7 Things You Need To Know About The New Tour Edge Exotics 725 Irons

The new Tour Edge Exotics 725 irons launch today. There’s a lot of info to share so we figured we’d take the direct approach and give you seven key things you need to know.

We’ll get to the list soon but, first, let’s establish some Tour Edge basics.

Tour Edge was started in 1986 by founder David Glod in his garage. The company has gone through several iterations before finding its niche as a high-performing, value-priced brand. In 2022, Tour Edge reset its two lines into two distinct categories. The Tour Edge Hot Launch was a modestly priced super game-improvement line for beginners and occasional golfers.

The Tour Edge Exotics line was targeted at game-improvement golfers and better players, with an emphasis on metalwoods. The Exotics line is one of the leading brands on PGA Tour Champions with both paid and unpaid players gaming the irons, drivers, fairways and hybrids.

Tour Edge positions Exotics as a performance line priced lower than the major OEMs and higher than budget-conscious direct-to-consumer brands. It’s a difficult needle to thread. Major OEM brand dominance is hard to battle at retail but the ability to demo and be custom fit is a differentiator compared to DTC brands.

With that, let’s tackle our list.

1: What are the new Tour Edge Exotics 725 irons?

The Tour Edge Exotics 725 line features three new iron sets. Two are upgrades to the previous 723 line while the third is a new Exotics offering for the super game-improvement category.

First up is the new E725 game-improvement iron. It replaces the 18-month-old E723 iron, MyGolfSpy’s reigning Best Game Improvement iron of 2024.

The new C725 is Tour Edge’s new player’s distance iron. It replaces the C723 which was next to last in this year’s player’s distance testing.

The new entry is the Tour Edge Exotics X725, a super game-improvement club that Tour Edge says is built on its “iron-wood” platform.

2: All three Tour Edge Exotics 725 irons share similar technology

All three iron sets share technology. First is VIBRCOR, a high-grade TPU injected into the cavities of each iron to help improve sound and feel. Hollow-body and high-MOI irons share a common problem: left untreated, they sound and feel like crap. VIBRCOR absorbs sound and vibrations to improve both issues.

Additionally, there’s the new 3D Diamond Face technology, the Tour Edge version of variable face thickness. Most OEMs use variable face thickness on their multi-piece irons. The idea is to create thin spots where the face can flex the most to provide maximum ball speed. Areas that don’t flex much are thicker, providing more mass to prevent ball speed loss. Tour Edge says the new 3D design uses the full depth and height of the diamond shapes on the backside of the clubface. That allows Tour Edge to make the thin parts even thinner and save weight.

The new multi-material carbon fiber and TPU badges also save weight. Both the E725 and X725 feature aggressive badging covering their entire backsides. That badging isn’t just for decoration. It further absorbs sound and vibration but the carbon fiber element also makes it considerably lighter. Club Design 101 says saving weight in one spot where it’s not needed, be it from the badge, face or wherever, means you can move it elsewhere to optimize CG location and enhance MOI.

The X725 and E725 share what Tour Edge calls MOI+ Design: the not-so-radical notion of designing irons with as much MOI as possible. The C725 is a more compact player’s distance design and naturally has a lower MOI. Its hollow-body design, however, allows Tour Edge to position mass to get the CG as low as possible. That will make it more forgiving while maintaining a profile that better players might prefer.

3. The Tour Edge Exotics X725 is new, sort of

The current iteration of Tour Edge Exotics has never had a super game-improvement iron. That category has been the exclusive purview of the Hot Launch line. The new X725 changes that. The “X” stands for “Xtreme” forgiveness and it’s the Exotics take on the Hot Launch E524. That iron finished a respectable fourth in this year’s MyGolfSpy super game-improvement testing.

The Tour Edge Exotics X725 is a squat, Barney Rubble-looking club with a very shallow face and a heavy offset. It’s based on the Hot Launch “iron-wood” design, almost a hybrid-like iron set built to fight the chronic slice.

While game-improvement irons tend to be stronger lofted, we’ve seen a growing trend in the super game-improvement category towards weaker lofts. The reasoning is simple. OEMs are learning that, for the most part, super game-improvement golfers have slower swing speeds. Whether it’s due to skill, age or strength doesn’t matter.

What does matter is the weaker lofts that, when combined with a damn near subterranean center of gravity, help those golfers get the ball up in the air and heading toward the green. That, friends, is a win.

4. How does Tour Edge improve an award-winning iron?

Carefully, my friends. Very carefully.

The Tour Edge Exotics E723 is MyGolfSpy’s reigning best game-improvement iron. Considering the major cosmetic overhaul the E725 is getting, it’s fair to ask just how much Tour Edge is changing.

The answer ranges from a little to a lot, which is kind of surprising.

According to Tour Edge, the new Exotics E725 features a 10-percent lower center of gravity. For an iron that finished tops for forgiveness and top five for accuracy, that’s an awful lot. And we should all know what a lower center of gravity means by now.

The lofts are consistent for the game-improvement category, based on a 27.5-degree 7-iron. It’s strong but unchanged from the E723. The lower CG should equate to an easier and higher launch and a steeper descent angle.

You’ll also see a new sole rail (also seen on the X725 iron). Similar to the sole on Srixon irons, it’s a little extra sole relief on the heel and toe to improve turf interaction. It’s also part of the lower center of gravity recipe.

The Exotics E723 wasn’t the longest game-improvement iron in this year’s testing but it was no doorknob either. It finished fifth for distance. Lowering the CG and the new, thinner 3D Diamond Face could help improve that score.

5: It’s time for Tour Edge to get serious about player’s distance irons

Where the E723 topped the charts in MyGolfSpy’s game-improvement iron testing, the C723 finished next to last in player’s distance testing. It was neither long nor accurate compared to the pack and it wasn’t all the forgiving, either. Considering how well the E723 did in all three categories, that’s kind of surprising.

The C725 represents a total reset for Tour Edge. It’s a hollow-body design with what Tour Edge calls a “Military grade Maraging Steel L-Cup face.” Maraging steel is used in military applications but it’s also used to make golf clubs. Its silly high strength-to-weight ratio makes it a common material for hybrids and fairway wood faces. Maraging steel can be made very thin and flexible and, when built into an L-Cup face, it acts like a springboard or hinge to aid face flexing. That, in theory, can propel a golf ball a long way.

Tour Edge is also trying to make the C725 more visually appealing to golfers in the player’s distance category. The clubhead is 10-percent smaller than the C723 with a noticeably thinner topline and sole. Tour Edge says it’s designed for “the discerning player.”

The hollow-body design and loft structure are typical for the category, based off of a 30-degree 7-iron. To aid in custom fitting, Tour Edge includes a fitter-swappable 14-gram weight on the back of the clubface. Fitters will be able to adjust that weight based on a golfer’s needs, providing up to an eight-gram range for swing weighting.

6: Goldarn it, those look familiar …

We’ve said it many times here at MyGolfSpy but it bears repeating. Looks like does not equal same as nor does it equal copy of, knock-off or rip-off. Those are lazy takes.

That said, the C725 bears more than a passing resemblance to a Callaway Apex. And if you’re into obscure older irons, both the X725 and C725 appear to be an homage to the old Nickent 3DX irons. It’s important to understand, however, that every OEM is trying to accomplish pretty much the same things: enhanced ball speed over a greater area of the face, low CGs by finding and redistributing discretionary weight and dampening noise to improve sound and feel.

And they need to do all that in a package that looks like a golf club.

Similarities are bound to happen.

That said, it’s undeniable the Tour Edge Exotics C725 has some of the same design features as a recent vintage Callaway Apex. The aggressive carbon fiber/TPU backside badging on the E725 and X725 certainly take you back a decade and a half. Those are all design features that exist for a reason.

Besides, if you think about it, most golf clubs look a lot like other golf clubs. If you want to say there’s nothing new here, you’re probably right. The latest and greatest comes at a price. The Tour Edge play, however, is to offer you as much tech as possible at price below the big OEMs.

At that point, if it works, do you really care that it looks like an old Nickent or an Apex?

7: Tour Edge Exotics 725 irons: Specs, price and availability

As mentioned, Tour Edge is trying to thread a pretty fine needle. Premium performance priced below mainstream OEMs sounds attractive, given how golfers complain about “prices these days.” It’s bound to resonate with some golfers but the fact Callaway, Titleist or TaylorMade sell more clubs in a single quarter than Tour Edge does in a year speaks volumes.

That said, Tour Edge is a well-run company that’s shown a profit in virtually every year of its existence. How it manages price and technology threats from upper-tier direct-to-consumer companies such as Sub 70 and Ben Hogan remains to be seen. Retail availability and in-person custom fitting do represent an advantage.

So, about the pricing …

The Tour Edge Exotics X725 and E725 irons will retail for $114.99 per stick in steel and $129.99 in graphite. The X725 stock steel shaft is the KBS MT Max 85 while the KBS Tour Lite is stock in the E725. The Project X Cypher is the stock graphite shaft in both.

Seven-piece sets in graphite sell for $899.99 and in steel for $799.99.

The Tour Edge Exotics C725  irons retail for $128.99 per stick in steel, $149.99 in graphite. The Dynamic Gold Mid 100 and 115 are the stock steel shafts while the Project X Denali Blue is the stock graphite.

The Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 is the stock men’s grip while the Lamkin Crossline 360 Gray is the stock women’s grip.

Tour Edge also offers a wide range of no-upcharge shaft options. All three sets will be available for both lefties and righties.

Pre-sale for the new Tour Edge Exotics 725 irons starts online and in retailers starting Oct. 15. They’ll hit the shelves for custom fitting starting Nov. 1.

For more information, visit the Tour Edge website.

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