Equipment
Exotics unveils $700 XJ1 driver with SuperMetal
The more expensive the driver, the more likely its design targets high-swing-speed golfers willing to pay a premium for a Tour player-inspired club that’s tailored to their needs. But what about average golfers who don’t swing like PGA Tour players but still want premium equipment made specifically for them? It’s that group Tour Edge Exotics is addressing with its latest driver release.
Exotics’ new lightweight XJ1 driver will sell for $700 when it’s released November 1. It uses a combination of a 9-1-1 titanium chassis, which the company calls “SuperMetal,” as well as a Kevlar-Carbon crown and three tungsten sole weights to help players with moderate swing speeds generate maximum distance off the tee.
“Most technologies of the past decade have benefitted players with higher swing speeds, eliminating the majority of golfers,” said David Glod, president and founder of Tour Edge Golf. “We have been developing the XJ1 driver for over four years, working on each characteristic of the club, moving critical amounts of weight around for the best results, and waiting for the technology to catch up to our goal of bringing this extremely lightweight driver to the market which will benefit golfers with real swing speeds.”
According to Exotics, SuperMetal is 10 percent lighter than the 6A4v titanium the company previously used to create the body of its driver heads. The added strength of the material allowed company engineers to make the walls of its driver thinner and more flexible. The lighter Kevlar-Carbon crown also saves weight from the top of the driver head, and provides stiffness that is key to improving ball speeds on shots struck on the top of the club face. The club face itself is made from a SP-700 beta titanium face plate, which is thinner on the edges to improve mishit performance and is robotically laser welded to the driver body to reduce weight and add consistency to the design.
The combined weight savings allows the 460-cubic-centimeter head to include three tungsten weights, two of which are heel and toe stability bars that weigh 10 grams each. The third, a removable tungsten screw, is located in the heel section of the driver to increase swing weight and/or draw bias. Weights are available in 3, 6, 12 and 14 grams.
The XJ1 drivers (9, 10.5 and 12 degrees: RH only) achieve a light total club weight thanks to their ultra-lightweight stock shaft, Fujikura’s Air Speeder, which weighs 45 grams and is available in five flexes.
XJ1 Specs
In our forums, users are talking about top of bag setups that are non-traditional or thought-provoking in some way. Original poster @SuperSpurs106 inquired about other members who might use unorthodox set-ups to help with gapping issues or weak spots.
They wrote:
“I currently have a PING G430 driver, TM Qi35 3W and a TM Qi4D 7W. Driver and 7W are fine but can’t get on with my 3W and have always struggling with this club over the years. Thinking of adding a 2H which I know would look odd. Just wondering if anyone else had a weird set up at the top of their bag?”
Our members in the forum have offered up their thoughts and personal experiences with non-traditional top of bag set-ups, and their reasoning for thinking outside of the box to begin with. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- BowMain42: “Don’t worry about what “looks” odd. If the club does what you need it to do, it’s the right club.”
- scooterhd2: “I cant hit 3 woods either. Thats why I roll with a unicorn XL Hibore 2 wood. 400 cc head at 16 degrees of loft and its just a monster 3 wood off the tee. Off the deck, we are playing the f6 baffler. 5 wood at 41.75 inches and its easy to control.”
- phizzy30: “I had driver, 3 metal, 2/4 hybrid once upon a time as a higher ss player. 4 hybrid is gone and in place is a driving iron nowadays. I don’t think what you’re proposing is weird in anyway, however the yardage gap might be glaringly huge between driver and 2 hybrid. What is it about your 3 metal that has got you all messed up? You could always go 4 metal with shorter shaft and see if that works.”
Entire Thread: “Interesting clubs at top of bag”
If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!
In our forums, one user has gone searching for fellow users of a mini driver. In a post, @TightFade asked for other mini driver users to chime in with their weapon of choice, the reason for employing a mini, and what club follows it in the bag.
@TightFade asked:
“What mini are you playing? What spot in the bag did it take over? What’s the next club after it? For me: Elyte mini 13.5. Replacing 3w. Next up club looks like it’ll be 5w.”
Our members in the forum have been sharing their own bag setups featuring the mini driver, and the various reasons they purchased one in the first place. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- RCGA: “Ping G430 Max 12* ‘Thriver.’ Next club is a 4w and 2i (I play a weird course).”
- JMB3: “R7 at 12.75 with Diamana BB 63s. 3w replacement. Next Club: Elyte Ti 5w at 17*.”
- ColdOkieGolf: “R7 15.5 turned down to 13.5 It replaces the 3w. I found it surprisingly easy to hit off the deck, and it’s very rare that I need or want to hit something beyond 250 from the fairway, so next club is my 7w.”
- ChaosTheory: “I’m sub-90 MPH with driver. But I’m able to hit DOD. I have been wanting something like the R7 15.5, so I just ordered one. I have a spot in the bag so nothing has to go. But I could see it replacing my trusty 4 wood, which I never use for approach shots. Just tee shots and lay ups. If I drop the 4 wood, I will turn my 7 wood down to ~20 degrees and will have good gaps. I recently tried a thriver build: 12 degree driver turned to 14, with a heavier 44 inch shaft and added head weight. I hit it great. Very accurate and not overly high, but the problem was that it sometimes went as far as a typical drive. And that’s not what I needed. So I will probably turn the 15.5 up to 16.5 or even 17.5. It’s all theoretical at this point. ?”
Entire Thread: “Members of the Mini Driver Club…Check In.”
If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!
- Chris Gotterup had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.
Drivers: TaylorMade Qi4D (8 degrees), Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @8), Ping G440 LST (7.5 degrees)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS T1100 Handcrafted 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black TX 80 g
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana WB Wood Shaft 83 TX
7-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB Wood Shaft 83 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), Bridgestone Tour B 220 MB (4-9)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper 130 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG5 (46, 52, 56, 60)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper 130 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Tour
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z Grip Cord
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X Mindset
Check out more in-hand photos of Chris Gotterup’s clubs here.
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Dunn2500
Sep 8, 2016 at 1:47 am
They have to thin the face, weights moved all around club head and lightweight drivers aren’t anything new……their cb pro 3 wood that sold for $500 didn’t do well, now it’s basic tech in their ex9…….Seen one for sale for $149 at dunns…….it’s simply supply and demand……….if they made a non conforming head with thinner face I think it would sell like hotcakes…..they don’t pay tour players and have lil presence on tour anyway……screw it, shave face down to .910 and use some crazy strong metal and sell it………guys hitting it 40yds farther would surely grab attn of other golfers…….how many people play in tournaments and of those how many play in tourneys that would even give a chit………you want distance shave the face!…….moving weights around has been pied out. …..I love exotics, their fwy woods are the insane…….. $700 would be tough for even titleist, for tour edge who isn’t known for drivers is gonna be very tough…….I may pick one up in used bin down the line for couple hundred though
Steve C
Sep 6, 2016 at 11:15 pm
I have had some success with a few of tour edges clubs. However, I wonder how exactly Tour Edge stays in business?
Jim
Sep 7, 2016 at 9:34 pm
‘Cause if your first one sucked – you wouldn’t have bought another – you kinda answered your own question. If THEY had Tiger Woods – with the quality the Glod brothers insisted on achieving for every premium product they produced, they wouldn’t have failed like Nike….Keep an eye out for some killer putters too…
Steve C
Sep 6, 2016 at 11:15 pm
success with a few of tour edges clubs. However, I wonder how exactly Tour Edge stays in business?
Matty
Sep 6, 2016 at 6:21 pm
$700 driver without an adjustable hosel?? SHANK!!!
Tom
Sep 6, 2016 at 7:46 pm
Aww Matty who needs an adjustable hosel. Not you according to you facebook page.
Jim
Sep 6, 2016 at 10:45 pm
I prefer the right loft to begin with and a deeper insert depth for less torque…After several years of high speed video at impact I can see the adjustable heads twist more (substantially more on close -but off center hits).
I don’t want to ‘open or close’ the face to achieve loft – I figure there’s a hook or a slice just waitin around the next corner if I – or my students try and shape it – or just go brain dead and try to just kill it.
Homna has a similar new bonded driver @ that price point as well. I hit that last spring and it was great!. Currently still using XG 7 w/heavy Black Tie set to 10.5 and letting the shaft control trajectory…
Shaft tech has exploded & way more stable @ lighter
weights….Can’t wait to to try it.
The Glod brothers are for real.
soberD
Sep 6, 2016 at 3:53 pm
Tour Edge has a captive audience in the Chicagoland private clubs that will eat this up in their quest for one-upmanship
Archie Bunker
Sep 6, 2016 at 3:33 pm
Getting old? Need more distance? Try a different shaft. This $700 head won’t do it.
Doug A
Sep 6, 2016 at 6:12 pm
You must not know what much about head weights and shaft weights….the shaft in this club is probably the lightest high quality shaft you could get
Archie Bunker
Sep 7, 2016 at 10:27 am
Saying “probably” shows that you don’t know much about this club either.
Jim
Sep 8, 2016 at 10:09 am
THE SHAFT is $450! Nothing better @<50 grams
Geoff
Sep 6, 2016 at 11:29 am
Interested in trying this one. I hope to see it at demo days. I’m old and this might help a little who knows.
peter collins
Sep 6, 2016 at 11:22 am
Tour Edge Exotics are a good company, and from what i can see, they didn’t rush the product to the market place.
I wish them well.
OH
Sep 6, 2016 at 10:25 am
I love my TEE hybrid and their woods are legit bombers. I didn’t care for the EX9 driver, as it was super loud. But, $700?! When you’re Titleist and have that kind of brand equity you can try these experiments and get away with them. Tour Edge…nope.
Jack
Sep 6, 2016 at 9:06 am
I had to check my calendar to make sure it isn’t April Fool’s Day. They won’t sell a dozen of those things.
Tom
Sep 6, 2016 at 7:48 pm
Just place an early order….. so did my buddy.
Jack
Sep 7, 2016 at 7:59 am
LOL, does your “buddy” also work for Tour Edge? Get lost, shill.
Tom
Sep 7, 2016 at 9:09 am
Lol ya cheap asz debbie downer. You can wait and pick one up on ebay.
Jim
Sep 7, 2016 at 9:26 pm
If they perform outdoors on Trackman for our clients as Tour Edge limited or special releases ALWAYS HAVE, we’ll sell the crap out of them. 700? – with THAT shaft? 8/10 buyers will have us PURE it too – an extra $45…
Next step on the ladder? Pay a big OEM’s MAP & put in same shaft – $900 pured and installed.
High end bonded drivers are making a steady come back. HONMA has one to break into that price range here in US too…(no platinum or 24k gold medallions) – just an awesome club & it rocks
In a previous WRX thread someone made a brilliant observation: “golf equipment only really becomes expensive when you keep buying the
wrong stuff”
Steve S
Sep 6, 2016 at 9:01 am
Yeah…no way. $700 to get me 3 more yards..not…
Double Mocha Man
Sep 7, 2016 at 10:48 am
That’s only $233.33 per extra yard. Wouldn’t you pay $11,666.67 for an extra 50 yards?
Jim
Sep 7, 2016 at 11:36 am
3? No…but what about 15?
Be serious….How many guys have purchased 3-4 drivers in 2-4 seasons? Maybe they fell for TM’s BS and bought the R1* @ MAP and turns out it wasn’t “the greatest driver ever made” so they try their buddy’s and hit it better (coulda just been that one swing – that’s all it would take for some) so they buy one on ebay – or Dick’s 199 and then next spring buy a “doorbuster” on Easter weekend for 159…
they never got FIT – think they did – IF the snapperhead @ the simulator or the standard POS ‘launch monitor’ GS used even just ‘taped up’ a different flex to try.
Most recreational golfers – that DO buy stuff – not the ones still carrying Bubble shaft woods & 20yr Gold DCI +’s with original grips HAVE spent the equivalent of ONE well fit higher-end driver they would have used for 2 or 3 seasons with better results
Steve S
Sep 7, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Every Feb. I go to the local shop and spend $30 to rent it. Then I hit my Rocketbalz (original) driver as a base line. Then I hit every driver and shaft combination that he has. All are within 5 yards of my gamer. I would buy a new one if I could get 10-15 more yards but in 3 years I haven’t found one. Even the guy in the shop admits that with my swing speed 93-97MPH I’m not going to see big differences since COR and MOI are limited. I have a friend who hits 115-120 and he does see more significant differences. But with his swing speed he’s more concerned with accuracy not distance. And shaft differences don’t seem to affect much accept for scatter and minor changes in launch for me.
Jim
Sep 7, 2016 at 1:45 pm
You are exactly who this should help. My best professional advice : try it vs yours on a good out door monitor and please write about the results.
Tom
Sep 6, 2016 at 8:48 am
kevlar can I wear it for protection in case a fight breaks out after the 18th?