TOUR EDGE Exotics
EX9 Tour hybrid
Tour Edge’s Exotics EX9 Tour
hybrid is billed as an ideal
replacement for long irons
because it’s easier to hit, control
and land softly onto the green.
Like an iron, it’s designed to
be workable and avail distance
control. The compact clubhead is
pear-shaped and generates less
spin and a more boring trajectory.
It’s offered in lofts of 16 (111cc),
18 (113cc) and 20 degrees
(115cc) and has a new titanium
faceplate that’s combo-brazed
to the hyper-steel body. The face
embodies variable thickness, so
you get better performance along
more contact points—making
your mis-hits less severe. A
redesigned “SlipStream” sole
features waves that are shorter
from front to back. On the face,
the “Power Grid” helps boost the
spring-like effect so your shots
get the most possible distance.
$200. Touredge.com
WILSON STAFF
FG Tour F5 driver
You can quickly adjust Wilson Staff’s FG Tour F5 driver to one
of six lofts and three sole weights, through the proprietary
Fast Fit hosel. That lets you tune into your optimal launch
angle, ball speed and spin rate combination to achieve
the best tee shots possible. The forgiving 460cc clubhead
features variable face thickness, which maximizes ball
speed and performance wherever you make contact on the
clubface. “Our product design starts and ends with the player
in mind,” says Michael Vrska, global director of innovation.
“Even the best players want to manage and minimize their
mis-hits as much as possible.” The driver is offered in base
lofts of 9 and 10.5 degrees but can be adjusted back one
degree or up three. The interchangeable sole weight placed
low and close to the face decreases spin while maintaining an
optimal launch for the most distance. $380. Wilson.com
CALLAWAY
Apex irons
Callaway’s New Apex forged players’ irons
feature the company’s renowned 360 face
cup in the long irons that helps provide
consistent ball speed across the face,
along with playability. The cup “allows us
to push the performance limits of the club’s
key materials farther than ever before,” says
Dr. Alan Hocknell, Callaway’s senior vice
president of R&D. The progressive design
in these multiple-piece irons—with respect
to offset, sole widths, CG height and notch
weighting—delivers a combination of
distance, feel, playability, forgiveness and
control. The longer irons are more offset for
forgiveness, while the shorter irons have a
more compact shape with less offset for
feel and control. Impact through the set
feels soft—a result of quadruple net forging
and mild carbon steel. $1,400/set (graphite
shafts), $1,200 (steel). Callawaygolf.com
vsga.org
TAYLORMADE PSi irons
Better golfers rejoice, as TaylorMade’s PSi irons are meant for you.
Their smaller clubheads—what many top players prefer—generate
solid sound and feel at impact, thanks in part to a proprietary
Dynamic Feel System comprised of a thermoplastic rubber blend
compression damper and a multi-material cavity badge that
together mute vibration across the face without sacrificing ball
speed. The 3-through-5-irons bear tungsten weighting that helps
the ball get airborne. A new version of the company’s Speed
Pocket—a cut-thru slot that feeds into the cavity undercut—helps
boost ball speed on shots struck low on the face. In addition,
heel-and-toe face slots help make distance consistent on mishits. A very thin clubface enhances distance, as it flexes in at
impact before catapulting the ball forward. The irons also feature
progressively increasing blade length, topline thickness and offset,
from the wedges toward the long irons. $1,299/set (graphite
shafts), $1,099 (steel). Taylormadegolf.com
Author Scott Kramer is a writer from Carlsbad, Calif. and a regular
contributor to Virginia Golfer.
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