Over the past five years, hollow-body designs have become one of the more prominent trends in iron construction. They offer golfers a faster face with improved forgiveness without relying on an oversized club head. Practically every major company has offered irons with this type of build. One downside to buying a set of hollow-bodied irons is that, generally, they are more expensive. But do they have to be? Enter the Tour Edge Exotics C722 irons.
With the C722 irons, Tour Edge has taken their already successful hollow body footprint from the C721 range and tweaked it to make it even more attractive to the better golfer by shortening the bade length and thinning the top line. All told, the C722 iron is 15% smaller than the C721, and if you are a golfer who prefers a more compact profile, you will undoubtedly enjoy these refinements.
I know what you are thinking; this is another player’s distance iron set that will hit it far, spin crazy low, and not carry that preferred sound/feel, right? Well, some of that may be true, but not all. As you can see in the review video below, THP Staff Member Dan Edwards took the 722 irons for a spin inside the THP Tech Studio, and they did offer enhanced speeds, robust distances, and spin numbers that fall in line with what we might expect for this style of iron. But that doesn’t tell the entire story.
I recently had the opportunity to add the C722 irons to my bag and closely examine how these irons performed out on the course. Tour Edge uses a Speed Tested system to help golfers pick the proper shaft for the swing speeds, and in my case, the True Temper Elevate MPH 95 is a recommended fit. Elevate MPH 95 represents one of four stock shafts that Tour Edge offers in the 722 series, with other options being True Temper XP 85, Fujikura Ventus Blue, and KBS TGI Tour Graphite.
Being that player’s distance style of iron means the C722 irons must provide that perfect blend of distance, forgiveness, and precision. With the help of Tour Edge’s Diamond Face VFT, the first two parts of fulfilling that wish list are no problem. Even more impressive than the distances I was experiencing was the consistency these irons provided. Low and heel side strikes were not nearly as penalizing as you might see in an iron of this body size. That is undoubtedly one of the big draws to the hollow-body concept.
Let’s briefly touch on stopping power because the spin conversation tends to get beaten to death in today’s era of launch monitors. While not the strongest lofts on the market, traditionalists will gladly say that a 30° 7-iron is too strong, as is the 44° PW. Knowing that these irons will have a lower spin by nature, it’s essential to look at the sharpness of the landing angle into the green. I am pleased to say that I could not only hold greens without any issue but also have enough control where I didn’t have to worry about clubbing down with the expectation of an increased runout.
Perhaps the ugly side of hollow-body irons is that they sometimes leave a lot to be desired when it comes to sound and feel. When companies talk about injecting different substances inside the head, they do this to control and fine-tune the sound. Some manufacturers have produced these styles of irons without trying to diffuse the sound. Unsurprisingly, they did not win any awards in the most acoustically enjoyable category that year. For the record, I’m not sure that award exists. Tour Edge uses its VIBRCOR technology to deliver a satisfying feel. VIBRCOR is an injected performance gel that pairs up with a TPU layer that not only dampens the sound but helps give these hollow irons a solid feel throughout the shot. Even with VIBRCOR present, I could still feel how good or poor the contact was, which can sometimes get lost in irons of this ilk. Tour Edge certainly did well in this department, as the C722 irons produce a relatively solid sound that makes you think you are playing a more traditional iron build.
So, what is the final verdict? These C722 irons can and should appeal to a large segment of golfers. Even though the size has shrunk 15%, they are not small enough to intimidate a mid-handicap golfer. For those golfers who think the C722 is too much iron for them, the E722 irons is there, presenting options for those seeking extreme distance and forgiveness. With prices going up seemingly everywhere you look, the C722 irons offer a great product at an even more attractive price. When purchasing an iron set of seven clubs, the price comes at $899 (steel-shafted), meaning you can save upwards of $300 compared to what other manufacturers charge for their hollow body irons. Are these a set of irons most people should stop and take a good hard look at? Absolutely. Do you think the Tour Edge Exotics C722 irons present themselves as one of the best values in golf? Jump in the conversation and share your thoughts with the rest of the THP Community.
