Tour Edge, the pound for pound industry leader in performance and innovation, today announced that six of their new products were honored with a 2021 Golf Digest Hot List award, including two Gold Medal designations.
The Hot List, the annual golf equipment awards going on 18 straight years, was revealed in the March issue of Golf Digest currently on newsstands.
With the six new products winning a Hot List award this year, it is the highest number of Hot List designations awarded in a year to the surging golf equipment brand.
Tour Edge has earned 18 Golf Digest Hot List awards over the past four seasons.
The 2021 Hot List is the result of months of evaluations by players of all abilities testing more than 560 options models, settings, and styles of golf club in every possible product category. The Golf Digest judges gather insight from three independent panels to advise on every factor under the following weighting: 45% Performance, 30% Innovation, 20% Look/Sound/Feel and 5% Demand.
The big winners for Tour Edge in 2021 were their new Exotics 721 Series with three Hot List awards and the new Hot Launch 521 Series with three awards covering four distinct models.
#1 2021 Hot List Winner – Exotics C721 Driver
Winning a coveted spot on the 2021 Driver Hot List was the new Exotics C721 Driver that features Tour Edge’s new Ridgeback and Diamond Face 2.0 technologies.
Golf Digest Exotics C721 Driver Review Excerpt: “Past Tour Edge drivers have used a series of interconnected diamond shapes to increase ball speed. This model takes this concept and multiplies it. The rows of interconnected diamond shapes behind the beta-titanium face now vary in seven thicknesses.”
The player comments from the Hot List test on the Exotics C721 Driver were as follows:
- “Sound and vibrations at impact are nicely muted. Feels smooth throughout the backswing. Great weighting and easy to keep online. Good carry and felt like even my misses were not that far off.” – Low-Handicapper
- “Maybe unconventional look with carbon fiber but very focusing. Good swings are heavily rewarded. Ball jumped. Very consistent.” – Mid-Handicapper
- “I hit this consistently straight with a high trajectory. The clubhead
feels lightweight, but the weight at impact is solid, so you feel the energy.” - High-Handicapper
#2 2021 Hot List Winner – Exotics C721 Fairway Metal
The new Exotics C721 Fairway that also features the new Ridgeback and Carbon Wings on the crown of the clubhead, joined the Exotics C721 Driver as a Silver Medalist in this year’s test.
Golf Digest Exotics C721 Fairway Metal Review Excerpt: “there’s more stability on off-center hits through the use of two lightweight carbon-fiber panels that stretch across the crown and sole. The saved weight is redistributed low and deep, including a 10-gram weight chip in the extreme rear perimeter. The panels are split by a steel ridge that connects to the face and runs from front to back and into the soleplate. The ridge is designed to brace the face for better flexing on center hits and misses on the heel and toe.”
The player comments on the Exotics C721 Fairway Metal were as follows:
- “I liked the traditional shape, and the club face was a good size. Impact sounded pure, and it was easy to hit, with a nice penetrating ball flight.”– Low Handicapper
- “Consistent all around, and my misses were minimized.”– Mid-Handicapper
- “I actually think that center ridge helps keep my backswing on path. Larger size, but it delivers a piercing flight, straight with little distraction left or right.”– High Handicapper
#3 2021 Hot List Winner – Exotics C721 Hybrid
The Exotics C721 Hybrid won a Gold Medal in the hybrid category and earned a perfect five stars in the Performance category.
Golf Digest Exotics C721 Hybrid Review Excerpt: “the C721 explores new technologies in every corner to maximize performance. It starts with the carbon-composite panel that covers the entire crown, saving weight that is pushed to the rear perimeter for better forgiveness on off-center impacts.”
The player comments from the Hot List test on the Exotics C721 Hybrid were as follows:
- “Slightly larger head than others but carbon fiber makes it easy to look at. Club head has nice, weighted feel to it so that when you’re taking it back you actually feel the weight of the clubhead Ball seems to hold the line and relatively easy to hit.” – Low Handicapper
- “Open and inviting at address. The carbon-fiber look is exciting, and the feel is consistently smooth. Piercing flight that rose slowly but did not waver.”– Mid-Handicapper
- “Liked the larger head and how easy it looked to hit. Simple graphics, great sound at impact, very forgiving.”– High Handicapper
#4 2021 Hot List Winner – Hot Launch C521 and E521 Hybrids
Tour Edge’s second 2021 Hot List winning hybrid went to the Hot Launch E and C 521 Hybrid models, making Tour Edge tied for the most hybrid models to make the 2021 Hot List.
Golf Digest Hot Launch C521 and E521 Hybrid Review Excerpt: “Few products on this year’s Hot List could be viewed as essential to the game’s future growth as Tour Edge’s Hot Launch line, especially this hybrid tandem. These complementary clubs not only offer beginning golfers an affordable alternative, but they do so with a savvy approach to stability and forgiveness. At a price that’s about half the going rate of some of the leading hybrids on our list, these two heads represent a traditional game-improvement approach (C521) and a true emergency super-game-improvement option (E521).”
The player comments from the Hot List test on the Hot Launch 521 Hybrids were as follows:
- “Sleek and simple design that is friendly to look at. Sound doesn’t jump out but is soothing to the ear.” – Low Handicapper
- “There's some decent pop in these. The flight is consistent, reliable, better results that I'd get with an iron.” – Mid Handicapper
- “The standard C521 model has a clean look, and the larger head feels forgiving. Shots were high with tight dispersion. I was never losing shots to the right.” – High Handicapper
#5 2021 Hot List Winner – Hot Launch C521 Iron
The Hot Launch C521 Iron set won a Silver Medal in the Game-Improvement iron category.
Golf Digest Hot Launch C521 Iron Review Excerpt: “A traditional cavity-back iron in appearance, the C521 features a somewhat wider sole with a tiny wing that runs along the center of the bottom of the club. This adds mass low to help get the ball in the air, but the bigger advantage to the wing is helping shots hit slightly heavy behave more like flushed impacts… Plus, this iron is one of the best values on our list.”
The player comments from the Hot List test on the Hot Launch C521 Irons were as follows:
- “This club wails. The ball is high and driving, no side motion. Straight is the name of the game. I had no fears of slicing because this club wouldn’t let me.” – High Handicapper
- “Feels very smooth. Good contact is properly rewarded, but bad contact is not heavily penalized.” – Mid Handicapper
- “The leading edge and sole cut through the turf with ease. You’ll catch a divot, but it won’t slow you down.” – Low Handicapper
#6 2021 Hot List Winner – Hot Launch E521 Iron
Tour Edge’s second iron to win a Hot List award went to the Hot Launch E521 Iron with a Gold Medal award. This hollow-body extreme game improvement set earned a perfect five stars in the Innovation category.
Golf Digest described the Hot Launch E521 set by saying: “Hybrid irons with hollow bodies are Tour Edge’s wheelhouse, and it’s easy to see how “get the ball up in the air” is the most important consideration here. The hollow-body construction provides metalwood-like flex on the face. Designers also engineered a wide sole to create a low and deep center of gravity to launch shots high. The sole also aggressively addresses the challenge of turf interaction. By using a raised, angled mass in the back of the sole…the sole’s ability to reduce contact with the turf is enhanced, and when it does hit grass, it plows through it more easily.”
The player comments on the Hot Launch E521 Iron set were as follows:
- “A nice, high trajectory without a lot of movement. Hugely forgiving off the turf. The thicker back carries the club through the ground.” – High Handicapper
- “A little bigger than I normally like but that's all forgiven once you experience the club in action. Almost like you couldn't mis-hit it.” – High Handicapper
- “Easy to hit with a high launch. The ball just seemed to keep going.” – High Handicapper
About Tour Edge
In 2021, Tour Edge is celebrating 35 years as a highly renowned and top-selling golf club and bag manufacturer serving the global golf market.
Tour Edge is an American owned and operated company out of Batavia, Illinois that manufactures and sells golf clubs under three distinct sub-brands:
- Exotics: a tour-preferred line of ultra-premium equipment featuring next-level innovation and materials that is in the bags of over 100 of the world’s top professionals.
- Hot Launch: the highest level of performance and game improvement innovation design at a mid-tier price point and the #1 custom fitted value in golf.
- “Get in the Game” products: featuring complete sets for men, women, seniors, and juniors, as well as individual drivers, putters, wedges, and golf bags designed for casual and beginning golfers on a budget.
The legendary #TeamTourEdge tour staff includes Ken Duke, Bernhard Langer, Tom Lehman, Scott McCarron, Tim Petrovic and Duffy Waldorf. Despite only having six professionals on their tour staff, over 100 different PGA Tour players have played over 1,000 Tour Edge clubs in the last three seasons on the three PGA Tours.
Tour Edge products have been in play for 22 victories on the PGA Tours, including 10 on the PGA TOUR and 11 on the PGA TOUR Champions.
Media Contact:
Jon Claffey
Vice President of Marketing Tour Edge
Phone: 800-515-3343 Ex: 110
Email: jclaffey@touredge.com