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GolfWRX Spotlight: Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 driver

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tour edge exotics exs 220 driver sole

Product: Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 driver

Pitch from Tour Edge: “The Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 driver is a substantial leap forward in design and innovation. This driver is packed with the latest technology that Tour Edge has to offer like Diamond Face Technology where behind the face there are diamond shapes in different thicknesses to produce a massive sweet spot. This Diamond Face Technology produces a hotter face, faster ball speeds, better performance on off-center hits, as well as spin reduction.”

“The Ultra-Premium 8-1-1 titanium and Triple Carbon tech allow for more weight repositioning to the back of the head. This weight repositioning, along with the elongated shape help create an extremely high MOI, one of the highest in a driver. Finally, the EXS 220 features an adjustable hosel that gives +/- 2 degrees of loft adjustment, combined with the three offered loft heads, to fit any golfer.”

Our take on the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 driver

The Tour Edge Exotics line tends to only get a lot of focus on the fairway woods, but those aren’t the only ones that deserve some attention. Last year’s Exotics EXS driver was a lower-launching driver that really performed great and not enough people noticed or gave it a try. So this year, Tour Edge decided to pull out all the stops and really load up the Exotics EXS 220 with all the technology that they currently have!

Open the box, and the Exotics EXS 220 greets you with a white-and-black headcover with a nice leather feel to it. Take that off, and underneath is a driver head with a whole lot of carbon fiber staring back at you. The top of the head is a nice gloss black that fades into the carbon fiber and the sole features a section of the toe and heel with a blue-tinted version of the same carbon. The fit and finish are really high-quality, and you can tell that the folks at Tour Edge took the time to make sure everything went together seamlessly. Fit and finish are what you would expect from a $500-plus driver, and the Exotics EXS 220 costs only $350!

tour edge exotics exs 220 driver crown

Out on the course, the Exotics EXS 220’s elongated shape will turn some of you away, but those of you who stay will be impressed. Setting the driver down gives you a square, if not slightly open, face angle in the neutral setting. Adding loft will close the face, so if face angle is important to you, buy the next loft up.

The first ball impression was really good, the ball jumps off the face and goes straight! That shape and deep weighting really do make the Exotics EXS 220 a straight driving machine. The stability of the head is easily shown off: balls hit off the toe and heel still go left and right, but the amount of movement is greatly reduced. My (main) miss is low heel and those shots still got higher up in the air and held off from going farther right than I usually expect. Same experience on toe contact as well: the ball just didn’t have the same drastic movement and direction as you would expect. Shots hit in the center of the face are going to give you a nice high, low-spinning, shot that bores you the entire time.

Launch is effortless and definitely higher than the previous EXS driver. The Exotics EXS 220 has an internal Sound Diffusion Bar to engineer the sound profile, and the noise it makes is actually pretty good. A nice solid crack is created at impact, but if I allow myself to nitpick, I would prefer the sound to be a few decibels lower.

tour edge exotics exs 220 driver face

Overall, the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 driver is a real contender with the more expensive offerings this year. If you are looking for a driver that is going to help you hit it higher and straighter, the Exotics EXS 220 has to be on your list this year.

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I have been an employee at GolfWRX since 2016. In that time I have been helping create content on GolfWRX Radio, GolfWRX YouTube, as well as writing for the front page. Self-proclaimed gear junkie who loves all sorts of golf equipment as well as building golf clubs!

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. James Stammer

    Feb 2, 2020 at 12:12 am

    Hey Brian. Played in your group at the Media event at Lake Nona. I agree with your thoughts and inpressions on this driver. I really like last year’s model, but this one really jumps.

    • Brian Knudson

      Feb 2, 2020 at 8:53 am

      James, great to hear from you! I had a great time playing with you, Dan, and Jen at the media day! The EXS wood line is really solid, I am testing the 3 wood and hybrid right now as well!

  2. Mike Barnett

    Feb 1, 2020 at 7:35 am

    Would love to hit it as I still love and use their woods. Hard to find a place that sells them to try though.

    • JP

      Feb 1, 2020 at 8:02 am

      My local Golf Galaxy carries them. But they’re back in the odd corner next to Cobra.

  3. Pelling

    Jan 31, 2020 at 5:19 pm

    Meh?

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Equipment

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

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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

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

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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. 

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

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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.”

 

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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

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