Tour Edge Exotics EX9 Long 3 wood review

I recently purchased this club from the GEA Swap shop over Christmas.

The clubbed is adjustable from 14-16*. I have it set at 15*. The factory 'length' is 43.5" long, but this one is 43" long. It has an Aldila Rogue Black 60 'stiff' shaft in it.

Appearance. It's larger than I'd expect. Clubhead size is 185ccs. At first, I thought this would be off putting for use on second shots, but when I googled the specs on the 2015 Callaway GBB 3 wood, it is also 185ccs. Anyway...it does not look like a gigantic 3 wood at address...in fact, it's pretty confidence inspiring. The head is gloss black, and has a small alignment aid...I could take or leave the alignment aid, but that's my own personal quirk...they don't bother me or help me.

Performance: I was warming up on the range, and hit some shots off the tee...my first shots were absolute bullets that carried about 225-230 yards and just hit the ground running. I have no idea on total distance but needless to say, I was impressed. I hit a few shots off the ground, and got pretty much the same results...a VERY flat, penetrating flight...I have no idea what the spin rates were, but I can tell you this...this is a LOW SPIN club. The sound at impact is a rather low key 'clink', and the ball just sort of launches like a missile, and flies very straight. I will say this..if I become over excited/aggressive...I get a shot that launches straight and then about 2/3 of the way out, takes a VERY hard left...I will tell you a bit more about this particular shot later.

On the course. I was using the Callaway Chrome Soft golf ball. Hole #1 at Lozano Golf Course is a 375 yard par 4. Normally I bash driver up the left hand side, but decided to give the TEE EX9L a shot. Tee the ball low, smooths wing, and CLINK...ball launched up the left hand side, carried about 235-240, caught the hill and rolled down to about the 280 yard mark, leaving me a short pitch into the green. I literally just hit a 280 yard drive with a 3 wood...in January. I ended up making par. I have not hit a fairway wood that long in my life...EVER.

Hole #2 is a 365 yard hole that challenges you to cut the corner over the water. Carry to make it over is about 225 yards. I decided that I was going to hit the TEE EX9L again. Teed up the ball, smooth swing, and I got a ball that carried about 245 and PLUGGED in a wet fairway. The ball was about 6" from it's ball mark...and this was NOT a towering shot, it was an absolute BULLET.

The next time I hit 3 wood was on a par 5, I was 265 out on a 540 yard par 5. I had a healthy tail wind and a good lie...made a nice smooth swing, and the ball just LEAPT off the clubface and flew straight and true...I ended up just off the BACK OF THE GREEN.

I hit 3 wood 4 more times off the tee, and got similar results to the first two drives. The other par 5's are not conducive to going for it in two when playing into a headwind...there is water and OB in play, and I played a 3 shot strategy on them.

I had ONE wayward shot...remember that hard left that will show up...well, it did. I was 245 out on a par 5, with a pretty strong headwind. I tried to hit a little 3 wood stinger off the ground and over cooked it a bit...and it went WAY off line. That being said, my ball stayed in play, but left me in a bad spot.

All in all...the Tour Edge Exotics EX9L 3 wood...is an absolute BEAST of a fairway wood. The last time I hit a FW wood with such authority was when I was carrying an Original Steelhead 4+ that I reshafted with an untipped DGX100 at 43.5" long. These clubs must be forged by Elves or something because I've never see anything like this or fly like this...it truly is a sight to behold.

I really don't know why TEE only seem to have a 'cult' following, as this club is truly amazing. If the other TEE clubs work this well...they should be in everyone's bag.

I was contemplating on getting an EX9 Long but opted for the EX9 Tour instead (with the stock Diamana S+). I have the base EX9 for some time now but it launches a bit high for a TEE fairway unlike my old CB3. The EX9 Tour 13* is long and it has a more piercing trajectory than the base EX9. On the first time I brought it to a nearby course, I was using it more for my tee shots compared to my M1 driver. It inspires a bit confidence on my end to keep the ball in play.

Someone is offering me a CB Pro 14.5* and I am wondering how it stacks up against the base EX9 and EX9 Tour.

Recently acquired an 13* EX9 L with Rogue Silver 70s shaft. Not much opportunity to use it but I did hit some balls and even got a few holes in with it testing it side by side with an F7, BB Mini, and GBB Alpha 816 16* set to 15*. More on the comparative testing when the weather cooperates but I tried hitting from different lies, cuts/draws, high and low as sell a number of tee shots. The 13 launches fairly easily off the tee and fairway but most shots were mid-traj and pretty "hot". Had some problem drawing the ball especially a high draw (swing and 30* weather may have had something to do with that). I didn't even try it cranked down to 12* and initially had to up it to 14* to improve the launch. basically the ball comes off pretty hot; not sure it is "CB2" hot but it comes close in terms of feel and shot shape. On one par 5 I played 4 balls with above mentioned clubs and the strikes felt pretty close to the same; trajectory was comparable so usually that results in a few yards difference. In this case the EX9 L was 20+ yards past the other four (the GBB Alpha had a slight disadvantage loft wise). Obviously not much data to go by at this time but a lot can be learned by even a single session and so far so good.

Went to the range today and was one hopping the ball onto the 250 yard green/flag...and this is with crappy range balls..ball flight is consistently very straight...maybe a slight fade. Figured out how to keep from "overcooking" it to the left...which is an indian issue....not the arrow.

This club is the real deal.