Gear: Tour Edge enters crowded golf ball market

Tour Edge’s recent announcement that it’s entering the golf ball business raised a lot of questions among golf equipment enthusiasts, the most burning, surely, “Why now?”

Many readers will know something of the company’s history. Launched in Batavia, IL in 1986, its founder, President and chief club designer, David Glod, sought to create top-quality equipment but sell it for significantly less than what the major OEMs were selling theirs for. It focused on game-improvement clubs initially – its Bazooka line becoming especially popular – but expanded into better-players’ equipment with the launch of the Exotics line in 2005.

The explicit reason why Tour Edge is branching out into a totally new area in 2025 probably won’t ever be known outside of Tour Edge headquarters, but the continued rise of the brand’s status among a wide range of abilities, the growth of the Direct-to-Consumer market (Tour Edge is not a DTC company, but the economics of DTC surely influence a brand like Tour Edge), the company’s size and capabilities, improvements in ball technology, the rise in the number of rounds being played, and that age-old consideration “Why not?” all probably played a part. Whatever it was, Glod is saying the release of its first ever ball is a “monumental step” for Tour Edge.

It’s interesting also why Glod chose to enter the ball business with a tour-quality Exotics model rather than a Hot Launch ball geared towards mid-high-handicappers (Hot Launch has been the company’s game-improvement line for more than 10 years). Profit margins, Glod wanting his company to be associated with quality, golfers’ aspirations, etc. can probably explain that.

What can’t be speculated on, though, is the fact the Exotics is a worthy debutante. There’s plenty of high-end tech here like the thin urethane cover, the high-speed core (KinetiCore), a mantle layer between the core and cover, and a 318-dimple pattern designed to improve aerodynamics – a pattern shared with Vice Pro, OnCore Elixr, and Maxfli Tour balls.

What some might consider strange is that the mantle layer is described as ‘soft’ when most mantles are said to be firm. As with shaft flexes, there’s no specific measurements on what makes something firm or soft (or stiff or regular in the case of shafts), but Tour Edge’s soft mantle does defy convention somewhat.

Regardless, Tour Edge says the soft ionomer resin mantle “delivers shot-stopping control and accuracy on approach shots.”
The Tour Edge Exotics ball is designed for low-driver spin, high greenside spin and consistency/stability in the wind. And the fact it’s priced so attractively (roughly $10 less than major OEM tour balls) surely makes it worth a test-run.

$40/dozen
Three-piece ball with cast-urethane cover.
Pre-order on Tour Edge website now. Available in stores on October 28
touredge.com