Tour Edge is a big name in the golf industry, and they’re famous for combining in a unique way value and performance; the same philosophy is true in regard to their latest HL4 line, which can be best described as the definition of custom fit performance and value. The new line of Hot Launch 4 announced recently by Tour Edge took the world by storm, due to their incredible mélange of high technology, new designs and extremely high moment of inertia properties.
The new HL4 driver (okay, there are two of them) makes for the fourth release in Tour Edge’s award winning Hot Launch family, and it’s literally the brain child of the company’s master club designer and founder, David Glod respectively. The HL4 makes for a full line-up, ranging from driver to irons, and each of these high tech beasts is specially crafted to fill a specific niche, i.e. to mix cutting edge technology with Tour proven performance at an affordable price-point. In theory, this task is next to impossible. In practice, we are currently facing a new era of premium performance clubs from Tour Edge, available starting from August 1st (globally and nation-wide in North America), hence we’ll have to wait a little bit, but we believe the new HL4 is definitely worth waiting for. So, what’s up with the HL 4 driver, you asked? Here’s David Glod explaining it succinctly:
This is an early release to a product line that we developed for 2020. We have spent the last 18 months looking at how to improve the best performance value drivers in the game and the end result is an all new shape that has an MOI that rivals that of a $500 driver. It’s an extremely forgiving design that all levels of players can benefit from.”
Sounds great, right? He added:
“The HL4 driver features an all new sloped crown design that is deeper from face to back. No skirt where the sole plate meets the crown equates to a 12% increase in MOI over the previous Hot Launch drivers.”
There are 2 configurations of the HL4 driver to choose from: an offset version and a straight version. Regardless of the model, you’ll get a high-end forged titanium head, and also Tour Edge’s patented Cup Face technology, which is great in regard to promoting face-flexing for improved ball speeds and more distance. There’s also a newly designed sloped crown, which is now deeper from face to back, and, as David Glod told us, the new drivers benefit from a dramatic increase in MOI compared to the previous Hot Launch generation.
These new technological innovations along with the redesign job created an extremely high MoI, and we mean that literally: above 5000 grams/cubic centimeter. In layman's terms, this means that the HL4 driver is incredibly stable, and the higher moment of inertia will keep shots straighter than an arrow, while also increasing ball speed. The state of the art forged titanium head has been redesigned, and now features a deeper face cup and a rounder face shape, which translates into excellent acoustics and exceptional power. The Cup Face technology works in tandem with Tour Edge’s Variable Face Thickness technology for delivering improved distance via additional contact points on the club’s face, a clever design touch which ends up in more distance when it comes to off center hits.
The new drivers are also designed with a rear sole weight which is placed further back compared to the previous models, for an even higher moment of inertia, while the Power Channel located behind the club face (on the sole respectively) is deeper and wider than ever, for increased face flexing as well as for better weight distribution, and it works by amplifying ball speed and creating less spin, on top of dramatically improving forgiveness.
Another cool feature of the new HL4 drivers is the customization thing. Here’s David Glod again, explaining how Tour Edge’s Hot Launch series is trying to acquire a large chunk of the customization market:
“We see HL4 as being the best value available in the custom fitting market. That is why we created our 48-hour custom fitting delivery guarantee and why we are making a significant commitment to advertise HL4 heavily on the Golf Channel and elsewhere with the message of Get Fit. Spend Less. Play Better. We want to open up custom fitting to thousands of new golfers who are looking for innovation and performance at logical prices.”
Tour Edge has an ambitious plan in this regard, as they’re opening over 750 custom fitting locations all across America. Each of these centers will offer the company’s industry leading 48-hour guaranteed delivery on custom fit orders, as well as the mobile HL4 custom fitting bag option. According to Jon Claffey, the Vice President of Marketing for Tour Edge:
“We are aggressively marketing the message that every golfer should be getting custom fit, and that it is especially mid to high handicap players who have the most to gain by getting fit. Our goal is to open the flood gates on custom fitting and HL4 has proven to be the perfect product to accomplish this goal with its advanced technology, top-tier performance and amazing price structure.”
As per tech specs, the new HL 4 driver will be available in 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degree lofts, while the offset version comes in 10.5, 12 and 13.5 degree lofts (the former is also available in left-handed version). The new HL4 series are coming with an updated UST Mamiya graphite shaft, which has better tip stability, and shafts ranging from 48 to 60 grams: Ladies, A-flex, Regular and Stiff respectively. Both drivers are retailing for $199.99 and they feature a Lamkin Z5 multi-compound grip.
