Tour Edge Hot Launch E523 Fairways and Hybrids

Along with the Hot Launch E523 and C523 drivers, Tour Edge is introducing matching Hot Launch E523 and C523 fairway woods and hybrids. At a budget-friendly price of $169.99 (fairway) and $149.99 (hybrids), it’s fair to wager that Tour Edge is positioning this seventh generation of Hot Launch products as the best “bang for the buck” in the industry.

The challenge for Tour Edge is giving consumers as much performance as possible while working with a limited menu of technological resources. It’s why manufacturers often offer several lines of equipment at multiple price levels. If you want the full suite of modern materials and current generation technology, it’s always going to cost a bit more.

As it did last time around and in line with the 523 series drivers, the Tour Edge Hot Launch lineup will feature two product lines.

Tour Edge Hot Launch E523 Fairway Metal

The E523 Fairway Metal is every bit as extreme as the E523 driver. And in this context, “Extreme” is a proxy for what we typically see in SGI (super game-improvement) equipment.

Specifically, that translates as a shallow face, heel-weighting and additional offset. The typical miss for the target golfer is a slice that’s often the result of an open face at impact, over-the-top (steep) swing plane or some combination of the two.

To help combat this, Tour Edge utilizes the following technologies:

Houdini Sole – This is the Tour Edge version of concentrated rear weighting. Its purpose is to pull the center of gravity low and deep to help increase launch and forgiveness. Tour Edge also states that the sole design reduces turf interaction by 35 percent, which should help when playing shots from the rough and varied lies.

Diamond Face VFT – Though the 17-4 stainless steel construction isn’t exactly avant-garde, Tour Edge’s variable-face thickness design purportedly works as 39 mini-trampolines. The concept is to provide enhanced ball speed on off-center strikes.

Super-Shallow Face Design – I’m not certain how more shallow a face must be to qualify as “super” shallow but that’s what Tour Edge is after with its Cup Face design. The chief benefit, according to Tour Edge, is “extreme ease of launch with extreme forgiveness.” That’s a whole lotta extreme going on.

Tour Edge Hot Launch C523 Fairway Metal

Compared to the E523 Fairway Metal, I suppose the  C523 exhibits a relatively more “competitive” set of aesthetics and design features. Again, lathering a game-improvement piece of equipment with phrasing like “classic design” and “optimal launch and spin rates” feels a bit out of place. Tour Edge has its Exotics franchise to handle the needs of its Tour staff and competitive amateurs.

The technology suite for  the Hot Launch C523 is mostly the same as the E523 with several notable alterations.

Sole Rail – Tour Edge’s version a sole design akin to what we see from industry leaders such as Cobra and TaylorMade. The objective of Tour Edge’s sole rail is to maintain a lower center of gravity while decreasing turf interaction and increasing the effective hitting area. Tour Edge states that it’s a  42-percent increase in hitting area, which roughly translates as forgiveness.

Larger Power Channel – Tour Edge has increased the size of the power channel by 75 percent relative to the previous model. The updated design allows for even greater face flexing (more speed) with reduced spin, particularly on low face impacts.

MOI-Boosting Rear Sole Weight – The rear sole weight is more robust than in the previous version, increasing MOI by 11 percent.

The stock shaft is the UST Mamiya HL-SST. The shafts range in weight from 45 to 60 grams and feature a soft tip section to further promote high launch.

Tour Edge Hot Launch E523 and C523 Hybrid

CTRL+C, then CTRL+V. That’s the story of the Tour Edge E523 and C523 Hot Launch hybrids. The tech story, features and benefits, talking points, marketing slides and everything else are essentially the same as with the E523 and C523 fairway metals. The only difference is the application. Meaning that, instead of a fairway metal, the final product is a hybrid.

If you want to split hairs, the highest-lofted Hot Launch fairway metal is a 27-degree 11-wood whereas both the C523 and E523 series feature a 28-degree 6-hybrid. Other than that, it’s copy and paste.

Pricing and Availability

Hot Launch E523 and C523 are part of Tour Edge’s 48-hour shipping arrival program. Any custom order placed before 1:30 p.m. on a weekday will arrive within 48 hours.

Retail availability for the Tour Edge Hot Launch 523 series begins Nov. 1.

Retail pricing Hot Launch E523 and C 523 fairway metals

For more information, visit TourEdge.com.

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