The newest Tour Edge woods and irons blend materials such as carbon fiber, tungsten and titanium to deliver more distance and forgiveness.
When Tour Edge releases new equipment in its Exotics family, the brand typically does it in pairs, partnering game-improvement woods and irons with related offerings designed for more accomplished golfers. With the new Exotics 723 Series, the Chicago-based company again has dropped two sets of drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons simultaneously, with the new Exotics E723 clubs (Extreme Spec) made for golfers who want more distance plus forgiveness and the Exotics C723 clubs (Competition Spec) for golfers who need lower-spinning gear that allows them to shape shots.
Below are the details on both the new E723 and the C723 woods and irons.
Who They’re For: Slower-swinging golfers who need more ball speed and height on shots to maximize distance.
The Skinny: Titleist made the TSR1 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids more aerodynamic and designed them as part of a lightweight package that can help players who have slower and moderate clubhead speed generate more distance.
The Deep Dive: As launch monitors became integral to custom fitting over the past few decades, fast-swinging golfers learned to maximize distance by combining a high launch angle with low spin. More and more pros learned to swing up into their tee shots to get the most out of their low-spin clubs and balls, but that combination does not work for everyone. According to the USGA and R&A’s Distance Insights reports, about 30 percent of golfers swing at a “moderate” speed around 75 to 90 mph, instead of 110 or more generated by most pros. These amateur golfers don’t generate enough speed to keep a low-spin shot in the air, so they can be robbed of distance.
Titleist engineers noted this and created the TSi1 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids for them two years ago. In 2023 those clubs are updated to help moderate-speed players swing faster, gain carry distance and achieve more overall distance.
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Wilson brings back the Dynapower family of woods and irons, adding modern distance-enhancing technologies and materials.
Long before social media influencers were filming themselves playing glamorous courses and hitting trick shots, decades before moveable weights, titanium drivers and TrackMan, golfers in the ’50s and ’60s such as Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer won major championships using Wilson’s Dynapower irons. When astronaut Alan Sheppard snuck a retractible golf club aboard Apollo 14 and hit a shot on the moon, he used a Wilson Staff Dynapower 6-iron.
Seventy years ago, Dynapower irons were state-of-the-art, with a bore-through hosel that removed weight from the heel. Back then, that made them “game-improvement” clubs, but they were muscleback blades with razor-thin toplines and minimal offset. By today’s standards, they’d be elite-player clubs.
Eventually, Wilson stopped making Dynapower irons and woods, but now the Chicago-based equipment maker is bringing the family back using modern shapes, materials and technologies.
Titleist’s newest hybrids provide golfers distance with a choice between extra stability and a draw or fade bias.
Gear: Titleist TSR2, TSR3 hybrids Price: $299 each with Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black shaft, Tensei AV Blue shaft, Project X HZRDUS Black or Red graphite shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips Specs: Stainless steel body and face plate with 16-position adjustable hosel and adjustable sole weight (TSR3). Lofts: 18, 21, 24 degrees for TSR2; 19, 21, 24 degrees for TSR3 Available: Feb. 23
Who They’re For: Golfers who want more stability and distance than traditional long irons (TSR2), or distance with shot-shaping (TSR3).
The Skinny: Titleist’s newest hybrids were designed to give golfers a choice between a fairway wood-style hybrid with extra stability or an iron-style hybrid that can be given a draw or fade bias.
The Deep Dive: Having released the TSR2 and TSR3 drivers and fairway woods in 2022, Titleist is now bringing out the matching TSR2 and TSR3 hybrids.
Both offerings are stainless steel designs with an aerodynamic shape and 16-position adjustable hosel that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the loft and lie angle. It should allow golfers and fitters to fill distance gaps more easily.
Both the Titleist TSR2 and TSR3 hybrids have an adjustable hosel and thin stainless steel face for increased ball speed. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
In the address position, each club has a glossy black crown, but the TSR2 will appear slightly larger from front to back and more rounded.
The Titleist TSR2 hybrids have a low center of gravity to encourage higher-flying and softer-landing shots. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
As with the corresponding drivers and fairway woods, the TSR2 hybrids have a center of gravity that is deeper and farther back, which should make them more stable on off-center impacts and help create more spin and a higher launch.
The TSR3 hybrids appear smaller when golfers set them down behind the ball, and they have a shorter blade length. The TSR3 hybrids were designed to appeal to golfers who prefer iron-style hybrids, and they have more shot-shaping potential thanks to a five-position moveable weight found behind the leading edge in the sole. Shifting the weight to the heel side encourages a draw, and positioning it toward the toe promotes a fade.
The smaller TSR3 has a sliding weight to create a draw or fade bias. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The TSR3 produces less spin and a lower ball flight than the TSR2, regardless of the position of the SureFit Adjustable CG Track system.
For both the TSR2 and TSR3, engineers removed material in the back heel and toe areas to help the clubs work over and through the grass more easily so golfers can maintain speed through the strike.
Ping G430 hybrids offer distance-enhancing technologies and features to improve consistency.
Gear: Ping G430 hybrids Price: $325 each with Ping Alta CB Black 70 shaft or Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX shaft and Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet grip Specs: 17-4 stainless steel body with a maraging stainless steel face and carbon fiber crown with an adjustable hosel. Available in 2H (17 degrees), 3H (19 degrees), 4H (22 degrees), 5H (26 degrees), 6H (30 degrees) and 7H (34 degrees). Available: Jan. 26
Who It’s For: Golfers who want more speed and consistency than long irons can provide.
The Skinny: Designed to compliment the G430 drivers and fairway woods, the Ping G430 hybrids feature distance-enhancing technologies and features to improve consistency.
The Deep Dive: Ping’s latest hybrid clubs were designed with several of the same technologies found in its newest drivers and fairway woods to help golfers who want more distance and consistency off the turf and from the tee.
The G430 hybrids have a carbon fiber crown. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The G430 hybrids have a clean look in the address position, with a matte black finish on the top that has a single white dot to help golfers align the ideal hitting area with the ball.
Looking closely, players will notice a woven pattern in the crown. It was made using carbon fiber instead of stainless steel. Ping’s Carbonfly Wrap, which wraps over the toe, back edge and heel area, saves a significant amount of weight compared with a similarly shaped stainless steel crown.
The CarbonFly Wrap crown extends around the toe and over the back edge. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Combined with a tungsten weight in the back of the sole, the lighter crown helps drop the center of gravity, encouraging higher-flying shots. The extra weight in the rear also increases the moment of inertia and makes the G430 hybrids less prone to twisting on off-center hits.
The variable-thickness, maraging stainless steel face, which Ping calls Facewrap, also extends under the leading edge. It should allow the hitting area to flex efficiently on center strikes and low-struck shots.
The G430 hybrids have a confidence-inspiring low profile. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The G430 hybrids have a shallow profile, and designers modified the face’s curvature so low-struck shots will not over-spin, and balls hit high in the hitting area spin a little more. Ping calls this Spinsistency, and it will increase the overall spin consistency across the hitting area and should improve distance control.
To help players and fitters find a club that produces the precise distance required to fill gaps, Ping made the G430 hybrids with an adjustable hosel that allows the loft to be increased or decreased by as many as 1.5 degrees, and the lie angle can be adjusted to as many as 3 degrees flatter.
TaylorMade’s newest hybrid clubs have updated faces and are offered in three shapes.
Gear: TaylorMade Stealth 2, Stealth 2 Plus, Stealth 2 HD rescue clubs Price:$279.99 (Stealth 2, Stealth 2 HD) with Fujikura Ventus TR Red shafts or Fujikura Speeder NX Red shaft and Golf Pride Z-Grip grips. $299 (Stealth 2 Plus) with Mitsubishi Kai’li Red shaft. Specs: Carbon fiber crown with variable-thickness face and stainless steel design for the Stealth 2 and Stealth 2 HD; Carbon fiber crown with titanium body and face, and adjustable hosel for the Stealth 2 Plus. Lofts: 19, 22, 25, 28, 31 degrees for Stealth 2; 20, 23, 27, 31 degrees for Stealth 2 HD; 17, 19.5, 22 degrees for Stealth 2 Plus. Available: Feb. 17, but available for pre-order now
Who They’re For: Golfers who want more distance and height than with long irons.
The Skinny: With three different shapes and sizes, the Stealth 2 rescue clubs were designed to create different shot shapes and offer different levels of shot-shaping ability for golfers who want a long-iron replacement option.
The Deep Dive: When it comes to long-iron replacements, golfers have been split by manufacturers into two groups: players who want a compact, iron-like hybrid and golfers who prefer a miniature fairway wood. With the release of the Stealth 2 rescue clubs, TaylorMade has those options covered and is adding a third option that maximizes forgiveness.
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Aerojet hybrids have an internal weight to optimize the center of gravity for increased ball speed, lower spin rates and more distance.
Gear: Cobra Aerojet, Aerojet One Length hybrids Price: $279 with KBS PGi graphite shaft and Lamkin Crossline grips. Specs: Stainless steel body and face with internal steel weight bar and adjustable hose. Lofts – hybrid (available in 2H (17 degrees), 3H (19 degrees), 4H (21 degrees) 5H (24 degrees) and 6H (28 degrees); ONE Length in 3H (19 degrees), 4H (21 degrees), 5H (24 degrees) Available: February 10
Who It’s For: Golfers looking for more ball speed and distance off the tee and from the fairway.
The Skinny: Designed to match the Aerojet drivers and fairway woods, the Aerojet has an internal weight to optimize the center of gravity location for increased ball speed, lower spin rates and more distance.
The Deep Dive: What most recreational golfers want from their hybrids is everything they don’t get from long irons, like distance, height, forgiveness and versatility. A touch of iron-style workability would be nice too. Cobra’s new Aerojet hybrids have been designed to provide those things in a wide variety of lofts.
With a classic look in the address position, the Aerojet hybrids are a fairway wood-style club with a unique internal weighting system. Designers added a steel bar that runs from the heel to the toe area, behind the face, that Cobra calls a PWR Bridge. The bar, which weighs 75 grams, lowers the center of gravity location and pulls it more forward, which helps to increase ball speed and make the head more resistant to twisting on off-center hits.
Cobra Aerojet hybrids have an internal bar that lowers the center of gravity. (Cobra)
Cobra also designed the Aerojet hybrids with a forged, stainless steel PWRShell face. Using artificial intelligence, Cobra engineers created 15 independent zones in the hitting area, then directed the computer to run simulations and reveal how thick and thin each of those areas should be to maximize ball speed not only in the middle but also in the perimeter. The result is more distance on your best shots and more ball-speed protection when you mis-hit. The face’s L-shape, which wraps under the leading edge, helps the face flex more efficiently on thin shots.
In addition to the variable length Aerojet hybrids, Cobra also offers One Length Aerojet hybrids that are all the same length as a typical 7-iron (37.25 inches). While the clubs are shorter than traditional-length hybrids, many golfers find they make solid contact more often with a shorter-length club, so while they may lose a little clubhead speed, they increase consistency and do not sacrifice distance.
Callaway is utilizing a new shape in the Paradym hybrids to make it easier to hit high-flying, soft-landing shots.
Gear: Callaway Paradym, Paradym X hybrids Price: $299.99 with Aldila Ascent PL Blue shaft or Project X HZRDUS Silver shaft and Callaway Universal grips. Specs: 455 stainless steel cup face, tungsten weight and adjustable hosel. Available: Feb. 24, but pre-order now
Who They’re For: Golfers who prefer a fairway wood-style hybrid and want more distance and forgiveness.
The Skinny: Callaway is utilizing a new shape to lower the center of gravity in the Paradym hybrids, making it easier for players to hit high-flying, soft-landing shots.
The Deep Dive: To complement the Paradym drivers and fairway woods, Callaway is offering two new hybrids, the Paradym and Paradym X.
Both clubs were designed to be long-iron replacements for golfers who prefer fairway wood-style hybrids with rounded faces, toe areas and back sections.
The Cutwave Sole helps the Paradym hybrids work through the turf, rough and sand. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
On the sole of both the Paradym and Paradym X, golfers will see a reshaped area that includes three seams. Callaway refers to this as a Cutwave Sole, designed to help the Paradym hybrids skim through the turf and rough to maintain speed through the hitting area.
Golfers also will see a large gold-toned tungsten weight directly behind the leading edge called a Tungsten Speed Cartridge. Adding weight to this area helps lower the center of gravity, reducing spin and increasing ball speed.
Tungsten positioned forward in the sole helps increase ball speed and lower the center of gravity. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
What golfers can not see is the updated Jailbreak with Batwing system. While the adjustable hosel stiffens the heel side of the club at impact, a triangular piece of steel internally connects the bottom of the club, heel area and crown. Callaway said that by stiffening the Paradym hybrids in the front heel and toe areas, energy normally lost in the deformation of the head at impact is instead redirected back into the shot, increasing ball speed and distance.
The standard Paradym (left) is smaller than the Paradym X. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The standard Paradym hybrid is available with lofts of 18, 21, 24 and 27 degrees. It has a small head and shorter blade length, so it should appeal to lower-handicap golfers. The Paradym X is bigger and comes in lofts of 18 (3), 21 (4), 24 (5), 37 (6) and 30 (7) degrees.
Designed to be all-around performers, the ZX Mk II hybrids blend distance-enhancing technologies with a classic shape.
Gear: Srixon ZX Mk II hybrids Price: $249.99 with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip. Specs: Stainless steel chassis and face with internal weight and adjustable hosel. Available in 17-degree (2), 19-degree (3), 22-degree (4), 25-degree (5) and 28-degree (6) versions. Available: Jan. 20
Who It’s For: Golfers who want more ball speed and distance in a traditional-style hybrid.
The Skinny: Designed to be an all-around performer, the ZX Mk II hybrid blends distance-enhancing technologies with a classic shape.
The Deep Dive: Srixon has brought the critical technology used to deliver more ball speed and distance for its newest drivers and fairway woods to the ZX Mk II hybrids.
Rebound Frame helps the Srixon ZX Mk II hybrids create more ball speed. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
At impact, the collision of the ball on the stainless steel hitting area makes the face bend back. Unlike traditional hybrids, Srixon’s Rebound Frame adds a second flexible area to the head, directly behind the rigid topline, toe and leading edge. This area bends back too, allowing a more significant portion of the overall hitting area to flex before it springs back along with the face. Srixon said this helps produce a more efficient energy transfer, enlarges the sweet spot and generates more ball speed, especially on shots hit outside the center.
An internal sole weight in the back of the head helps drive the center of gravity down and back, which increases the club’s stability, encourages a higher launch and helps create a steeper landing angle for better distance control.
Srixon adjusted the curvature of the face to increase spin consistency. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To increase the consistency of the spin created by the ZX Mk II hybrids, Srixon changed the radius (curvature) of the face, adding slightly more loft high in the hitting area and reducing loft slightly in the lower portion.
The Srixon ZX Mk II hybrids have a clean look in the address position. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
In the address position, all those features are hidden. Golfers will see a simple, matte-black head and traditional shape designed to appeal to many players.
While the ZX Mk II hybrids do not have an adjustable hosel mechanism, they are offered in a wide range of lofts to help players and fitters find the option that fills a distance gap.
PXG designed the 0211 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids to be a high-performing alternative at a lower price.
Gear: PXG 0211 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids Price: $299 (drivers), $249 (fairway woods and hybrids)
Who It’s For: Golfers who love classic-looking equipment and simple designs made to provide more distance on a budget.
The Skinny: With the price of many new woods having climbed in recent years, PXG designed the 0211 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids to be high-performing alternatives at a lower price.
The Deep Dive: In July, PXG released the newest version of its 0211 irons, the 0211 XCON, designed to utilize several technologies and features originally added to the brand’s top-shelf 0311 family but at a more budget-friendly price. At that time, no new woods were released, keeping the 2021 version of the 0211 drivers,fairway woods and hybrids in the lineup.
Now PXG is bringing out a new generation of 0211 woods, and as with the irons the idea is to make clubs that are more affordable but that still utilize premium materials and designs.
In the address position, the 0211 driver ($299) is one of the cleanest clubs PXG has designed. It is an all-titanium club with a Ti811 body and a variable-thickness Ti412 face designed to flex efficiently at impact to boost ball speed and distance.
The driver features an adjustable hosel mechanism that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the club’s loft by as many 1.5 degrees. It is available with 9, 10.5 or 12 degrees of loft at a stock length of 45.5 inches.
The 0211 fairway woods ($249) and hybrids ($249) were designed with AM355 stainless steel bodies and HT1770 stainless steel faces.
The fairway woods are available as a 3-wood (15 degrees), 5-wood (18 degrees) and 7-wood (21 degrees) while the hybrids are available as a 3-iron (19 degrees), 4-iron (22 degrees), 5-iron (25 degrees), 6-iron (28 degrees) and 7-iron replacement (31 degrees). Both the fairway woods and hybrids have a low profile and a squared-face shape that is popular with a large number of players and that inspires confidence at address.
