For many amateur golfers, finding the right fairway wood can be a chore. With the exception of your driver, your fairway woods are the longest clubs in your bag and you’re expected to hit them off the deck. This is partially why so many players choose to pull a long iron from the fairway, even after striping a drive down the middle.
If you’ve never ventured over to the Tour Edge section of your favorite golf retailer, where have you been? We get it. Everyone has brand loyalty which is why the biggest companies in the equipment space remain the biggest each and every year. We’re here to tell you, though, that not only should you give Tour Edge Exotics a shot, there’s a very good possibility that their fairway woods will outperform your favorite band. There’s a reason Tour Edge has customers for life, and it isn’t just their friendlier price point.
Let’s take a look at Tour Edge as a company as well as its new Exotics 723 lineup which is just begging to be hit.
Tour Edge at a Glance In 1986, Dave Glod started Tour Edge in the suburbs of Chicago. He designed his first club in 1987 with the idea of producing cost-efficient equipment that performed at the highest level. And boy, did Glod hit on both. After gaining a loyal following, mainly in the game improvement sector, Glod dropped a bomb in 2005 known as Tour Edge Exotics. This lineup catered to the mid to low-handicap player and gave Tour Edge much of the street cred that still exists today.
On the fairway wood side, the first Exotics model was called the CB1. Still to this day, many people consider it a masterclass of fairway wood design. The “CB” stood for Combo-Brazing, which refers to the titanium cup face that was fused to a steel body. The technology was revolutionary, and in 2023 you’ll still find many CB1 metals in golf bags.
Crown view of the Exotics 723 which is available in extreme (E) or competition (C) spec options
Today, Tour Edge still operates out of Chicago’s suburbs in the city of Batavia. The company has grown exponentially but still manages to carry a small business-like feel with the connections made between the golfing public and its equipment. The best example is the lifetime warranty offered on all equipment. If a club you purchased has a defect (not related to anger issues) they’ll replace it.
PGA Tour Champions Success Despite getting play on professional tours for many years, Tour Edge never paid players to use its equipment. A few years back, however, Glod and his team decided to start making a run at PGA Tour Champions players. It would end up being a natural fit as players instantly began winning with Tour Edge Exotics equipment. Today, players such as Bernhard Langer, Mike Weir, Alex Cejka, and Scott McCarron make up the Tour Edge professional staff.
Tour Edge Exotics 723 Metals The new Tour Edge Exotics 723 metals come on the heels of an immensely impressive lineup of 722 models. If you hit the 722s, you’d know that it was going to take Tour Edge some serious R&D magic to improve for 2023. Well, not only did they improve, they excelled. We’re huge fans of the original CB1 models as well as several scorching hot metals Tour Edge has made along the way. This new Exotics 723 series, however, is up there with the best.
Here are the two variations of the Exotics 723 fairway woods and how they could match up with your game.
C723 Series The “C” stands for “competition spec.” Simply put, if you’re a lower-handicap player (10 or below) this is probably going to suit you best. The C723 takes weighting and adjustability to the highest level, which allows the more accomplished player to set this fairway wood up to their exact specs.
The C723 is a low-spin model that faster swing speeds will thrive with. Its Flight Tuning System allows you to move the CG position as well as adjust ball flight, simply by adjusting two moveable sole weights. It’s also adjustable at the hosel, allowing you to change the loft plus or minus 1.5 degrees from the set loft.
A lot of the weighting is concentrated back and low on the club head, which is Tour Edge’s Ryzersole Technology. This is attributed to the high, long shots from the fairway or rough. Speaking of long, the Diamond Face VFT technology is the reason your ball still pops if you miss it slightly on the heel or toe.
We saw significant distance gains with the C723 models. What impresses us the most about this club is that it’s so versatile. Whether we’re hitting from the fairway or the rough, or even teeing it up, the C723 produces consistent contact each and every time. Yes, it does have a smaller sweet spot and a bit of a smaller profile than its counterpart, but for the better player, this is an absolute rocket.
Price: $330
Stock Shafts: Tensei AV Blue 65, HZRDUS Black Gen 4 60
Available Lofts: 13, 15, 18
E723 Series The “E” stands for “extreme spec.” As you probably gather from the name, everything about this model goes to the extreme, particularly distance and forgiveness. It doesn’t have the adjustability of the C model, but the E723 should be in the bags of most amateur golfers.
With a removable weight in the rear of the sole, the E723 can adjust MOI with ease. It has the same Ryzersole Technology as the C723, so getting the ball in the air with this metal is about as effortless as you’ll find. In addition, the E723 does have the same Diamond Face VFT which gives you that extra wiggle room to miss on the clubface and not get punished too much.The head lofts are set on the E723, but that shouldn’t deter you from taking advantage of this model’s incredible forgiveness and monster distance. The E723 has some different loft options in that you have a standard or weak option the 3 wood, and the increasingly popular 7 wood is available in this model. Without question, this club is perfect for anyone that struggles with fairway woods.
Price: $280
Stock Shafts: Air Speeder 35/40, Tensei AV Blue 65
Available lofts: 15, 16.5, 18, 21
If you’ve never owned a club from Tour Edge, the E723 and C723 make for a great place to start. For each, the results are undeniable and they turn par 5s into much shorter holes simply by making solid contact with the golf ball. We bought in on Tour Edge years ago, but with these two powerhouse models, we can see the line behind us continuing to grow.