Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 Fairway Wood Review

Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 Fairway Wood

Continuing our series of Hot Launch 521 reviews, we’re covering the new Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 fairway wood lineup. Just like the rest of the Hot Launch 521 lineup, the fairway woods are offered in two different options – the C series for the more competitive player and the E series for the player looking for extreme forgiveness. Packed with great technology and design concepts that just make the game easier, the Hot Launch 521 fairway woods are easily one of the best values in golf equipment.

The Looks

Standing over the Tour Edge Hot Launch C521 fairway wood, it’s difficult to believe it only costs $150! The C521 fairway wood has a midsize footprint with an excellent profile at address that holds up with any premium competition. Looking down at the crown you see a nice sparkle finish in an otherwise modest appearance. A new Tour Edge Logo as an alignment aid tops off what I believe to be the best looking club in the entire Hot Launch 521 lineup.

Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 Fairway Woods E 4 — Hot Launch E521 Fairway Wood

From address, it’s pretty easy to tell that the E521 fairway wood is an extreme game improvement (GI) fairway wood. The head is a touch rounder and there is significant offset which adds to the forgiveness. That offset, combined with the heel weight on the sole, make it easier for the face to square up at impact for straighter shots. AKA, take the slice almost completely out of the game. The face is also shallower but has a unique shape as a result of the Houdini Sole, which we’ll discuss throughout the review.

Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 Fairway Wood E 5 — Hot Launch C521 Fairway Wood Face

How Does it Feel?

These are just a couple of $150 fairway woods, they can’t feel that great, right? Wrong! The Tour Edge Hot Launch C521 specifically flat out feels incredible. Like the powerhouse EXS 220 fairway wood, the C521 fairway wood has Diamond Face in it which makes the face both forgiving and powerful. These diamonds behind the face act as mini trampolines help increase forgiveness and help the ball jump off faster. Add in the Power Channel on the sole and there’s more flex in the entire face contributing to the added forgiveness as well as speed. This all leads to a bigger sweet spot with precise feedback and an overall hot feel. Additionally, the stock Aldila Rogue is incredibly smooth with plenty of control.

Feel E521 6 — Hot Launch E521 Fairway Wood Face

Tour Edge went with a Fubuki HD stock shaft for the E521 fariway wood which has a smooth bend profile and easy action. The real magic, however, in the feel of this club is the Houdini Sole. The Houdini Sole delivers two major characteristics that contribute to the E521 fairway wood’s overall feel. First, the Houdini Sole positions the center of gravity (CG) lower and further back (23% and 6% respectively to be exact). While there is more impact in performance, this gives the club head an overall more balanced feel. Second, the Houdini Sole gives the E521 a fairly unique shape that reduces friction with the ground so the club cuts through the turf cleaner and more club face makes contact with the ball. As a result, you experience more ball speed and better feedback at impact.

Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 Fairway Wood C 3

How Does it Sound?

For $150 you will NOT find a better sounding fairway wood than the Tour Edge Hot Launch C521. Diamond Face isn’t the only technology that the C521 inherited from the EXS 220 fairway wood. Tour Edge used acoustic ribbing inside the club head to optimize the sound and feel. Making good contact across the majority of the C521’s face gives you a nice and crisp “crack”.

While it may not acoustically impress as much as the C521, the E521 fairway wood still sounds good. Having a forgiving shallow face, the E521’s tone is a little more metallic and is little more “airy”. I’m not saying it sounds hollow by any means, but the sound is more of a “pop” than it is a “crack”. I want to be clear, it’s a perfectly acceptable sound from a forgiving fairway wood. Especially when you consider how well it performs.

On-Course Performance

Let me start by saying that the data isn’t fully an apples to apples comparison. Our Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 club setups were built based on sets provided for a match to be played later. We had the C521 in a 17º 4 wood and the E521 in a 16º 3 wood for reviews. Regardless, the relative experiences with the two different clubs was distinguishable.

More competitive players will find the C521 fairway wood to be impressive. The CG is low and back in the head making the club easier to launch and spin a little more to keep it in the air longer. Remember, this fairway wood isn’t draw biased. Since it isn’t draw bias, it’s still easy to shape the ball both directions and hit some missiles with it. Once again, the C521 is a forgiving and incredibly strong performer that you can steal at a mere $150. It’s easily one of the easiest playing fairway woods I’ve ever hit.

Once again, it was the Hot Launch E521 fairway wood that really got my attention. Much like the E521 iron woods, the E521 fairway wood is an absolute cheat code. Getting the ball to launch in the air and stay straight was completely effortless. In my case, slicing the ball was completely out of the question from the offset design and the heel-biased sole weight. All my shots were nice carrying draws to the point I could barely get the ball to fade no matter how hard I tried. Think of who this club is geared for, though. The E521 fairway is built for the player that slices the ball and needs all the help they can get to eliminate that miss. It’s safe to say this one does just that!

Final Thoughts – Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 Fairway Wood

Like the drivers, the Tour Edge Hot Launch 521 fairway woods delivered exactly as advertised. Both of these fairway woods are so good at what they do and only cost $150 brand new! The C521 fairway wood is easy to get flying with very strong delivery across the board. But again, the real story here is this E521 fairway wood. Holy cow…it’s just so easy to launch and keep in play. During our testing, it was almost as if you just had to keep your head down and swing away. The club will do the rest. If you’re a beginner, or just someone looking for as much help as possible hitting your fairway woods better, the E521 is the best answer on the market that I’ve personally seen. Even more so when you consider its ridiculous price point.