- Mar 9, 2005
- 1,473
- 23
This is my review of the Tour Edge Exotics Driver.
As you may or may not know, the Tour Edge Exotics was one of the best in the 2006 Golf Digest hotlist.
http://www.golfdigest.com/equipment/index.ssf?/equipment/gd200602hotlistdrivers.html
After reading that, I decided to check out their website. That's where I found, in independent testing, the Exotics was the LONGEST driver tested against most others. It was 20!!! yards longer than the Cleveland Launcher Comp. The Comp is longer than the TI by Cleveland's own admission on their website.
Here are the results.
http://www.exoticsgolf.com/productpages/driver.asp
This came out before the Hibore, but I was planning on buying the Comp, but just couldn't see giving up 20+ yards to another driver I knew was out there.
Then I got a great deal on Ebay, and found a TE Exotics 9* with a Prolaunch Blue 65s already in. Sweetness.
SO for the price I paid ($250 delivered) I figured I could try it out, and if it didn't live up to the hype, I could most likely resell it at cost, or for profit.
I got it 2 days ago and have had 2 range sessions of about 40 balls with it, and one today, after my round with it, of about 10 balls.
This driver has a nice, glossy, traditional, top to it. Nothing to line up with on top. Nice.
My background:
I have always been considered "long". If a 70 year old could play from where I hit the driver, they'd be scratch or plus in their first week. I'm just terrible with irons, and it's a point of emphasis in my game.
Anyway, I have hit the 983K for I think 3 years now. Before that was the 975J. Before that the Cally Biggest Big I believe.
I hit the 983K well. I have an Aldila X-stiff in there. After reading these boards here, and realizing the 983 isn't forgiving, I decided to look for a driver that is as long, or longer, but forgives.
2 days ago, I practice into about a 20mph headwind with the Exotics. That said, I didn't notice it was all that good.
The sound is cool. It's LOUD, and it sounds like a hammer striking an anvil. Very manly.
Yesterday, I hit the range, only this time it's less windy, but it's straight left to right. Again, I didn't notice much, because if you push it a little, the wind just makes it slice. Not really great practice conditions. I got a feel for the driver, which was good.
Today I got to play. Perfect conditions wind-wise. And new driver-wise. The ground is soggy, so everything plugs. You know EXACTLY how far you are hitting it that way.
I will announce at this time that this is the LONGEST, MOST FORGIVING DRIVER I HAVE EVER TRIED. Period. Granted I'm still in my honeymoon with it, but in the FIRST ROUND with it I had about my best driving day ever at my course.
On the first hole, a slightly downhill par 4 about 370, I just crush it. The Exotics hits the ball DAMN HIGH. I wasn't loose, it's soggy, and it's my first shot of the day. 310 plug.
I carried it to where, in the summer, only the longest players hit it after the roll. Had 60 in. Dead center. Actually, in all honesty, I've been playing this course for 10 years and have NEVER been in that position in 1. Ever. Wet, dry, windy, calm, summer, fall. Never.
So I figure, okay it's long when you compress it and use the .830 tramp. Aren't all drivers? Let's talk forgiveness.
For my second swing with it of the day, on #2, the tees are playing up, so it's about a 380 par 4, where it goes DOWN from the elevated tees, flat in the valley, then UP a steep hill to a well-elevated green about the last 40 yards.
I heel it. I never see it. I am watching the woods on the left as that is where the 983's misses usually ended up. A heel shot may have sliced it over toward the water on the right. Clueless and not a sound. Provisional time.
I take another terrible swing, hit it off the lower part of the clubface, and it just laces down the middle low and boring. I'll find it.
I get to my provisional. I have 110 in. A 270 miss down the middle into the breeze. Not bad for a very scared swing.
I notice another ball a bit further up, near the base of the hill. I've only made it to the base of the hill one other time, and that was from forward tees also, only it was hard, and downwind.
There's my heel-ball first, center-cut, about 20 yards short of the hill. I have 70 yards up the hill to the stick. Plugged. 310 carry, into the wind, dead center, off the heel having to hit a provisional. Nice. I am almost NEVER this close to this green during the summer, and NEVER with no roll.
#3 is a par 3.
#4 is a 504 yard dogleg right par 5 where you can cut the corner. It was a little downwind. You just have to hit it HIGH to get it over the trees on the corner. No problem. Not a terrible swing, but I felt it off the toe-side of the sweetspot. Came off nice and high with a little draw cutting the corner perfectly. Center cut, plugged, 165 to the front, 185 to the stick. 7-iron in. Nice.
I could go on, but why. It's irrelevant.
Did I hit some bad shots with it? Of course. I push sliced one into the trees on a tight hole which was all my fault. Too much fear on the one TIGHT hole on my course. With the distance of this thing, I hit it OVER the trees to the hole on the other side. With the 983, it would have been a lost ball.
Same thing on 9. I'm thinking about driving the 330yard green, but the tees were so far up, in order to take the correct line, you have to aim right at a tree about 30 yards in front of you. From the regular tees, it would be no problem, but when they are up, I got scared and toe-hooked one.
This is a shot I've hit MANY times with the 983K. When I do, it usually rolls into a pair of HUGE fir trees in the left rough about 240 out. With the Exotics, I was PAST those trees, as it didn't hook as hard as the 983 would have and into some trees that are much less prickly to punch out of.
I would say that the Exotics is 100% more forgiving than the 983K. By that I mean that each and every shot I hit with it didn't go where I expected it to. It was straighter, or less pushed, or less pulled, or was a hard draw as opposed to a hook, or a tight fade, instead of a push slice.
And it's long.
If you actually pure a ball, which isn't hard to do at all as I can usually reel off 5-10 in a row on the range, the ball flight is majestic, boring, and extremely long.
If you have a chance to hit it, do it. I bought it off ebay without ever hitting it and am extremely pleased. I had planned on getting a Hibore, but those plans are on hold indefinitely.
I can't wait to play again this weekend. If only I could hit 60 yard shots.
As you may or may not know, the Tour Edge Exotics was one of the best in the 2006 Golf Digest hotlist.
http://www.golfdigest.com/equipment/index.ssf?/equipment/gd200602hotlistdrivers.html
After reading that, I decided to check out their website. That's where I found, in independent testing, the Exotics was the LONGEST driver tested against most others. It was 20!!! yards longer than the Cleveland Launcher Comp. The Comp is longer than the TI by Cleveland's own admission on their website.
Here are the results.
http://www.exoticsgolf.com/productpages/driver.asp
This came out before the Hibore, but I was planning on buying the Comp, but just couldn't see giving up 20+ yards to another driver I knew was out there.
Then I got a great deal on Ebay, and found a TE Exotics 9* with a Prolaunch Blue 65s already in. Sweetness.
SO for the price I paid ($250 delivered) I figured I could try it out, and if it didn't live up to the hype, I could most likely resell it at cost, or for profit.
I got it 2 days ago and have had 2 range sessions of about 40 balls with it, and one today, after my round with it, of about 10 balls.
This driver has a nice, glossy, traditional, top to it. Nothing to line up with on top. Nice.
My background:
I have always been considered "long". If a 70 year old could play from where I hit the driver, they'd be scratch or plus in their first week. I'm just terrible with irons, and it's a point of emphasis in my game.
Anyway, I have hit the 983K for I think 3 years now. Before that was the 975J. Before that the Cally Biggest Big I believe.
I hit the 983K well. I have an Aldila X-stiff in there. After reading these boards here, and realizing the 983 isn't forgiving, I decided to look for a driver that is as long, or longer, but forgives.
2 days ago, I practice into about a 20mph headwind with the Exotics. That said, I didn't notice it was all that good.
The sound is cool. It's LOUD, and it sounds like a hammer striking an anvil. Very manly.
Yesterday, I hit the range, only this time it's less windy, but it's straight left to right. Again, I didn't notice much, because if you push it a little, the wind just makes it slice. Not really great practice conditions. I got a feel for the driver, which was good.
Today I got to play. Perfect conditions wind-wise. And new driver-wise. The ground is soggy, so everything plugs. You know EXACTLY how far you are hitting it that way.
I will announce at this time that this is the LONGEST, MOST FORGIVING DRIVER I HAVE EVER TRIED. Period. Granted I'm still in my honeymoon with it, but in the FIRST ROUND with it I had about my best driving day ever at my course.
On the first hole, a slightly downhill par 4 about 370, I just crush it. The Exotics hits the ball DAMN HIGH. I wasn't loose, it's soggy, and it's my first shot of the day. 310 plug.
I carried it to where, in the summer, only the longest players hit it after the roll. Had 60 in. Dead center. Actually, in all honesty, I've been playing this course for 10 years and have NEVER been in that position in 1. Ever. Wet, dry, windy, calm, summer, fall. Never.
So I figure, okay it's long when you compress it and use the .830 tramp. Aren't all drivers? Let's talk forgiveness.
For my second swing with it of the day, on #2, the tees are playing up, so it's about a 380 par 4, where it goes DOWN from the elevated tees, flat in the valley, then UP a steep hill to a well-elevated green about the last 40 yards.
I heel it. I never see it. I am watching the woods on the left as that is where the 983's misses usually ended up. A heel shot may have sliced it over toward the water on the right. Clueless and not a sound. Provisional time.
I take another terrible swing, hit it off the lower part of the clubface, and it just laces down the middle low and boring. I'll find it.
I get to my provisional. I have 110 in. A 270 miss down the middle into the breeze. Not bad for a very scared swing.
I notice another ball a bit further up, near the base of the hill. I've only made it to the base of the hill one other time, and that was from forward tees also, only it was hard, and downwind.
There's my heel-ball first, center-cut, about 20 yards short of the hill. I have 70 yards up the hill to the stick. Plugged. 310 carry, into the wind, dead center, off the heel having to hit a provisional. Nice. I am almost NEVER this close to this green during the summer, and NEVER with no roll.
#3 is a par 3.
#4 is a 504 yard dogleg right par 5 where you can cut the corner. It was a little downwind. You just have to hit it HIGH to get it over the trees on the corner. No problem. Not a terrible swing, but I felt it off the toe-side of the sweetspot. Came off nice and high with a little draw cutting the corner perfectly. Center cut, plugged, 165 to the front, 185 to the stick. 7-iron in. Nice.
I could go on, but why. It's irrelevant.
Did I hit some bad shots with it? Of course. I push sliced one into the trees on a tight hole which was all my fault. Too much fear on the one TIGHT hole on my course. With the distance of this thing, I hit it OVER the trees to the hole on the other side. With the 983, it would have been a lost ball.
Same thing on 9. I'm thinking about driving the 330yard green, but the tees were so far up, in order to take the correct line, you have to aim right at a tree about 30 yards in front of you. From the regular tees, it would be no problem, but when they are up, I got scared and toe-hooked one.
This is a shot I've hit MANY times with the 983K. When I do, it usually rolls into a pair of HUGE fir trees in the left rough about 240 out. With the Exotics, I was PAST those trees, as it didn't hook as hard as the 983 would have and into some trees that are much less prickly to punch out of.
I would say that the Exotics is 100% more forgiving than the 983K. By that I mean that each and every shot I hit with it didn't go where I expected it to. It was straighter, or less pushed, or less pulled, or was a hard draw as opposed to a hook, or a tight fade, instead of a push slice.
And it's long.
If you actually pure a ball, which isn't hard to do at all as I can usually reel off 5-10 in a row on the range, the ball flight is majestic, boring, and extremely long.
If you have a chance to hit it, do it. I bought it off ebay without ever hitting it and am extremely pleased. I had planned on getting a Hibore, but those plans are on hold indefinitely.
I can't wait to play again this weekend. If only I could hit 60 yard shots.