Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 Hybrid Review

Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 Hybrid

David Glod, President, Founder, and Master Club Designer at Tour Edge, says he “designed this club to do it all.” This club being the new Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 hybrid. Forgiveness, distance, and versatility are hallmarks of the EXS 220 hybrid as a result of the maximum M.O.I. (moment of inertia) and Diamond Face technology. Falling right in line with the EXS 200 driver and fairway wood, this hybrid is quite impressive.

The Looks

The overall footprint of the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 hybrid is on the larger side. This club definitely leans more toward the “mini fairway wood” end of the spectrum. That said, this is intentional based on the design. Tour Edge made the 220 hybrid longer from front to back in order to help raise the MOI of the club. The deeper head paired with the 4-gram sole weight is supposed to make the head more stable and forgiving.

Even with its larger size, the EXS 220 hybrid has a nice pair shape and a medium face depth. The unassuming blank black metal flake crown looks clean behind the ball. Remember, black is a slimming color! The minimal black crown helps slim the club a bit to your eye. Flip the head over and you’ll find the EXS 220 red, white, and blue color scheme and the signature Slipstream sole (more on that later).

How Does it Feel?

Like the woods of the EXS 220 family, the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 hybrid utilizes the same Diamond Face tech. There are 44 diamond shapes of varying thicknesses behind the face to provide a larger sweet spot. The end result is a super hot face that feels like the ball is really jumping at impact. As mentioned before, the higher MOI design makes the EXS 220 hybrid a little larger, but the club feels extremely well balanced and smooth during the swing. More importantly, it feels incredibly forgiving and reassuring.

How Does it Sound?

Though the club is more versatile, the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 hybrid is reminiscent of a small fairway wood. This might be the most apparent in the sound department. This is just what’s going to happen with a larger head size. Don’t get me wrong, the sound at impact is still tight and satisfying. Like the driver and the fairway wood, Tour Edge implemented the Sound Diffusion (SD) bar to manage the hybrid’s tone. Most shots come off the face with a nice “ping” with a muted pop to it. Given the forgiving face, it takes quite a bit to not get this sound. Big mishits sound similar, just a little firmer and less lively.

On-Course Performance

Tour Edge’s claim of versatility in the EXS 220 hybrid really rings true. As usual with a hybrid, it’s up to the player to figure out what role it needs to fit in the bag and what you’re looking for out of those shots. The great news is that the EXS 220 can probably do it. First, the forgiveness is impressive. The sweet spot is large and the higher MOI make the club easy to launch. Additionally raising the center of gravity, reduced the spin rates, but there’s still enough spin to keep the ball in the air and come down relatively soft.

The ball speeds from the Diamond Face, mixed with the forgiveness and easy launch, result in big distance. Again, this may be a situation where the EXS 220 can play the role of a smaller fairway wood. When you need to pound one off the tee or on a long par 5, this club does that well. I mean, seriously…man, this thing can BOMB it. Additionally, if you need to launch one a little higher for a softer landing, that shot is easy to play as well.

Lastly, the signature Slipstream sole does its job to make the EXS 220 hybrid playable from a range of lies. The purpose of the Slipstream sole is to make the turf interaction “smoother” so the club tracks better through the ball. I noticed the club rip crisply through shorter grass and track straighter through lighter rough. Heavy rough…hit it better off the tee, ok?

Final Thoughts – Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 Hybrid

Short and simple, the Tour Edge Exotics EXS 220 hybrid is a monster of a club. It’s super easy to hit with a soaring flight and a ton of distance. That’s a technical imperial unit of measurement. I genuinely felt like I could hit every shot very easily with this club. I do think big shot shapers may still opt for something like the Tour Edge CBX 119 for its smaller profile, but players mainly looking for longer distances and forgiveness in this area of the bag can’t go wrong with the EXS 220 hybrid.

After the Review…

Just a few quick additional notes that are pretty neat. First, Tour Edge provides a lifetime warranty on all of their clubs. If that doesn’t add to the value of the EXS 220, I’m not sure what does. Additionally, the EXS 220 family is now part of Tour Edge’s 48-Hour Custom Fit Delivery Program. This means that any custom order placed through an authorized Tour Edge dealer by 2:30pm Central will be delivered within two business days anywhere in the Continental US. That’s a pretty quick turnaround on a custom build…

Note: for swing weight and launch adjustments, Tour Edge will also make 7 and 10 gram weights available. Which weight is best for you will heavily depend on your swing and the shot you’re looking for out of your hybrid.