Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro Blade Irons
A certain 5-time major champion made his Champions Tour debut recently and borderline ran away with the tournament. However, if you watched the unique Monday through Wednesday TV coverage of this rookie’s debut, another Senior Tour player was also playing out of his mind and putting on a clinic – Tim Petrovic. Why is this anecdote relevant? Well, Petro was playing a bag of 13 Tour Edge clubs and cruising to a strong 2nd place finish trusting the new Exotics EXS Pro Blade irons. A traditional forged carbon muscle back blade designed for the player seeking shotmaker’s versatility, control, and feel. Only 250 sets have been made available to the public “right off the Tour van.”
The Looks
There really isn’t too much to say about the Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro Blade iron’s looks. It has a compact profile with a thin-ish topline and minimal offset. This muscle back has a moderately rounded toe with a medium toe height giving the EXS Pro Blade a nice blend of contemporary and traditional blade stylings. The branding is also minimal with the signature black and blue color scheme of the EXS family over a chrome finish.
How Does it Feel?
Let’s start off by saying the Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro Blade is designed for good strikers of the golf ball. To be successful with this club, you better be able to hit your irons well. Should you fall into that category, a flush shot feels extremely pure which leaves you with that nice blend of silky softness and forged responsiveness. Sure, as you venture away from the sweet spot, the face starts to “click” a bit and shots off the first groove are definitely on the firm side. But, come on, if you’re playing the EXS Pro Blade, you’re a smooth iron player and you know what you’re signing up for with a muscle back blade. The slightly rounded sole and leading edge are nice and firm but lenient as they smoothly clip through the turf.
How Does it Sound?
Like any muscle back blade, the Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro Blade’s sound totally depends on the lie and where you hit the ball on the face. If you catch one dead in the sweet spot off a tight lie with a nice pick, the sound is a clean “whap.” (Pronounce the “H”.) As you head more toward the heel or toe, the sound gets a little clicky as most forged blades will. Shots on the bottom groove sound tight and very firm. Best to make sure you find the sweet spot.
In terms of turf interaction, that clip off of a tight lie has a nice ripping tone to it that compliments the ball strike nicely. Taking the club in steep to get a little extract bite and compression will give you a nice “thump” as long as you make a good swing. Obviously if you take it too deep and dig a trench, you shouldn’t expect many gratifying tones. However, good strikes are rewarded with firm forged sounds that are nicely complimented by smooth turf interaction.
On-Course Performance
Tour Edge’s whole goal with the EXS Pro Blade was to make a timeless looking iron with a “tour-preferred feel” and workability. A classic blade design by definition. That said, the EXS Pro Blade is quietly modernized while still coming across as a traditional blade. First, the muscle is ever so slightly “bulkier” to put a little more weight lower in the face than normal. While it’s not a massive weight shift, it’s certainly more mass than your grandpa’s blades from 1964. In theory, this will make it a little easier to launch the ball with a better trajectory. The rounded sole we discussed earlier will also help in this area.
The next “modernization” utilized in the EXS Pro Blade was the use of CNC milling. Though the club is forged, a CNC milling process was used to finish off the head. This not only improved overall tolerances and consistency from a quality control perspective, but this milling was also utilized for the face and grooves. By CNC milling rather than “pressing” the grooves, Tour Edge can get them precisely milled right to the USGA’s conforming legal limit. This is especially useful in the short irons as it allows Tour Edge to make the grooves as deep and sharp as possible to maximize spin.
From my experience, the EXS Pro Blade was easy to hit different shots with. I found it exceptional on those aggressive swings throughout the entire set where you really wanted to get the ball to bite on the green. I felt the modern approaches Tour Edge took in making this club came through on those shots especially. If you’re a really strong iron player with a game that depends on shot shaping and hitting targets, the EXS Pro Blade certainly fits the bill.
Final Thoughts – Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro Blade Irons
In the beginning of this post, I mentioned that Tim Petrovic has had the Tour Edge EXS Pro Blade in his bag. Petrovic has been playing these irons for awhile now, and by all accounts, he switched into them for many of the same characteristics we covered in this review. He felt the classic look, smooth precise feel, and shot control enabled him to play his best golf. His success over the past month or so would indicate that this is true. I really enjoyed hitting the forged EXS Pro Blade iron and I think people that give it a shot will be impressed. Remember to act quick, however, as Tour Edge produced an extremely limited number of sets for purchase.
Stock Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro Blade Irons Specs
| Club # | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | PW | AW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loft º | 21º | 24º | 27º | 31º | 35º | 39º | 43º | 47º | 50º |
| Lie º | 60º | 60.5º | 61º | 61.5º | 62º | 62.5º | 63º | 63º | 63.5º |
| Length | 38.75″ | 38.25″ | 37.75″ | 37.25″ | 36.75″ | 36.25″ | 35.75″ | 35.25″ | 35.25″ |
Tour Edge are the most underrated clubs on the market. I’ve played from the blades(pre stroke) to the iron-woods(bad name) post stroke, an EXS 3 wood, a EXS driver and a David Glod putter and all are of the highest quality there are.
Don’t be afraid of this brand because it isn’t a Titleist or Callaway, it is equal to or better. The iron-woods are the most underrated mid to upper handicap club there is.
I’m a club junkie so I believe that I know.
Do you have pictures of the entire set? What about a picture that shows the sole of the club a bit better? I am curious about the looks of the wedge and the longer irons in the set.
I don’t, sorry.
These irons are so unassuming and overlooked. I have been playing MP 33’s for the past 20 years (3 sets) and as soon as I demo’ed these in the shafts I use, I was sold. The cost is lower and almost as good looking as the Mizuno but ignoring all that, these blades are impeccable and have done nothing but truly perform. I gained a few yards with each club as Mizuno’s traditionally fly higher and did not notice a huge difference in feel. The newer tech increased the sweet spot size (Forgiveness, flight, accuracy, spin and ball flight) and the sound matched feel. Solid set without a doubt.