A prototype version of Tour Edge’s Exotics CBX T3 fairway wood was in Joe Durant’s bag when he won the PGA Tour Champions Chubb Classic earlier this season. Tour Edge fans who noticed likely had their interests piqued and the good news for Tour Edge fans is that the company will release the retail version on May 15th.
The stock CBX Fairway is a multi-material design engineered for low spin, penetrating flight, and industry-leading ball speeds. For those who have been on the Tour Edge bandwagon dating back to the original CB1, this tech story isn’t new. That said, the CBX T3 version is more compact (162 cc vs. 167 cc in the standard CBX), has a deeper face and all things being equal, should create a more penetrating launch than the standard CBX.
It will be available right-hand only in 13.5°, 15°, and 16.5° lofts. Several Project X and Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage shaft options are available, though the no-upcharge shaft menu feels a bit light for a club with a retail price of $349.99.
Tour Edge churned out high performance, distance-oriented fairway woods before it was en vogue to do so. As a result, other OEMs shifted focus and R&D dollars to better compete in this space and over the last 5-7 years, the playing field was more or less leveled. Now, David Glod’s company is again looking for an edge (pardon the brutal pun) not only to drive sales but to regain something of the cult status it once held in the fairway wood space.
The exodus of Adams golf from the Champions Tour (TaylorMade formally shut down Adams HQ in Plano, TX in 2014) left an equipment void on the senior circuit where player sponsorship isn’t as expensive as on the PGA Tour.
This was a serendipitous opportunity for Tour Edge, which had largely used word-of-mouth and other grassroots strategies to advertise. This time around its vowing to be more aggressive, already assembling an Exotics CBX hybrid staff of eight PGA Tour Champions.
It doesn’t take some magic elixir to create momentary buzz in the golf market. Sustaining it, however, is an entirely different task.
Does the CBX T3 fill a necessary void or will it be too niche to make much of a mark? As soon as we get it on the course, we’ll let you know our thoughts. Until then, give us yours.
NEF
8 years ago
I have used Exotics since the first version. Some were better than others. I think they lost their way for a few years. If this is really a top performing club, it can join my Exotics hybrids. However, I would like to see a side by side comparison with the Rogue and other supposed “super clubs”.