50 Words or Less
The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedge is a very strong performer with a trio of versatile sole options. Bold look and average-sized footprint. Good feel and excellent sound.
Introduction
When I think of Tour Edge Exotics, I think of distance. After initially building their name on cutting edge fairway woods, they’ve expanded to a full range of long game clubs that are among the best. To expand into the wedge game, TEE turned to their most successful spokesman, Bernhard Langer, for input. The result is the Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedge.
Looks
When most OEMs talk about a wedge being “Tour-inspired,” it’s another way of saying that it’s going to be very small. That’s not the case with the Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedge. These wedges are average in size if not a touch larger.
The other surprising characteristic is the offset. According to TEE’s specs, every wedge has 3mm of offset. For comparison, that’s as much or more than some players irons have at the 5I. This isn’t inherently good or bad – no single specification is – but it is unusual in a wedge with Tour input.
Unlike many current wedges, the shaping of the Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedge stays consistent across lofts. The leading edge has a very gentle rounding, and the overall head shape is closer to round than teardrop.
In the bag, the Wingman has a bold appearance. The Wingman branding covers much of the toe, balanced against Tour Edge Exotics branding toward the heel. At the center of the top of the wedge, there’s a round, removable weight surrounded by Vibrcor pockets. In the midst of all that, what can escape notice is the significant change in thickness across the back of the blade.
Sound & Feel
While the look of the Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedge does not play by the “Tour” rules, the feel certainly does. Soft on center, this wedge produces a firmer feel if you miss the mark. Feedback through the hands is clear and precise, allowing you to dial in your ball striking.
The sound of impact is extremely pleasant. Medium in volume, it’s too full, gentle, and round to be a “click” but too clear to be a “thud.” This is the impact of the Vibrcor TPU. Audio feedback is much more subtle than the feel.
Performance
As is often the case, Tour Edge Exotics has given me a lot to talk about from a performance perspective. Starting with the soles, there are three options in the Wingman Wedge – F/S (Firm/Shallow), M/N (Medium/Neutral), and S/D (Soft/Deep). F/S has the least bounce and the most relief on the trailing edge, heel, and toe. S/D has the most bounce and very limited relief. M/N is in the middle.
I was able to test all three soles and found some common traits among them. In all three – even the F/S with 6 degrees of bounce – I felt that leading edge rose off the turf fairly quickly when I opened the face. However, all three wedges slid under the ball easily, even on mats. Best of all, all three wedges noticeably fought their way out of the turf, even in soft, sloppy lies. To me, this illustrates that bounce is not a be-all-end-all measurement, just one factor to be considered.
One final point on the soles: please don’t take the previous paragraph to say that there’s not a meaningful difference between the three grinds. I could definitely tell the difference between the amount of bounce in the S/D compared to the F/S, but I wanted to convey that all three are quite good at bailing golfers out on those chunky swings.
The next performance feature that bears discussion is the Milled High-Toe Pad. This refers to the thicker top of the wedge, something we’ve seen from several OEMs in the last couple years. The purpose behind this design is raising the center of gravity to lower launch and increase spin. In my testing, the higher CG combined with the Triple-Traction Milled Face to produce spin that was on the high side of average. Launch angles were slightly lower than average for a controlled, Tour-preferred ball flight.
Finally, Tour Edge Exotics included something we rarely see in wedges: adjustable weights. The weight in the center of the head comes stock at 5 grams. Weights of 2.5, 7.5, 10, and 12.5 grams are available to customize the swing weight and feel of the club. This will be particularly valuable to players who want to use a shaft other than the stock Dynamic Gold 115.
Conclusion
The Tour Edge Exotics Wingman wedge blends a variety of interesting performance characteristics to create a wedge unlike anything else I’ve tested. If you’re looking for a higher CG and some forgiveness paired with a larger footprint and noticeable offset, get to your fitter to find the best combination of lofts and sole grinds for your short game.
Shop Tour Edge Exotics Wingman Wedges HERE
Tour Edge Exotics Wingman Wedge Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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8 Comments
Hi Matt,
Thank you for your review, helpful as always. For these two statements in your review – “At the center of the TOP of the wedge, there’s a round, removable weight surrounded by Vibrcor pockets.” and “The next performance feature that bears discussion is the Milled High-Toe Pad. This refers to the thicker TOP of the wedge, something we’ve seen from several OEMs in the last couple years. ”
Does “top” in each of these statements refer to the same location of the wedge hedge? I’m wondering if the weight (bulge) at the top of the weight is actually removable/swappable, but I’m not seeing it that way in the photos and assume the first quote provided is referring to the section just above the sole, if the club is held in the playing position. I have been wondering when a removable/swappable weight option at the top of the back of the wedge head will become available.
Very curious,
Dave
Dave,
They do not. In the former, I’m referring to the “top” when the wedge is in the bag as I’m discussing the in the bag look of the wedge. The latter refers to the top of the blade, the top when it’s in a playing position.
Best,
Matt
Curious if you got full swings in with any of the wedges you tested and how they performed if so?
Kevin,
Yes, full swings are part of every wedge review. They performed well – slightly lower launch and higher spin than average.
-Matt
I apologize if I missed it in your review, but is the Wingman Wedge cast or forged? There is no photo of the hostel where OEMs sometimes tell us if it’s forged, and the use of TPU (VibRcore) for vibration dampening is no longer a reliable indicator. Thanks for a very solid review. Cheers…
Per Tour Edge, these wedges are forged.
-Matt
Tour EDGE is an excellent golf company. David Grogh is the reason he’s dynamic leader in the golf industry….
Unfortunately, the wedges are not made for Lefties. We’re left out again!