Tour Edge X725, E725, X725 irons: What you need to know

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Tour Edge’s latest Exotics iron line features the C725 for a more accomplished player seeking to reclaim some lost distance while the E725 appeals to the game-improvement crowd. A super-game-improvement iron—the X725—is a new addition to the line.

PRICE/AVAILABILITY: Cost for the C725 irons is $129 per iron in steel and $143 per iron in graphite. The E725 is $115 per iron in steel and $130 per iron in graphite. The X725 goes for $115 per iron in steel and $130 in graphite. All will be available at retail Nov. 1.

3 Cool Things

1. More distance, better look

As it is aimed at better players, the C725 received a makeover with a clubhead shape that is 10-percent smaller through a shorter blade length and thinner topline and sole. The compact shape, however, belies the fact there is serious horsepower as this iron features a hollow-body design with an L-face cup (where the face wraps around part of the sole) to generate added face flex.

The diamond face, which uses 92 diamonds in three different shapes and thicknesses, not only helps produce speed, particularly on off-center strikes, but has the added benefit of removing weight that was used to help deepen the center of gravity.

“The goal here was to retain all the performance but in a smaller package with better visual cues for the better player,” said Matt Neeley, Tour Edge’s vice president of product development. “For a small face it is pretty forgiving, which this player needs a little of, while providing the distance they want.”

The use of the “Vibrcor” thermoplastic urethane inside the head helps damp the sound and eliminate the slight “click” that was heard on previous C models. Meanwhile, a carbon-fiber badge and a multi-material dampening weight utilized on the back of the iron moves weight lower and further back in the clubhead, saves a significant amount of weight overall for an optimized CG location. The TPU in the dampening weight creates enhanced acoustics for a better feel, too.

2. E is for enhanced improvement

The E725 builds upon its game-improvement predecessor with many of the same base technologies yet several significant enhancements. Chief among them was an extreme low-rearward CG position, which is 10 percent lower to foster an extremely high moment of inertia (which mitigates ball-speed loss on mis-hits).

The design is a one-piece, high-strength steel body with a 360-degree undercut that helps lower the CG to produce a higher launch. For the face, Tour Edge continues with its revamped diamond-face variable-thickness design (103 total diamonds in this one) in which different-sized diamond shapes act as mini-trampolines to foster higher ball speeds across a wider portion of the face, including reduced thickness in the heel and toe areas to decrease the loss of ball speed on off-center strikes.

Not to be overlooked is the attention to the sole, where a heavy sole rail provides heel and toe relief that not only lowers the CG but improves turf interaction.

3. Help is on the way

Accompanying the two mainstream irons, Tour Edge has an additional iron aimed at those less skilled, the X725.

“The X iron is a new concept for us,” said David Glod, Tour Edge’s chief designer and CEO. “The thinking being, why not take our all-time best-selling iron-wood concept and make an ultra-premium Exotics version.”

Glod says the iron turned out better than the company expected. “It’s the highest MOI iron we’ve ever produced, and the easiest to hit Exotics iron ever made It’s going to help a lot of golfers drastically lower scores.”

Although the X725 has the diamond face, Vibrcor technology and lightweight shafts, golfers shopping in this category are less into the science and more into what’s in it for them. In this instance the aim was to make it easier to get in the air and more slice-fighting help.

Those goals were achieved by a shallower clubhead (4 to 6 millimeters than E725, a thicker topline (2 to 3 millimeters more to bolster confidence) and 1 to 2 millimeters more offset.

Weaker lofts (1.5 to 3 degrees more loft) also work well with this player type. “We’re not trying to squeeze every yard out of this iron although it has plenty of distance,” Neeley said. “What we have done is provide about 500 rpm more spin to help get ball in the air and that is a huge benefit to those that don’t swing as fast in achieving distance.”