Tour Edge Golf offers some of the best -- if not the best -- values in golf equipment. The company's Hot Launch line has been leading the way in that regard, with the fourth-gen line being the gold standard for a full-bag of custom-fit, value-priced equipment.
For the fifth generation of the line, the Hot Launch 521, Tour Edge has further expanded the offering to attract even more golfers. With this series, there are two families, the E and C lines, with the E standing for "extreme game improvement" and the C for "competition." Each line features different designs, shapes, benefits and are unique to the type of golfer who would best fit into each style.
The E Series clubs have a very low center of gravity, shallow faces, heads with plenty of offset and lightweight premium shafts, all to help golfers with slower and mid-tempo swings get the ball in the air and flying straight.
The C Series features clubs with higher MOI in classic shapes that are built for forgiveness and ball speed for golfers with swing speeds in that medium-and-above range.
All told, the Hot Launch 521 (fifth-gen in 2021, get it?) line has 46 different lofts in right-handed clubs and 20 different lefty lofts. It's a big undertaking, the largest in the company's history. Further, like with Gen 4, the company is promising 48-hour turnaround on custom-fit orders from over 850 custom fitting centers across the country.
The whole series is available Nov. 1.
Hot Launch 521 drivers
E521
The Hot Launch E521 driver is made from 6-4 titanium, with a bigger profile -- the maximum allowed under USGA rules -- made possible with a very shallow face that's geared toward hiking MOI north of 5000 grams per cubic centimeter squared (which is 6 percent higher than the last generation of Hot Launch) for forgiveness needed for this type of player.
The company has what it's dubbing the Houdini sole in this driver, which pushes weight back with an area of mass set on the extreme trailing edge of the clubhead and a curved leading edge under the face, all while having a draw bias built in with heel weighting. Tour Edge says the CG has been moved 14 percent lower and 10 percent farther back compared to the HL4.
The center of gravity is positioned low and back to help launch the ball, while there are lofts in 10.5-, 12- and 15-degree heads to help ease the ball into a higher launch.
The shafts are shorter at 44.5 inches on the E521 driver to improve control and max out smash factor, which is a function of ball speed over clubhead speed, where 1.5 is about as efficient as it gets.
The Mitsubish Fubuki shaft is the stock shaft, coming in at 45-55 grams with a lower kickpoint to help increase speed, and the club retails for $230.
C521
The C521 driver design has a sloped crown on the 6-4 titanium head that is deeper from face to back, with a rear weight that is designed to hike MOI in the same range as the E521 without having as large of a footprint. The head features Diamond Face technology, which has been used in the Exotics line and features 39 different thick and thin diamond shapes behind the face to increase ball speeds and reduce spin across the cup face.
The back weight also lower center of gravity by 12 percent and pushes it 7 percent farther back than the HL4.
A Power Channel on the sole of the club is deeper than the previous generation and helps the face flex more to increase ball speeds across the impact zone.
The Aldila Rogue shaft is the stock shaft here in 50- and 60-gram options, with 9.5-, 10.5- and 12-degee heads, all at $230.
Fairway woods
E521
The E521 fairway woods are made from 17-4 stainless steel and feature the Houdini sole concept, with a raised mass of steel in the read of the clubhead to improve turf interaction by making less of it. The company says this design is extremely helpful in getting balls out of the rough, which is a struggle for golfers in this category of equipment.
Of course, the sole design also lower the center of gravity position -- some 23 percent compared to HL4.
The shallow cup face is designed to help with ease of launch, while the heel weighting of the head promotes a draw bias.
The shafts on these fairways are shorter, too, like the driver, to improve control and maximize smash factor, which is not only an efficiency benchmark but also pops in a lot of fittings.
The Mitsubishi Fubuki line is the stock shaft in the series, with 3- (16 degrees), 5- (20 degrees), 7- (23 degrees), 9- (25 degrees) and 11-wood (27 degrees) heads available for righties, with lefties only getting 3-, 5- and 7-wood heads. These clubs are $150 each.
C521
The C521 fairway metals are also constructed of 17-4 stainless steel with a forged steel crown that is thinned out and lighter for better weight distribution. Diamond Face technology sits behind the face, with 29 different diamond shapes optimizing ball speed and launch.
The cup face is deeper on the C521s for more forgiveness up and down the face, while a rear weight mass hikes MOI 6 percent over the prior generation and positions the center of gravity lower and farther back compared to HL4.
Acoustic Ribbing Channels on the inside of the fairway help dial in sound and feel, while a Power Channel that's deeper than the one in the HL4 lineup helps increase ball speeds with less spin on shots struck lower on the face.
The Aldila Rogue shaft is the stock shaft, with 3- (15 degrees), 4- (17 degrees), 5- (18 degrees) and 7-wood (23 degrees) heads available for $150 each.
Hybrids
E521
The E521 hybrids are made from 17-4 stainless steel and feature similar characteristics and features compared to the driver and fairways, with a Houdini sole, a shallow face and a maxed-out footprint for large MOI numbers with a deep CG location for easier launch -- 30 percent deeper than the HL4 hybrids. The MOI is almost 10 percent higher.
The face has a significant offset to take out the right side of the course and promote draw bias.
The Mitsubishi Fubaki shaft is the stock offering, with 50- and 60-gream options in 3- (19 degrees), 4- (22 degrees), 5- (25 degrees) and 6-hybrid (28 degrees) heads available for righties, with lefties getting the same options. These clubs are $130 each.
C521
The C521 hybrids are also constructed of 17-4 stainless steel with a forged steel crown that is thinned out and lighter for better weight distribution. Diamond Face technology sits behind the face, with 29 different diamond shapes optimizing ball speed and launch.
The cup face is deeper on the C521s for more forgiveness up and down the face, while a rear weight mass hikes MOI 4 percent over the prior generation and positions the center of gravity lower and farther back compared to HL4.
Acoustic Ribbing Channels on the inside of the fairway help dial in sound and feel, while a Power Channel that's deeper than the one in the HL4 lineup helps increase ball speeds with less spin on shots struck lower on the face.
The Aldila Rogue shaft is the stock shaft in 55- and 65-gram options, with 3- (19 degrees), 4- (22 degrees), 5- (25 degrees) and 6-hybrid (28 degrees) heads available for righties only $130 each.
Irons
E521
The E521 line isn't so much about irons as they are about iron-woods, which are hollow-body irons with huge footprints designed to get the ball up in the air and be really forgiving.
The iron-woods are made from a 17-4 stainless steel body, with a thinned-out, lighter crown designed to help drive down center of gravity and increase MOI. The Houdini sole concept is introduced here, too, with a shallow, hybrid-like face, as well plenty of offset and heel weighting for a draw bias. The sole is geared here to help golfers extricate their ball from most any lie.
The shallow cup face is designed to improve ball speeds across the face while giving way to higher launch conditions with longer carry.
The lineup is available as a set or piece by piece for players who would prefer to build a combo set, with every loft available for righties and lefties.
The E521 iron-woods are available with Mitsubishi Fubuki graphite shafts or KBS MAX 80 steel shafts, all for $90 per club.
In addition, there's an E521 wedge with a super-wide sole that outs weight below and behind the ball to further help struggling players get their wedges launched like wedges. The dual-flange design has 14 degrees of bounce to help get the ball through sand or turf and prevent digging that causes fat shots. A deep undercut cavity lowers the center of gravity for forgiveness, while an oversized face helps build confidence and increases MOI that actually does matter to a player in this category of equipment.
Even the wedges have the Houdini sole, which is designed to reduce that turf interaction, giving golfers a double attack on stubbing the ball.
The E521 wedges are available in 52-, 56- and 60-degree heads for both lefties and righties for $90 each with the same shafts as the E521 iron-woods.
C521
The C521 irons are a distance-focused cavity-back iron, with the head mad from 431 stainless steel. The irons feature an undercut around the cavity to all for more discretionary weight to hike MOI, position the center of gravity and to increase the ball speed off the face by allowing the face to flex more at impact.
The sole is 15 percent wider than the HL4, with the goal of improving turf interaction and driving down the CG location with mass. The face is chamfered at the topline and the leading edge to offer a deeper face and a thicker topline without looking like it.
Weight has been added in the toe to bring the center of gravity out toward the hitting zone, while lofts in the irons are strengthened to keep the launch characteristics in line with clubs with more traditional lofting.
The seven-piece set ranges from 4-iron down to lob wedge, but combo sets can be made with C521 hybrids and C521 iron-woods.
The E521 iron-woods are available with Aldila Rogue graphite shafts or KBS MAX 80 steel shafts, all for $70 per club.
