What you need to know: Tour Edge’s Hot Launch E525 irons and wedges are designed for golfers who prefer a more classic cavity-back design. The Hot Launch X525 irons and wedges provide plenty of help for golfers focused on getting the ball more easily in the air or, in the case of the wedges, out of the sand or heavy rough. The irons also help fight a slice via a pronounced offset.
Price/Availability: The Hot Launch E525 irons and wedges cost $80 per iron while the X525 irons and wedges go for $90 per club. All will be at retail stores on March 1.
1. A little bit of X-tra help. The X525 hollow-body hybrid irons offer help in a different way, promoting higher launch and draw bias through its offset design. Additionally, the company has taken an aggressive approach to turf interaction by using its “Houdini sole” employed in some of its fairway woods and hybrids to effectively cut through the ground. The raised mass at the rear of the clubhead helps lower the CG as well, assisting launch.
The irons also employ a “super-shallow” face height to encourage higher launch while the hollow-body design takes that a step further by placing weight low.
The X525 Irons come stock with a lightweight UST Mamiya Helium shaft that features a new nanocore technology designed to help boost clubhead speed.
2. The feel is real. While generally a more traditional cavity-back design, the E525’s wide sole helps on heavier hits while the 360-degree undercut in the cavity works with extra mass in the toe to enhance moment of inertia for better performance on off-center strikes while promoting face flex.
The company continues its use of its VIBRCOR high-grade thermoplastic urethane to enhance feel and promote a pleasing sound. The TPU is placed in the deep undercut pocket to boost perimeter weighting for forgiveness while bolstering speed.
3. Two ways to work around the green. The Hot Launch irons extend to a pair of wedges—the X525 and E525. The E525 has a thermoplastic urethane in the undercut pocket to dampen unwanted vibrations. Extra weight in the toe portion of the club expands the sweet spot and assists shots struck high on the face. The wedges are available in lofts of 50 to 60 degrees in two-degree increments.
The X525 wedges feature a wide, Houdini sole designed to make bunker escapes and recovery from juicy rough easier. The sole has a curved leading edge under the face to assist with turf interaction. The deep undercut in the cavity-back design frees up the extra mass that’s moved low to provide a higher launch while full-face grooves provide plenty of grab on shots around the green. An oversized face provides more striking area for players seeking an extreme game-improvement wedge. The wedges are available in lofts of 52, 56 and 60 degrees.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
