Equipment
Tour Edge Exotics E8 and E8 Beta Fairway Woods
Our 2014 Gear Trials: Best Fairway Woods list included all the names you’d expect: Adams, Callaway, Cobra, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist.
On our 2014 list with those industry behemoths was also a much smaller company, however. It was Illinois-based Tour Edge Exotics, which earned a spot in our Distance-First category thanks to big distance we saw golfers create with its XCG7 and XCG7 Beta fairway woods.
Exotics’ new E8 and E8 Beta are the direct replacements for the XCG7 and XCG7 Beta. The E8 has been improved with a lighter, stronger 475 carpenter steel cup face, while the E8 Beta has a forged titanium cup face. Both club faces are combo brazed to hyper-steel bodies to improve ball speed. They also have a slightly more forward center of gravity (CG).
Coupled with the right launch conditions, these faster, lower lower-spinning fairway woods have the potential to unlock even more distance gains for golfers.
Like the XCG7, the E8 has a low-profile head design that helps golfers hit fairway woods shots from the turf. The E8 Beta is tailored to golfers with higher clubhead speeds, with a deeper face that creates a lower launch and less spin. That also makes it a good choice for golfers who primarily use their fairway woods from the tee.
To improve forgiveness, the E8 and E8 Beta also have an updated “Power Grid,” which is an accordion-like structure located on the front of its sole. It now stretches farther from heel-to-toe on the fairway woods, improving spring-like effect in those areas to increase ball speeds on off-center hits. On the E8 Beta, the Power Grid is made thinner to allow more weight to be placed closer to the face, which makes the fairway wood even lower spinning.
Moving the CG forward generally lowers a club’s forgiveness, or moment of inertia (MOI), but Exotics countered with cut-away steps on the heel and toe of the clubs that improve MOI.
To please the pickiest of golfers, the E8 and E8 Beta have a removable sole weight that allows golfers to adjust the fairway woods’ swing weight. They come stock with a 9-gram weight, but golfers can order a three-piece weight kit that includes 6-gram, 11-gram and 14-gram weights for $49.99. Individual weight kits are available for $19.99.
The E8 ($249) and E8 Beta ($299) are expected in stores in early October.
E8 Lofts: 13, 15, 16.5, 18 and 21 degrees
Stock Shafts: Fujikura Pro, Fujikura Pro Tour, Mitsubishi Bassara E-Series
E8 Beta Lofts: 12, 13, 15, 16.5 and 18 degrees
Stock Shafts: Aldila Rogue Silver, Aldila Rogue Black
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- Sam Burns’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage.
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9 degrees @10)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 TX
3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond T (15 degrees @16)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Hybrid: Callaway Apex UW (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Irons: Callaway Apex TCB ’24 (4-AW)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (4-PW), True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Tour Issue (AW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56-14F @55), WedgeWorks Proto (60-T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 Tour Issue (56, 60)
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One #7S
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour X
Check out more in-hand photos of Sam Burns’ WITB in the forums.
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- Will Zalatoris’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage.
Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X (44.5 inches)
3-wood: Titleist TSi2 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T350 (3), Titleist T150 (4-PW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Prototype G.O.S.T. 10 ST X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-08F, 54-10S @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
See more photos of Will Zalatoris’ WITB in the forums.
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New Level has been making some really good golf equipment since the company started up in 2018. Offering irons that are more geared towards the better player, precision has been a fundamental philosophy for New Level in creating irons and wedges.
The 480 line of irons has been the flagship of the brand, and the newest member of that team is the 480-DB iron that is now open to pre-orders. A new cavity design is what the whole 480 line is about, and the 480-DB takes advantage of that with added ball speed and a larger sweet spot.
For players who require their irons to offer the best feel, rest assured the DB is a fully forged (from 1020 carbon steel) one-piece golf club. No multi-piece, hollow design with this iron.
While the 480-DB is the next generation of the popular 902-OS, New Level didn’t follow the current trend in golf by chasing distance with the new iron. They actually weakened the lofts on the 480-DB with the spec sheet showing a 33-degree 7-iron and 45-degree pitching wedge. These lofts allow the DB to have less offset while still offering consistent distance off the face.
A traditional design was also at the forefront of the new irons to make sure that golfers with an eye for detail can look down at them with confidence that they will perform under any condition.
A weight low in the back cavity will allow their master club builders to dial in the perfect weight for the golfer, no matter the length or shaft being used. New Level believes that the new 480-DB is one of the most forgiving one-piece forged irons on the market today. A pre-worn leading edge on the sole should get through the turf quickly and with reduced digging for better turf interaction.
You can pre-order the New Level 480-DB right now on the New Level website.
Pricing specs availability
- Irons: 4-PW
- Price: $149/oron
- Availability: Pre-order
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Sam Burns WITB 2024 (April)
Sam Burns’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9 degrees...
Will Zalatoris WITB 2024 (April)
Will Zalatoris’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)...
Scottie Scheffler’s winning WITB: 2024 RBC Heritage
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (8 degrees @8.25) Buy here. Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X (45 inches) 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy...
Nelly Korda’s winning WITB: 2024 Chevron Championship
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 Max (10.5 degrees) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana GT 60 S 3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)...
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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
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19th Hole11 hours ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole3 weeks agoReport: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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19th Hole7 days agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
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19th Hole1 week agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
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19th Hole6 days agoBrandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why
Craig
Sep 10, 2014 at 1:40 pm
It really cracks me up when I hear or read about people not liking the graphics on the sole of the club. Who gives a fat rat’s ass what is printed on the sole? Besides taking off and putting on the head cover, when else are you going to see it? Now to that end, why do we need to see three photos from different angles of the sole? One pic from the address position would be nice so it would give me a better perspective of how the club will look while trying to play it. I guess if I ever have to hit my 3 wood left handed I would have a different opinion. Just sayin’…
Danny
Sep 10, 2014 at 10:53 am
I got a Beta 7 this year and swear by it. I’ve never could hit a 3 wood off the deck with consistency. Tried the 910F, 913f, RBZ Tour, SLDR, and X 2Hot – I was thinking about scrapping the fairway wood all together because it was costing me strokes when I pulled it from the bag.
I tried the TEE Beta at PGA Superstore one day and couldn’t believe how good it felt, and how easy it was to lift. I thought the simulator was off. I went home that day and couldn’t stop lusting after it so I bought it, 4 wood to be exact because the 3 wood went as far as my driver.
I’ve had it now for 2 months and can tell you it’s the real deal. It’s so easy to hit off the deck that I often hit it off the deck off tee boxes. They make GREAT clubs
Dane
Nov 11, 2014 at 12:58 am
Which store did you buy from? I work at the palm desert pga tour superstore and just got my E8 beta today and can’t wait to hit it. These guys might not be a Goliath but they play the David role so well. I CRUSH these fairways!
Don
Sep 10, 2014 at 10:20 am
I have never tried a tour exotics product. Based on what I hear about their performance, maybe I should. I just can’t, however, just can’t get over how toyish their sticks look. These woods look like playstation controllers.
Dale Doback
Sep 10, 2014 at 12:01 pm
I currently game the XGC6 driver 3wood and a 3hybrid. I tested everything and from my rocketballz 3wood with the TEE I picked up 10 mph of ballspeed. The ballspeed margin has shrunk to about 4mph with the x2hot and 6mph with the SLDR. The feel on the drivers and fairways are really good. The XGC6 fairway looks similar to a titleist FD but is hotter and much more forgiving although the new 915s are supposed to longer than the 913s. Even though the tour edge fairways produced the highest ballspeeds consistently and it holds true for the xgc7 betas as well, they are tied for the longest distance so you have to be smart in what you are looking for a fairway to do. The Callaway X2hots are actually just as long maybe even a little longer and with lower ball speed because they spin a lot less. My xgc6 spins around 3200 rpm but the X2hot was around 2500. I went with the TEE because I still use it off the fairway and with super low spin with the X2hot or SLDR at 2200 rpm I couldn’t hold a green. If I were looking for a fairway wood to use primarily off the tee It would be hard to pass up the x2hot. Also TEE shafts are very light and while good aftermarkets for sub100mph swing speeds they did not work for me at all. I picked up the xgc6 because it performed better than anything else on the market and at $150 on sale I put my money in finding the right shaft combo for the club. I can’t say enough good things about one of the new woods TEE is making and if you aren’t at least comparing them when making a possible purchase you are doing yourself a disservice.
Gonzo God
Sep 10, 2014 at 12:27 am
Let the watered down Rogues flood the market!
ams165
Sep 10, 2014 at 1:58 pm
Just like the Speeders they put in the CB Pro…..
Real watered down….
Chuck
Sep 11, 2014 at 12:08 am
That one was a real deal only because they charged 499 for it