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)
Wow impressive numbers there. Hows the sound?
Perfection. Honest to God perfection.
Can you breakdown the Carry Distance and the number next to it? What am I looking at there?
Great to hear. TE making some good stuff at an attractive price thats for sure!
Disregard, the image was cutoff for me, I see it now.
I love the distance gain but I would stick with the 220 for my game. Those few drives below 2000 can really help turn a curving shot into a nightmare quickly.
Haha, I was worried and confused for a minute!
They were both straight to a slight draw, even though they were a little high and to the toe.
Give me the speed, the sub 40 peak, and the yardage all day based on how it played over 36 today. ???
That said, I think the 220 deserves some props still, the numbers are SUPER playable, and it’s a more forgiving head. It’s also had better numbers for me than my Cobra’s or Mavrik’s, and in the same Riptide 60 6.5 setup.
Oh definitely – both are outstanding and I’m just saying with my swing, I want the 220. I guess that makes sense- I’m no pro.
I would compare it to Titleist, which is a huge compliment imo. It’s not bat like, it’s not tinny, it’s not hollow, it’s just solid and explosive…and addicting.
Lol, I’m sure as **** not one either.
But the flight, distance, and consistency will not be denied for what I want out of the driver spot. Honestly, this is what I wanted the SZ and Xtreme to be for me.
Looks like a really solid 1-2 lineup for Exotics here. If you toss out the single lowest and highest spin shots for each head, the Pro really has a nice standard deviation to it.
Definitely agree, and I’m eager to get some numbers on it after I’ve warmed up.
It’s getting my full focus, if tomorrow replicates today from 7,000, then I’ll be all in.
Put these in the other thread, but this one seems to have more traction even though I’m talking about the pro mostly.
More thoughts this evening if I can kick this headache, but, suffice to say I’m pulling the PX custom (no graphics as that’s the one we have right now) from the ping adapter to a Tour Edge adapter tonight.
Tensei Orange. I didn’t hit it, the Tensei line has always been underwhelming for me.
Pro orange or regular orange ?
Pro is the best feeling shaft I’ve ever tried.
I’ve tried the whole Tensei line, pro and non, just not good for me, underwhelming if I’m being honest based on the hype.
I’ve never settled into any Tensei either. Was fitted by PXG into the Pro Orange 60 Stiff last year which I thought was odd given I swing 90 mph.
Just got the Blue AV 55g in My SZ X and it didn’t work well at all for me. Wild
Sorry if I missed it, but then did you just swap the shaft from the original EXS 220 for the testing numbers?
Big number gains!
Both drivers used the same shaft at the same length and swing weight
Slicing and dicing the data in an apples to apples comparison – I like your thinking.
Not my first rodeo
The sound of the 220 Pro is addicting, it it’s made me just itching to pull driver. Not to mention, it was pretty windy today and the numbers I get off it spin wise just bored through the wind on the course.
It’s definitely not as forgiving as the 220, and I believe the 220 competes with anything on the market (and remember as all these videos come out on it and everyone gets fired up, THP has been saying it for MONTHS with the article on the homepage and in the first post of this thread) and this limited driver gives that smaller segment wanting a more compact and traditional shape with lower spin but still a lot of playability an option.
Yep. Numbers don’t lie, and on course performance solidifies. I have tried literally since February to oust the 410 LST, and it survived FIVE current release drivers, until the Pro.
I’ve also been doing this long enough on the review side (this one isn’t a review, it was a purchase) that I know pretty quick when something works for me, and when it doesn’t. 7-8 years will do that
Ball Speed: 158.9 (high 165, low 156)
Launch: 13.2
Spin: 2267 RPM
?
Not as long or as much ball speed as some of you monsters, but pretty good for me right now!
GAMER!
What leads to pulls left on right handed golfer? club path?
high probabi;lity of a "over the top" move on the downswing…..it’s my miss also. A slice is an outside in path w/ the clubhead NOT square, a dead pull is often a outside in path w/ a square face. Thus my never ending struggle to keep my damn elbow in!
Arms starting the downswing instead of the body.
Get that orange whip out !!!!
I’m fighting the opposite. I’m pushing or push hooking everything.
I’ll say this here though, if you’re sleeping on either of these drivers….they’re worth tracking down.
Describe ball flight
I’ve put it up against my Epic Flash and the 220 held its own distance wise. Forgiving as anything out there and seems to retain ball speed with very little distance loss on off center hits. The one possible polarizing aspect is the elongated head. If you are not opposed to head shapes like the ping g20, Ping g25, callaway Rogue, Mavrik Max then this shape Will work for you. If you want more traditional I’d look at the 220 Pro.
The sound on the 220 is on the louder side but nothing obnoxious.
Mine has the Ventus 4t shaft in R flex and it holds up well for a stock made for shaft. Definitely a little tighter feeling that the stock Even Flow Green shaft in the Flash.
I haven’t messed with the 220 in a couple weeks though as I was testing a new driver I happened to get a good deal on during a Memorial Day sale. now that it’s dialed in shaft wise I plan to do a bake-off with the 3 drivers to see which one makes the bag.
All 3 though I could game very easily.
Thanks for that response, I appreciate it. I do like the head shape of the pro better, but just need hit both to see which performs best. Only been hearing good things about this!
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Since I was the first tee time, I had the course to myself and wanted to do some driver testing. On the front 9, on 5 of the holes I hit a drive with the EXS220 as well as the Cobra SZ Xtreme driver I have been trying messing around with. The EXS220 was set to U/+ for holes 3-7. Holes 9-18 I switched it to O/+. I have the 12* with Ventus 4t Reg flex playing at a hair over 45".
The Cobra is the Speedzone Xtreme 12* set to +1/D with a GD YS-5 Nano Reloaded R flex.
Hole #3 –
EXS220 – 220 Left side of the Fairway
SZ X – 197 (miss left into tree line)
Hole #4 –
EXS220 – 212 Missed left
SZ Z – 190 even further left
Hole #6
EXS 246 – middle
SZ X – 237 – middle
Hole #7
EXS- 208 – miss left
SZ X – 233 – middle
Hole #9
EXS – 252 middle (my personal longest on this hole)
SZ X – 195 – miss left
So in the 5 testing holes, the EXS220 bested the Cobra 4 out of 5.
Average of the 5 drives:
EXS220 – 228
SZ X – 210
And honestly I think this is where the EXS220 shines is on mishits and/or poor swings. A poor swing with the EXS220 seemed to always get me out there 10-15 yds longer than the SZ X. Not to say the SZ X is a bad driver and I haven’t wrote it off yet as I love its looks. But its seems to be a little more feast or famine right now for me than the EXS220.
Also, I really had a case of the lefts today with the Cobra and when I did hit it well it was a big push draw which honestly I am getting really tired of.
On #9 I changed the EXS220 setting from U/+ to O/+ and it really seemed to help tame the draw while maintaining a higher flight which I like.
On the back nine I wanted to play quicker so I gamed the EXS220 and quit hitting the Cobra. I had some ho hum lower hooky drives on #10, 16 and 18 all in that 200-220 range, but on #11, #12 and #14 I hit some good ones – 241 yds, 237 and 223.
So counting all the EXS220 drives today, I averaged 223 which is pretty solid for me. My all time average since using Game Golf (April 2016) is 218.
What beats yours…
I am hitting bombs with mine that are fairway finders and out me in play. Working either a nice draw or a nice little fade on these. Very rare or the hooks or slices tland that is because of handsy or lack there of in the swing. When I get feeling the flow this thing is a rocket.
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Smart man! Great edition to the bag!