William L. Coney Blog: First Look – 2019 Tour Edge Exotics CBX 119 Fairways and Hybrids

In 2018, the Exotics CBX fairway claimed Most Wanted status as the highest performing model in MyGolfSpy’s annual testing. This was no small feat considering the heavyweights (Callaway, TaylorMade in particular) it toppled along the way. Plenty of players swear by the brand’s fairways and hybrids, but because, prior to 2017, Tour Edge shied away from paying professionals to bag the equipment, its popularity was confined to smaller circles of dedicated followers. But like Bob Dylan said, “For the times, they are a-changin…”

A little more than a year later, Tour Edge has an established reputation on the professional tours, specifically PGA Tour Champions, where the CBX line claimed six victories in 2018 – so it’s not as if the product hadn’t been well received. CBX was plenty good, but the recipe wasn’t quite right, so Tour Edge tweaked the CBX formula based almost exclusively on feedback from its tour staff. David Glod, founder of Tour Edge, asks rhetorically, “What better person is there to talk to about how to improve a golf club than a group of tour players who had already put CBX into play, and that represent over 200 PGA TOUR victories in their combined careers?”

What they wanted was less spin without compromising forgiveness (MOI). Sounds easy enough, but particularly with fairway woods and hybrids, engineers aren’t dealing with the same volume as drivers, which generally sit at or close to the USGA limit of 460 cubic centimeters. Also, reducing spin in combination with loft is like trying to walk the wrong way on an escalator. It’s possible but requires more resources as well as some creative thinking.

Additionally, the smaller canvas leaves less physical space in which to manipulate CG (center of gravity) which is the primary driver of spin, launch, and MOI.

To achieve this, Glod meshed the CBX and CBX T3 designs, increased the width and depth of the Speed Ramp Sole and enlarged the carbon-fiber soleplate. Along with the combo-brazed beta-titanium face, 50 grams of weight (roughly 25% of the total head weight) was freed up to shift the CG to an optimal location, which Tour Edge believes is beyond the capability of other OEMs. The net result is a club with a slightly deeper face and shorter heel-toe length, but the overall volume is unchanged.

Weight is like disposable income. It introduces an element of choice for engineers, and in this case, the decision was to modify CG location rather than introduce any type of moveable weight technology or loft/lie adjustability. At this point, winning the distance battle is of primary importance for Glod and crew.

The basic premise of the CBX platform is incomparable distance achieved through reduced spin and with the CBX 119, Tour Edge points to testing done by Golf Laboratories, Inc as evidence it produces unquestionably the longest fairway wood on the market. That said, the test pitted the Exotics CBX 119 against competitor models which are now a generation old. Fortunately, Tour Edge will once again be a participant in MyGolfSpy’s 2019 Most Wanted Testing – the industry’s most comprehensive, unbiased and 100% datacratic testing platform.

Rank/Manufacturer/Model	#3 Metal Total Distance	Spin Rates
#1 Tour Edge Exotics CBX 119	274.5 Yards	3513 RPM
#2 Callaway Rouge	266.9 (-7.6 yards)	3723 RPM
#3 Taylor Made M3	264.4 (-10.1 yards)	3841 RPM
#4 Cobra F8	259.1 (-15.4 yards)	3855 RPM
#5 PING G400	255.5 (-19 yards)	4067 RPM

Independent test was conducted by Golf Laboratories, Inc. August 23, 201 with a robotic golf swing testing machine. The 15-degree 3 –woods were tested at a 110 MPH Swing Speed with a Titleist NXT Tour golf ball.

If there was a criticism of the CBX, it was while the technology and performance were first-class, the asking price ($349) was a bit too much. Tour Edge agreed so as most others continue to increase prices (TaylorMade’s M5 fairway is set to retail at $400), Tour Edge is headed the other direction. The CBX 119 hybrid is set to retail at $249.

The CBX 119 hybrid narrative mirrors that of the fairway, with two notable exceptions. First, to boost ball speed, the hybrid gets the same beta-titanium face as the fairway wood, and the shaping differences are more pronounced. Compared to the CBX, the 119 has a deeper face and a noticeably blunted toe area. The more compact footprint is, again, something requested by Tour Edge tour staff.

SPECS & AVAILABILITY

The CBX 119 Fairway is available in lofts of 13.5°, 15°, 16.5°, and 18° and the CBX 119 Hybrid comes in six discrete lofts – 16°, 17°, 18°, 19°, 21° and 22°

Project X Even Flow Red, White, and Blue as well as the Project X HZDRUS Smoke constitute the stock shaft offering and alongside the red, white and blue “CBX 119” sole logo are there to remind consumers that Tour Edge takes great pride in assuring every club is 100% assembled in America.

Expected Ship Date: January 25, 2019

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