Tour Edge is not afraid to be different, and the creation of the EXS lineup in 2019 showed that in full force. The decision to provide all the tech of other clubs, but at a lower price was a bold one…and it worked. So, what do you do for a follow up? Well, most companies would ride the wave and make a tweak here or there, but that isn’t Tour Edge. Instead, the EXS 220 lineup offers more tech, some significant design changes, and are perhaps the best-looking golf clubs they have ever produced.
Quick Take
Not a rehash of the highly successful EXS, the EXS 220 is its own entity in many ways. Larger profile that screams forgiveness, with the staggering MOI that Tour Edge has achieved, and backed that up in testing. More than that, it wants to put the ball in play, not the lowest spinner out there, but it packs a surprising punch. Probably the most complete driver Tour Edge has ever released.
Technology Tells a Story
Who doesn’t love a good story in golf equipment? Well, Tour Edge is writing one as well as anyone in golf. I’m talking beyond the better-than-almost-everyone pricing as well as the “48-Hour Custom Fit” delivery. While the price of the EXS 220 does come in at $349.99, $50.00 higher than the EXS, when you realize what is going on under the hood, it makes sense.
First and foremost, the shape has changed, a lot. The 220 features a shallower face and much more elongated overall body than its predecessor. Those changes in particular were part of the goal David Glod and company had of increasing the MOI to produce one of the most forgiving drivers out there. By altering the shape, moving 9g of weight low and back, utilizing double the carbon fiber on the sole, and applying “Triple Carbon” which is lighter than that used on the EXS crown (this year it has a thicker appearing weave), they increased the MOI by 20%. What does that mean in layman’s terms? At a heel-toe MOI rating of 5,440 (max allowable is 5,900) you have a driver that is in a stratosphere with some very elite company.
Believe it or not, the bigger story is in the metal. Tour Edge utilized “impact simulation software” to create what they believe is a better face, and better sound. Using this software, a face made up of 42 different diamond zones of variable thickness out of 8-1-1 Titanium as well as placing an internal “sound diffusion bar” that mimics concert hall acoustics, the idea was to take the established MOI and kick it up a notch with face driven speed and additional forgiveness wrapped in a more pleasant sound/feel than the EXS.
Was all of this actually verified in terms of performance? Read on to find out!
Tour Edge EXS 220 Driver
I received the EXS 220 driver in the 9.5° head paired with the PX HZRDUS Smoke Yellow shaft in 6.0. For the gear heads at home, the head weighed out at 193g without the adapter, this includes the 9g weight in the back (Tour Edge is going to offer other weights), fully assembled the club swing weighted out dead on D3.
Before we get to the ins and outs of what I saw in terms of the typical performance parameters, I do want to talk about the sound/feel since it was something specifically addressed in R&D this time around according to Tour Edge. To be blunt, the EXS 220 it isn’t a quiet driver. Initially, I was taken aback by the sound because it is more hollow and somewhat sharp than one might expect given the amount of carbon fiber in the head. That said, before sitting down to write this I hit the EXS for the first time in a long while and quickly realized the sound/feel here has improved drastically. It isn’t going to be a feedback that everyone loves, but I do think it will please far more than it bothers, plus, there is a sensation of power behind it all that makes it more enjoyable.
While forgiveness is the big story from Tour Edge, and we will touch on that here in a moment, I think the biggest performance story here is the launch. In the two sessions worth of data recorded on the Foresight GC2 that are displayed throughout the article you will see 12.2° and 11.5° with both also hitting average peaks over 100 feet. That might not seem a big deal to some of you high ball hitters out there, but for me, in a 9.5° head those numbers are a very big deal. If I can elevate a driver like this, then it’s got some launch to it, and I nevereven had to adjust the adapter.
Time for what everyone is waiting for – forgiveness talk. To be real, with the 220 it is…well…real. I don’t like to draw comparisons with other clubs into my reviews, that isn’t how I roll, but that said this one offered some Max forgiveness. The diamond face combined with the elongated clubhead and high MOI rating makes for a combination that wants to do everything it can to keep the ball in play. Heel-side, toe-side, high, low, in all situations the gear effect of the head seemed pretty mitigated overall. The big thing here is me coming off of an injury let me really see just how forgiving this one could be. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better setup to work with coming out of that situation.
The rest of the picture sits with the spin numbers, and when you consider the changes in head style/shape from the EXS, it’s not much of a surprise that I did see a little more spin (2,907 and 2,765 RPM averages in the sessions here) given the weight placement in the head. Beyond that though, I have to say there was the rust factor as well as the Smoke Yellow 6.0 not being the best fit for me could have played a role there. Given the spin averages, the total distances given the ball speeds I was seeing were about what I expected. I do think there is some intrigue as to what the EXS 220 can do when fit to the user, and I definitely don’t want the data to automatically lead people to just fall on the belief that it’s a mid-spin head.
Last year was a huge year for Tour Edge, the EXS lineup and in particular the driver put them right back into the thick of people’s minds. With their 48-Hour turnaround program for fitting now extending into the EXS 220 clubs and based on the extreme playability here, 2020 could be even bigger. The key as always is going to be getting them into people’s hands, but with fitting carts expanding throughout the country they are on the right path.
Have you hit the EXS 220 driver? Have some thoughts? Be sure to jump in and comment to let the THP community know what you think!
The Details
Availability: Now
Price: $349.99
Loft Options: 9.5°, 10.5°, 12.0° (+/- 2° with adapter)
Shafts: PX HZRDUS Smoke Yellow (6.0, 6.5), Fujikura Ventus 4t Core (R, S), Fujikura Air Speeder 40A (R3, R2, R)
Thanks for this chart.
I used the driver options card that came with it and didn’t see a face angle adjustment as in most other drivers… Time to work on that swing path ! Can’t cheat with this one.
View attachment 8946080
You won’t really get a chart to show how much the face angle changes with adapter settings.
But with a single cog adapter like Tour Edge, Cobra, Ping and TM uses, adding loft will shut the face and reducing loft will help open the face if you rest the club on its sole with no hand manipulation.
Ball seems to launch very high already with 9.5… so dont want to add more. Hey I am not doing anything … so maybe driving range today for a test on distance.
Their ya go. Bring your umbrella ?
Will do – As soon as the richie rich at the country club gives it back!
I just can’t see 30 yds difference between any big name oem drivers these days. Perhaps a bad fit with the EXS2200 (loft and shaft) compared to a really good fit in the M6?
What is your combo with each (shaft, loft, flex, length, etc)?
Having hit the EXS220 on the course along side several other drivers, distance was definitely not lacking. In my last test it actually just inched out my gamer (Epic Flash) for the longest in the test which surprised me a bit.
What shaft in the m6… What is average driving distance with each option? That is crazy distance gain with last year’s model.
30 feet or 10 yards vs the 30 yards distance is huge. Either way good on your bomb of a drive.
I like the head, the sound, shape, but I struggle with the Hzrdus shaft. I tried the 6.5 that was sent as part of Teem Tour Edge and I didn’t like the feel at all, and I then ordered the 6.0 from the company (it was very reasonably priced) to try to see if that would be a better fit, unfortunately this is a shaft that I just don’t Like at all (not for lack of trying) . I currently play a SIM with a Diamana Limited 60x, and it fits me perfectly. My biggest critique of this driver would be the shaft offerings. In the stiffer ( X flex) end of their range there really is only one shaft to choose from. They have the Hzrdus to choose from (based on their guidelines on their website 6.5 is what I should be playing at my swing speed) I swing in the 110 range but this shaft doesn’t fit me well. They really don’t offer anything that fits me either. I have moved on from this driver, didn’t make the cut.
to be fair all oem drivers are getting to the point where performance gains are going to be modest as long as both clubs are reasonable fitted. Both the Flash and EXS220 also have tech to enhance forgiveness.
I also have the Flash and EXS 220. On two testing occasions hitting multiple drives per day With each driver the Flash won the first test day by a yard or two. The 2nd day the EXS won by a yard on average.
Other than head shape (Flash more compact looking), the biggest difference is price The Flash cost me $500, and the EXS 220 is $349.
decent value proposition for somebody not looking to drop $500+.
For me I would likely go for the EXS pro series from TE. There are better shaft options, and being a lower index player, I think this series fits me better.
Lost service or posting ability… Not great swings yesterday… Everything from 225-265 the nice part was everything was at or near the short stuff… No huge slices or hooks.. swing is coming around and definitely know when a bad shot was coming but generally would be straight … Would love to see something beat this
This day proved I need to be dedicated to speed and combine that with my new swing mechanics.
Great move. What type of swing adjustment did you make. Did you happen to compare flash apples to apples?
The red white and blue accents are eye appealing and look great in the bag don’t they?
No, I’ve not been able to get the data. Driver swing has not been decent until this past week.
Just moved the ball closer to the center instead of the correct spot by the lead foot. I thought I would be sacrificing distance, but so far, I am hitting it straight and true. Teeing it up a bit lower also as I am swinging it more like an iron (other than grip), than a wood. I know this should not work, but………
I tried teeing higher per general thinking but noticed(another perk of the face) I was catching on the top… Scrap that idea for next time until I get comfortable on landing zone… Then add distance.
Thanks, thought I might have missed it.
If anyone has any questions please ask.
Hoping Friday afternoon round…
do you have a current gamer that you will compare or just feedback in general on this one?!
Dumb question, as you have probably hit a lot of different drivers in the past 6 months.
Shaft ?
Paderson Velocity and Project X Riptide.
Both two of my favorites right now.
nice find! thats awesome!
Hole 10 – EXS 204, Flash 200, both in play. Led to a par
Hole 11 – EXS 233 miss right, Flash 183 bad miss left (into next fairway). Par
Hole 12 – EXS 195 miss right, Flash 192 miss left – par
Hole 14 – EXS 226 FW, Flash 240 FW – par
Hole 16 – EXS OB, Flash 215 FW – double bogey with the OB tee shot
Hole 18 – EXS 225 FW, Flash 220 FW – par
Hole 20 – EXS 208 miss right, Flash OB – double bogey after and errant OB 2nd shot
Hole 21 – EXS 222 FW, Flash 208 miss left – birdie
Hole 25 – EXS 171 (hit a tree on right side), Flash 237 FW – bogey
Hole 27 – EXS 225 FW, Flash 231 FW – birdie.
Not sure why but for some reason I kept pushing the ball right with the EXS220. Usually that means the shaft is too long for me and I am getting shallow with my swing. But it’s 45" just like my Flash is.
The thing is those high pushes are usually really long drives IF they don’t hit anything.
Unfortunately, there were trees on nearly all of those holes that got me into trouble.
Overall it seems like the Flash puts up potentially longer distance but the EXS220 seems to have a little more consistent distance if that makes sense.
I’m not a big sound guy but after hitting these more side by side I think the EXS220 has a more pleasing sound than the Flash.
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View attachment 8947724
1 255
2. 267
3. Par3
4. 287 cart path bounced
5. 267
6. 3w
7. Par 3
8. 282
9. Bad swing 205
10. 267
11. Par 3
12. Iron
13. 3w
14. 265
15. 259
16. Hybrid
17. Par 3
18. 278
I had some help on a few of the deep balls with a slight wind or down hill. 18 was off and came in 302 but I know I didn’t hit it that far and tees were way off on start.
As far as accuracy… I pushed a few right (my swing not club). loving the feedback and sound… Kinda sounds like a powerful cut.
definitely getting the ball out there. are you playing the 9 or 10.5*?
I turned the 220 down to 8.5 today and the numbers were quite good. Got back into the 160’s ball speed but the spin was just ok. Still hitting 34-35 yard peaks with it set low too.
Now that I have…too many…of the current releases, I think this has the most powerful and all around pleasant sound for me….and that’s got me really wanting to give it a crack at the bag again.
It also has me really wanting to hit the new Pro. Badly.
wow different shapes there. In my opinion a good thing to fit more swings and preferences.
I heart you
Both with the same Evenflow Riptide Small Batch 60 6.5, at the same length, same loft, and same swing weight.
And don’t mind the mark on the 220 up high, 250+ driver swings we are lucky that’s the worst I have done
Did you try wiping the face mark with a magic eraser or light rubbing with a scotch brite pad ?
It’s scratched dude, those things won’t work on a scratched black face. Not worries about it anyway, it’s not a biggie.
I couldn’t tell if it was scratched or just Was paint from the ball left behind.
same strike on the pro model would result in a bomb!!!