If today’s Tour Edge Hot Launch 525 product release tells us anything, it’s that preconceived notions are extremely flammable.
Equipment way too expensive? OEM pricing out of control? The average golfer getting priced out of the game? Tour Edge is taking a flamethrower to those bromides, leaving nothing but dust in the wind.
Started by David Glod in his garage in 1986, Tour Edge has gone through several different identities in its nearly 40-year existence. It finally found its niche in 2022 as a high-performance, value-priced brand with two distinct lines. Exotics is for the more avid golfer while Hot Launch is aimed at beginners, recreational players and emerging golfers.
Somewhere in there, we’ll find the “average golfer.”
The new Tour Edge Hot Launch 525 irons (and companion wedges) are for that average golfer looking for easy-to-hit and plenty of bang for their buck. If that’s you, here are six things you’ll need to know.
#1: The nomenclature is changing
What’s in a name, you ask? Plenty, if you want to keep things straight. The previous Tour Edge Hot Launch lineup, the 524 series, followed the 723 naming convention with a C524 iron and an E524 iron. The C524 was a more traditional-looking iron while the E524 was the Hot Launch hybrid iron. The new Hot Launch 525 series is the same thing, only different.
In this new range, the E525 now is the traditional-looking iron while the new X525 is the hybrid iron. It’s the same thing with the companion wedges. What was the C524 wedge now is the updated E525 wedge and what was the super-forgiving E524 wedge is the X525 wedge.
For reference, the old Hot Launch 524 hybrid irons finished fourth overall in MyGolfSpy’s 2024 super game-improvement iron testing.
#2: They’re designed for a lot of forgiveness
Forgiveness is relative. A forged cavity-back iron is relatively more forgiving than a blade but not compared to a game-improvement stick. The new Hot Launch E525 and X525 irons, however, follow the Tour Edge blueprint. As we say up here in New Hampshire, they’re “wicked forgiving.”
Tour Edge describes the E525 as a “premium game-improvement” iron with a “class-leading” MOI. It’s a traditional-looking iron and straddles the line between game-improvement and super game-improvement. The Hot Launch E525 is made from 431 stainless steel with a wide sole and a deep undercut cavity. The sole is designed for cleaner turf interaction while the cavity helps create more face flex to improve ball speed across a larger portion of the face.
VIBRCOR is a standard Tour Edge feature, placing a TPU polymer in that cavity to make the iron sound and feel more solid while dampening vibrations. While not unique, it is interesting that Tour Edge is touting additional toe weighting in the E525 irons. Game-improvement irons traditionally are designed with plenty of offset to fight slices and strong lofts to provide distance. One consequence of that is they can turn into hook machines as game-improvement golfers, you know, improve their game. Extra toe weighting helps keep the club stable at impact, elongates the sweet spot slightly and, most importantly, makes the iron a little less susceptible to hooks.
Low centers of gravity and strong lofts are standard ingredients in modern game-improvement irons. The Hot Launch E525 is on the strong side of strong, with a 27.5-degree 7-iron. If you’re ready to howl about jacked lofts, remember for whom this iron is designed. Anything that helps a beginner or recreational golfer get the ball up in the air and toward the green can’t be a bad thing.
#3: The Hot Launch X525 is next-level forgiving
If you really need help, the Tour Edge Hot Launch X525 irons might be as forgiving as they come. The X525 is a hollow-body hybrid-like design with plenty of perimeter weighting, an extremely low and back center of gravity and what Tour Edge calls an “anti-slice” offset design.
Tour Edge calls this kind of design an “iron-wood,” which is fairly descriptive. It features a shallow face and an extra-wide sole to reduce the likelihood of chunking or digging. Tour Edge calls it a “Houdini Sole,” another extension of recent Exotics technology. The Houdini Sole is a patented design providing more area for extra mass on the trailing edge for added forgiveness and a curved leading edge for better turf interaction.
As we’ve seen with recent super game-improvement irons, the Hot Launch X525 irons feature weaker lofts than their game-improvement counterpart. The X525 features a high-launching loft matrix based on a 29-degree 7-iron. The idea is the higher lofts help slower swingers get the ball up in the air more easily so they can maximize their distance through carry.
#4: Companion wedges for both lines
While not exactly “set-matching” wedges, Tour Edge is introducing companion wedges for the X525 and E525 irons. The X525 wedges are true super game-improvement wedges featuring a deep, undercut cavity, an oversized face and a wide Houdini Sole.
The X525 wedges are in some ways the “anti-wedge.” Typical blade-style wedges feature a high CG for lower launch. The X525 goes the other way with a low CG for a higher launch. Crazy talk? Not really.
Consider for whom these are designed: the “average” golfer who doesn’t create a lot of swing speed and who isn’t using a high-spinning urethane ball. For that golfer, high launch equals steep descent which gives that low-spinning ionomer ball a fighting chance to hold the green. Also, it’s a design that helps take the terror out of greenside bunkers.
The Hot Launch X525 wedges also feature a larger face and full-face grooves and Tour Edge is taking all the guesswork out of selecting the right wedge setup. The set gap wedge is 48 degrees so Tour Edge is making it simple by offering the X525 wedges in 52, 56 and 58 degrees. Sole grinds? Fuggedaboudit.
The E525 wedges are a little more nuanced. They feature CNC-milled grooves, VIBRCOR TPU in the undercut cavity and a high-toe design for a higher CG and more spin than the X525 wedges. Tour Edge is also giving the E525 wedges a beveled leading edge and a more rounded sole to add versatility. The E525 set gap wedge is 46 degrees so Tour Edge will offer the E525 wedges in 50- to 60-degree lofts in two-degree increments for righties. Lefties get 52-, 56- and 58-degree offerings.
#5: Lightweight components for righties and lefties
The limited E525 left-handed wedge offering aside, the rest of the Tour Edge Hot Launch 525 lineup will be available in full for lefties and righties. Both iron sets run from 4-iron through gap wedge.
The 95-gram True Temper Elevate MPH 95 in regular and stiff flex is the stock steel shaft for both iron and wedge sets. It’s designed to help bring a little bit of spin back to low-spinning heads. MPH stands for The MPH Maximum Peak Height and True Temper classifies it as a high-launching shaft.
The UST Mamiya Helium is the stock graphite offering. It’s available in L-, A-, R- and S-flex, ranging in weight from 50 grams in L-flex to 64 grams in S-flex. It’s also a high-launching shaft.
The standard-sized Lamkin 360 is the stock grip for R- and S-flex options while the midsize is stock for A-flex. The undersized Lamkin Z5 is the stock for ladies’ models.
#6: Tour Edge Hot Launch 525 irons: Here’s that flamethrower
Tour Edge is pricing the Hot Launch X525 irons and wedges at $89.99 per club. The Hot Launch E525 irons and wedges are $79.99 per club. By my math, seven irons and three wedges will run you anywhere from $800 to $900. Irons only (5-iron through gap wedge) will go from $560 to $630.
That’s direct-to-consumer-level pricing, friends, but with three huge differences.
First, while DTC companies such as Sub 70 and Hogan offer original designs, most others sell open or slightly modified open molds. From Day One, Tour Edge founder David Glod has designed his own clubs.
Second, a common (and valid) objection to DTC offerings is the lack of retail demo or fitting. That’s a bridge too far for some golfers. Tour Edge has a long-standing retail presence and has more than 1,500 authorized fitting locations in the U.S.
Lastly, most DTC brands have limited customization options and extended delivery times. Hogan, Sub 70 and a handful of others will custom-build to your specs. Tour Edge will do that, too. It also offers a 48-hour expedited shipping program for custom orders placed in the continental U.S.
For what it’s worth, Tour Edge has been an up-and-down performer in MyGolfSpy iron testing. As mentioned, the Hot Launch E524 was last year’s fourth-best super game-improvement iron. Meanwhile, the Exotics E723 was last year’s Best Game Improvement iron. Conversely, the Exotics C723 finished next-to-last in player’s distance testing (Titleist T-150, an iffy choice for the category, was last).
The Tour Edge Hot Launch 525 irons will hit retail starting March 1.
For more information, visit the Tour Edge website.
The post 6 Things To Know About The New Tour Edge Hot Launch 525 Irons appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
