First Look – Tour Edge HL4 Hybrids and Iron-Woods

I’ll take “Examples of over-priced golf equipment for $200 please, Alex.” It might not be a real Jeopardy category, but what’s clear is Tour Edge believes the litany of possible answers is justification for and evidence of the need for its Hot Launch line of equipment.

The philosophical underpinning of HL4 is to give budget-minded golfers custom-fit equipment which is engineered specifically for the mid-high handicap player. Citing research from Golf Datatech, the two primary reasons golfers don’t get fit for new clubs is a perceived increase in costs of custom equipment and the additional time it takes to go through a fitting.

To that end, Tour Edge believes it can mitigate these barriers by offering 48-hour turnaround on all orders and a simple, efficient fitting process which helps golfers select the right length, shaft flex, lie angle, and grip size. It might not be the all-day fitting extravaganza or the quasi-tour experience promoted by higher-priced alternatives, but for the target customer it’s a hell of a lot better than scouring the used club bins or playing another set of hand-me-downs from the neighbor who “knows a lot about equipment…”

Given the nature of the retail market and the steady increase in prices on flagship equipment, Tour Edge believes its HL4 line of equipment offers unparalleled performance and technology for golfers who constitute the majority of the 18 million players who won’t be buying a $500+ driver this year.

THE TEA

Adding to the Hot Launch 4 drivers and fairway woods announced on June 25^th, Tour Edge is releasing HL4 hybrids and individual HL4 Iron-Woods.

The HL4 hybrids feature a tech story similar to that of the drivers and fairway woods. A shallow-face promotes higher launch, while the thinner (and lighter) crown allows Tour Edge engineers to redistribute more mass farther away from the geometric center of the clubface, which boosts MOI (forgiveness). A larger Power Channel in the sole and redesigned Cup Face with Variable Face Thickness work in concert to produce better ball speeds on mishits.

According to David Glod (Tour Edge founder and lead club designer) “The HL4 hybrids are as good as it gets because it achieves exactly what I designed it to do: hit the ball long, high and straight,”

The HL4 Iron-Wood is, according to Tour Edge, a full club longer than the HL3 edition. This is due in large part to a thinner forged face and more expansive Power Channel. Because the channel is wider and deeper, it allows for more optimal weight distribution and slightly lower spinning shots. Tour Edge asserts another benefit of the Power Channel is added forgiveness on shots struck lower on the face.

“I put everything I’ve learned since launching the world’s first iron-wood over 15 years ago into the HL4 Iron-Wood for my most versatile design yet,” said Glod. Part of that versatility is evidenced by how golfers can incorporate the HL4 Iron-Wood into a fitting – as either an individual club or an entire set. Should golfers decide to go with a full set of Iron-Woods, Glod designed each club with progressive sole-width, topline thickness and offset.

HL4 isn’t a line of clubs within the larger Tour Edge family of equipment as much as it is a platform to engage what Tour Edge feels is an underserved segment of the golfing population – The regular golfer who plays a handful of times year and wants something better than a boxed set but doesn’t want to take out a second mortgage to do so.

To that end, Jon Claffey, Vice President of Marketing, says, “We are aggressively marketing the message that every golfer should be getting custom fit, and that it is especially mid to high handicap players who have the most to gain by getting fit…Our goal is to open the flood gates on custom fitting, and HL4 has proven to be the perfect product to accomplish this goal with its advanced technology, top-tier performance, and amazing price structure.”

HL4 is built with a blueprint of reasonable pricing, realistic fitting, and rapid order fulfillment. Now, the question is, will that resonate with consumers. What do you think?

PRICING – SPECS – AVAILABILITY

The entire HL4 line will be available beginning August 1^st.

HL4 Hybrid ($119.99)

The HL4 hybrid comes in lofts of 19°, 22°, 25° and 28° All lofts will be available in right and left-handed models. 

HL4 Iron-Wood ($79.99 Steel – $89.99 Graphite)

The HL4 Iron-Wood is available in lofts of 18°, 20°, 23°, 26°, 29°, 32°, 36°, 40°, 44°, 49°, 54°, and 59°. All lofts will be available in right and left-handed models.

The HL4 series features UST Mamiya graphite shafts with enhanced tip stability and is available in Ladies, A-flex, Regular and Stiff and ranges in weight from 45 to 65 grams.

The stock Lamkin Z5 multi-compound grip is available in standard and midsize.

For more information, visit TourEdge.com.