Equipment
TaylorMade releases Tour Preferred UDI (Ultimate Driving iron)
TaylorMade’s new Tour Preferred UDI (Ultimate Driving Irons) are low-lofted, hollow-bodied long irons designed to launch the ball higher and with more ball speed than traditional long irons.
“We designed the Tour Preferred UDI for players seeking a club that delivers incredible distance off the tee and a high-performance alternative from the fairway,” said Tomo Bystedt, TaylorMade’s Director of Iron Creation. “The clean, traditional look at address inspires confidence and the SpeedPocket technology provides amazing distance and consistency.”
TaylorMade achieved this performance by moving weight lower and more forward in the club head, which produces a higher launch angle with lower spin. The driving iron’s hollow body is made from 450 stainless steel, while its clubface is made from stronger, thinner 455 Carpenter Steel that helps the club produce faster ball speeds.
TaylorMade’s Speed Pocket, a 3-millimeter slot in the sole of the iron, is said to allow the face to flex more efficiently for distance and consistency and further encourage high launch characteristics in the UDI. It’s the same pocket that’s used in the company’s SpeedBlade irons, which are some of the longest-flying irons in golf.
Although the UDI’s look similar to TaylorMade’s Tour Preferred MC irons, they have thicker toplines and lower face profiles that better suit the design of driving irons.
The UDI’s are available in three models: a 1 iron (16 degrees), 2 iron (19 degrees) and 3 iron (20 degrees), and will carry an MSRP of $199. A KBS C-Taper Lite shaft comes stock in the driving irons, which the company says also promotes a mid-to-high trajectory and controlled spin.
TaylorMade staffer Justin Rose had a UDI 3 iron (20 degrees) in his bag during his wins at both the Quicken Loans National and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open last week.
See the rest of Rose’s Winning WITB here.
Rose is expected to have a UDI in play this week at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England for the Open Championship, and TaylorMade expects other golfers to put the club in play as well.
Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game.
The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag.
At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.
The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.
“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley
In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.
To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.
“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod
An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.
Pricing & Availability
The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026.
In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:
“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.
My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
- MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
- dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”
Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.
From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo. 4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades. 5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft. Standard Length, Lie and Lofts. These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me. Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Bigleftygolfer
May 28, 2015 at 1:21 pm
I can’t hit a hybrid to save my life I am a struggling 5 HC (my low is a +4 when I played competitive as an amateur after a short pro career as a point of reference) and this Udi is the best / most versatile / easy to hit club I have ever owned I have miura lh prototype baby tournament blades and honestly the 2 iron Udi is easier to hit than my six iron! It flies much higher than I expected and I have verified that it can be bent by 2.5 degrees on a Mitchell press even though it is cast. Since I am a stinky lefty with no endorsements anymore I had to “adjust” my 2 iron to replace an old driving iron so for people wondering I was able to re shaft it with a kbs c taper s+ firm tip 41″ and adjust the lie to down -1 also adjusting loft by 2.5 degree strong (which is max) I now have a club that is about 10 yards shorter than a perfectly struck 3 wood with a much better workability and forgiveness factor. I am actually considering pulling my 3 wood and buying another 2 iron (although that may get confusing as I will have two identical looking clubs in the bag after swapping out shafts maybe paintfill or something to represent which one is the one iron lol). This club flies about as high as my 4 iron without ballooning and rolls for days. It has a carry for me with this setup of about 225 with a total distance of around 250 verified on trackman. I wish TM made a club labelled with a 1 and a 3 for the lefty player but once again us lefties get no love! My three wood maxes out from the deck at around 260 on a well struck ball. Hope this information answered any questions about this club oh yeah it is also very easy to flight in the wind which is something hybrids just can not accommodate!
dunn2500
Jul 17, 2014 at 3:12 am
Cmon…. $200 for a thicker mc iron….you can buy single irons for $100….why are these utility irons so much….I’ll stick to my fli hi which started all this buzz anyway
Jake
Jul 16, 2014 at 11:03 am
Just received this information from TM support: “The 2 and 1 UDI are going to be 18 and 16 degree lofts. They are going to have a higher trajectory than the Rocketbladez Tour irons. The UDI will be a longer 2 iron than the Rocketbladez Tour. It is built with driver DNA.”
Rich
Jul 15, 2014 at 9:41 am
Not to be a nark but I think there’s a typo in the story. The 2 iron is 18 degrees, not 19. It even says so on the hosel in one of the photo’s.
Matt Wiseley
Jul 15, 2014 at 12:30 am
Jake,
Like yourself I am an iron guy to. I say get the 2 iron, if you end up needing more yards, have it bent a degree or so. Since the club is forged, this is an easy fix.
Good luck
Billy
Jul 15, 2014 at 3:51 am
It’s CAST. Not forged.
Jake
Jul 15, 2014 at 10:40 am
Are you able to bend cast, just not as easy as forged?
K
Jul 15, 2014 at 11:53 am
You can bend most cast, just be careful.
Or just put a heavier shaft in it, in my mind its pointless to make a 2 iron with a 110 gram shaft. Toss a S400 in there and let it hit the ground early.
Quintin Carr
Jul 14, 2014 at 10:07 pm
Are these going to be a limited release or a general release. I’d really like to get my hands on the 1 iron.
Billy
Jul 14, 2014 at 11:30 pm
It’a General Release on 8/1/14.
Quintin Carr
Jul 14, 2014 at 11:40 pm
Thanks Billy!
Jason P.
Jul 14, 2014 at 8:00 pm
If you want to buy a driving iron with basically the same technology go to hireko.com and order their new Dynacraft Driving Irons. They have 3 lofts to choose from. I use their 18 degree model and it is flat out hot and straight off the tee for those short par 4’s . Plus it is 3-4 times cheaper and you can have it built with the shaft and grips you want.
Jim
Jul 14, 2014 at 5:51 pm
Still sounds like a form of birth control . The udi
Rich
Jul 15, 2014 at 9:37 am
Good call, LOL!
Pingback: TaylorMade’s Tour Preferred UDI is Open-ready | Spacetimeandi.com
Jake
Jul 14, 2014 at 2:01 pm
I currently play the rocketbladez tour 19* 3-iron. I’m looking for a club to fill between my driver and 3-iron and saw these come in 19* 2 iron and 16* 1-iron. Would it be redundant to get the 2-iron or is this a lower trajectory driving iron?
Curt
Jul 14, 2014 at 3:25 pm
It states both head slot technology and shaft helps to launch the ball high.
MHendon
Jul 14, 2014 at 4:38 pm
How about a 3 wood.
Jake
Jul 14, 2014 at 4:56 pm
Appreciate the snarky comment. Havent used a 3 wood in years. I like the feel of irons. Do you have suggestion of a different (non-driving iron) 2 iron to help fill gap? What is the point of a high trajectory 2 iron?
Cal
Jul 14, 2014 at 5:30 pm
I play a fli hi 3 iron right now but will be getting one of these when they’re released. The purpose, I think, of the high(er) launching 2 iron is to be more versatile from the tee AND the fairway during long approach shots. While this iron is supposed to launch higher than the MC line, I’ve read that it spins less than a normal iron leading me to believe it will still have a piercing flight even if it is high. As for your first question…if it were me, I would get the 2 iron and see what kind of yardage gap I had. Then I would adjust the loft to whatever I needed. The hollow design and new speed pocket may help you eek out a couple more yards and still have a landing angle that could help you hold a green if needed. Good luck!
mhendon
Jul 14, 2014 at 6:44 pm
can’t beat Adams hybrids, got two in my bag. Try one of their tour models in a real strong loft.
Jeff Trigger
Jul 14, 2014 at 6:58 pm
TM’s thing is high launch, low spin. I guess this is the Tour Preferred UDI featuring SLDR technology. I doubt these launch that high, just higher than the low ball hitting TP irons.
Zak Kozuchowski
Jul 14, 2014 at 7:57 pm
Our testing found that the 2014 Tour Preferred CB irons were actually pretty high-launching for their size. I wouldn’t call the Tour Preferred MC irons low-launching, either.