WRX Spotlight Review: Tour Edge Exotics EXS driver

Product: Tour Edge Exotics EXS driver

Pitch: Per Tour Edge: "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."

Our take

At the end of last year, Tour Edge introduced the Exotics EXS driver with all the latest technology but at a lower price point. I finally got some time on the range and course with this new $299 offering from Tour Edge Exotics. I went with the 9.50-degree head and stock Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei CK Blue 60g X-Stiff.

Out of the box the EXS is a good looking driver with everything you would expect like an adjustable hosel, movable weights, and a healthy amount of visible carbon fiber. Driver shape is traditional and compact, with a smaller footprint and deeper face that better players should appreciate. The crown is black near the face and then fades into carbon fiber, with a small Exotics logo as an alignment aid.

The sole of the club has two movable weights, nine and three grams, to help influence ball flight. Movable weights are great, but the issue is that neither are visibly marked. The only way to tell how heavy the weights are is to remove them. A minor complaint, but for a WRXer who likes to tinker, I don’t always remember what setting I left the driver in.

The simplicity and amount of adjustment in the hosel makes switching settings for any type of ball flight simple and fast. I could adjust the 9.5-degree head all the way down to 7.5 degrees and up to 11.5, with the lie angle ranging from 57 to 60 degrees! That is a wide range of options again to fit just about every swing. After messing around with the adjustments, I settled on the standard 9.5 degree because the higher loft options seem to visually close the face more than I liked.

First shots on the range were met by a very pleasant sound and feel. The sound at impact was a low, muted thwack sound. Not loud and high pitched like some multi material heads can sound. The feel was also very solid with very little unneeded vibration. The club head is very responsive and easy to feel those shots that aren’t struck in the center of the face. I could routinely feel my heel miss, but I wasn’t punished with excess sound or harsh vibration. I didn’t have a launch monitor out there and the ball seemed to really jump off the face with a lower, flat trajectory.

I didn’t expect the stock shaft to provide as flat as a ball flight as it did. Much lower than my gamer driver, even with a heavier, lower launching shaft. EXS shined hitting balls into the wind, where that flat trajectory pierced through the wind with ease. Mishits were right or left, providing very straight misses with very little curve. Spin looked to be low as well with zero ballooning, even into a pretty strong wind. I only noticed a slight rise in trajectory when the wind gusted at me.

On the course the EXS was fun to hit and very predictable. Good swings were met with great results, long and straight drives. I had to adjust a little bit with aim as my typical draw didn’t move as much from right to left. On truly poor swings, for me this is a snap hook, the EXS provided a little less help. I think simply going with the 10.5-degree head would help with that miss as a little higher trajectory and added backspin could straighten out that shot a touch. The EXS was a solid all day and I never lacked confidence in it, even with my limited experience hitting it.

Overall the Tour Edge Exotics EXS is going to shock a lot of people. I really hope the price doesn’t make people think it is a second-rate driver, because it isn’t. Properly fit, or just off the rack, it will perform right up there with drivers costing more than twice its price. The EXS can also offer a flatter trajectory for those of you out there who struggle with finding a driver that keeps the ball down and offers forgiveness on those mishit shots. At $299, I don’t know how you don’t give the EXS a try.

See our front page article on the Tour Edge Exotics EXS driver.

Crown looks like the Mizuno st190 which isn't a bad thing. Seems to be a good drive especially at that price point. Nice review.

Nice review. Thanks for the info. Also a really good price point.

Any info on if there will be heavier weights available?

Bought one with Tensei White 70 X. Hated it. Outclassed by all the new Callaway Taylormade Titleist and Cobra offerings this year. On top of that $67 Trade in value on PGA value guide.

Value is relative to the used resale value market. Last time I buy a $299 driver and trade it in for $67. Ever

Sounded horrible and has $hitty ballspeeds. Tour Edge is pumping money into marketing this year and I fell for it. Shame on me

I've hit it with the blue Tensei and found it to be a great driver. Was close to my fitted TS3 in distance.

There is a weight kit available or to be made available.

FWIW and off topic, a month after they were first available, the major chain here in Canada told me the trade in value on a brand new TS2 was under $200 Cdn when I tried to trade one in. Sells for $650 or so Cdn. Trade in values are a joke.

Bought one with Tensei White 70 X. Hated it. Outclassed by all the new Callaway Taylormade Titleist and Cobra offerings this year. On top of that $67 Trade in value on PGA value guide.

 

Value is relative to the used resale value market. Last time I buy a $299 driver and trade it in for $67. Ever

 

Sounded horrible and has $hitty ballspeeds. Tour Edge is pumping money into marketing this year and I fell for it. Shame on me

I would have given 68 and paid for shipping!

Thx OP....re the weights, did you end up weighing the head? Curious as I like a heavier head, and wandering where this one came in at.

That driver looks fantastic and needs some case studies in the commercials to allow us to move on a cheaper driver. Were afraid that you get what you pay for in performance, that's not necessarily the case but tour edge needs to show us before we buy in appreciable numbers.

individual weights ($20) and a weight kits ($50 with 3 different weights) are available now:

https://shop.touredge.com/collections/accessories/products/exotics-exs-driver-weight-kits?variant=13781250637933

Bought one with Tensei White 70 X. Hated it. Outclassed by all the new Callaway Taylormade Titleist and Cobra offerings this year. On top of that $67 Trade in value on PGA value guide.

 

Value is relative to the used resale value market. Last time I buy a $299 driver and trade it in for $67. Ever

 

Sounded horrible and has $hitty ballspeeds. Tour Edge is pumping money into marketing this year and I fell for it. Shame on me

What were the "crappy" ballspeeds then. Quite a few seem to rate this driver

Bought one with Tensei White 70 X. Hated it. Outclassed by all the new Callaway Taylormade Titleist and Cobra offerings this year. On top of that $67 Trade in value on PGA value guide.

 

Value is relative to the used resale value market. Last time I buy a $299 driver and trade it in for $67. Ever

 

Sounded horrible and has $hitty ballspeeds. Tour Edge is pumping money into marketing this year and I fell for it. Shame on me

Did you ever get justice for the individual who held a gun to your head and forced you to trade it in? Hope so.

I’m a fan of mine. Forgiving around the face and feels nice. Sound is off when hit high on the face but even that sounds better than my st180. I tend to be higher spin with the driver and both the exs and st180 seem to have brought that down. No complaints on the exs at all and the only threat it has for 2019 is the st190.

Figured I'd chime in since I just got mine today. 4.5 handicap...I've hit the Tour Edge 9 degree CB4 for about 7 years. Best looking, sounding, and performing driver I've ever had, so I wasn't going to be disappointed if the exs didn't beat it. Hit them both on a launch monitor. I didn't think the exs would outperform the CB4, but it did. I ordered it with Tensei 70 X and 10.5 loft. Great feeling shaft so far. Didn't think I would ever hit a 10.5 degree driver, but I had to go with what the launch monitor was showing.

First impressions hitting on the range:

* Extra stiff with a bump in loft was the way to go. It's longer and straighter than my CB4- both good shots and misses ( probably should have been hitting extra stiff in the CB4 all along, but whatever).

* No more manipulation to hit the high ball, and I can still hit a wind beater with the neutral setting at 10.5.

* Comes off the face really well. Hot, but I can tell by the way the ball flies that the spin rate is lower, and the CB4 was a pretty good low-spin machine. Makes the higher loft all the better.

* The sound off the face is different than the great sounding CB4, but it's just fine. I've heard some awful sounding drivers. This one is perfectly acceptable.

I've been playing a CB4 3 wood for many years as well, so I also tested the exs 3 wood and cbx 3 wood. They were both great. The cbx performed better for me, but there was no real advantage over my trusty old CB4. Note: I didn't take the time to try an X shaft in the cbx. Might need to give it a try.

So far, very happy with the new driver. Tour edge continues to impress. Will be testing the hybrids soon.

I tried this EXS out at demo day this past spring and was pleasantly surprised by the performance. Very forgiving head and the tensei blue seemed to fit me pretty well. The ball flight was surprisingly flat but I liked that and I kept hitting ball after ball down the pipe. I preferred the TEE over the Callly Rogue and Epic. This driver and the TS3 are the only ones I'd consider upgrading to this season.

The Exotics EXS was used by women's long drive champion , earlier this year at the

event in Phoenix, AZ, where she she won with a world record 413 yd drive....

Her name , Phillis Meti .....swing speeds 127+ / ball speeds 185 mph +.....impressive...