Equipment
Tour Edge Exotics E8 and E8 Beta Fairway Woods
Our 2014 Gear Trials: Best Fairway Woods list included all the names you’d expect: Adams, Callaway, Cobra, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist.
On our 2014 list with those industry behemoths was also a much smaller company, however. It was Illinois-based Tour Edge Exotics, which earned a spot in our Distance-First category thanks to big distance we saw golfers create with its XCG7 and XCG7 Beta fairway woods.
Exotics’ new E8 and E8 Beta are the direct replacements for the XCG7 and XCG7 Beta. The E8 has been improved with a lighter, stronger 475 carpenter steel cup face, while the E8 Beta has a forged titanium cup face. Both club faces are combo brazed to hyper-steel bodies to improve ball speed. They also have a slightly more forward center of gravity (CG).
Coupled with the right launch conditions, these faster, lower lower-spinning fairway woods have the potential to unlock even more distance gains for golfers.
Like the XCG7, the E8 has a low-profile head design that helps golfers hit fairway woods shots from the turf. The E8 Beta is tailored to golfers with higher clubhead speeds, with a deeper face that creates a lower launch and less spin. That also makes it a good choice for golfers who primarily use their fairway woods from the tee.
To improve forgiveness, the E8 and E8 Beta also have an updated “Power Grid,” which is an accordion-like structure located on the front of its sole. It now stretches farther from heel-to-toe on the fairway woods, improving spring-like effect in those areas to increase ball speeds on off-center hits. On the E8 Beta, the Power Grid is made thinner to allow more weight to be placed closer to the face, which makes the fairway wood even lower spinning.
Moving the CG forward generally lowers a club’s forgiveness, or moment of inertia (MOI), but Exotics countered with cut-away steps on the heel and toe of the clubs that improve MOI.
To please the pickiest of golfers, the E8 and E8 Beta have a removable sole weight that allows golfers to adjust the fairway woods’ swing weight. They come stock with a 9-gram weight, but golfers can order a three-piece weight kit that includes 6-gram, 11-gram and 14-gram weights for $49.99. Individual weight kits are available for $19.99.
The E8 ($249) and E8 Beta ($299) are expected in stores in early October.
E8 Lofts: 13, 15, 16.5, 18 and 21 degrees
Stock Shafts: Fujikura Pro, Fujikura Pro Tour, Mitsubishi Bassara E-Series
E8 Beta Lofts: 12, 13, 15, 16.5 and 18 degrees
Stock Shafts: Aldila Rogue Silver, Aldila Rogue Black
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
View this post on Instagram
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Craig
Sep 10, 2014 at 1:40 pm
It really cracks me up when I hear or read about people not liking the graphics on the sole of the club. Who gives a fat rat’s ass what is printed on the sole? Besides taking off and putting on the head cover, when else are you going to see it? Now to that end, why do we need to see three photos from different angles of the sole? One pic from the address position would be nice so it would give me a better perspective of how the club will look while trying to play it. I guess if I ever have to hit my 3 wood left handed I would have a different opinion. Just sayin’…
Danny
Sep 10, 2014 at 10:53 am
I got a Beta 7 this year and swear by it. I’ve never could hit a 3 wood off the deck with consistency. Tried the 910F, 913f, RBZ Tour, SLDR, and X 2Hot – I was thinking about scrapping the fairway wood all together because it was costing me strokes when I pulled it from the bag.
I tried the TEE Beta at PGA Superstore one day and couldn’t believe how good it felt, and how easy it was to lift. I thought the simulator was off. I went home that day and couldn’t stop lusting after it so I bought it, 4 wood to be exact because the 3 wood went as far as my driver.
I’ve had it now for 2 months and can tell you it’s the real deal. It’s so easy to hit off the deck that I often hit it off the deck off tee boxes. They make GREAT clubs
Dane
Nov 11, 2014 at 12:58 am
Which store did you buy from? I work at the palm desert pga tour superstore and just got my E8 beta today and can’t wait to hit it. These guys might not be a Goliath but they play the David role so well. I CRUSH these fairways!
Don
Sep 10, 2014 at 10:20 am
I have never tried a tour exotics product. Based on what I hear about their performance, maybe I should. I just can’t, however, just can’t get over how toyish their sticks look. These woods look like playstation controllers.
Dale Doback
Sep 10, 2014 at 12:01 pm
I currently game the XGC6 driver 3wood and a 3hybrid. I tested everything and from my rocketballz 3wood with the TEE I picked up 10 mph of ballspeed. The ballspeed margin has shrunk to about 4mph with the x2hot and 6mph with the SLDR. The feel on the drivers and fairways are really good. The XGC6 fairway looks similar to a titleist FD but is hotter and much more forgiving although the new 915s are supposed to longer than the 913s. Even though the tour edge fairways produced the highest ballspeeds consistently and it holds true for the xgc7 betas as well, they are tied for the longest distance so you have to be smart in what you are looking for a fairway to do. The Callaway X2hots are actually just as long maybe even a little longer and with lower ball speed because they spin a lot less. My xgc6 spins around 3200 rpm but the X2hot was around 2500. I went with the TEE because I still use it off the fairway and with super low spin with the X2hot or SLDR at 2200 rpm I couldn’t hold a green. If I were looking for a fairway wood to use primarily off the tee It would be hard to pass up the x2hot. Also TEE shafts are very light and while good aftermarkets for sub100mph swing speeds they did not work for me at all. I picked up the xgc6 because it performed better than anything else on the market and at $150 on sale I put my money in finding the right shaft combo for the club. I can’t say enough good things about one of the new woods TEE is making and if you aren’t at least comparing them when making a possible purchase you are doing yourself a disservice.
Gonzo God
Sep 10, 2014 at 12:27 am
Let the watered down Rogues flood the market!
ams165
Sep 10, 2014 at 1:58 pm
Just like the Speeders they put in the CB Pro…..
Real watered down….
Chuck
Sep 11, 2014 at 12:08 am
That one was a real deal only because they charged 499 for it