tour edge e522 wedge review

New E522 and SuperSpin Vibrcor wedges from Tour Edge

Tour Edge has today introduced its new E522 and SuperSpin Vibrcor wedges which will hit retail on October 1st.

Hot Launch E522 Wedge

The extreme game improvement Hot Launch E522 wedge features a super-wide Houdini sole that puts more weight below and behind the ball in design to make it extremely easy for players to get the ball into the air and out of tough lies.

With its curved leading edge, the Houdini sole is designed to reduce turf interaction by 35% in order to promote a “no-dig” design leading to significantly cleaner contact.

The super-wide sole and heavier head weight of the E522 Wedge aims to also help to eliminate flubs for superior contact while providing versatility by adding performance benefits to all types of shots around the green from all turf conditions.

The wedge features a “super-deep” undercut cavity that lowers the Center of Gravity in design for enhanced forgiveness, while mass has been redistributed for enhanced flight control and to create a higher launch with increased spin from the rough and sand.

An oversized face design on the E522 wedge offers a greater striking area for enhanced consistency and accuracy while also raising the MOI for tight precision around greens and enhanced playability.

The full-face coverage grooves of the E522 Wedge are maximized to USGA depth and sharpness and are designed to provide enhanced spin and control across the entire face of the wedge.

Hot Launch SuperSpin Vibrcor Wedge

The new Hot Launch SuperSpin wedge is an extremely forgiving wedge for every level of golfer looking for more control in their short game.  

This cavity back wedge will be available in six lofts (50-60 degrees) featuring Vibrcor technology that is designed to provide a soft feel at impact that will also provide more control around the green.

Vibrcor is a high-grade TPU strategically placed in the deep undercut pocket that is a new speed-inducing and feel-enhancing internal technology.

The technology creates a distinct feel of the clubhead at impact that dampens sound and shock while also creating perimeter weighting around the entire clubhead in a bid to provide maximum forgiveness, power, and ball speed enhancement off the face.

The new wedge contains a beveled leading edge that seeks to reduce digging, making for a versatile design for every type of wedge shot. 

A cambered sole on the SuperSpin wedge aims to offer a glide across the turf, with the more rounded sole designed to help especially from tough lies and bunkers. Extra weight is centralized behind the top portion of the face, with the added weight in the upper center of the face expanding the sweet spot vertically, so shots struck higher on the face maintain control and feel.

In addition, the wedges feature computer-milled grooves that are at the maximum depths allowed by the USGA, which are designed to provide excellent control and spin around the greens. 

The E522 and SuperSpin wedges will be at retail from October 1st and are priced at $89.99 per wedge.

Tour Edge launches new Hot Launch E522 and C522 metalwoods

Tour Edge unveils new E522 and C522 irons 

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected] .

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Whats in the bag, witb time machine: scottie scheffler’s winning witb, 2022 masters.

At the 2022 Masters, Scottie Scheffler delivered a steely Sunday performance to capture the green jacket in the 86th contesting of the tournament. Beginning the final round with a three-stroke lead, Scheffler was steady all day, tallying a final-round 1-under 71 to finish three strokes ahead of Rory McIlroy.

Here’s a look at what Scheffler had in the bag two years ago.

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (8 degrees @7.5) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (16.5 degrees @15) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X

Utility: Srixon Z U85 (3) Shaft: Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X

Irons: Srixon ZU85 (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW) Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50-12F, 56-14F, 60-06K) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Prototype

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

More photos of Scottie Scheffler’s WITB in the forums.

Best irons in golf of 2024: Most technology packed

In our effort to assemble the 2024 best irons, we have again compiled an expert panel of fitters to help you find out which of the 2024 irons is best for your game.

Ultimately the best way to find your personal best iron set is to work with a professional fitter using a launch monitor. The difficult part is a lot of people don’t have easy access to fitters, launch monitors, and club builders — so at GolfWRX, we have done a lot of the work for you.

We are in the era of not just maximizing distance but also minimizing the penalty of common misses for each player — this applies to irons just as much as it does with any other club in the bag. And of course, proper set makeup and gapping is essential. This is why, now more than ever, custom fitting is essential to help you see results on every swing you make.

We want to give you the tools and information to go out and find what works best for you by offering recommendations for your individual iron set wants and needs with insight and feedback from the people who work every single day to help golfers get peak performance out of their equipment.

• Join the discussion about best irons 2024 in the forums!

Best irons of 2024: The process

The best fitters in the world see all the options available in the marketplace, analyze their performance traits, and pull from that internal database of knowledge and experience like a supercomputer when they are working with a golfer.

It’s essentially a huge decision tree derived from experience and boiled down to a starting point of options—and it has nothing to do with a handicap!

Modern iron sets are designed into player categories that overlap the outdated “what’s your handicap?” model, and at GolfWRX we believe it was important to go beyond handicap and ask specific questions about the most crucial performance elements fitters are looking at.

These are the best iron categories we have developed to help you determine which category is most important for your swing and game.

Best irons of 2024: The categories

• Overall performance
• Easiest to launch/Slower swing speed
• Pure enjoyment
• Most technology-packed

2024 Best irons: Most technology packed

This is the “give me everything you got” list. These irons are the cream of the crop for offering technology to improve feel, distance, and ball speed. The great thing about the technology category is it’s not reserved for higher handicap golfers — it’s for anyone looking to get everything they can out of their game in an iron that also suits their eye.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke

Their story:  At the core of Callaway’s new Ai Paradym Smoke irons is the Ai Smart Face. With the Ai Smart Face, these irons are designed to promote exceptional distance, tight dispersion into the green, and optimal launch in a modern construction. The new shape consists of longer blade lengths, thinner toplines, and optimized sole widths in a bid to create a forgiving, yet streamlined look at address. In addition, an all-new Dynamic Sole Design features a pre-worn leading edge with variable bounce that cuts through the turf with efficiency.

Fitter comments:

• “That thing is an absolute rocket launcher. For the guy who flips at it, it’s perfect. It definitely launches lower spins less. it just goes forever compared to, you know, compared to a lot of them that we, that we tested.”
• “I mean, it’s actually probably one of the cleaner-looking kind of game improvement irons. You know, some of them, they can get kind of beefy, but the look of that one that’s very appealing to the eye. The AI technology that Callaway has been using for a couple of years now, it’s generating a ton of ball speed for guys, but also at a point where they’re still getting a lot of peak heights on it. So it’s not like you feel like you’re just hitting bullets out there.”
• “If a guy is looking to just hit it far, that’s probably the best thing out there. Callaway’s always had like crazy hot iron faces in that mid-size game improvement-type club. And this is just the next version of it. This thing is crazy fast. Shockingly, for how strong the lofts are, the ball still gets up in the air pretty good.”
• “When it comes to pure technology the Paradym Ai Smoke iron has it all. Super computers helping engineers design the back of the face based on over 250,000 shots make it an amazing tech iron alone.”
• “Classic Callaway story with face variability that is AI-driven along with material and design. Tons of tech. With Ai Smart Face and a hollow body design, they make it to the top as far as technology goes.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

TaylorMade P790

Their story: Engineers utilized the variables of tungsten weighting, SpeedFoam Air, and internal mass — with an assist from AI — to precisely give golfers what they need in each iron. For example, launch and forgiveness in the long irons. More specifically, TaylorMade is using what the company calls FLTD CG (flighted CG) to strategically position CG throughout the set (lower in the long irons, higher in the short irons). CG is positioned almost a millimeter lower in the long irons compared to previous generations. In the shorter irons, the higher CG positions allowed engineers to dial in spin and promote accuracy.

• “Best combination of everything. The amalgamation of all irons on the market blended into one mathematically perfect design.”
• “I think people recognize the name. It’s a very popular club. It stands up to every model in a category.”
• “That’s the staple in the players distance category. It’s year-in, year-out. It’s tough to beat TaylorMade — they don’t go wrong with that iron, for sure. They make little refinements, but it’s almost like, yeah, just keep making little refinements. Don’t kind of mess that up just because the, I mean, it, it fits such a wide range of players and it’s just such a good iron that fits a wide, wide range of handicaps.”
• “I think where TaylorMade kind of struggled over the past is getting that spin on the golf club, and I think each generation it just keeps getting better. I think they did an awesome job.”
• “If it’s not our best-selling iron in the fitting center, it’s always like number two. It’s such a great, great performer across the board. And yeah, it just keeps getting better every year. It’s really awesome; crazy distance on that thing too.”

Titleist T350

Their story: The new T350 irons are still built for maximum distance and forgiveness, but they were redesigned with a hollow-body construction that’s inspired by the T200. Like the T200, the T350 also uses Max Impact Technology behind the face to maximize speed and forgiveness, and dual-tungsten weights in the back cavity. The T350 irons are noticeably larger, and with thicker toplines, than the T200 irons for golfers who need the additional surface area and stability.

Fitter comments: 

• “The T350 is super good. They definitely cleaned it up, cleaned up that topline a little bit and made it…a little bit more compact, a little bit smaller for sure.”
• “You know, I think is one of those irons that maybe sometimes can get overlooked. I don’t know…some guys, they think ‘Titleist,’ they can’t hit it. If someone’s in this category, it’s always a club you’re gonna have.”
• “So like this is the first one in that model that’s had like a forged face and, and, and, and I think that just improved the feel of it. Topline to me looks a little bit cleaner and, they do a nice job of hiding the offset doesn’t look quite obnoxious when you look down at it. I don’t know if it’s like the chrome that they put or whatever, but it looks a lot cleaner at address. The iron’s always been super easy to get up in here.”
• “That type of customer, I know they all want to do is just hit it nice and far. But we’re seeing so many guys come in that just need help getting it airborne in that moderate kind of clubhead speed category. And this thing is probably, if not the easiest, one of the easiest irons in this category to launch. And I think that’s what makes it so great.”
• “High launch is a key component to this iron. Clean look, with reduced offset and a better look for a players game improvement iron. Players are surprised that this is a game improvement iron based on the looks and package size.”

Srixon ZX5 Mk II

Their story:  MainFrame v2 was developed with an Automated Intelligence process, flex-maximizing variable thickness pattern of grooves, channels, and cavities carefully milled into the backside of ZX5 iron faces for high ball speeds. Not only does MainFrame boost COR, but it also repositions mass away from the face and into the toe and sole for a lower CG for easier launch, more consistency, and forgiveness.

• “I’m a big believer in the V-Sole. For high-speed guys who want a little forgiveness and are steep, it just doesn’t stick in the ground. Super soft and high launching. Not a ton of offset. It’s also been a good fit for moderate-to-high handicappers.”
• “So I would say it, it kind of stands out in its category because it does launch higher than its competitors. It also sits in between some of the models, like, it doesn’t directly compete with a hollow cavity and it doesn’t compete with, like the Cobra King Tour. Like, it’s a degree stronger. For a forged iron, it performs great for us. The only problem is that it is a little bit light in a swing weight, so we have to be careful of who we fit.”
• “It’s definitely one of our more popular irons for sure. You know, you get a guy who wants to play something small but still wants something more forgiving, and they don’t want kind of that full hollow body iron. I mean, that’s definitely one of our best sellers for sure. We’re seeing that a lot of combos — that’s a one iron that you can definitely combo with the ZX7 for sure.”
• “I think a lot of guys like the concept of the V-Sole with them…If you’re talking an overall package, you know, for the guy that is looking for something clean. That’s a spectacular golf club. Good looks and good feel and great, you know, great performance, and it fits a lot of categories.”
• “I think the one struggle a lot of companies have with that category is getting something to spin, so to try and give like guys so they don’t get those knuckleball shots or that fly out of the rough that goes 20 yards longer. I kind of think that that’s what I think makes that item so good is you get some spin on it, and I think it, it looks and feels good enough that like it, a guy that’s a mid-single digit can play it and be like, yeah, that’s good enough for me. But it’s also forgiving enough that a guy that’s in that kind of 12-to-15 kind of category if he wants to reach a little bit and play something that might look a little bit better. It just fits such a huge, huge range of players. I think it’s just awesome.”

Their story:  Billed as Ping’s “longest iron ever,” the G430 irons combine a lower CG with stronger, custom- engineered lofts and a thinner face that delivers up to two more mph of ball speed, per the company. At the heart of the new addition is the PurFlex cavity badge, an innovation that features seven flex zones that allow more free bending in design to increase ball speed across the face. In combination with a lower CG, the badge aims to contribute to a solid feel and pleasing impact sound.

• “The best G.I. iron on the market. Easy to hit and launch while making great ball speed for distance.”
• “The best iron in the game improvement category. High launch and packed with forgiveness on those off-center hits. It’s one of the easiest irons to hit. So easy to hit and look at for the average golfer.”
• “Yeah, I mean, that’s definitely a go-to and in the matrix for sure. I mean, it’s just super easy to hit, super forgiving. They don’t mess that iron up.”
• “Ping does a great job of building golf clubs. Their design is fantastic and it’s not for everybody, you know, it’s not the lowest-spinning club…but it sure is one of the most forgiving golf clubs and most consistent golf clubs. Ping G430 in that category of club, you can have something that a good player who needs a little help maybe can use because it’s consistent across the face, and you can’t do that with some of the other clubs because they’re not as consistent across the face for the ball speeds. It is a monster for us.”
• “The best iron in the game improvement category. It’s one of the easiest irons to hit.”

Best irons of 2024: Meet the fitters

• Adam Rathe: Club Champion
• Adam Scotto: Club Champion
• Adam Seitz: Club Champion
• Aidan Mena: Club Champion
• Alex Dice: Carl’s Golfland
• Alex Praeger: Club Champion
• Ben Giunta: The Tour Van
• Blake Smith, PGA: True Spec
• Bo Gorman: True Spec
• Brad Coffield: Carl’s Golfland
• Brett Ott: Club Champion
• Brian Riley: Club Champion
• Cameron Scudder: Club Champion
• Carmen Corvino: True Spec
• Christian Sandler: Club Champion
• Clare Cornelius: Cool Clubs
• Dan Palmisano: Club Champion
• Dane Byers: Club Champion
• Darren Joubert: Club Champion
• Dennis Huggins: Club Champion
• Drew Koch: Club Champion
• Eric Touchet: Touchet Performance Golf
• Erik Gonzales: Club Champion
• Evan Morrison: Club Champion
• Gus Alzate: True Spec
• Jake Medlen: Stripe Show Club Fitters
• Jake Woolston: Club Champion
• Jake Wynd: Club Champion
• Jay Marino: Club Champion
• Jeremy Olsen: Club Champion
• Jim Yenser: Club Champion
• Joe Stefan: Club Champion
• Joey Simon, PGA: Club Champion
• Jonathan Kaye: Club Champion
• Jordan Patrick: True Spec
• Jordan Rollins: Club Champion
• Kevin Arabejo: Club Champion
• Kevin Downey: Club Champion
• Kirk Oguri: Pete’s Golf
• Kyle Lane: Club Champion
• Kyle Murao: Club Champion
• Marc Roybal: True Spec
• Mark Hymerling: Club Champion
• Mark Knapp: Carl’s Golfland
• Matt Miller: Club Champion
• Matt Rish: Club Champion
• Matthew Gandolfi: Club Champion
• Mike Martysiewicz: Club Champion
• Mike Weis: Club Champion
• Mitch Schneider: Club Champion
• Nicholas Barone: Club Champion
• Nick Sherburne: Club Champion
• Nick Waterworth: Haggin Oaks
• Preston Vanderfinch: Club Champion
• Rick Lane: Club Champion
• Rob Anderson, PGA: Club Champion
• Russell Hubby: Club Champion
• Ryan Fisher: Grips Golf
• Ryan Grimes: Club Champion
• Ryan Johnson: Carl’s Golfland Bloomfield Hills
• Sam Kim: True Spec
• Scott Sikorski: Club Champion
• Scott Felix: Felix Club Works
• Scott Trent: Club Champion
• Sean Pfeil: Club Champion
• Shaun Fagan: True Spec
• Steve Harrow: Club Champion
• Tad Artrip: Club Champion
• Thomas Mattaini: Pull the Pin
• Tony Rhode: True Clubs
• William Buse: Club Champion
• William Cho: NovoGolf
• William Fields: Club Champion

RELATED: Best driver 2024

Why Tony Finau is planning to play 2 drivers at the Masters

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt of a piece we originally filed this piece for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. You can read the full piece there. 

Now, for the 2024 Masters specifically, Finau is planning to put another Ping G430 LST driver into play, in order to help him on the right-to-left holes at Augusta. The second driver, which is set to replace his 3-wood, will measure about the length of his 3-wood, and it has 10.5 degrees of loft, according to Ping Tour rep Kenton Oates.

“Tony Finau, most likely, will be playing two G430 LST drivers this week; his gamer, and a new shorter 10.5 headed option,” Oates told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday. “In the ramp-up towards The Masters, Tony and his team discussed options to optimize his performance off the tee. In discussing the tee shots around Augusta and second shots, Tony realized he would never hit 3-wood off the ground, minus maybe 8 if it was soft and into the wind.

“With that in mind, we felt it would be worth exploring a driver built to more 3-wood specs – shorter, more loft, etc. We build the driver in Houston and Tony carried it to Augusta to test. Right away it was giving him the performance he was looking for, allowing him to hit a straighter shot off the tee, or even draw it easier than his gamer driver, along with the added forgiveness benefits of using a driver instead of a 3-wood. Tony potentially could use the little driver on 2-7-10-14-17-18, pending course and wind conditions.”

Since Finau’s stock driver swing is grooved for a cut shot, maybe it’s unrealistic that Finau will hit big sweeping draws with the new, second driver option. But, according to Finau, it’s still a useful option, especially since he won’t need the 3-wood much this week.

“The [second] driver really goes straight, so there’s just no fade on it,” Finau told GolfWRX.com. “The draw holes out here, you don’t really have to turn it over, you just can’t hit a fade. But yeah, I’m going with two drivers.”

Read the full piece on PGATour.com.

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Tour Edge's Hot Launch 522 irons and wedges offer options to those looking for improvement

What you need to know: Tour Edge’s Hot Launch C522 irons and SuperSpin wedges are designed for players who need some help but enjoy competitive golf in a classic cavity-back design. The new E522 irons and wedges offer max help with an emphasis on getting the ball in the air and fighting the slice.

Price/Availability: The Hot Launch C522 irons ($80 per iron) are available in lofts ranging from 22 to 59 degrees while the E522 irons ($100 per iron) range from 20 to 49 degrees. The wedges cost $90 each. The clubs will be in stores on Oct. 1.

The deep dive: When getting the ball airborne with plenty of distance is your priority, there’s no reason to attempt to disguise it. Tour Edge’s new Hot Launch C522 and E522 irons—the sixth iteration of the Hot Launch series—don’t even try. By using improved construction and multiple materials to achieve distance and height with an acceptable feel, these irons offer players multiple ways to get better.

The 431 stainless-steel C522 cavity-back irons and E522 hollow-body hybrid irons offer help in ways people familiar with Tour Edge’s heritage in irons will recognize. Wide soles lower the center of gravity (CG) for higher launch while off-center-hit forgiveness is achieved through a slightly larger size. And there’s enough offset to help slicers mitigate those annoying shots that tend to fade—or slice—too much.

The hero of the Hot Launch C522 and E522 irons might not be on the face of the club, but on the bottom of it. Players in the game-improvement category need their worst shots to be playable, and in this case that means designing soles that improve turf interaction and help mitigate the effect of a shot that takes too much grass.

While generally a more traditional cavity-back design, the C522’s wide sole smooths chunkier hits by adding more mass low in the head. In turn, the 360-degree undercut in the cavity works with extra mass in the toe to enhance the moment of inertia (MOI) for better performance on off-center strikes.

MORE: Tour Edge Hot Launch 522 metalwoods offer two looks at game improvement

New to the C522 is the company’s VIBRCOR, a high-grade thermoplastic urethane placed in the deep undercut pocket designed to enhance perimeter weighting for forgiveness while boosting speed and enhancing feel.

“VIBRCOR is the biggest difference,” said Matt Neeley, Tour Edge’s VP of product development. “The badge sticks up 6 to 7 millimeters off the surface and really helps on sound because it’s so thick and protruding there. It’s the biggest upgrade in the lineup.”

The Hot Launch E522 irons take a more aggressive approach to turf interaction by using the company’s “Houdini sole” found in some of its fairway woods and hybrids to cut through the ground. “We’ve basically added this little tail that really increased the effective sole while helping create cleaner turf interaction,” Neeley said. “We’re pulling a lot of the sole away from that area where the club meets the ground.”

In order to offer more help than the C522, the E522 also uses a shallow face height that encourages higher launch. The hollow-body design furthers that endeavor by placing weight low. Assisting those with a tendency to slice, weight is placed in the heel, and the clubs are slightly offset.

The Hot Launch irons extend to E522 wedges (52, 56, 60 degrees) that can fit easily within the respective sets. Like the irons, they incorporate a wide sole and include the angled rear section to reduce how much of it contacts the turf or sand. A deep undercut in the cavity-back design frees up the extra mass that's put into the turf-sliding sole shape while full-face grooves provide plenty of grab on shots around the green. There’s also a Hot Launch SuperSpin VIBRCOR wedge (50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60 degrees) designed to provide better control around the green. It has a beveled leading edge and cambered sole that also prevents digging and adds versatility.

The Hot Launch C522 irons ($80 per iron) are available in lofts ranging from 22 to 59 degrees while the E522 irons ($100 per iron) range from 20 to 49 degrees. The wedges cost $90 each. The clubs will be in stores on Oct. 1.

Find the right club for your game with our new Hot List interactive:

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INFORMATION

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"THE EASIEST WEDGE YOU WILL EVER HIT."

PRESIDENT, FOUNDER & MASTER CLUB DESIGNER

HOUDINI SOLE PATENTED HOUDINI SOLE REDUCES TURF INTERACTION BY 35% AND DRAMATICALLY MOVES WEIGHT LOW AND DEEP FOR EXTREME PLAYABILITY.

SUPER WIDE SOLE SUPER-WIDE SOLE ELIMINATES THINS AND FLUBS FOR SUPERIOR CONTACT.

DEEP UNDERCUT CAVITY EXPANDED UNDERCUT CAVITY LOWERS THE CG FOR IMPROVED DISTANCE AND SPIN CONTROL AROUND THE GREENS.

EXTRA LARGE FACE EXTRA LARGE FACE PROVIDES A LARGER STRIKING AREA FOR EXCEPTIONAL CONSISTENCY.

FULL-FACE MAXIMIZED GROOVES FULL-FACE MAXIMIZED GROOVES ARE TO THE USGA DEPTH AND SHARPNESS LIMITS FOR MAXIMUM SPIN AND CONTROL.

SHAFT SPECIFICATIONS

The E522 Wedge comes stock with a super-light Fubuki HL graphite shaft by Mitsubishi Chemical that range from 50 to 60 grams depending on the flex.

The extremely light FUBUKI shafts come with lower kick points and lower cycles per minute frequencies that promise to help players achieve maximum velocity and to fight a fade; producing a longer, straighter and a slightly drawn ball flight.

CLUB SPECIFICATIONS

GRIP:    Lamkin Z5

Available in right and left hand. Women’s length -1". Custom fitting options include: grip, shaft flex, and length.

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WE DARE YOU TO FIND A BETTER CUSTOM-FITTED VALUE IN GOLF

About the Product

Tour edge hot launch e522 wedge w/ graphite shaft.

The Extreme Game Improvement Hot Launch E522 wedge features a super-wide Houdini sole that puts more weight below and behind the ball making it extremely easy to get the ball into the air and out of tough lies. The dual-flange sole design features 14-degrees of bounce allowing the wedge to glide through the turf or sand without digging in and promotes extreme open-face wedge shots.

Houdini Sole

The patented Houdini Sole and its curved leading edge reduced turf interaction by 35%, promoting a “no dig” design and leading significantly less “duffs”, caused by hitting up on the ball and hitting the turf at a lower point before the ball.

Super-Wide Sole

The super-wide sole and heavier head weight of the E522 Wedge helps to eliminate flubs for superior contact. It is engineered to versatility by adding extreme performance benefits to chipping, pitch shots, explosion shots out of the sand, shots out of the rough, flop shots and with bump-and-run shots.

Super-Deep Undercut Cavity

This extremely deep undercut cavity dramatically lowers the Center of Gravity for the ultimate in wedge forgiveness. It redistributes mass for enhanced flight control and to create a higher launch with increased spin for extreme playability from the sand and rough.

Extra Large Face Design

An oversized face design on the E range wedge provides more striking area for enhanced consistency and accuracy. It also raises the Moment of Inertia for enhanced precision around greens. enhance playability from the sand and rough.

Full-Face Maximized Grooves

The full-face coverage grooves of the E522 Wedge are maximized to USGA depth and sharpness. They provide exceptional spin and control across the entire face of the wedge.

Premium Mitsubishi Fubuki HL and KBS MAX 80 Shafts

The E522 Wedge comes stock with a FUBUKI HL graphite shaft by Mitsubishi that ranges from 50-grams to 60-grams depending on the flex. It is also available in a KBS MAX 80 steel shaft.  

Studio fitting

Schedule a private session with a certified Fitting Specialist to find the right gear that takes your game to the next level.

Hot Launch E522 Wedge w/ Graphite Shaft

What is loft.

Loft affects trajectory and spin rate and therefor it determines the distance the ball will travel. More loft typically generates a higher trajectory and more spin while lower loft causes the ball to fly lower and spin less.

STUDIO Fitting

Not sure which loft is right for your game? Schedule a private session with a certified Fitting Specialist to find the right gear that takes your game to the next level.

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Tour Edge E522 Driver Review

In this Tour Edge E522 driver review, we take a closer look at a product that was designed to make the game more fun for slicers

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The E522 driver from Tour Edge delivers on its technology promises to help golfers combat their dreaded slice while also providing premium aesthetics and naturally high launch conditions. Even better, those attributes come in a driver that ranks as one of the best value propositions in the category.

Slice-fighting technology delivers as intended

Highly forgiving on off-center strikes

Effortlessly high launch

One of the best-looking offset drivers you’ll see

Impact sound won’t appeal to all

No adjustability

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The Tour Edge C522 driver is one of the standout products I’ve tested this year, as it earned a rare 5-star rating for the impressive performance it delivered at what is simply an incredible price point. But there’s another driver in the 522 lineup as well, and that’s the E522, which will be the focus of this review.

For those keeping score at home, the "C" in Tour Edge’s branding stands for Competition Spec while the "E" stands for Extreme Spec. Probably the easiest way to explain the nomenclature would be to borrow terms most often associated with irons, as C models would best be categorized as “players” drivers while E models would best be described as “game-improvement” drivers. And make no mistake about it; these two drivers are very different animals.

Most notable about the E522 is that it was designed to help golfers combat a slice. As such, it has an offset hosel design and discretionary weight has been moved toward the heel to allow right-handed golfers who struggle to square the face at impact to release the toe more easily and eliminate that ugly miss to the right. It also has a more upright lie angle to further encourage a draw, and it comes at a shorter stock length of 44.5 inches to promote improved center-face contact. I’ll address performance shortly, but the C522 and E522 also look extremely different.

The E522 has a much shallower face to promote effortlessly high launch and the offset is noticeable at address. What I will say, however, is that the offset is more subtle than what you might see in other drivers in this category, and Tour Edge has done an excellent job from an aesthetics standpoint of hiding any appearance of a closed face at address by using a more curved topline. In terms of its overall profile, the E522 is about the same size as the C522 and also features a traditional rounded shape. I’d also add that from an overall aesthetics standpoint the E522 belies its value price point, as it looks like a high-quality driver.

As for the testing sessions I conducted with the E522, they all took place on the course at Atlanta National Golf Club using Titleist Pro V1x golf balls . I spent one morning hitting multiple driver shots off of several tees, and I also played a couple of rounds with the E522. What I did not do for this test, however, is hit the E522 comparatively against other drivers that I typically use. Given that the E522 is a slice-fighting driver, which normally wouldn’t be a fit for my game, comparing it to drivers that are more ideal fits would be like comparing apples to oranges. So for this review, the E522 is being judged solely on its own merits.

I’ll start with the sound and feel of the E522, and it was loud. The C522 was also on the louder side but offered an explosive titanium crack. The E522’s impact acoustics, meanwhile, were equally loud but much higher pitched. While it’s one of the louder drivers that I’ve hit in the last couple of years, which might not appeal to everyone, it should be noted that the feel off of the face isn’t at all harsh.

Of course, for players who are trying to fight a slice, sound might not be an issue if they can keep the ball out of rough, trees, or hazards on the right side of the golf course. And from that standpoint the E522 performed as intended. I normally don’t struggle with a pronounced left-to-right ball flight but any efforts I made to miss wildly right on the course with this driver were for the most part neutralized regardless of how hard I tried to hit violent cuts. Rather, those shots resulted in slight pulls that stayed in play and normal swings produced repeatable draws that started down the target line and typically finished in the left side of the fairway. 

Additionally, as was the case with the C522, the E522 performed extremely well on off-center strikes, most notably from a direction standpoint. My most common miss is off the toe and with this design I expected those misses to end up left of left. But it didn’t happen. Rather, my poor strikes all stayed in play and curved far less than I would have expected.

What I did notice from a performance standpoint is that I hit the ball extremely high with the E522, which is one of the performance attributes that it was designed to deliver. Based on my experience testing golf clubs I’m confident that the peak heights I was seeing were a result of higher launch conditions and higher spin numbers, which did equate to shots that for me were typically about 10 yards short of where I typically hit the ball on my home course. That said, I would attribute those distance results to fit and the driver’s design more than anything.

There’s a lot to like for the right player about the E522, especially at what is an amazing price point of $249. I do believe it’s more of a niche product and that the C522 would be a better fit for a wider range of players. The E522 isn’t adjustable and offers limited shaft options, but if you’re a golfer who struggles with an open face at impact or lacks the swing speed to generate the launch conditions you need to optimize carry distance, the E522 is definitely worth consideration as one of the best slice-fighting drivers and best budget drivers on the market.

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Chris joined Golf Monthly in February of 2022, becoming the organization’s first full-time staff writer in the United States. In his role at Golf Monthly, Chris reviews a broad spectrum of golf equipment, ranging from the latest in golf clubs to what’s new in the world of golf technology. His vast experience in the game allows him to look beyond the marketing hype to judge the merits of the latest equipment for golfers of all ability levels. As for the trend in golf equipment that Chris has been most impressed with in recent years, the Players Distance Iron category would earn that distinction, as golfers now have far better options for irons that provide the assistance that so many need in terms of distance and forgiveness without forcing them to sacrifice look and feel.

On a personal level, Chris played college golf and was a three-year letterwinner and two-year captain at Lynchburg College in Virginia and later spent two years as the assistant golf coach at the University of Virginia. The vast majority of his professional career, however, has been spent as a sports writer and editor. In the early phases of his career, he covered college football, college basketball, and golf for different newspapers and websites before turning his attention solely to golf in 2011. Over the course of the past decade, Chris managed the Instruction Blog for GolfChannel.com and more recently created equipment-related content for TGW.com and 2ndSwing.com.

An avid player, Chris currently maintains a handicap index of 2.4 and has a career-low round of 66, which he has shot on three occasions. He lives about 20 miles north of Atlanta in Roswell, Georgia, with his wife, Stacey, and is a member at Atlanta National Golf Club.

Chris is currently playing:

Driver: Callaway Epic Sub Zero, 10.5*

Fairway wood : TaylorMade M3, 17*

Hybrid : Callaway Apex UW, 19*

Irons : Mizuno JPX 921 Forged, 4-PW

Gap wedge : Cleveland RTX 4, 50*

Sand wedge : Titleist Vokey SM6, 56M

Lob wedge : Titleist Vokey SM8, 60L

Putter : SeeMore Nashville Z3C

Ball : TaylorMade TP5x 

The Englishman is through to the weekend but hit out at the pace of play at Augusta National

By Andrew Wright Published 12 April 24

The Odyssey Jailbird is being used by 10% of the field this week at Augusta National, with the putter already racking up numerous victories in its short lifespan

By Matt Cradock Published 12 April 24

The 1992 Masters champion has missed the cut for just the eighth time in 39 appearances at Augusta National

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• Sports & Outdoors
• Sand Wedges

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Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 Wedge

Purchase options and add-ons, about this item.

• Tour Edge Hot Launch E522
• The super-wide sole and heavier head weight of the E522 Wedge helps to eliminate flubs for superior contact. It is engineered to versatility by adding extreme performance benefits to chipping, pitch shots, explosion shots out of the sand, shots out of the rough, flop shots and with bump-and-run shots.
• This extremely deep undercut cavity dramatically lowers the Center of Gravity for the ultimate in wedge forgiveness. It redistributes mass for enhanced flight control and to create a higher launch with increased spin for extreme playability from the sand and rough.
• An oversized face design on the E range wedge provides more striking area for enhanced consistency and accuracy. It also raises the Moment of Inertia for enhanced precision around greens. enhance playability from the sand and rough.
• The full-face coverage grooves of the E522 Wedge are maximized to USGA depth and sharpness. They provide exceptional spin and control across the entire face of the wedge.

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Product Description

The Tour Edge Golf Hot Launch E522 Wedges are designed for control and forgiveness. The E522 from Tour Edge is one of the easiest wedges you will ever hit. Thanks to the Houdini Super Wide Sole, turf interaction is reduced allowing for easy compression of the golf ball. Lower your scores with a new wedge from Tour Edge Golf! Patented Houdini Sole reduces turf interaction by 35% and dramatically moves weight low and deep for extreme playability. Super-Wide Sole Eliminates thins and flub shots for superior contact. Deep undercut cavity expanded undercut cavity lowers the CG for improved distance and spin control around the greens. Extra Large Face provides a larger striking area for exceptional accuracy. Full-face maximized grooves are to the USGA depth and sharpness limits for maximum spin and control.

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Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 Driver Review

Tour edge hot launch e522 driver.

Tour Edge is back in 2021 with an update to one of the best values in golf, the super popular Hot Launch series. Following the success of last year’s 521 lineup, the new Hot launch 522 lineup has better looks, feel, more technology, and performance at the same great price point. Kicking off our series of reviews is the extreme game improvement (GI) Hot Launch E522 driver, which is easily one of the most forgiving drivers I’ve ever hit.

Throughout Tour Edge’s entire Hot Launch 522 lineup, appearance is the first noticeable improvement from last year. The Hot Launch E522 driver has a much more appealing rounded shape with a moderate footprint even though it still comes in at 460cc. This driver as an extreme GI club has significant offset, but Tour Edge did a fantastic job blending it for a cleaner look at address. Don’t get me wrong, it’s certainly noticeable but it doesn’t look nearly as extreme as you’d typically expect for a driver in this category.

How Does it Feel?

The very first rip of the ball highlighted the next major improvement from last year. Tour Edge gave the Hot Launch E522 driver the same Diamond Face 2.0 technology that they use in their premium drivers. Diamond Face creates a hotter and more forgiving face via a series of 42 mini diamond shapes of varying thicknesses across the back of the face. These diamonds create a “trampoline effect” resulting in faster ball speeds for more distance. As such, you feel a lot of jump off of a majority of the face.

Worth pointing out in this section is the Fubuki-HL shaft in the Hot Launch 522 woods. The Fubuki has a pleasantly clean feel with a smooth, yet controlled flex profile. At a shorter stock length of 44.5″ (can be custom ordered to other lengths), the club felt well balanced and easy to control.

How Does it Sound?

Like the feel, the Tour Edge HL E522 driver’s sound is pretty hot! Players with faster swing speeds (let’s call it 100+ mph) may find the E522 driver to fall on the louder side. Players with more moderate swing speeds, which are the more likely audience for this club, will experience a solid “whap” at impact giving them a confident reassurance that they just smacked the ball down the fairway.

On-Course Performance

By design, the Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 driver is meant to launch the ball higher and spin a bit more. The Houdini Sole moves more mass low and deep in the head which helps get the ball in the air and spinning. Of course, Tour Edge wants this to be easy to achieve with the E522 driver and it certainly is. I was able to swing pretty effortlessly with my “usual swing” and achieve a higher launch angle. I typically produce around 12º of launch with my gamer setup, but my stock swing with the E522 lingered in the 15-16º range. Though this is a bit high for me with my swing speed, the design certainly works as intended, especially for players who need help getting the ball in the air with enough spin to hold it there for more carry.

As I said earlier, I definitely didn’t have my A-Game on the TrackMan. I could just tell at impact, I hit some terrible shots. The TrackMan’s measured smash factor often supported those assumptions, but I was floored by how good these misses were ending up. Shots that I assumed would be dead and unplayable were staying within the grid with plenty of distance. “That’s a miss I can CERTAINLY live with” was a regular statement for the day. I’m talking to the point, that it didn’t seem fair. The Hot Launch E522 driver’s forgiveness is very real and extremely impressive. If that doesn’t sound good for players seeking extreme game improvement, I don’t know what does!

Final Thoughts – Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 Driver

Tour Edge bills the Hot Launch 522 series as “the easiest clubs you’ll ever hit” and I have a pretty hard time disagreeing, especially with the E522 lineup. I absolutely did not “have my swing” for most of the testing and the E522 driver continually bailed me out. Not just bailed me out, but still delivered perfectly good results that, frankly, I didn’t deserve. The Hot Launch E522 driver was incredibly forgiving and easy to keep in play. There were multiple jokes about the E522 knocking out my current gamer, but as testing went on, I’m not sure how much of a joke it was anymore. And at only $249, the barrier to entry is beyond reasonable and the automatic control is a cheat code for players that will take all the help they can get.

Stock Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 Driver Specs

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I’ve taken a few swings with this club and couldn’t get over the sound. To me, it sounded like hitting an aluminum baseball bat.

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• Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 & E524 Irons Review

More in Irons:

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The Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 irons are strong game improvement irons with good forgiveness.  The Tour Edge Hot Launch E524 irons take consistency to the extreme, almost daring you to try to get a bad result.

Introduction

Last year, Drew examined the Hot Launch C523 and E523 irons [review HERE ] and found them worthy of Tour Edge’s slogan, “Golf’s Most Solid Investment.”  New for 2024 are the aptly named Hot Launch C524 and E524 irons.  While the name and the look have changed, the mission is the same: delivering high performance clubs at a price that’s about half what you’ll pay from other OEMs.

The “C” in Tour Edge Hot Launch C524  stands for “Competition.”  That means this is the set designed for more skilled players, at least compared to the E524.  At address, this iron set features a very thick, boxy top line and a significant amount of offset.  The blade length is about average, but the overall impression is that this is a big club meant to forgive mishits.

“E” in Tour Edge Hot Launch E524 irons stands for “Extreme Spec,” referring to extreme performance and forgiveness.  This focus on forgiveness is immediately obvious from the Iron-Wood design.  These are very big irons with huge, rounded faces which should fill golfers with confidence.  There is a great deal of offset in these irons, and the back of the club protrudes from behind the thick top lines.

Comparing the 7 irons side-by-side, you can see that the C524 (left) actually has a slightly thicker top line, but it doesn’t have any “extra” behind it.  Both irons have similar offset .  The leading edge of the E524 is more rounded – a subtle difference that, to my eye, helps to make the face look larger.

Sound & Feel

I started my testing with the Tour Edge Hot Launch E524 irons and was shocked by the sound and feel .  Given the hollow body design, I was expecting a loud, hollow sound and a feel that was quick and explosive.  Instead, I got a surprisingly soft, solid feel and a quiet impact sound that’s closer to a “thud” than the “pop” I was expecting.  The sound did get louder as I worked into the long irons, but the feel remained solid.

Having had my expectations rewired by the E524, the Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 irons had a high bar to clear.  Thankfully, they delivered the same traditional impact sensations as their larger brother.  The feel is more solid and soft than quick or explosive, and the sound is quiet throughout the set.

Both sets also share the desire to make you feel good about every swing .  While you can feel the impact location through your hands, the sound of impact doesn’t change dramatically from flush shots to mishits.  Additionally, mishits don’t sting – the character of the feel is very similar across the face.

Performance

I tested these two iron sets in parallel to evaluate their similarities and differences.  I’ll dive into the specifics, but my overall takeaway is that Tour Edge did a great job creating two sets that are highly forgiving while also being clearly differentiated .

Starting with the wedges, I noticed immediately that the Tour Edge Hot Launch E524 irons spin quite a bit.  This was a pleasant surprise as I expected this set to be all about distance.  When I looked at the specs, I saw that the lofts are strong but not near the “cutting edge” of strong lofts.  The E524 irons put more emphasis on consistency rather than raw distance.

Switching to the Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 irons, I saw slightly lower launch and spin , but both were still higher than expected.  The pitching wedge is one degree weaker in the C524 – 44 degrees – which is bordering on weak by today’s standards.  Again, this points to a focus on consistency and forgiveness.  Every shot I hit with this wedge went straight and carried a similar distance.

Moving into the mid irons, the extreme forgiveness of the E524 irons really started to show.  I had a series of three shots that were flush, low heel, and on the toe, yet each one landed within a couple yards of the others.  The launch angles were extremely consistent, even when the contact wasn’t.  The mid irons is also where this set’s draw bias really started to show, pulling most shots to the left of the center line.  This anti-slice tendency will be a boon for most high handicap players.

Changing back to the Hot Launch C524 irons, the launch and spin were lower despite the weaker lofts.  The lofts on the C524 irons are three degrees weaker from 4I-8I, but this difference is balanced by the Iron-Wood design of the E524.  For me, the C524 irons were slightly longer , but the forgiveness was still very good.  My notes state, “Impact location barely matters,” reflecting the consistency of the ball speed and carry distances.

The two sets showed the most difference in the longest irons.  The E524 4I is one of the easiest-to-launch long irons I’ve ever hit .  In contrast, I found the C524 to launch lower, and it required more effort.  Looking at the big picture, the C524 4I is still fairly easy to hit, but it’s nowhere near the E524.

Overall, both the Hot Launch C524 irons and the Hot Launch E524 irons are forgiving and consistent , but the E524 takes it to a much higher level.  The E524 irons are in the “You need to try to get a bad result” class.  Players with more speed may find more distance in the C524.  As always, getting a fitting is the only sure way to find the set up that will maximize your abilities.

The Tour Edge Hot Launch family continues to be a champion for golfers seeking the most bang for their buck.  In the Hot Launch C524 irons, players will find a set that’s forgiving and consistent without fully abandoning a traditional look.  Those that want extreme forgiveness and maximum fun should look to the Hot Launch E524 irons.

Visit Tour Edge HERE

Tour edge hot launch c524 irons specs.

Tour Edge Hot Launch E524 Irons Specs

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The entire 524 lineup intrigues me this year. Will you be reviewing the fairways too at some point? I saw the C524 fairway and nearly bought it immediately. based on looks alone.

Yes, we are reviewing the entire line.

Matt, are the specs reversed? Your comments on the E524 4I say 20 degrees but chart says 23 degrees.

Thank you for the note. The specs are correct, I made an error (now corrected) in my text.

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• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 Iron Review

I had never struck a Tour Edge golf club before the Hot Launch C524 Irons arrived on my doorstep, so I was keen to see if they could perform as well as some of the best irons on the market for a fraction of the price.

Retailing for just $79.99/£65.00 per iron, the price tag certainly caught my eye as many irons in this category sell for far more than double that price. On first inspection out of the box, there were no signs of why that may be from an aesthetic point of view. Each iron was beautifully finished and looked great when I put them down in the playing position. A generous blade length and ample offset let me know that these were irons designed with playability in mind, but overall the dimensions and proportions were excellent and framed the ball nicely.

From a shelf appeal point of view, it is a case of nearly but not quite for me. I am generally someone who appreciates a minimalist approach to looks when it comes to golf equipment and the C524 irons are just a touch fussy for my tastes from the back. I don’t mind a subtle accent color but the bright blue badge just wasn’t for me, although that is just personal preference and some players may love it. I just feel that leaving that black or grey would have given the iron a slightly more premium look and feel.

In terms of the tech, there is quite a lot going on. At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that these were a hollow-body construction iron as there is no visual cavity, however, this is somewhat of an optical illusion. The cavity has simply been filled with Tour Edge’s VIBRCOR, which is a high-grade TPU designed to improve sound and feel. 

Additional toe weighting has been added to the set with the intention of stabilizing impact and providing additional ball speed on off-center strikes.

I tested the Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 irons at Saunton Golf Club , using my FullSwing KIT launch monitor and TaylorMade TP5 golf balls, both on the practice ground and out on the course.

Before I get into the launch monitor data, I wanted to give a special mention to the feel attributes of these irons. Impact provided a pleasant lively sensation but there was also a real depth to the strike that isn’t always present in the game-improvement iron category. For me, the Mizuno JPX 923 Hot Metal is still the gold standard in terms of feel in this genre, but quite honestly, when coupled with some excellent turf interaction, the C524 iron is not a million miles behind.

Launch monitor data was pretty strong across the board, with ball speed and distance competitive with just about anything else. With the 7-iron coming in at 29˚ it sits within the higher end of its peers loft-wise but still managed to produce a ball speed of 129.3mph for me with a mid-low launch and spin of 15.5˚ and 5412rpm respectively, which culminated in a healthy carry number of 188 yards. 

I did notice a slight right tendency in flight compared to some other game improvement irons which tend to feature more of a draw bias if anything, and I wonder whether that has anything to do with the additional toe weighting. It wasn't too severe, however, just something to note.

The Hot Launch C524 irons come with a stock steel option of the True Temper Elevate MPH95 shaft in R or S flex, and there are more weight and flex options with the Aldila Ascent PL stock graphite option. There are also three sizes of Lamkin grips to choose from.

Overall, I was very pleased with the performance and feel of the Tour Edge Hot Launch C524 irons, and when you factor in the price tag, I think there is some exceptional value for money to be had. In terms of raw performance data, I would feel comfortable putting them up against anything else in the game improvement category and be very confident they would hold their own.

The Jazz Mann | Moscow Drug Club - Moscow Drug Club, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire, 29/01/2016. | Review | The Jazz Mann

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Winner of the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Media, 2019

Moscow Drug Club

Moscow Drug Club, Progress Theatre, Reading, Berkshire, 29/01/2016.

by Trevor Bannister

February 07, 2016

Guest contributor Trevor Bannister enjoys "the beguiling charms of Katya Gorrie and her band of troubadors, the Moscow Drug Club". Photograph by Zoe White.

Jazz at Progress, Reading

Friday 29th January 2016

Who could resist the beguiling charms of Katya Gorrie as she opened the doors to the ‘Moscow Drug Club’, located for one night only in the dark recesses of the Progress Theatre, Reading, and invited everyone ‘to come in and have a smoke’. ‘This is the place,’ she said, ‘where the Reds play the Blues.’

Katya’s rich vocal tones, impeccable timing and perfect diction held the audience captivated as she held centre-stage with a wonderful sense of Grand Guignol theatre, and led her band of troubadours, Jonny Bruce on trumpet, accordion player Merek Salmon, Andy Bowen on guitar and Andy Crowdy on bass, on a story-telling journey through song. She drew every last drop of meaning from the lyrics of each song, while a knowing wink or the slightest gesture of the hand, gave the merest hint that … sometimes they were not quite as they first appeared.

And what stories and what songs! Can you think of a better opening number to set the feet tapping and the hands clapping than the out-and-out Latin-American gaiety of the Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer collaboration, “It Had Better Be Tonight”, with its insistent refrain “Meglio stasera, baby, go, go, go”.

“When I Get Low I Get High” from the pen of the unlikely sounding, Marian Sunshine came next, before “The Gypsy With Fire In Her Shoes” served as a reminder that behind the persona of ‘Miss Peggy Lee’ lay a song-writing talent of rare and poignant beauty.

I remember “Yes, My Darling Daughter” as a bright and breezy hit for Eydie Gorme in the early 1960s, but its innuendo escaped my early-teenage understanding in those far-off days. Katya’s witty delivery left me in no doubts as to what the song was really about!

“Bei Mir Bist du Schon”, a great hit for the Andrews Sisters and a flag-waver for many bands of the Swing Era, almost brought the roof down. Driven along at breakneck speed by the tremendous ‘Two Andy’s’ rhythm team, it featured a sensational trumpet solo from Jonny Bruce. He soared into the stratosphere with thrilling knife-edge accuracy. No wonder he is such a sought-after musician. His range is absolutely remarkable, swooping from muted ‘treading-on-egg-shells’ delicacy to the highest reaches of his instrument. The edgy excitement of his playing and rich vocabulary of perfectly placed vocalised effects brought a great sense of drama to the evening.

The accordion is a sadly neglected instrument, more often seen gathering dust on the shelves of a junk-shop, than gracing its rightful place as part of a band. Merek Salmon is a master of the instrument, providing the perfect background to the sardonic humour of Belgian songwriter Jaques Brel, in “Funeral Tango”.

“Jacky”, a second Brel number, played later in the programme, featured the singing tones of Andy Crowdy’s bass in a wonderfully inventive solo.

Juan Tizol’s “Caravan”, with its curious mix of exoticism and straight-ahead swing, is rarely performed as a vocal. More’s the pity! Katya’s rendition brought the first set to a resounding close, and sent the audience scurrying to the bar, eager for refreshment to set them up for the second half.

Andy Crowdy’s rasping trombone echoed the vocal tones of the songwriter himself, as we entered the grotesque world of Tom Waits with the first number in the second set, “Tango Til They’re Sore”. By turns absolutely hilarious and as one commentator has observed, ‘awesomely gruesome’, the band revelled in the macabre sentiments of the song, creating a nightmarish cacophony of sounds with simple, but well-timed interjections from Katya’s vibraslap.

We were ‘treated’ to more samples of Waits’ dark humour later in the programme with “Temptation”, featuring one of many exquisite solos from Andy Bowen and “Jockey Full of Bourbon”. Meanwhile an invitation to meet ‘Queenie the cutie of the burlesque show’ as she performed to Johnny Mercer’s “Strip Polka” came as a welcome relief. The band members were in full voice to support Katya’s vocal.

Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End Of Love” brought an instant gasp of recognition from the audience. Beautiful solos from Merek Salmon and Andy Bowen captured the haunting melancholy of the song. Jonny Bruce took another leap into the unknown with a hair-raising solo loaded with power and incredible emotional intensity. 

Sadly the journey in song was drawing to a close, but not before we visited a gypsy campfire to savour Charles Aznavour’s “Two Guitars”, before taking off for the eastern Mediterranean and our final destination “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”, an irresistible tune that would have sent the audience happily on its way home but for one unresolved question; why the Moscow Drug Club?

Did Katya really meet up with her dissolute bunch of minstrels in rehab after suffering the effects of a night at ‘The Moscow Drug Club’ - a place where members ‘could have a smoke’, cock-a-snoop at authority and relax in the musical intimacy of its intoxicating atmosphere. Not quite. B.B. Gabor, an émigré Hungarian songwriter who settled in Canada, concocted the deliciously decadent lyrics in what would prove to be the encore number for the evening – what else but the “Moscow Drug Club”.

Temporary membership of ‘The Moscow Drug Club’ expired as the final notes of the tune faded away. ‘The Moscow Drug Club’ is sensational and one can only hope that membership may be renewed in the not too distant future. More used to playing large festival stages, with distant crowds, the band clearly enjoyed the convivial atmosphere of the Progress and the closeness of the audience. As ever the magnificent ‘house team’ ensured the smooth-running of the event with a welcoming smile, excellent sound and lighting, and superb service at the bar and front of house. Surely, ‘Jazz at Progress’, now entering its fourth year, must rank as a sought-after gig for Britain’s top jazz talent? Let’s also raise a glass to Steve Wellings, founder and inspirational force behind ‘Jazz in Reading’ who celebrated his birthday at the gig. Good health Steve!

Trevor Bannister (4th February 2016)

Moscow Muled

Best moscow mule with ginger ale.

Nov 02, 2019

Have you ever wondered whether you can make a Moscow Mule with ginger ale instead of ginger beer? The answer is "yes"! In this post, we reveal the best recipe for a Moscow Mule with ginger ale. Grab your cocktail glasses and let's start!

Introduction

When most people think about drinking a cocktail, chances are they’re thinking about spending good times with friends, unwinding after a difficult day at the office, or getting started on a long night of debaucherous fun. Essentially, they’re using this sugary alcoholic drink as a means to an end: they want to develop a bit of a buzz, and cocktails represent a tasty and convenient way to do exactly that. 

Nothing wrong with that, of course. But some of us like to think of these drinks as carrying the weight of their own history, having gone through all kinds of versions and permutations over decades of history as they get re-interpreted by countless people until finally reaching us in their present forms.

Yes, there is such a thing as a cocktail history nerd. Bet you didn’t know that.

The mighty Moscow Mule is one of those cocktails with a rich history behind it. A delicious concoction made up of vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer (more on that in a second!), the recipe reached a certain level of ubiquity before it started gradually fading from the memories of bar staff and patrons alike, now slowly building back up towards what appears to be a sort of Moscow Mule renaissance. Along the way, it picked up a number of alternate versions: a gin version, an Irish whiskey version, an absinthe version, etc. Each with their own catchy spin on the name. But the classic recipe remained intact: vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer.

Well…  except it’s not intact. In fact, more and more the “ginger beer” portion of the recipe has been substituted for ginger ale . Why is that? And what difference does it make in the resulting drink? Well, in order to determine that, we must think about the role that ginger beer plays in Moscow Mules in the first place.

One of the most interesting things about the genesis of ginger beer is that it was born out of necessity. There was a long period of time where water was not safe to drink, and so the beer that was produced had to have high enough alcohol content to kill any bacteria. Alcohol being, well, alcohol, the resulting beers didn't taste great, and so ginger was added to the brewing process. Ginger anything is delicious, so it stood to reason that people would embrace this new invention of ginger beer. Fast forward several decades: potable water is a thing now, and ginger beer has fallen somewhat out of popularity, but many still enjoy it. 

Ginger ale, however, is a whole other beast. For one, it is markedly sweeter -- ginger ale was developed as a way to capitalize on the soda-fountain craze, and so this sweetened, carbonated drink with ginger flavor became wildly popular among the general population. Unlike ginger beer, ginger ale is not brewed. It is essentially carbonated water with ginger syrup. It overtook the very alcohol-heavy ginger beer as the most famous ginger drink, favoring sweetness over the difficult, rich, almost-peppery taste of ginger beer.

Substituting ginger beer for ginger ale in a Moscow Mule makes a world of difference because, as you can probably imagine from the above descriptions, ginger beer and ginger ale are dramatically different drinks. While the classic recipe calls for ginger beer, the ginger ale provides an entirely new drinking experience, its sugary sweetness perfectly complimenting the lime juice and the kick from the vodka. It is an overall fizzier drink, much milder to the taste but also better suited for entertaining and sharing drinks with friends. Ginger beer is considerably spicier and more bitter, while the texture will also be flatter and less reminiscent of a classic soda-fountain soft drink.

It’s important to understand that, although this substitution is becoming more and more common, you are fundamentally altering the drink in every way that counts. Some people may prefer the fizzy sweetness of ginger ale in contrast to the harsher, spicier, murkier complexity of ginger beer, and that’s okay. There is space for both approaches, and it ultimately comes down to personal preference.

So, once you’ve decided that you’ll swap ginger beer out for ginger ale, which do you use? 

First, let’s get the basics out of the way and cover how to make a Moscow Mule with ginger ale, because if you’re anything like us, you thought this was way more complicated than it ended up being.

This is what you’ll need to make a Moscow Mule with ginger ale:

You want to make sure to use good quality vodka, as the ginger and lime flavors are going to be dominating the mix. As unobtrusive as vodka can be, you also want to make sure that it's not too bland; we tend to favor Tito's brand vodka for Moscow Mules.

You want to squeeze your lime juice straight from fresh limes. No bottled lime juice, please -- though this rule should extend beyond Moscow Mules and into life in general.

As stated, this would traditionally be ginger beer, but we’ve established that we’ll be switching things up and going with the sweeter alternative. There are, of course, various ginger ale options to pick from, and we’ll be getting into that in a moment.

Combine half an ounce of lime juice and 2 ounces vodka in a copper mug . Top with ginger beer serve with a straw. Easy!

Now that we have the recipe out of the way, let’s tackle the topic of which ginger ale we should use for our Moscow Mule. Below are five great options.

Hotlips Real Roots Soda Ginger Ale:  We’ll start this list off with our absolute favorite ginger ale. Everything that we can point to as a favorite quality -- from its sweet-tart balance to its overall heat level -- is also something that we can call an essential part of my Moscow Mule drinking experience. It’s the most well-balanced of all these products, and did the best job of making our Moscow Mule a great drinking experience. Hotlips Real Roots Soda was definitely our favorite of the traditional ginger ales.

Blenheimn Hot Ginger Ale: Next up, a ginger ale with a bit of a kick. Blenheim comes in three levels: Hot, Not as Hot, and Diet. The Hot ginger ale not only packs a punch (without going overboard on the heat level), but it is also absolutely delicious, with its sweet bubbly nature working almost as a trojan horse for the hot, pepper-y explosion that soon follows. Definitely a heat-forward ginger ale. The Not As Hot option is also great, but your Moscow Mule will definitely lose some of its punch. And if you’re looking to keep your Moscow Mule as low-calorie as possible, the Diet option is your best bet.

Boylan’s Bottling Ginger Ale: What makes Boylan's ginger ale stand out is its strong citrus flavor. Those tangy, fruity notes enhance the peppery flavor of ginger and help balance out the sweetness. Not only that, but they've managed to perfect the level of carbonation to the point where it feels exactly right for each drink you're fixing. Plus, Boylan's is so easily accessible that you won't have a problem finding this in most major grocery store chains in the country.

Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Lemonade: Speaking of easily available! Canada Dry has become all but synonymous with the term ginger ale; this citrusy twist on the ubiquitous classic can be found at virtually all major grocery stores. It is a combination of lemonade and ginger ale, which works surprisingly well when paired with vodka and lime juice. Yes, it is considerably milder than a lot of different types of ginger ale you can try, but it’s also a sugary classic that is absolutely undeniable.

R.W Knudsen Spritzer Ginger Ale: Knudsen’s ginger ale is surprisingly sweet, with clearer caramel notes and a much more subdued ginger taste than the other options listed here. It’s a fruitier ginger ale overall, and will liven up your Moscow Mule, but it is definitely the least ginger-forward of these options. You might want to skip this if you are looking for that classic ginger flavor.

Recipe Ideas

Strawberry moscow mule with ginger ale.

If you're feeling a little adventurous, you can try one of these twists on the classic Moscow Mule cocktail. The simplicity of this drink allows us to play around with ingredients and flavor profiles that match well with it. For example, we’ll be starting things off with this Strawberry Moscow Mule recipe. This bright, seasonal recipe is great for any occasion, and can even be turned into a non-alcoholic drink to share with family members of all ages.

This recipe is, of course, extremely straightforward! The first thing you need to do is muddle the strawberry. Once that's done, we add the ginger ale, some vodka, some simple syrup, and our lime juice. We stir together, add ice, garnish with some fresh mint, and voila! You've made a Strawberry Moscow Mule with ginger ale.

Apple Pie Moscow Mule with Ginger Ale

Here is another fruity twist on the Moscow Mule formula. This Apple Pie Moscow Mule uses apple juice as the base of the cocktail. It's sweet, but not overwhelmingly so; an autumnal take on the Moscow Mule tradition that will delight everyone lucky enough to be around when you're serving it.

Ingredients:

Cinnamon-Infused Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 sticks cinnamon

Apple Pie Moscow Mule:

• 2 oz. apple juice
• 3 oz. ginger ale
• 1 ½ oz. vodka
• ½ oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed
• ½ oz. cinnamon simple syrup

Instructions:

The first thing we're going to do is make a cinnamon-infused simple syrup. In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil, then remove from the heat. Then add in your cinnamon sticks and cover for anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours. Once the syrup has finished infusing and tastes cinnamon-y enough, strain and pour into a mason jar. Refrigerate until it's time to start making the cocktails.

Once you’ve got your cinnamon simple syrup, it’s just a matter of mixing everything together. Measure out the apple juice, ginger ale, vodka, lime juice, and cinnamon simple syrup in a copper mug (not required, of course, but that is the traditional Moscow Mule serving container). Stir up the ingredients with a spoon and top with some ice. That's it! Enjoy with friends and family.

Low Carb Moscow Mule with Ginger Ale

Finally for today, we're going to take a look at a low-carb Moscow Mule with Ginger Ale recipe. It might seem counter-intuitive to make a low-sugar version of such a sweet cocktail, but, with the right ingredients, you can pull it off!

For the Ginger Syrup:

• 1/2 cup peeled ginger, thinly sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute

For the Moscow Mule:

• 4 oz premium vodka
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz ginger syrup
• 8 oz diet ginger ale (the aforementioned Blenheim Diet is a good choice)
• Fresh mint leaves to garnish

To make the ginger syrup, combine ginger, water and sweetener in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium and let it simmer for ten minutes. Then cool for hour, strain, and store in a clean jar in the fridge. It lasts for up to 2 weeks.

To make the Moscow Mule, combine your vodka, lime juice, ginger syrup and ginger ale in a small pitcher. Make sure to stir well. Pour it over ice and garnish with a bit of fresh mint. To ensure a stronger mint flavor, smash the mint leaves in the bottom of the mug before drinking! 

Did You Enjoy This Article?

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this article, you might also like the following articles:  Best Moscow Mule with Ginger Ale and  The Difference Between Ginger Beer and Ginger Ale

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Moscow Mule Copper Mug

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