Connect with us

Equipment

Tour Edge introduces new HL4 hybrid and iron-wood

Published

on

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: when it comes to technology and value Tour Edge is one of the absolute leaders in the golf industry. To complement the already announced HL4 Driver (WRX Spotted: Tour Edge HL4 Driver), Tour Edge is introducing the HL4 Hybrids and Iron-wood set. Both clubs will be available for order individually, but the Iron-wood will go all the way down to a 59-degree wedge – yes that’s NOT a typo, a 59-degree wedge, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

HL4 Hybrids

“Get ready for the ultimate launching experience.” —David Glod Tour Edge founder and lead designer.

The HL4 Hybrids when compared to previous models are designed with the more mass in the sole, and positioned to further away from the face to increase MOI (measurement of resistance to twisting = forgiveness) this newly positioned mass helps increase both launch & forgiveness numbers – who doesn’t want that from a hybrid? (go ahead I’ll wait)

The HL4 Hybrid also has a cup face designed with Variable Face Thickness technology to provide greater distance from more points on the face. This is important because as we know in golf – we can only make clubs go so fast/produce a certain ball speed before they become illegal under the rules. This point of maximum energy transfer is small but by repositioning mass and varying the thickness of the club face you can increase that area and help get more energy transfer on less than perfect strikes.

We can always talk about what’s under the hood, but there are some visual design features that offer just as many interesting points as COG. The HL4 Hybrid has a high-toe face design which improves the look from address and prevents the dreaded “this looks like it’s going left” observation. Even with the high toe design we still have a shallow face to help get the ball up from almost any lie and inspire confidence for those players that struggle with longer clubs.

HL4 Iron-wood

Yeah yeah I get it, “you” don’t need a hybrid 7 or 8-iron, but a LOT of golfers need all the help they can get, and that’s what the Hl4 Iron-woods are designed to do. Dating back almost 15 years the Tour Edge Iron-woods have been a game changer for a lot of recreational golfers looking for help with their iron game. I can recall the days of my time in golf retail and the HUGE number of original Tour Edge Bazooka J-Max iron-woods we would sell to regular golfers just looking for some assistance and to have fun.

As far as the design goes like many modern clubs built for speed there is a flexible “Power Channel” on the sole behind the face of the iron-wood. It’s wider and deeper compared to the hybrid for better weight distribution and increased flex = ball speed. Other tech features include:

  • Super-thin forged face allow for increase discretionary mass
  • Hollow hyper-steel body maximizes stability
  • Rear Inverted Crown lowers the CG for high launch
  • Progressing sole width, offset and top for playability throughout the set

Custom Fitting Promise

Here’s where it gets interesting: unlike a lot of “value” focused brands Tour Edge is 100% committed to custom fitting and building.

Once again, I’ll let Glod take it from here for a moment

“We see HL4 as being the best value available in the custom fitting market, which is why we created our 48-hour custom fitting delivery guarantee. Our message is Get Fit. Spend Less. Play Better. We want to open up custom fitting to thousands of new golfers who are looking for innovation and performance at logical prices.”

This is a mission statement I can get behind.

Availability

HL4 hybrid comes in 19, 22, 25 and 28 degree lofts. All lofts will be available in right and left-handed models. The HL4 hybrid will feature a retail price of $119.99.

The HL4 Iron-Wood is available in 18, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 36, 40, 44, 49, 54 and 59 degree lofts. All lofts will be available in right and left-handed models. The individual HL4 Iron-Wood will carry a price of $79.99 in KBS Tour 90 steel shafts and $89.99 in graphite.

 

Your Reaction?
  • 95
  • LEGIT11
  • WOW11
  • LOL5
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB1
  • SHANK9

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Mike Cleland

    Jul 10, 2019 at 5:27 pm

    Great! Where can I get fitted?

  2. Don

    Jul 9, 2019 at 9:39 am

    “All lofts will be available in right and left-handed models” – Music to my ears!

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

Published

on

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Equipment

Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

Published

on

As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

Your Reaction?
  • 25
  • LEGIT2
  • WOW1
  • LOL4
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP3
  • OB3
  • SHANK2

Continue Reading

Equipment

Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

Published

on

Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

Your Reaction?
  • 24
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW0
  • LOL2
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB1
  • SHANK3

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending