Its finally time.
I have seen a lot of golf club releases come and go over my years writing for THP, and the excitement has always been high for me as a self-admitted equipment geek. However, this release from Edel is in elite company where excitement and anticipation to break down a new release for our readership is concerned.
Having seen them, touched them, and hit them, I can tell you with absolute truth that the new Edel SMS Pro irons are bold. If you were someone who enjoyed what they brought to the table with the SMS Irons, but wanted a slimmer profile, you had better buckle up because these are that, and then some.
Edel SMS – Swing Match Weighting
Before I get into the irons, I do want to go over the Swing Match System again, some of you are familiar, while others may not be. I know I’m teasing you a bit here, but trust me, it’s worth it.
When Edel first unveiled their SMS Wedges a couple years ago, the Swing Match System was a revelation. Last year, it made its way to the SMS Irons and though sometimes identified by the company as Swing Match Weighting, the terminology is interchangeable. The entire design premise is centered around the reality that in golf, no matter what, clubface is always King in the end. We all swing our swing, and among that no two golfers will ever deliver the club exactly the same, so Edel asked why we expect a club to work the same for everyone?
SMS uses three weight ports in the rear of the club to allow the user to fine tune the clubhead weighting to provide the best impact situation for their swing. Standard weights in the irons are two 2-gram weights along with a heavier 8-gram one (heavier options are available). By shifting the heaviest weight heel, center, or toe-side Edel has shown through massive data collection that you can make the clubs more complimentary to not just your swing but release as well.
It remains refreshing that the centerpiece of this design concept by Edel is to get golfers into the best clubs for their swing by making real world adjustments to the weighting of irons or wedges as opposed to just relying on shaft, loft, and lie. Sure, it might make some golfers heads spin to think about it, but the science is real, and Edel is on the leading edge of making it usable in a much broader way than most companies would have ever believed possible.
Edel SMS Pro Irons
You say you want a “players iron”? Well, I dare you to find one that isn’t just a straight up MB which fits that categorization better than the SMS Pro irons. I openly admit that I was one who personally wanted a little more svelte look than the SMS Irons provided me, at least in the scoring irons. Well, when I saw these in hand a couple months ago the stream of words which came out of my mouth were a blend of awe and shock, in the best possible way. Confident ball-strikers will be very excited about this one.
Before we get into the size profile though, we first need to discuss that the Edel SMS Pro irons are a true one-piece design and not a hollow-body like the standard SMS. That allows them to be Precision Grain Forged out of 1025 Carbon Steel which Edel believes gives them the best combination of feedback, function, and durability.
For the shape? Easily the truest and most compact players cavity which I have seen, maybe ever. These are pieces of art in hand, the intricacies of the milling stands out from every angle you look at them, and the attention which was paid to getting the hosel to topline transition as clean as possible will make many extremely excited to see. At address you will get minimal offset (and by that, I mean almost none) and an almost triangular look to the upper toe which screams classic club design. If you were to sit these down at address in front of a golfer who grew up playing those elegant players irons of yesteryear, I would bet anything you will see them reveling in nostalgia.
All that said, Edel makes them theirs. Beyond the fact that they have managed to implement the Swing Match System into such a compact head along with the fact that it works as effectively as ever, that isn’t the only design feature. There is also the Tour Inspired Tri-Stepped Sole which has three separately milled surfaces on it. While it looks busy at first glance, the goal is to make these thin soles vastly more playable than other irons of this size.
The leading edge creates bounce which lets the club get through the turf without the initial digging that thinner soled small profile irons can be susceptible to. By then creating a middle tier to the sole, Edel has created bounce which will have the greatest interaction with and through the turf after impact. Finally, the trail relief on the rear reduces the overall sole width to make more efficient divot patterns which let the player feel like they are using a blade, but with the performance of a cavity back.
For those curious, the specifications of the SMS Pro Irons are as follows:
Club | Hand | Loft | Lie | Offset | Top Line | Length | Swing Weight | Raw Head Weight | Weight with 2-8-2 |
3 | RH | 20* | 60 | 2.8mm | 6.0mm | 39.00” | D2 | 226 g | 238 g |
4 | RH | 23* | 60.5 | 2.5mm | 6.0mm | 38.50″ | D2 | 233 g | 245 g |
5 | RH | 26* | 61 | 2.3mm | 6.0mm | 38.00″ | D2 | 240 g | 252 g |
6 | RH | 29* | 61.5 | 2.0mm | 6.0mm | 37.50″ | D2 | 247 g | 259 g |
7 | RH | 32* | 62 | 1.8mm | 6.0mm | 37.00″ | D2 | 254 g | 266 g |
8 | RH | 36* | 62.5 | 1.5mm | 6.0mm | 36.50″ | D2 | 261 g | 273 g |
9 | RH | 40* | 63 | 1.3mm | 6.0mm | 36.00″ | D2 | 268 g | 280 g |
PW | RH | 45* | 63.5 | 1.0mm | 6.0mm | 35.75″ | D2 | 273 g | 285 g |
The Details
Finished in clean brushed chrome, and adorned with their intricately applied branding/milling, the Edel SMS Pro irons are a masterclass visually from a company who truly seems to be feeling the confidence in their products right now. The SMS Pro irons will be available in 3-PW options (variable length only) paired with KBS Tour shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips as standard. Of course, there will be additional no-upcharge options available through Edel as well as fitting locations across the country. The SMS Pro irons will hit retail at $250/club.
When was the last time you saw such a compact iron with so much fitting potential? Does Edel have your attention yet? Tell us just how you are feeling about this release by joining thousands of golfers just like you on the THP Community or the comments below!
Wow. Bohdi isn’t safe If I hit the pros off your floors.
@EdelBlake any assistance here?
I’ll check on these first thing in the morning to see what is going on. I’m sorry about this!
No need to apologize, i was just wondering if anyone else is still waiting. I was thinking maybe because i got the Kinetixx shafts and the full 3-PW set that it was taking longer.
My exact set up
Iron twins!! lol
I know 3 iron shafts have been causing a delay for some. I’ll get to the bottom of it. Thanks for your understanding!
No problem and thanks for looking into it. If you guys didn’t make such amazing irons, maybe i wouldn’t be so impatient lol
You should be excited. I lost some distance from my Rogue Pros (maybe due to lofts) but the combo of shaft and club feels so good. This is something special.
I am super excited and cant wait to get them!! I’m thinking i will gain some distance since they are a few degrees stronger than my Miuras
Excited to get out there with the new configuration.
https://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/index.php?threads/edel-sms-pro-iron-review.8949587/
We haven’t dealt with many loft adjustments as of yet. Makes perfect sense though. In his defense the Pros are a little strong for their category. We did this to make comboing with the SMS Irons super easy.
Part of this makes me sad I didn’t combo. But the fact I went 3/3 with Pw and 9i for GIR last night makes those tears dry up real quick.
I took one swing and absolutely flushed it. The feel and performance was fantastic and exactly what I would look for in an iron.
It’s a lot easier to hit than it looks. Quickly becoming my favorite iron.
I still thin a shot once a round. Usually on a par 3. And although not beautiful they still go and were around the green to make par. You know immediately without having to look up at the shot.
Biggest surprise for me. Long irons. Absolutely love these things. When you flush these there’s not a better feeling in golf. The 3 iron is a better fairway finder and better weapon on par 5s than my UW was. I was afraid to hit it before the event but now it is so consistent for me. And not only for me but everyone that tries it has the same reaction. Much easier to hit than it looks. Absolutely heart warming.
Ive lost yardage. Based only on the number stamped on the iron. But my distance control has improved a lot. This is what I didn’t understand about a players iron. Well struck balls are so consistent. And while I was concerned about my ability to strike the ball consistently with these irons, it’s a non issue now. I look forward to it. I’ll have my misses but not even close to what I pictured in my head.
Anyone that wants to move to a graphite shaft please try the kinetixx ballistics. So solid. Between the shafts and iron, the feel is so good. After the round I just look forward to the next.
Everyone comments on the beauty of these irons but when they hit them it surprises everyone with the results. I think any 10 handicap could easily play a combo set up to the 6 iron. If that particular player was better at hitting irons than Hybrids or FWs there is no way they wouldn’t enjoy a full set of the pros.
I was always a better iron player than hybrids or fws and these seem to be a much better bag setup. Can’t wait for this year. Definitely not nervous about these irons anymore
The trajectory control is so good. If I want a mid flight I can. High flight absolutely. I’m not great at a low trajectory and these irons won’t change that. The only stingers I’m getting is when it’s thin and still not that low.
Been playing on some firm greens lately. No problem stopping the ball.
If I could control the draw or trust that it won’t draw these irons will be a game changer. Unfortunately that’s always been the struggle. I had to learn that the SMS in the wedges cut down the draw and when I trust the irons these could be dangerous. Optimistic but that’s all golfers have.
Guess what came yesterday!! Haven’t had a chance to hit them yet but these have to be the coolest looking shafts I’ve ever seen!! I put the heads next to my Miuras and they are pretty much the same size, if not slightly larger. Looking forward to hitting these bad boys!!
Congrats on the new sticks! Looking forward to hearing your feedback on these.
Thanks man, i can’t wait either and luckily weather isn’t an issue for me lol
I play the same shafts and absolutely love them! Looking forward to hearing your feedback!
Can’t quite say the same?
Lol, yeah when I saw you were in the great white north, i had a feeling you haven’t exactly been seeing a lot of course time yet
We started at the range and I was striping the 7i, my uncle commented that it sounded like club was going through the turf really well and asked to try it. He took a few swings and is now questioning if he should pick up a full set with some heavier shafts. He plays TM 790s with 75g graphite shafts, but after playing my 120g shafts in the SMS Pros he wants to go back to a heavier shaft, likely in some new Edel irons. He spent most of the round asking questions about Edel and the clubs.
My iron shots were pretty great most of the round, especially off the tee with only a handful of bad shots. I love the turf interaction on the fairways here, but I had some trouble with the face opening in the thick rough. The PW is still my absolute favorite of the Pros, I found myself using that for a lot of shots I would normally use a gap wedge for by taking a smaller swing or choking down. I love the accuracy with it and it’s great for approach shots.
I can’t wait to get back out for another round with these. Seeing the interaction with actual grass is way better than the turf I’ve been hitting off of the last few weeks.
These irons are COMPLETE. That is as high of praise as I can give.