of the head, especially in this day of extreme designs.
A word on the headcover: it’s the usual molded type with a knit sleeve at the bottom that takes two hands and a few curse words to put on. It carries out the black, gold, and blue color scheme of the club and doesn’t look half bad.
Playability
My test club was a 9° loft with a stiff shaft. This loft, one of five different loft choices, comes with a 0°, or square/neutral, face angle. A square face generally gives the appearance of a slightly closed face and this was true here.
Most “player’s” drivers are built with a slightly open face of 2° or 3° to give the appearance of square at address. But even with a square face angle the GeoMax driver sets up really well. It took maybe five seconds to adjust to it. Swinging the club, my test sample felt good. The swing weight I measured on this club was a moderate D1.
The sound at impact was especially good and somewhat lower pitched than a Callaway X460 I’ve played. It’s very impressive for an all-titanium clubhead. While nothing will ever duplicate the sound of persimmon on balata, I’ve come to prefer the sound of all-titanium heads to the muted thud on some composite clubheads or the horrible clang of the Nike Sumo².
Writing club reviews is always a tough exercise in that at some point it has to become a pretty subjective process. So what follows is one player’s highly personal experience.
Marrying a mid-launch shaft with less-than-minimal torque and what felt like a softer tip to a somewhat shallow-faced head is going to result in a higher launch than the loft might indicate. And that was my experience. I had trouble keeping my shots down to the launch angle I normally expect with a 9° driver. And, during my test rounds, I did manage to balloon a couple.
That the Tour Edge GeoMax is not a deep faced driver means it’s easier to launch the ball higher.
That said, I was able to hit controlled fades pretty much at will. Attempts at gentle draws, however, generally resulted in full-blown hooks. Part of this may be my swing quirks, but I think that this is such a high MOI driver, it’s meant to hit balls straight. And that’s really what it’s best at.
That the shaft, while stiff, seemed a little soft at the bottom meant I wasn’t seeing my normal distance. The higher launch I was getting meant I wasn’t realizing optimum roll. This doesn’t mean this is a bad shaft, just maybe a bad shaft for me. I want to love every new club I try. But sometimes the magic just isn’t there.
Specifications and Options
One of the most impressive things about the Tour Edge and its GeoMax driver, beyond its looks and sound, is the way they’ve customized the specifications for each of the five different loft models they offer.
Club Specifications
Loft Lie Length Face Angle Flex ---- --- ------ ---------- ---- 9.0° 59° 45" 0° Square L,A,R,S,X 10.5°* 59° 45" 1° Closed L,A,R,S,X 12.0° 60° 45" 1° Closed L,A,R,S,X 14.0° 60° 45" 2° Closed L,A,R,S,X 16.0° 60° 44.5" 2.5° Closed L,A,R,S,X *Left hand only available in 10.5°
As the specification chart shows, with each increase in loft across the line, the face angle closes to create a progressively greater draw bias. And that makes great sense to me because players requiring greater loft are generally helped by a club that helps them fight the rights. The 1° flatter lie angle in the 12°, 14°, and 16° versions also helps in that regard.
Shaft Specifications
Flex Weight Launch Torque ---- ------ ------ ------ L 55g High 4.5 A 59g High 4.0 R 63g High 3.8 S 65g Mid 3.8 X 67g Mid 3.5
The same attention to player types by loft shows up in the shaft specifications. The more flex, the lighter weight and greater torque. To me this means Tour Edge has gone the distance in trying to produce models within the GeoMax line that are going to make the most sense for the most players.
Custom shafts and grips are offered, although I have no idea of what they might be. Best to check with your pro or golf shop.
Perhaps the most remarkable specification of all is the price. This solid, well-built, modern, high MOI driver retails for only $199.99 at retailers like Edwin Watts. Dollar for dollar, it’s quite a value against the $300 and $400 drivers offered by the bigger brand names. Bravo Tour Edge.
Conclusions
I know it’s not fashionable to choose a brand or club that doesn’t have a major presence on the PGA Tour. And there’s the unfortunate mindset that says the more you pay the more you get. But let’s be real. You buy a driver to play the best golf you can… the greatest distance with the greatest accuracy.
Anybody in the market for a driver needs to consider as many options as possible. And, in my opinion, that should include the Tour Edge GeoMax. It’s a beautifully designed, solid club delivering high MOI. If the shaft is right for you, this might be the biggest bargain you’ll ever find in a driver of such excellent quality.
The best thing about the Tour Edge line is the Lifetime Warranty. A couple of years ago, I caved in the face of a Tour Edge Bazooka QL driver on the driving range. Took it back to the shop where I purchased it, and the dealer took a look at it and replaced it… no problem at all.
I ended up upgrading to the r7 460 and gave the QL to a friend of mine, but it was a pretty decent driver nonetheless.
Nice review, Jack. I agree that Tour Edge makes fantastic products, and for anyone wanting pro-line quality without the pro line price, Tour Edge is the number one option.
Reading the review, I was interested in your comments about sound. Sound is so important, and as you know, the club designers know this and put great thought into it when they design a driver. I’ve had an interesting experience with sound. I currently play one of the most harsh-sounding drivers available, the Callaway FTi. When I first tried it, I almost rejected it after one swing simply because of the sound. But after playing with it for a while, especially after hitting some very good shots with it, my perception of the sound changed. What was initially harsh actually began to sound good. I mean this in the literal sense–the sound initially evoked a negative visceral/emotional reaction, but after playing with it, the emotional association with the sound became positive.
It’s your basic Pavlovian, conditioning thing, I think. But the point is that nobody should rule out a club on the basis of sound alone, as over time, even clanging can begin to sound musical.
Just a note on the aesthetics, sound, and feel of the Geomax line…
I find myself using a 7 wood very often, but love the “bomb it” feel of looking down at a driver at address. The stretched/square thing is stimulating to me. I like the sound modern drivers make also. I have a relatively slow swingspeed and impact sounds like the one the SUMO2 is known to make (especially that explosion on perfect swings) improves my self-image. Consequently, I don’t like the almost bubble-like feel of very large (320cc+), thin-walled clubheads.
All of this culminates into the stretched Geomax driver’s scaled down, but near identical little buddies (the Geomax fairway woods) appealing very much to me. I can feel like I’m “bombing it,” but with the more solid feeling and smaller seven woods I prefer anyway. As a bonus, the fairway woods have relatively loud Carpenter 455 steel faces that boost my sense of power too.
My opinion is that the Geomax line’s fairway woods have a complete package of psychological benefits. I swing easier and thus smoother when I feel more powerful. I take my time in setup and make my shot count when I like my equipment aesthetically. I don’t flinch mid-swing when I have confidence in the durability of my clubheads. Finally, I don’t feel as guilty spending $150 for such a nice club. 😀
I love the Tour Edge products. I have used Tour Edge irons for a long time. I have used a Tcheap ommy Armour driver , Nike SQ, Callaway Big Bertha 454.
Then after getting and loving the Tour Edge Bazooka Hybrids, I got the GeoMax. I ‘ve settle on it as my most consistent driver. My only complaint is actually the high launch. I had to swap out my long tees for traditional ones.
The life time warranty is great, I have used it several times already.
🙂 I have Tour Edge Bazooka QL irons and hybrids in my bag and am very pleased with them. I recently bought a 12 degree Geomax driver. I would have to say that it is the best club that I have ever spent my money on. It’s worth every cent and replaced a Taylormade R7 driver that I was using.
I am putting many more drives into the fairway than I ever have before.
It’s a great club. I love it. Thank you Tour Edge.
Went to a demo days looking for a driver. Hit the Cobra F Speed, Tour Edge GeoMax, Callaway X460, Ping G5, Ping Rapture & TaylorMade R7 460. Came down to the GeoMax, X460 & Rapture. All 3 I hit about the same – Rapture maybe 10 yards more, and the GeoMax were almost always straight. Came down to X460 & GeoMax (around the same $). The GeoMax looks like it wants to deliver at setup. Adds a lot of confidence off the tee. Waiting to take on the course, but if I hit it anything like I did at the range – I know I won’t be disappointed. This is my 2nd Tour Edge driver purchased (Bazooka F4). Excellent quality and I hear their customer service is top-notch (haven’t had to use it). I consider them a top club manufacturer. Highly recommend adding it to your list when looking for new clubs. Check out the material, the look and hit ’em!
awesomelly playable clubs, all of them from this co, a pleasure to hit, and using non-tour gear really makes it fun to beat up guys who paid more for their big 😎 😎 name driver than you did for your irons.
Great reviews! Very useful- my thanks to all. If anyone tries different shafts please let us know results . Thanks again. J.J. in Mich
Thanks for the great input—-living in a very rural area and new to the game of golf it is difficult to try out clubs–basicially I try the clubs the guys are using when I golf with them. I have been looking at Tour Edge for the last few weeks for a driver—I am either going to get the GeoMax or an Exotic—not sure which yet. Sound is very important—like the old school wood sound…..so it might be the GeoMax. Thanks again.
Being from the Chicagoland area and learning about Tour Edge some years ago, I’ve watched them and their ability to make very good, no – excellent, golf equipment that keeps getting better with each new version. I also like supporting a local based business.
I just purchased a GeoMax 3-metal and couldn’t be more pleased. As I look in my bag, I see more Tour Edge clubs with more coming.
I would and do recommend these clubs with no hesitation.
GO Tour Edge !!!
Hi there.. i just want to say that the reviews here is what helped me in my discission to buy this club and i’m thankful. This is the best Driver I’ve ever had the pleasure to swing. I have a 10.5 Geomax Stiff all stock. The shaft really helps me get the ball up. I’ve always had problem with launch, but with this club it’s no problem. 1st time out on the course with it, my buddies were telling me how long and straight I was hitting. If anything, the ball flight is straight or with a slight fade. I had a bad problem with hooking, but not now. This driver fixed that problem. I get anywhere from 275 to 325+ yards. On my home couse, i’ve had to use my 3 wood (which is a tour edge bazooka jmax ql, it’s awesome also) because I was Driving past the greens on the Par 4’s. I could not belive it. What a great problem to have.
I’ve had Cleveland Comp, Hibore and Hibore XL, Taylormade R7 and Burner, Ping G5, Callaway, You name it, I’ve hit it. I even had a KZG Gemini 2 (which had great control and distance) and The Geek Dot Com This DCT 551, but this club was the best for me. Try it and you will see. Only problem is that you really can’t work the ball. If you need straight, this is your club.
THIS IS THE ONLY CLUB THAT LIVES UP TO ALL THE HYPE.
(JUST AWESOME)
i`m a 28 handicapper, had trouble with drivers, never straight, been using the geomax driver for about 3 months, great results, long, straight, my new best mate in the bag. Great value, why pay more.
i started playing golf around 7 months ago and purchased a set of maxfli clubs ❓ . The driver had a A flex and i hit a very impressive slice. After trying to play for my slice i began to get annoyed. i decided to buy a new driver and get it fit to my swing speed. After this they set me up with the bazooka geomax. im a lefty so it was 10.5 degree and had a regular flex shaft . . as soon as i hit it i knew that this was the club for me . I have to swing as fast as i can to get it to go straight and no matter how hard i swing i have never managed to slice it. I can hit accurate draws with it and average around 260-280 metres off the tee . sometimes i hit it 300+. Overall a very good club
I used one of the early model Bazookas for about 10 years. I just loved that club. Recently I have re-visited Tour Edge drivers. First I tried an Exotics XLD and did not like it at all. I like drivers which have a pleasant sound, and good feel feedback through the hands and arms. The XLD had neither of these. Then I bought an almost new Bazooka GeoMax at a very good price ($28) on Ebay. From the very first hit my love affair with Tour Edge was re-kindled. This club was everything the XLD wasn’t. Nice sound, good feel and just as long as any other driver I’ve hit. A very attractive club head. Would recommend highly.
Same for me… I recently picked up a used set of Bazooka Jmax irons and a GeoMax2 9° Draw Driver (eBay is great!). These clubs are fantastic. The irons are the most forgiving clubs I have ever hit, and the driver has seriously improved my consistency off the tee – and such a sweeeeet sound!Tour Edge is probably the most underrated company in the market. If you haven’t tried Tour Edge yet, do it. You won’t be dissapointed.
I recently picked a brand new 16 in reg shaft off ebay for $35 shipped. I gotta say, dollar for dollar this is the best club I have ever bought.
Initially I was worried about the high loft and shaft combo. From time to time I do balloon one, but I will take a dead straight lob at 225 over a 260 crooked drive every day of the week. The real high shots usually occur when I overswing. If I hang on to my release as late as possible the ball flight is beautiful and LONG. You can basically hit it any where on the face and get a usable shot. This is a very very stable driver.
I used to fear all my drivers, weakest part of my game for years. With this one I have total confidence when I tee it up. I give up 10-15 yards over my other drivers. I don’t care…really. I will take 250 and in the fairway all day.
Makes you wonder how those others get away with charging $400 for a stinkin driver.
After using the Burner 09,Calloway Hyper X,and finally,the Nicklaus Air-Max 460,this summer with undistinguished results,I came across the GeoMax 10.5 stock stiff and wow,will have this club in my bag for a long time.Went from about 235-245 with the others to 255 and straight with this club.Truly impressive.Makes everything easier.I owe you one Tour Edge,thanks!!
I am looking for a 2nd hand ladies Bazooka geomax 12.5*
Looking for a left hand, off set geo max 7 wood, senior flex used if possible