Tour Edge Exotics 721 Fairway Wood

The Tour Edge Exotics 721 fairway wood has some SERIOUSLY big shoes to fill. Following my experience with the EXS 220 fairway wood last season, my standards were pretty high. I eagerly anticipated seeing how Tour Edge would follow up the mighty EXS 220 fairway wood this season. What Tour Edge delivered was updates to tried and true technology from previous models as well as new innovations that really brought the Exotics line to a another level. With a bigger and better Diamond Face, new Ridgeback Technology, and a new “sound management system”, the Exotics 721 fairway wood is quite impressive.

The Looks

The overall footprint from address has changed a bit in the Tour Edge Exotics 721 fairway wood. Standing over the club, the 721 fairway wood’s head shape is more of a “D shape” as opposed to the EXS 220’s pear shape. This change in head shape allowed Tour Edge to bring the center of gravity (CG) lower and further back in the head. By moving the CG to this location, the 721 is a little easier to launch and control. I wouldn’t call the 721 fairway wood’s face super shallow, but it’s in the shallow-to-medium depth area that will appeal to ball strikers across multiple skill levels.

Cosmetically speaking, the Exotics 721 driver and fairway wood are a bit of a departure for Tour Edge. Though the brand has utilized carbon fiber in the body of their clubs before, the Dual Carbon Wings and Ridgeback Technology create a slick contrasting aesthetic on the crown. More than just a matter of appearances, those two elements functionally contribute to the club as well, which we’ll cover throughout this review. Additionally, the T shape created by the glossy black topline and the Ridgeback spine really frames and lines up the ball nicely.

How Does it Feel?

Overall, the Tour Edge Exotics 721 fairway wood feels smooth, well balanced, and extremely powerful. As mentioned above, Tour Edge utilized “Dual Carbon Wings” in the head which allowed them reallocate discretionary weight throughout the club head. This enables Tour Edge to better optimize the CG of the club. With the CG low and back in the head, the 721 fairway wood is well balanced throughout the entire swing, and the design also lends itself to a higher MOI. MOI stands for “moment of inertia” which helps prevent the club from twisting at impact and makes controlling your shot easier.

Diamond Face technology is back in the Exotics 721 metalwoods lineup, but it’s been updated to the new 2.0 version. Diamond Face 2.0 adds 61 diamond shapes behind the face and five different variations face thickness. Together, this makes the face more forgiving as well as hotter, especially on mishits. By design, the diamond shapes act as mini trampolines and you can really feel the life of the face at impact.

While the face has a certain element of “springiness”, the new Ridgeback Technology makes the 721 fairway wood feel extremely powerful and solid at the same time. This spine makes the head more “rigid” at impact which allows the energy to transfer back into the ball as opposed to being absorbed into the head. Not only does this make the club feel stronger and more crisp, but it also increases ball speed between the energy transfer and face felx.

How Does it Sound?

Sound is an area that Tour Edge has really attacked over the past few seasons. In the the Exotics 721 metalwoods, Tour Edge went about managing the sound a little differently. First, they added their new Sound Diffusion Panels which “direct and diffuse” the sound waves in the club at impact. These panels combined with the hot Hyper-Steel Diamond Face, the Dual Carbon Wings, and the rigidity from the Ridgeback give the 721 fairway wood a firm, yet muted, “crack” at impact. The sound lets you know the ball really popped off the face in quite the satisfying fashion. More rigid heads and carbon fiber crowns are always a recipe for killer sounds in fairway woods. It certainly works in this club. At least, that’s my opinion.

On-Course Performance

The Tour Edge Exotics 721 fairway wood does exactly what it’s designed to do. It’s as simple as that. What I’ve found through my testing sessions is that the club produces some great shots and it’s just easy to hit. For all of you “shot shapers”, the 721 fairway wood is plenty workable even with it’s back sole weight and high MOI design. I was able to work the ball both directions, and up and down without a problem.

But here’s the thing… I’m at a point in the season where I’m FAR from mid-season form. I won’t sit here and try to tell you I’ve put my best swings on the ball while testing the 721 fairway wood. But that’s actually what impressed me the most with the 721. I was still able to produce really good golf shots that, which frankly, I didn’t deserve. That low and back CG then got my ball launching and staying in the air. Add the combination of Diamond Face and Ridgeback, and the ball really jumps off of the face in a hurry for easy distance and tight dispersion.

Final Thoughts – Tour Edge Exotics 721 Fairway Wood

The evolution and growth I’ve seen from Tour Edge over the past 5 years is incredibly impressive and clubs like the Exotics 721 woods are a true testament to their efforts to keep getting better. Tour Edge did an excellent job making all of the design elements in the Exotics 721 fairway wood actually work together to deliver a total package of premium performance. For example, the trampoline effect of Diamond Face is nicely complimented by the rigidity of the new Ridgeback Technology. Add in the CG placement and you aren’t fighting your fairway wood to just get it in the air while keeping it in play. You’re hitting the ball long and straight.

What’s really appealing about the Exotics 721 fairway wood is that it can work for better players as well as mid-to-high handicap players looking for distance and forgiveness. I think we will see “plus handicaps” relying on this fairway wood in critical moments just as much as we’ll see 15 handicaps benefiting from the same technology. I know for me personally, the biggest competition the 721 has in my bag right now is its predecessor, my beloved EXS 220 3 wood!

Stock Tour Edge Exotics 721 Fairway Wood Specs

Tour Edge used their T.E.D. swing robot to determine the best shaft option in their diverse lineup for every swing flex and speed. The below list has Tour Edge’s “SpeedTested” stock shaft offerings with suggestions based on different swing speed ranges.

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