The new Tour Edge Exotics 725 metalwoods are more of what we’ve come to expect.
That is, if you expect a sizable “technology per dollar spent” ratio.
Tour Edge is far from the biggest name in golf but the little company from Batavia, Ill., routinely punches above its weight class. Ever since resetting its Exotics line in 2020, Tour Edge packs its metalwoods with as much tech as possible while keeping prices well below those of mainstream OEMs.
Tour Edge likes to bill itself as the “pound-for-pound industry leader” in performance and innovation. It’s not the least expensive gear in town but, with the new Exotics 725 line, you’re getting a buttload of technology for $399.99.
And you’re getting 10K, as well. We can’t forget that.
With that, let’s dive into the new Tour Edge Exotics 725 line of metalwoods and see what we find.
Tour Edge Exotics 725: Are you an “E” or a “C?”
Tour Edge unified the Exotics line in 2022 with the E722 and C722 lines. In Tour Edge-ease, “E” stands for “Extreme Distance and Forgiveness” while “C” stands for the much more pedestrian “Compact.” For our purposes, we’ll classify the new E725 metalwoods as “standard” or “game improvement.” Let’s consider the C725 as leaning toward the better player.
More or less.
The big story for the Exotics 725 launch, however, is the E725 driver, If we’re counting correctly, the new E725 driver is now the fourth member of the 10K MOI Driver Club, joining PING, TaylorMade and PXG.
Before wading into the tech, let’s quickly recap why 10K matters.
MOI stands for “moment of inertia”, a term first coined by Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1765, although the concept can be traced back to Isaac Newton. When applied to golf, MOI puts a number on how much a clubhead resists twisting when in motion and, more importantly, at impact. Hit it on the toe and the clubhead wants to twist open; on the heel, it wants to twist closed. The result will be a hook or a slice that, while it doesn’t go very far, will probably be hard to find.
MOI is measured in gram – centimeter squared. The higher the MOI, the more stable and, theoretically, more forgiving the club will be at impact.
In 2006, the USGA set an MOI limit of 5,900 g-cm2. That number applies only to heel-toe MOI. This year’s trend is for drivers to combine heel-toe MOI with high-low MOI to create a new, total MOI figure. That magic number is 10,000 or 10K.
Tour Edge Exotics E725 Driver
According to Tour Edge, the Exotics E725 driver crosses the 10K threshold through strategic placement of mass in the clubhead and its new 360o Ridgeback Technology. This is a new design for Tour Edge with a titanium wrap around the entire perimeter of the clubhead. This wrap serves as a brace to help improve overall stability.
Much of the new Tour Edge technology in the E725 driver is common to the rest of the 725 series. There’s an all-new 3D Diamond Face which is the Tour Edge take on variable face thickness. Tour Edge has used diamond shapes in the past to create its variable face thickness. In the 725 series, it’s made the diamond shapes on the back of the clubface three-dimensional with a total of 61 different shapes in an interweaving pattern. The idea is to match face thickness to impact locations in order to preserve ball speed on off-center strikes.
The new driver, along with the entire Tour Edge Exotics 725 metalwood line, features a new Flight Tuning System. Moveable weights aren’t new or groundbreaking but Tour Edge is making its system more flexible than ever before. The E725 driver features an 18-gram weight in the extreme trailing edge that can be set to either the neutral, fade or draw positioning. It allows for up to seven yards of flight correction.
Nine weights, ranging from five to 28 grams, are available to give golfers more options and fitters more tools.
Sound and fury
Tour Edge Exotics drivers have fared decently in recent MyGolfSpy testing. They’ve been standouts in accuracy and forgiveness but they’ve all exhibited two similar problems. They don’t go very far and our testers haven’t liked the sound.
Tour Edge is pulling several levers for more distance. 10K MOI and the new 3D Diamond Face variable face thickness should help, along with a new Power Channel on the sole directly behind the face. Power Channel technology can be traced back to Adams and TaylorMade drivers over a decade ago. The tech isn’t new but, when it comes to promoting more face flexing and ball speed, it certainly does work.
To improve sound, Tour Edge says the new 725 lineup features enhanced Finned Internal Ribbing to upgrade the acoustics. The idea is for the ribs to bounce sound inside the clubhead to improve sound and its first cousin, feel.
E725 specs and pricing
The new Tour Edge Exotics E725 driver comes in 9-, 10.5- and 12-degree lofts, with plus or minus two degrees of adjustability. The Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 is the stock men’s grip and the undersized Lamkin Crossline 360 is the stock ladies.
There are two stock shaft options. The Project X Cypher is the lighter weight offering, in L-, A-, R- and S-flex, while the Project X Denali Blue 60 is the more robust option. What is eye-popping is the no-upcharge list. It includes the Denali Blue 70, the full Denali Black range, HZRDUS Black Gen 4 and Gen 5, Fujikura’s Air Speeder, Ventus Red and Ventus Blue and Mitsubishi’s Tensei AV Blue and White.
The Tour Edge E725 will list at $399.99.
Tour Edge Exotics C725 Driver
The Tour Edge Exotics C725 driver shares much of the same technology as the E725, with one critical exception.
It’s not 10K.
With a 445cc clubhead, it can’t be.
Tour Edge is, however, working the center of gravity to make the C725 as forgiving as possible. The company says it’s moved the CG eight percent farther back and five percent lower than the previous C723 driver. Any improvements over the C723 driver would be welcomed. It was the very definition of meh in MyGolfSpy testing. What it lacked in distance it also lacked in accuracy and forgiveness.
The other big difference is in the Flight Tuning System, which allows for further CG adjustment. Where the E725 had only the rear moveable weight, the C725 has a two-tiered Front/Back Weight System. It comes with a five-gram weight in the front position and a 15-gram weight in the rear that can be moved from neutral to draw or fade.
The weights are made to be swappable. If you were to put the heavy weight in front, spin would go down by up to 300 rpm. MOI, however, will also go down. As with the E725, Tour Edge is offering a variety of weights to give fitters more tools to dial in performance. Being a 445cc head, the combined MOI for the C725 doesn’t come close to 10K. According to Tour Edge, depending on what weights you use and where, the C725 combined MOI will be somewhere between 8,200 and 8,500.
C725 driver specs and pricing
The Tour Edge Exotics C725 driver will be available in fully adjustable 9- and 10.5-degree lofts in left- and right-handed. As with the E725, the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (men’s) and Lamkin Crossline 360 (women’s) are stock grips.
The stock shafts are the mid-launch Denali Blue 60 in R-, S- and X-flex, and the low-launch HZRDUS Black Gen 5, also in R-, S- and X-flex. The same no-upcharge shafts are available, as well.
The C725 will also retail for $399.99.
Tour Edge Exotics 725 Fairway Woods
Drivers are always the star of any metalwoods launch, while fairways and hybrids are relegated to supporting roles. Tour Edge Exotics, however, made its bones with fairways and hybrids and it would be a mistake to overlook the new 725 models.
The E725 fairways are aimed at game-improvement golfers, featuring what Tour Edge calls MOI+ Design. It’s a shallow-faced fairway with a 10-gram weight in the extreme trailing edge, giving it a five-percent higher MOI than the E723. As with the drivers, that weight is swappable with nine options ranging from five to 28 grams.
The E725 also features something new that Tour Edge is calling Ryzersole Technology. It’s a sole rail stretching from the leading edge to the trailing edge to bring the CG down to subterranean levels. Getting fairway woods up in the air can be a struggle for game-improvement golfers and the added mass, along with a Power Channel, can assist with that.
The C725 is a classic Tour Edge “better player’s” fairway wood with a titanium face and body, tungsten weighting and a carbon crown. Its version of Ryzersole includes a permanent 75-gram sole weight placed low and forward as well as a swappable 15-gram weight in the middle of the sole. The low and forward CG is a spin-killer for the better player who doesn’t need extra help getting the ball up in the air.
Additionally, there’s a swappable five-gram weight in the back which can be moved to a draw, neutral or fade position.
The C725 fairways also feature an adjustable hosel while the E725 fairways have a bonded hosel.
725 fairways specs and price
Tour Edge is doing something a bit interesting with the E725 fairways. Since the hosel is fixed, it’s offering two different 3-woods: a 15-degree model and a 16.5-degree model. The 15-degree 3-wood features a slightly larger head and a slightly flatter lie. An 18-degree 5-wood and 21-degree 7-wood are also available.
The stock grips and shafts are the same as the E725 driver as is the list of no-upcharge shafts.
The E725 sells for $249.99.
Tour Edge is also doing something interesting with the fully adjustable C725 fairways by offering a 13-degree model along with its 15- and 18-degree models. Each model is adjustable 1.5 degrees up or down so the lineup covers you from 11.5 up to 19.5 degrees.
The Denali Blue and HZRDUS Black Gen 5 are the stock shafts with the same list of no upcharge options.
The C725 fairway will retail for $299.99.
725 Series hybrids
As with the fairway woods and drivers, the Tour Edge Exotics 725 series hybrids feature much of the same technology. There’s the new 3D Diamond Face, 360o Ridgeback and Ryzersole Technology, Finned Internal Ribbing and the enhanced Flite Tuning System with swappable weights.
While the E725 hybrid features a larger, more forgiving footprint, Tour Edge is touting the C725 as “the perfect player’s hybrid.” It’s a compact 105cc head with a deep face and a square-toe design. Tour Edge says it’s the most iron-like hybrid on the market, encouraging an iron-like swing, hitting down on the ball.
725 hybrid specs and pricing
The E725 and C725 hybrids feature the same stock grips as the rest of the lineup. The E725 will be offered in 19-, 22- and 25-degree models and the Project X Cypher is the stock shaft. Only the 19-degree model is available for lefties.
The C725 hybrid will be available in 17-, 19- and 21-degree models for lefties and righties. Each club can be adjusted up or down 1.5 degrees so the line can cover lofts ranging from 15.5 up to 22.5 degrees.
The no-charge shaft list for the 725 hybrids is a little different. It includes the KBS TGI Tour Graphite along with the Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue and the Project X Cypher and HZRDUS Black Gen 4.
Both hybrids will retail for $199.99.
The Tour Edge Exotics 725 drivers, fairways and hybrids will be available starting Nov. 1.
For more info, visit the Tour Edge website.
Ian
4 days ago
What a great review and with enough detail to get me interested until I can test these new clubs.
Is it just me or is Tour Edge becoming better at competing with the big boys with each release? I’m truly intrigued.