Many don’t realize that Tour Edge has been around for 35 years in golf, and in that time there have been some significant successes and a whole lot of industry firsts in terms of technology and designs. For most, however, it is the last few years that have more than likely brought the brand to attention, and that hinges around their PGA Tour Champions presence, yes, but also the fact that they are making clubs from top to bottom that flat our perform.
Last year was a big one for Tour Edge and the Exotics line where the company saw sales successes the likes of which the company hadn’t seen before, particularly when it comes to driver. THP reviewed both the EXS 220 and EXS Pro drivers and honestly I believed we had seen the formula of design the company would follow for the foreseeable future. Boy was I wrong.
The C721 driver turns all of that on its ear. A unique from the ground up design to follow impressively successful predecessors, and yes, it very much works.
Quick Take
No evolution here, the C721 is yet another revolution for Tour Edge and their Exotics line. This is one of the absolute lowest spinning drivers on the market for 2021, but with a playability that is unheard of for the low RPM’s it pumps out. This driver has outside the box looks, but all of the sound, feel, forgiveness, and sheer firepower we have come to expect from the Exotics lineup. This is a must try.
From the Ground Up
I’ll be honest, I really don’t believe that David Glod and Tour Edge get enough credit for their ability to design and innovate. Yes, there are multiple layers to Tour Edge as a company with options across the spectrum, but the Exotics lineup in particular has always been one that is unafraid of being different for the sake of chasing performance. That is the C721 driver in a nutshell.
The only true design carryover from the EXS 220 line is the 2.0 version of Diamond Face. With this evolution there are 7 different thicknesses and 43 diamonds on the backside of the face which create variable thickness. Worth noting is that the first version had only 3 thicknesses. Even more impressive is through material and design changes, Diamond Face 2.0 has actually reduced the perimeter thickness by 20% according to Tour Edge. Reduced thickness means more ball speed potential, and also more forgiveness particularly at the extremes of the face.
The C721 is also utilizing an Adjustable Rear Backweight which optimizes the CG to promote an easier launch and increased stability by way of an increased M.O.I. The weights will be available in 5g, 10g, 15g, and 18g options with 10g being standard in the driver.
Tour Edge is also taking carbon fiber to the limit through what the company is calling their Ridgeback Technologyand Dual Carbon Wings. Ridgeback is a titanium spine that goes down the middle of the club connecting behind the top center of the face and running all the way around the head. This is Tour Edge’s answer to creating stiffness in the right places to increase ball speed in the middle of the face while allowing the heel and toe sections to flex and maintain more power there as well. Wrapping around Ridgeback are the Dual Carbon Wings which help shift the weight internally to optimize that low/back CG for launch and stability.
Tour Edge Exotics C721 Driver
So, on to performance, yeah? I’ll put it this way, as impressed as I was by the EXS 220 and EXS Pro last year, and as shocked as I was that Tour Edge was essentially scrapping those designs, this is about as well rounded as a driver can get.
Obviously, the looks are getting the biggest share of discussion, and I was one who was admittedly pessimistic when I first got to see the release images. Even then, the same old story reigns true, it looks better in the in-hand pictures than the release images, and then when actually in-hand it’s even better. Is it different and a little abstract? Absolutely. But before the internet gets up in arms about it, think about the fact that Tour Edge is adamant that on both the PGA and PGA Tour Champions circuits who are made up of the pickiest players on earth, that the feedback on the looks has been good. I know for me, the way that the Dual Carbon Wings wrap around in hand is what stuck out as utterly unique.
Where the overall footprint goes, it’s not a small driver and it does fill out its 460cc. However, it still keeps a nice flow and curve to the rear of the head, not at all angular or pancake like. The face depth is, to my eye, quite close to the EXS 220 which is a good thing. Ironically, the sole is what took the most getting used to for me as I was so accustomed to the different iterations of the slip-stream sole that has now been retired by the company. Its on the plain side now, but it’s also clean and lets the rest of the aesthetic package do the talking.
With so much carbon fiber I was curious if we would end up with a sound more on the composite side of the spectrum, but instead it’s a pretty satisfying melding of composite and titanium with the Ridgeback design. Tour Edge has clearly continued their commitment to sound/feel and the materials combined with the use of Sound Diffusion Panels internally have created something pretty unique. The best way I can describe it is solid but crisp and while sound preference is personal, I just don’t see many coming away anything but impressed with the C721 in that department.
On the course, impressive might be selling this one short for me. The forgiveness of the Diamond Face 2.0 melded with the way the company has manipulated the CG and MOI of the head turned into a surprising level of playability. The head itself for me is very neutral overall and with that the ball flight took on the nature of the swing I put onto it without any concern. The fact that I was able to move such a forgiving head either way when I wanted to is something that I honestly didn’t expect. All that said, when I got the C721 on the Foresight GC2 things became even more interesting.
As you can see above, there is a lot to digest. First, I will put out there that the data session shown was recorded in some very cold temperatures, so while the environment for maximizing compression wasn’t at its most optimal, it does a great job of telling the story. Paired with a Project X HZRDUS RDX Black, this is one of the lowest spin drivers I have reviewed. Ever. Even outdueling the EXS Pro in that regard. One thing to mention there is that the C721 is astoundingly consistent in its spin rates with misses high and low, not jumping or dipping too far outside of solidly struck shots.
Combine the low spin with the fact that even in the 9.5° head I tested I was able to achieve solid launch angles at good ball speeds, and there is ample distance potential here. While peak speeds have not been quite where I was with the EXS Pro, it makes sense given this isn’t the same low/forward design as that head. If anything, the low/back CG nature of this design makes it that much more impressive from a distance and forgiveness blend.
Bottom line, this might be the most forgiving and easy launching low spin head on the entire market in 2021. This is a driver that wants to stay as stable and square as possible regardless of strike location on the face, which is another nod to Diamond Face and what Tour Edge has accomplished with that technology. Something in all that to keep in mind, however, is that with a head that spins as low as this is capable of, fit is going to be even more important to take advantage of it. All in all, Tour Edge has somehow managed to take the Exotics lineup to an even more impressive performance level, one that truly stands on its own against anything else out there.
Have you hit the C721 driver yet? Plan on it? Jump into the discussion below as well as on the THP community thread where golfers just like you are putting it through its paces as part of TEEm Tour Edge!
The Details
Price: $399.99
Lofts: 9.5°, 10.5°, 12°
Shafts: Fujikura Air Speeder, Fujikura Ventus Red 4T Core, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX
It’s not particularly. It’s just how they had to join the parts. Disagree anyone if you want to ,but you’ll be wrong.
I am thrilled with the performance of my Callaway Epic Max LS driver and this driver seems very similar in performance with even lower spin. I doubted the claims of a lower spin driver that offers maximum forgiveness but I am a true believer after seeing the results shot after shot on the golf course.
My bag is set for 2021 but I will hit this on the sim next time I get a chance.
So, all that R&D and testing was all just made up, eh? Bold take.
Added this one to the OP as well! Hope everyone enjoys!
I definitely think it is, and the mind bending thing remains the launch it retains given the spin. It’s wild.
The launch I get from this driver combined with its forgiveness is the biggest surprise I’ve seen in my testing. For me to flight this driver down I have to feel that I’m actually hitting down on the ball. That normally causes increased spin not much on the 721. My average spin is 19 to 2100. Highest spin I’ve noticed on sim was 2500. I look forward to each trip to the course with the 721. I’ve had several drivers over the years but never one I was this confident in.
That was some freakishly low spin on some shots. I’d have to imagine on some firm fairways that sucker would roll forever.
The interesting thing is that versus the EXS PRO the LOW isn’t as low, but the average overall with misses is much more consistently low than the Pro was
In an average sim round which I play a lot of my spin will stay pretty constant between 1950 and 2200 regardless of strike
Up side is, it does extremely well with high, low and toe side misses. Heel side gives me weird little knuckle balls that go about 200 ?
Not sure this one is for me, unfortunately.
Will give it another go tomorrow.
Golf is hard.
Oh so you work there. ok good to know
Distance wasn’t as good for me at 11.5*. Switched back to 10.5*, where I’ve been since I got the C721, and had my 2 longest drives of the day on the final 2 holes. Was hovering around 240-250 all round until the switch, then went over 270 both times. Seemed to square up the face a lot better too.
Overall throughly smitten with this driver. I have had multiple rounds and range sessions with this driver, and I have never driven the ball this well consistently. I have gone thru spurts of great driving in the past, but would crash hard and not find the fairway the next round. My bad round of driving still has me in play, but only 1 penalty stroke thus far due to an OB drive.
I have confidence to pull this club more than I used to pull driver. Still waiting on warm weather so I can really test the distance on this one.
I am sure that is your opinion and others are allowed to have theirs….all i know is it is a hell of a boom stick in my hands.
How was the round today Donny?
SOOOO ….Happy with this club
Nope, but we do have open and honest communications with all OEM’s. You can call whatever you want marketing, but performance doesn’t lie, particularly when the performance is precisely what the marketing is talking about.
Thanks buddy, I really appreciate you taking the time to read the review!
This is where I’m at. Consistency off the tee is something that sets up my game because:
1. I’m in play
2. I have confidence because I look forward to teeing off, instead of dreading it
3. I can point and shoot to areas of the fairway that set me up for a 2nd shot, instead of hoping to get just somewhere, anywhere on the short stuff
That is exactly what i mean, i am scoring better because i am hitting from the fairway more often and just as long if not longer than when i was in the rough. The consistency i have with this driver is crazy, yes, i hit the occasional flair to the right, what i like to cal the "draw that doesn’t", or the hook. The hook is not a draw, it is more like a draw that has been working out for years, it is just ripping, i mean its long, but it left and usually starts with a pull….but those are so few and far between, i am sold….still dreaming about the irons being in da bag snuggling up with the driver
Thanks gents!
If you are looking for a new driver in 2021, you would be crazy not to give this a shot!
I told you.
You know, I don’t understand posts like this. My reputation over 7 years of writing reviews is pretty clear, if the clubs do what they claim, the reviews will reflect that, if they don’t, they won’t.
It really is that simple.
If that was meant as a joke, then adding some smileys might help clarify that.
If not, I stand by my reply.
I’m guessing that was in response to speedy previous post. Smiley face would be a good touch. Keep writing the good reviews and info and all these great products.
He must be on that Claffey payroll right ?
It’s a driver that works for me and the other testers for sure.
That’s adorable.
I thought you’d get a kick out of it
Thats a BIG statement
Not saying I won’t miss with it from time to time. Misses however are usually still playable. Makes the game really enjoyable when you expect ball to find the short grass
Looking forward to your thoughts from the course.
They are Quick, please share your outcome, i just love mine. Its got some SERIOUS POP in ti
Predictable.
Good clubs are good clubs, period.
Agreed. My post was in jest about the prior post somebody made about all the fake tech