Review: Tour Edge Exotics XCG6 Driver

[BENNYSUPREME]

I just posting photos at this time. Standby for review.

[BENNYSUPREME]

[b]Tour Edge Exotics XCG6 Driver Review[/b]

[b]Tested:[/b]
[b]Tour Edge Exotics XCG6 Driver[/b]
[b]Loft tested (degrees): 9[/b]
[b]Shaft: Matrix HD6.1 X-Flex[/b]

[b]From Tour Edge:[/b]



[center]
The new XCG6 driver is our most advanced Exotics driver ever, offering everything you’ve come to expect from an Exotics driver but now with an adjustable hosel for the ultimate in ball flight control. Shot Control Technology (SCT) allows you to adjust four face-angle/loft settings to optimize launch characteristics for maximum distance and control. With a simple twist of the SCT wrench you can adjust the face angle, loft, and lie of the XCG6 driver. For example, if your tee shots tend to draw or hook (a right to left ball flight for a right handed golfer), select the “O” or open position on the SCT hosel. If your drives tend to fade or slice (a left to right ball flight for a right handed golfer) select the “C” or closed position for more slice correction or the “U” or upright position for less slice correction. If your tee shots are mostly straight select the “N” or neutral position on the SCT hosel.
In the sole, maximum heel/toe weighting is created by four hexahedron weight pads that deliver a higher MOI for greater stability and greater distance. An advanced multilevel face design maximizes ball speed on all strike points on the face by incorporating multiple levels of variable face thickness that maximize the spring-like effect. By thinning and thickening the forged titanium face, the spider web ribbons allow for maximum elongation of the titanium for enhanced feel and rebound.
Two superior shaft choices make the XCG6 the premier driver in golf. The Matrix Ozik HD features Interply technology that has dynamic effects on ball speed and on sidespin reduction. The super-lightweight Graphite Design Tour AD generates extra club head speed at any swing speed for longer shots off the tee.

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[*][b]Shot Control Technology (SCT) allows you to adjust four face-angle/loft settings to optimize launch characteristics for maximum distance and control [/b]
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[*][b]Four hexahedron weight pads in heel & toe of the sole deliver greater stability and distance [/b]
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[*][b]Variable face thickness maximizes spring-effect from more contact points on the driver face [/b]
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[*][b]Available in two leading shafts: Matrix Ozik HD and Graphite Design Tour AD [/b]
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[b]Pros:[/b] “Colors”, Upright and Open setting, Classic look (shiny and Black), Solid hits produce straight flight with either a slight fade or draw (open sitting for me), Red Lampkin grip, adjustability of the club. Shallow Face, Feel

[b]Cons:[/b]
For some there isn’t an alignment mark, For Me the shaft, Sound is higher pitched(almost tin can sounding), Price Point ($350+), For me consistency, Distance with off center hits, for my club neutral looked closed, Shallow Face

[b]Bottom Line:[/b]
A quality offering from Tour Edge that is staying with the classic black look. If hit in the center of the club face it is long but off center hits are lacking distance. When you are having issue of slicing the ball you can chose the closed setting. If the next day you are having issues hooking the ball there is an open setting. Why fix the swing when you can change the club!

[b]Look:[/b]
This club has a Classic look being it is black with red and white graphics, I love this because It matches everything in my bag. Compared to my Adams Fast12ls this XCG6 is hands down better looking. Heck it could be because I can see myself in it. The Bottom looks like a stealth bomber. To me it looks a little bit bigger than my Adams driver but that could be due to the shallow face, and little wider body. At address it looks closed but isn’t when set at neutral.

[b]Performance/Playability:[/b]
I can only base this out of play and several long range sessions next to the Fast12ls. For this club the range does not translate out to the course. On the course I lack confidence with it. For one I never got the ball flight I want and that is more than likely due to the shaft. My ball flight was mid trajectory, having said that I did get a lot more roll out. I think for me if I had a DI6x it this club it would be 100 times better. With the stock shaft it came with I had a hard time getting it up SO TO SPEAK. I tended to hit low hooks with the club until I put the club into the open setting. In the open setting I was able to get a draw and for the first time in a long time hit a fade because I wanted to. Without changing how I teed the ball I would always hit the ball low and center on the club face. This would cause me to lose a lot of distance.


I don’t consider myself a big hitter but I did get some great drives with this club. I had a four hole stretch with drives of 331, 325, 330 yards and a 300 yard drive all carry to an elevated green. I think that was the only consistent stretch with this club for me.


[b]Feel/Sound:[/b]
“OMG” not one of these!!! That is what I said after the first time I hit a ball. It was loud, not muted like my Adams. Even though I think it is loud it is nowhere compared to the Cobras or older model Nikes. After about 10 balls you tend to forget about it.

I will say this is a great feeling club, even though I didn’t get the elevation I want I got great feedback from the shaft and head. This shaft kicked like a mule, I could feel the lag in the club head and it was awesome. I could tell almost instantly where the ball hit the club face minus center hits. On center hits I felt nothing and nothing is good.



[b]Bottom Line:[/b]
Tour Edge Exotics is a great company. The Exotics XCG6 driver could be a classic. With the right shaft in this head it will have no issues competing with any other club on the market. Once you are able to find the setting that works for you it will be easy to maintain a consistent ball flight. If you have issues hooking or slicing this club has the potential to fix that for you. The days of only draw, neutral or open club faces are over. I think people will like this club because of its looks, feel, and the potential to be a long ball hitter.

Overall for me this club will not make it into the bag due to inconsistent shots, failure to be able to elevate the ball and it just doesn’t preform like my Adams fast 12ls. I came in to this testing with an open mind and with the thinking that this club will replace my current gamer. That will not happen I just don’t have any confidence with it.



If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

[BENNYSUPREME]

I'm going to try to see if I can get onto a launch monitor with the two driver and compare them. It may not happen if I have to pay 40 bucks. If I'm able to I will post the numbers.

[LAMD]

I had a similar experience as well. Would really like to try a different shaft than their two offerings. It is not obnoxiously loud and the shape is very playable. Nice honest review.

[BENNYSUPREME]

Both are true. It is not overly loud and the shape is playable but you have to have the correct shaft.

[BENNYSUPREME]

Looks: 5 out of 5

[b]Performance/Playability: 3.5 out of 5[/b]

[b]Feel: 4 out of 5[/b]

[b]Sound 3.5 out of 5[/b]

[b]Over all: 4 out of 5 [/b]

[BENNYSUPREME]

crickets

No questions, comments or anything. I would be happy to answer any questions just fire away.

[Spiritomb]

I have a question, how does it compare to callaway and taylormade drivers?

[BENNYSUPREME]

I can only speak to TaylorMade Burner and the original and the 580. Its has been a long time since I used these clubs. On top of that I'm stronger and alot better golfer now.

From what I can remeber the two T.M.s were a lot more consistant, But alot shorter. I will say the looks of this club are hands down better. The sound is different becuase the T.Ms I used were before the newer clubs came out with the high pitch sound(loud ting).

I would like to say this if I haven't yet, If I put my DI6x in this club head, I think we could have a winner. Due to me playing Adams I don't really want to spend the money to buy an adapter or a whole new shaft just to give it a try.


Just to prove this is not a one sided thing and that I really did want it to work, I took the club out again and still had no luck. I might give it one more try tomorrow and see what happens. I'm just afraid with all this flip flop between clubs and step ups it will affect me for the next couple of weeks. I have already notice since testing this Club my score have went up several strokes.

Spiritomb I hope that help but since I have not gamed a T.M. or Callaway in a very long time thats the best I can come up with. Last time I gamed either of the two was over 4 years ago.

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

[Spiritomb]

Thank you very much for helping, but I never really liked the adjustable drivers. I think no matter what level you are you should fix your swing not the driver, but thats just me and best of luck with the driver!

[Mr. Maxfli]

I too wasn't the biggest fan of the Matrix shaft. I'm a high ball hitter and had the same issue as the OP, only got a medium ball flight. I had bought some extra tips when I ordered mine, so I put a Speeder VC in it. Wow, all the difference in the world. Nice high ball flight and long. As stated, with the right shaft, this is a great stick.

[ALIF]

[quote name='Mr. Maxfli' timestamp='1353768212' post='5972409']
I too wasn't the biggest fan of the Matrix shaft. I'm a high ball hitter and had the same issue as the OP, only got a medium ball flight. I had bought some extra tips when I ordered mine, so I put a Speeder VC in it. Wow, all the difference in the world. Nice high ball flight and long. As stated, with the right shaft, this is a great stick.
[/quote]

Does this head seem to be an ultra low spin head like the fast 12 LS or the classic?

[KevinB]

For me the xcg6 with matrix ozik HD6.1 stiff in the 9* neutral setting was $ I have a ss of approx 105-109. This brought my spin and launch angle down. I was avg. 10+ yds longer(289 yds)than my G10 9* TFC stiff(275 yds). This was at golftec. THEN I went to club champion. According to trackman my spin and launch angle there with my G10 was better than at golftec. The shaft for me was a fuel. I'm not sure if I should go with the recommendation of club champion for the fuel shaft for my G10($260) or the xcg6 ($300) which I was hitting farther. Which technology do you trust more?

[BENNYSUPREME]

[sup]I would say it is low spin. I let a friend of mine use it the other day. He is built/strong, 2 Hdcp and haunches the ball super high. With this club he lost yards also due to not being able to launch the ball high enough.[/sup]

[10of14]

Sounds like most Adams drivers to me. They both (Adams and TEE) have equal hot faces, but tend to have bad stock shaft choices. I would have to assume that with some of the hottest fairways and hybrids on the market, it is just the matter of the right shaft. TEE and Adams need to step it up big time with 2-3 quality "stock" shaft choices to be competitive in the "driver" market. Let me say this; with it's hot face, put a Whiteboard, Ahina, Attas or other quality shaft in the TEE XCG6 and it will be as good if not better than all the others.

[BENNYSUPREME]

[quote name='10of14' timestamp='1360530036' post='6401121']
Sounds like most Adams drivers to me. They both (Adams and TEE) have equal hot faces, but tend to have bad stock shaft choices. I would have to assume that with some of the hottest fairways and hybrids on the market, it is just the matter of the right shaft. TEE and Adams need to step it up big time with 2-3 quality "stock" shaft choices to be competitive in the "driver" market. Let me say this; with it's hot face, put a Whiteboard, Ahina, Attas or other quality shaft in the TEE XCG6 and it will be as good if not better than all the others.
[/quote]

I would agree with that. The shaft made the difference with this club.

[SpineNFlow]

I am testing this Driver right now with a few shafts
I bought a 10.5 Deg with a ladies flex and pulled the shaft, to my suprise and liking the adjustable hosel is metal, so it did not melt like 'other' fct hosels out there, and a .335 ferrell fits on top, which I did not use as the sleeve looks fine with black epoxy, and I will save a gram.
The 4 sided adjustment is great because any shaft rotation is 90 deg to the initial spine set, which will give more probability of the shaft having flow per different orientation in the club head...NICE!
Ok I am at the first shaft test. Penley G2 84 gram, 3.2 torque, High Kick point X flex (263cpm spine to target/ with flow), Club 45 3/8, D3.5 Swingweight.
At first appearance the club looks big! it has a deep and wide face, so the sweet spot is large. At impact the sound is low, not tinny in the slightest...sounds solid. Shot feedback is minimal, as I was hitting fairly close to the center all day and felt good, so I cant remember a heal thud or toe twisty feeling, it just felt very stable and 'beefy' all the time, like the tungsten weight pads (heal/toe) are doing their work!.
The shaft was a 'tiny' tad firm for my 103-108 SS, but I got it working with some wider swings and good coils and striking it solid, like the club/shaft was saying I will take more
Ball flight was not quite as high as a normal 10.5, so err to more loft for sure, but it was perfect for me The spin on the ball felt like it was down, I could tell buy draw or fade shots not moving as much.
Distance was there!, on a lot of my regular fairway landing spots this club was there or longer. One drive downwind was 325yrds, the ball just stayed up there and never dropped till late...I shot the bushnell V2 back to the tree exactly next to the tee box, this was one of my longer drives on this hole. I was able to rip a low draw into the wind on a long par4 that flew penetrating with authority to approx 260yards into a good breeze. On another hole I hit 293yards (down wind /side wind). I was playing with a group so I was just playing, and left my 3 wood alone!, I will say this stays in the bag for more.
Today I will turn the hosel to 180 deg to Upright setting and I am getting 259cpm as its 'bang on' netural to target with flow with this shaft...great I dont have re-set this shaft for today to dial in my flex yet. Perhaps I will go buy the Golfsmith launch monitor and get some numbers.
Overall I am impressed with: the mid to high launch angle and low spin (looks like the ball gets up, then flat lines & stays up!), the rock solid stability and 'big face', good sound.

[SpineNFlow]

Day two: Still windy 10-15mph

My overall impression is this club is a turbo charged Bentley!
My main thought is that the club is so solid and stable. its very accurate and finds the fairway 'easy'.
The wind has little effect on the ball. I am sure the shaft I am using also helps (Penley G2 84 gram, 3.2 torque, High Kick point X flex).
Today I rotated the shaft sleeve to upright (sets my shaft spine netural to target) and bingo some shaft action and the club Bombs.
This club is superior in its weighting the placement of tungsten weights is better than most drivers
I am excited about this driver, and the XCG-6 3 wood 15* i have is awesome too! which is another story.
The huge xcg6 head and its stability (like a loaded freight train on rails). The impact is 'the most solid' feeling I have experienced with a driver and that covers all hits with Titleist in my memory too.
I think I have the mack daddy combo this head and this shaft. My advise to 'X flex players' is to get a 75+ gram shaft with this head.
I don't think my set up is too heavy and I can handle it well. My head weight looks approx 187grams 'without' the sleeve, the shaft, sleeve grip together are 150grams = Total weight 337grams (approx not digital just my golfsmith SW Scale). Its a slightly heavier set up @ 45 3/8 long, but I have excellent control and wind boring flight with distance.

[BigBlueHack]

I just orderd a XCG6 Driver with the RIP Phenom 60 in X flex. I was fitted for it after trying numerous heads and shafts out. The XCG6 in 10.5 was a clear winner. The ball seems to rocket off the face and the shaft is super smooth. I can't wait for the driver to be shipped so I can give it a go on the course. There is no doubt this thing is overlooked by many.

My numbers with the driver:

Swing Speed 115
Ball Speed 168
L. Angle 10.9
Spin 2650
Carry 284.1

[SpineNFlow]

Just got back from the Golfsmith launch monitor.
Clearly I need to tee it up more and place the ball 1/2" more forward in my stance to get a higher launch
106 ss, 154 ball speed, 11.5 launch, spin 2450, Carry 272 My Normal drive
103 ss , 151 Ball speed 15.9 Launch ,spin 2050, Carry 277 Hitting it high
101 ss , 148 ball speed, 16.1 launch, spin 1635, Carry 276 Hitting it high with a smoother swing
My shaft is 84grams x high bend point, so I have 'heeps' of room for improvement with SS & launch angle.
Perhaps a lighter 75gram shaft that has a higher launch...looking at the Matrix Red Tie 7Q3 X flex.

[SpineNFlow]

Test Shaft #2
Miyazaki Kulsa Indigo 61 X @ 46 / D4.5 (262cpm@netural)
SS 106
Ball 155
Launch 13.1
Spin 1888!!!
Decent angle 39
Carry 278
Tot 306
offline 8yards

Clearly with 1-1.5 Deg higher launch this will fly further...this was sweet spot center face...NOT slightly higher off the face were this club hits longer due to a higher launch angle. I had to leave the monitor due to a fitting.

Clearly this 10.5 head is low spin and a higher launch shaft is needed. My suggestion is a Matrix Red Tie 6Q3 or 7Q3 would do it, as I play in wind i will game the 61x for control for now. I can say the shaft is bullet straight , and has the PGA pro at my local going Wow! from hitting on the range (who games the new ping anser)
The low low spin of this head/shaft combo, I feel results were better on the range, I was driving out the range with the ball 2/3 up the net (pins fwd) so no yardage could be scoped out. (into the 15mph wind!)...we will see how it rips up the fairways after the rain passes.

[Lobber]

[quote name='SpineNFlow' timestamp='1365203793' post='6770727']
Test Shaft #2
Miyazaki Kulsa Indigo 61 X @ 46 / D4.5 (262cpm@netural)
SS 106
Ball 155
Launch 13.1
Spin 1888!!!
Decent angle 39
Carry 278
Tot 306
offline 8yards

Clearly with 1-1.5 Deg higher launch this will fly further...this was sweet spot center face...NOT slightly higher off the face were this club hits longer due to a higher launch angle. I had to leave the monitor due to a fitting.

Clearly this 10.5 head is low spin and a higher launch shaft is needed. My suggestion is a Matrix Red Tie 6Q3 or 7Q3 would do it, as I play in wind i will game the 61x for control for now. I can say the shaft is bullet straight , and has the PGA pro at my local going Wow! from hitting on the range (who games the new ping anser)
The low low spin of this head/shaft combo, I feel results were better on the range, I was driving out the range with the ball 2/3 up the net (pins fwd) so no yardage could be scoped out. (into the 15mph wind!)...we will see how it rips up the fairways after the rain passes.
[/quote]

I demoed one outdoors extensively on Saturday in San Diego. I started with 9 degree Matrix stock- too low for me. Moved up to 10.5 which was much better. The tour Edge rep said let's try the 12 degree and I said that's too much. Well I was wrong. High launch for sure but it bored through the air and appeared to roll once it hit the ground. Never in my life would I have thought 12 degrees was what I needed with my 107 SMS and aggressive downward move but I was wrong. Give the Exotics a shot. It knocked the R1 out of my bag

[SpineNFlow]

My Tour Edge Exotics XCG-6 Driver 10.5 Miyazaki Kulsa Indigo 61 X @ 46 / D4.5 (262cpm@netural) Listed above.

Got in the hands of the golf pro at my course...and I think he is keeping it!

He came back from the range lit up with a smile and commented it was super long and bullet straight, and that 'he needs it!' ... He did say another member on the range was in total awe watching the ball flight.

[Stetson]

I ran the numbers on every post here and nobody had a smash factor over 1.47... What is up with that?

[BENNYSUPREME]

With all the numbers posted in the last thew months, I might take her out on the course this weekend. Who knows she might act right here in Texas. I might be able to launch it more now since I have bulked up a little. If anything I will give her a whirl on the range.

[dollarbill300]

I bought the 10.5*, reg flex several weeks back. The guy that did my fitting said I should switch to a reg flex instead of stiff. It was cut down a little to make it more stiff. I have been hitting this club not as solid as I was hitting my older driver. Most shots come off low with a slight draw. I cannot seem to get any consistency with this driver. It has the GD ad 40 shaft in it. I asked the guy that did the fitting about the shaft and he said it was a good one. But I am reading here that a lot of people are having better success with a different shaft. My ss is 100-105 avg. I was thinking about returning this driver and getting a different brand, but now I am wondering if the shaft will make the difference. What would you guys recommend for a shaft?

[archomike]

When adjusting the head of the xcg6 driver does the grip not stay in the same alignment?

[BENNYSUPREME]

[quote name='archomike' timestamp='1392767974' post='8697435']
When adjusting the head of the xcg6 driver does the grip not stay in the same alignment?
[/quote]

No, when making the adjustment you are actually turning the shaft not the club head.

[archomike]

Thanks, so when making adjustments, if you grip has alignment markings, they will turn and not be available.

[Minarets]

Any more thoughts one this? Low spin compared to this years offerings? Maybe not SLDR low, but pretty low? I need a new driver and I can pick up pretty cheAp before dripping $400 on a newer offering.