The Bag Drop is live on the scene in Orlando, gearing up for the 2006 PGA Merchandise Show & Convention. The Show gets started on Thursday, but there are already happenings to report upon.
Tuesday brought a big media outing for Tour Edge, a company trying to make the leap from value brand to premium player. I had a chance to try their new Exotics driver and a cool new putter, and lots more. Also, I heard some interesting scuttlebutt from my fellow media types.
2006 marks Tour Edge’s 20th year in the golf biz. David Glod’s company has been a solid player in the value club part of the business for several years thanks to products like the Bazooka Ironwood hybrids.
But things have changed over the years. As Glod said today at his company’s media outing:
We’ve really grown a lot with our R&D, and my design capabilities have improved over the years. We feel like we’re good enough to do more. We started to see that we could do some very innovative things, but that they would cost too much to make to fit into the traditional Tour Edge line.
That’s what gave birth to the Exotics line. The Exotics sub-brand started last year with a series of fairway woods that married a forged beta Ti cup face to a steel body with a unique brazing technique instead of welding. The Exotics fairway woods quickly became a sleeper hit – deservedly so, since they are easy to hit and scary long.
The success of the woods led to requests for a driver, and Glod didn’t disappoint. The new Exotics driver is a 460cc beast with three different kinds of titanium: a cast 6A4V body, an ultrathin forged beta Ti crown and a hot SP700 titanium face. Again, no traditional welds, thanks to laser plasma welds and brazing. Two fixed tungsten weights help position the center of gravity to help square the face at impact.
On the course, the Exotics driver was excellent in an 18-hole test drive. Mine was equipped with an Aldila NV 65-S shaft. Feel off the clubface was lively and explosive, and the sound was loud but not piercing. Ball flight was high for my 10.5° tester, but the ball didn’t balloon when I had to hit into the gusty Florida afternoon breezes. Once I got comfortable with the Exotics driver, I smacked a couple 300-yard drives. And even on my shaky first few holes, there was plenty of forgiveness. I look forward to further testing (and writing a full review) in the coming months.
Tour Edge also added a hybrid to the Exotics lineup. A steel body is brazed to a beta Ti face, and two interchangeable weights allow you to adjust your ball flight and swingweight. The Exotics hybrid is coming in April at the $199 price point, and the weight kit will be an extra $40. The company is still awaiting final approval from the USGA on the Exotics hybrid, as the faces are very near the .830 COR limitation. The few shots I hit with the Exotics hybrid were long and felt very solid. Keep an eye out for them in April.
Tour Edge also added to its standard product line with a new driver and putter, both featuring adjustable weights. The V25 driver has two removable weights and comes in three pre-configured setups – draw, fade, neutral – that can be fine-tuned with the included weight kit, which has eight screws. The V25 driver has a beta Ti face and a cast titanium body, and the standard shaft is a proprietary Grafalloy model that is similar to the Grafalloy Blue shaft. The V25 driver will ship in April at $299.
Keeping with the name, the Tour Edge V25 Putter will also ship in April. This large alignment-style milled aluminum putter is reminiscent of the Ping Doc putters, as it is very big and very forgiving. Four weight ports are situated around the outside of the putter, and an included weight kit comes with 12 weights. You could spend days tinkering with different setups that fit your putting stroke. At $149, including the weight kit, this is a very competitive putter.
Glod says Tour Edge is making a move at PGA Tour use this year, hiring a full-time rep. The company’s hybrids and fairway woods were already getting some play on tour last year, so expect to see some Exotics on the PGA Tour this season.
The Tour Edge outing was a great day of golf, and their new products should help them take a step up into the world of premium golf equipment.
Speaking of the big boys of the business, there were some whispers about Titleist and TaylorMade today. Neither company is exhibiting at the Show this year. But Titleist is hosting a demo day for their sales reps at Disney. 905R, anyone? As for TaylorMade, they’ll be at tomorrow’s Demo Day extravaganza. But rumor has it that TaylorMade will return to the Show floor as an exhibitor next year. If true, that’s great news – the more the merrier. Adidas Golf is here this year, which may be a good indication of future plans for TMaG at the Show.
More from Orlando after tomorrow’s Callaway outing.
i’m intrigued by the exotics driver…looking forward to your review.
I recently purchased the Exotic driver and find it awesome. It is long and easy to hit consistently, both solid and on line. I am a 12 handicap golfer and hit the ball low so got the 12 degree driver.
I just bought the fairway woods as well and am looking forward to playing them. I didnt demo them like the driver, but bought them based upon the strength of the drivers performance and the write ups Ive read about it.
I too look forward to your review of it
I’ve had the 3 wood for over a year and without a doubt is the best club in my bag and the best fairway wood I’ve ever hit. Early indications from a launch monitor on a new Exotics driver I just picked up, show a vast improvement on distance and forgiveness. Can’t wait to try it out on the short grass.
As a scratch player I don’t change equipment unless it’s a definite improvement over mine. My 3 wood was a Cleveland Comp with a green nv S-65 until I tried the Exotic 3 wood (13 Deg) with the stock stiff Fugi shaff. The ball just explodes off the face with a penetrating ball flight. At 240 yards I’m going for the green with confidence as bunkers are just a nuisance. It also doubles as a driver on tight courses or fairways and it’s distance is remarkable. It’s in the bag till something better comes along to replace it, and that’s going to be awhile.