Tour Edge Exotics Max Driver Review

Taking the wrap off this driver when it arrived at Golfalot HQ gave me some serious nostalgia.

I first remember coming across Tour Edge around 10-15 years ago when they started popping up in Pro Shops, as a more affordable option compared to the likes of Ping, Callaway and Mizuno.

They had a reputation for being great looking clubs, and in particular Tour Edge fairway woods seemed to perform really well. I’ll always remember caddying for the scratch team players who each seemed to have an Exotics metal in their bag.

In more recent years, I think the Tour Edge reputation may have stalled somewhat and it would be fair to say that they’ve become better known for being a cheaper option – dare I say it even mistaken for fitting into the ‘package set market’…?

In 2025 you’re more likely to see this in larger-scale golf retailers and online, rather than your Pro Shop.

However when I first saw the new Exotics lineup of woods for 2025 I was intrigued, and now I’ve had the chance to test them out the standout from the bunch.

Who Is It Aimed At?

Tour Edge are probably likely to be preferred by golfers who want to use premium golf gear, but aren’t ready or prepared to pay £500+ for a new driver. Beginners, players that don’t play too often – that kind of thing.

The Exotics Max could also serve as a bit of a nostalgia trip for golfers who have positive memories of previous Tour Edge clubs from down the years.

The Max head is the more forgiving head in the range, aimed at a wider range of golfers and featuring a sliding weight to customise shot shape.

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The Tech

The Exotics line feature Tour Edge’s most premium performance products, and as a result they’re full of the brand’s very best technologies.

The new Max Driver is said to be the most forgiving driver that they have ever produced, with an MOI of more than 10,000.

Each head in the range features up to 80% more carbon fibre than in their previous designs. This allows the brand to shift more weight to the perimeter, improving CG placement and adding forgiveness.

There’s also a new Pyramid Face technology, which sees the introduction of a variable thickness face design. This is something which we have seen most major manufacturers utilise, as it saves weight and boosts ball speed on off-centre strikes. The result is better distance and consistency right across the face.

360° Ridgeback Technology sees a titanium chassis wrapped around the crown and sole, said to provide extra strength and face deflection.

The use of tungsten in the head helps to optimise launch, spin and feel by adding mass in areas where players need it most.

There’s also an adjustable heel-to-toe sliding weight, to fine-tune ball flight and directional control.

Tour Edge Exotics Max Driver Review

Looks

After taking off the white, flimsy-feeling headcover that wasn’t to my taste, I was pleasantly surprised by the sleek and modern overall design.

I found the overall shelf appeal of the driver to be positive, there is a clear carbon theme running through the head, which follows a modern trend. There is not much to dislike – I really quite like the look of it. The varied use of branding and wording on the sole is subtle and fits in well, making it a quite tasteful driver that will have a wide appeal.

The weighting system is very tidy too, and it is the best-looking one I’ve seen, as it is hidden really well into the back of the sole.

I am not a huge fan of the new Tour Edge logo however, and I am not sure it was necessary, but it does help modernise things a bit.

In terms of design and shape at address, the two-tone carbon crown reminded me straight away of the original TaylorMade SIM driver, although it uses a different colour scheme.

The head has a big footprint down by the ball, which was immediately noticeable (as you would expect from a Max head) and it gave me confidence over the ball straight away. Better players be warned though: this thing is really big and may not suit your eye.

I like the face design, and the highlighted grooves coupled with the “E” alignment aid on the crown helped to frame the ball nicely and gave me further confidence! It looked like you could actually see a lot of the face and the sweet spot just looks huge!

One thing I didn’t like was that the hosel section seemed overly bulky, which caught my eye and was a bit distracting. It also felt like the club was sitting a bit flat.

Finally I liked the matching matte-black shaft design, which tied in nicely with the rest of the package.

Feel

Put simply, this driver felt good and it sounded good too. When hitting shots you can feel that there’s plenty of forgiveness, with lots of stability through the hitting zone without much twisting, as you’d expect from a 10k driver.

I wouldn’t say it felt like the fastest driver off the face though. I compared it to my own Callaway Elyte, and that immediately felt a bit hotter.

There is a nice low, thudding sound at impact. It’s not ‘pingy’ or ‘tinny’, and it actually reminded me again of a TaylorMade driver – could be something to do with all that carbon in the head…

Performance

I tested this driver on-course at Stockport Golf Club, as well as using the GCQuad to get some in-depth numbers too.

In terms of the data, I found that the performance was solid all-round. The forgiveness was a big factor here, as I felt like the numbers were still good even on mis-hits of which there was a few misses to the right.

Testing with Titleist Pro V1 balls, I was seeing an average carry of 248 yards, from a ball speed of just under 149mph.

I compared this to my own Elyte and found that I was giving up a bit of distance as the Elyte produced faster ball speeds with lower spin and a slightly more optimal launch.

I can struggle with hitting it a little too high and spinny anyway, so a custom fitting where I could lower launch and spin would probably be able to generate a bit more distance, therefore I’m not writing the Exotics Max off just yet.

You may not find that it’s the longest or the fastest driver on the market, but it’s a Max model and so it provides a blend of forgiveness on performance.

This is something that I did see out on the golf course. During my testing I really didn’t hit many bad shots. There was a couple that I pushed out to the right slightly, but the performance felt consistent and predictable. It felt like I knew what the ball was going to do, and this helped me to feel more in control.

If you’re looking for a driver that carries decent distance, and launches nice and high without too much effort, then this should be up your street.

It’s also worth mentioned I also didn’t see a huge amount of shape either, which is reassuring with a Max head as I didn’t have to worry about draw bias or losing the ball to the left.

Tour Edge Exotics Max Driver Verdict

Tour Edge may not be one of the first brands that you think of when curating your Christmas list this year, and I haven’t tested one of their clubs for quite a few years, but the Exotics Max really impressed me overall.

This driver has an RRP of £379 which is really reasonable in my opinion. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to my other golfing friends, including those who aren’t already aware of Tour Edge.

I would urge people to test the Exotics Max against other better known brands. It deserves to be in the conversation, especially when you consider the looks, overall build quality and the price point, which is up to £200 cheaper than some of the other big brands.