Written By: Tony Covey
We know some of you are huge fans of Tour Edge and so we think you’ll be excited to check out the upcoming EX9; the latest in a long line of premium Tour Edge fairway woods under the Exotics label.
The headline of the EX9’s story revolves around what Tour Edge is calling its FSI (Full-Speed Impact) Design. As the name suggests, there are specific elements of the club designed to create more clubhead speed at impact.
The EX9 Tech Story
To that end, the EX9 offers a gentle sloping crown design to reduce aerodynamic drag. While, as we’ve explained before, aerodynamic improvements give disproportionally better results to higher swing speed players, every little bit does help.
The EX9 leverages Tour Edge’s unique SlipStream sole design (first used in the Exotics CB Pro fairway), which helps to minimize turf interaction. That too, should help maintain head speed through impact.
In addition to SlipStream, the sole of the EX9 features a redesigned Power Grid (Tour Edge’s take on slot technology).
It’s important to point out that technologies like Power Grid, which were once used to bring fairway CT to the legal limit, aren’t designed to create more ball speed on perfectly struck balls. Their purpose is actually to maintain ball speed across a larger portion of the face on those shots that are less than perfect.
Construction
Noteworthy beyond the use of a 475 Carpenter steel face and hyper-steel body is the method Tour Edge uses to adhere the various pieces of the EX9 to one another. According to Tour Edge, they’re the first company in the US to use robotic laser beam bonding in its manufacturing process. Tour Edge claims the process yields flawless seams and tighter tolerances.
“The unique laser beam bonding process used in the new Exotics EX9 helped us produce one of the longest and best sounding fairway woods on the market. The EX9 wood sounds more like a driver than a fairway wood and immediately instills confidence off the tee or in the fairway.
We continue to be the only US company using this bonding method which uses a robotic arm to adhere the face to the body, ensuring the tightest of tolerances. Because of the accuracy of the robotic laser beam bonding both the face and body have to be flawless, another challenge in quality that exemplifies Exotic products.” – David Glod, President & Founder, Tour Edge Golf
Adjustable Weights
While the EX9 is a glued hosel design, it does offer a single interchangeable heel weight which can be used to promote a draw, and/or hit a target swing weight. The stock weight is 9-grams, but additional 6-gr4am, 11-gram, and 14-gram weights can be purchased individually or as a kit.
Specifications, Pricing, and Availability
The EX9 is available in 4 discrete lofts; 15° (173cc), 16.5° (165cc), 18° (158cc), and 21° (150cc). Stock shaft offerings include: Mitsubishi Bassara E-Series, and the Exotics variants of the Matrix White Tie, Red Tie, and Black Tie.
Suggested retail prices is $229.99 with a projected shipping date of 11/11/2015.
Sean
11 years ago
I have played the CB1 and currently using the XCG4 16.5. I will definitely hit this. I am a little worried about the draw bias, but I won’t know until I try.