The new Tour Edge Exotics Ti-Utility iron is the latest in a lengthy history the company has in producing iron-replacement clubs dating back to the original Tour Edge Iron-Wood in the 1990s. Since then it has seen the category change from clubs that looked more like irons to clubs that looked more like woods.
Now it’s pushing back toward the iron end of the category with the Exotics Ti-Utility, a hollow construction club that mixes 431 stainless-steel body with a beta titanium L-cupface (where the bottom of the face wraps around part of the sole for extra spring) to provide an option for players who like the look of an iron but want the distance potential of a wood-like hybrid. The L-cupface, like many of the company’s metalwoods, uses a combo brazing process that fuses titanium to steel without a weld line, thus reducing weight in the face and allowing for a better transfer of energy to the ball.
The combo brazing also provided another benefit. “The combo brazed titanium face allowed us to take large amount of weight out of the sole and back of the clubhead, allowing the clubhead to be more compact than our CBX Iron-Wood,” said the company’s founder and president, Dave Glod.
On the bottom of the club, the rounded sole and beveled leading edge improve turf interaction, making the Ti-Utility more versatile in shotmaking from a variety of lies and turf conditions. To accommodate fitting, a notch hosel allows for lie angle adjustments from plus to minus 3 degrees. The Ti-Utility is available in two finishes (Black Pearl and Chrome Silver) and are offered in four lofts (17, 19, 22 and 25 degrees). The utility irons will be in stores April 1 at a cost of $200 each.
At the other end of the bag, the company also is introducing its Wingman mallet putter—a high moment of inertia mini-mallet design.from which the company has been absent for some time. According to Glod, the putter was two years in development.
Key to the design are interchangeable weights on the wings of the sole that come in 3, 8 and 15 grams with the 3-gram weight being the standard option. A separate interchangeable weight kit including two 8-gram weights and two 15-gram weights allows golfers the ability to add or subtract weight in the heel and toe areas as preferred. The weight kit allows for nine possible combinations with total head weight ranging from 355 grams to 379 grams depending on configuration.
The Surlyn face insert features “microgrooves” to assist forward roll and reduce skidding. The carbon fiber sole plate allows weight to be moved to the extremes to boost moment of inertia to mitigate the effect of mis-hits. The grip is a jumbo Wingman-branded Sink Fit grip from Lamkin.
The Wingman comes in three hosel options, the )1 that features a mid toe hang; the 02 which is face balanced for those with straight back and straight through strokes and the center-shafted 03. Price for the putters is $200.