The new Edel SMS wedges are here and we have a full review of what they call Swing Match Weighting and how it can impact performance. From inside the THP Tech Studio we have Chris Koske from Edel Golf with us and we show the swings and breakdown the data.
In this episode of TESTED! we take a detailed look at the Edel SMS wedges and specifically what happens when the Swing Match Weight is moved from heel to toe. As with all episodes, you see swings and then we breakdown the data, with a little bit of tech talk mixed in.
Before going any further, it is important to discuss what was mentioned in the video in regards to the four grinds available.
Below we have a quick look at the different grind options and then a little bit more detailed information of how they might impact your game.
Starting with the C-Grind, this is a cambered shape grind that features lower bounce and a wider sole. Think of this as a bit of a shot maker’s wedge. The wider sole offers some ability to play out of bunkers and deeper rough, while still being able to have success in all turf conditions.
Moving to the T-Grind, this is a Triple Sole Grind with three different surfaces and extremely high bounce leading edge. Following that edge will be a lower bounce crescent shaped surface, and then the T-Grind offers a large amount of heel relief. This grind offers the ability to manipulate the face open without increasing the effective bounce. A great asset for tight lies and also good for golfers with a steeper angle of attack.
The V-Grind is exactly what it sounds like, which is a sole that features medium to high bounce and when you look at it, it is shaped a bit like a V. A higher bounce angle closer to the leading edge will allow the sole to engage the turf quickly.
Finally the D-Grind, which is a Dual Surface Shaped grind with high bounce. A small channel in the midsole area creates two separate bounce surfaces with higher bounce in the leading edge to cut through the turf, while the extremely high bounce on the second surface prevents digging.
There is a lot going on with the technology and the fitting and we hope the video above helps give a better understanding of the Swing Match System from Edel.
Could a Wedge
Optimize your angle of attack?
Optimize your spin?
Optimize your path?
Optimize your dispersion?
Edel believes that the SMS line is the first wedge fit for your swing and it can be done with a simple adjustment.
After watching the video and seeing the grind info, where do you think you would fit? What grind and where would the weight be placed?
The Details
Available: Hitting Fitting Centers Today
Cost: $199 per wedge
Lofts: 48-60 in two degree increments
More Info: www.edelgolf.com
So what is the rough like? Very thin? Hardpan base layer?
How’s the Edel doing out of that?
It’s crazy how fast you can fall in love with it – I saw my buddy say the same thing after hitting one flush.
Typical is hardpan and thinner grass and shorter than your Ohio rain forest. In the practice area, I was playing around with opening the face way up and hitting higher trajectory shots. I don’t have the skill set of that on course (yet), but I had decent success with it. The C grind really helps keep the leading edge low and yet not dig.
Where this wedge is really shining for me is when I have the face square and use a wide sweeping chip stroke with my weight forward. it is very predictable at getting the ball to on the green and rolling. A lot of that has to be how efficiently it glades through the grass.
It’s almost overseed season, so the switch from bermuda to Rye will add another opportunity to experience versatility of this wedge.
You have much more willpower than I do. If I had one of these wedges in hand I would be begging forgiveness from the CFO.
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I made a weird transition into these though, going from warn out grooves to these which brought a TON of bite greenside haha – it was an awkward week or two when I got started.
Excellent. I’m hoping to duplicate some of your greens de magic today. We are playing a (rare for AZ) bent grass greens today.
Who showed you that?
Some smart dude
Sounds like fun
Only draw back…. The price $277!
That’s not something I really noticed personally, just that the interaction improved for me as I dialed in the weights.
Speaking of that, until Edel makes left handed wedges I will have to do a second-hand review. I invited 3 golf friends over for a house-warming party and played some Chippo in the backyard. We moved the target back and forth from 5 yards to 30 yards, so we were only really able to take full-swings on some flop shots. None of them are equipment junkies like me and had not heard of Edel before, but immediately noticed the quality and loved the looks. The thing that everyone noticed was the T-grind, which noticeably allowed the same turf interaction/bounce no matter how they opened the club. This made our flop shot challenge pretty fun and entertaining (and easier than it should have been for most of them).
Unfortunately we did not get much of a chance to play around with the weights. Looking forward to getting it into someone’s bag on the course.
Beautiful club, thanks so much THP!
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@jjjgolf500
@mtbloco
@Nate<80
@That post
@wazzubrew
I finally got my purchased 58 C-grind out on course. It was a rude way to introduce myself to that wedge. My course has baked and scalped the fairways/rough to make the bermuda go dormant. Overseed starts Sunday. So to call the conditions hardpan and tight is under selling it. When I was able to use it, I am very impressed. As I get more comfortable, i’m positive that the combination of the 50 and 58 will improve my game.
I continue to feel that these wedges just don’t get caught up in the rough like others i’ve played. At Barton Creek in Austin, TX, they had some rather lush rough. My tester 50 C-grind was a weapon. I really love the ability to close the face and use a putting stroke green side. the large toe relief makes this shot very effective. All but eliminating the fatted chip.
My favorite shot of the last day in Austin was the approach (after layup) on 18. This hole is all uphill with a large ravine protecting the front of the green. We had watched all weekend players come up woefully short with 3/20 going in said ravine. Since I was in a tied match, I played to the 100 yard target. A stage if you will just before the canyon and still well below the green. One can’t see any of the surface, and only the top 2 feet of the flag.
With the first group of THPers forming a gallery, I took dead aim at the flag and went "full send" , if there is such a thing with a wedge. I struck it well, it was right on line. I then heard cheers from the gallery. So I tipped my hat. When I drove up, I saw that I pulled off a one hop stop 7 feet from the pin. I knew I had just won my match.
Going to take a lot of not fun drilling out.
Hahahaha! Nah, don’t be, things happen sometimes!
Truth. a good drill press and jig will have it sorted in no time. But you live in Oklahoma…so you’re probably going to hand drill it like a boss.
Heat… and aggression.
I hit a couple greenside floppers that were absolutely insane. The 58 gets through the turf SO quick, and the grooves let the ball jump off big time even when the face is wide open. Numerous kick ins including over two bunkers, and out of a bunker.
The craziest greenside result was on my second to last hole. I was super short-sided in the rough, with almost no green to work with. I went for the old hero flop hoping I could land it pin high, and it actually jumped up so quick that it landed in the fringe (yes, that’s higher up than forward), bounced again on the green, and grabbed. Give me a bet on that and I’d take my money on long 10 times out of 10. It was wild.
I am thinking about putting a 58 in the bag for some upcoming rounds
I did move the weight back to neutral.
I’m still waiting for my first hole out chip with it. Maybe my round tomorrow will deliver!
What are you seeing in differences when moving the weight?
I’ve only really given heel and neutral thorough testing. I already have a tendency to push right so I feel like moving a weight to the toe would exacerbate that.
When I have it in the heel it helps keep the clubface closed which is helpful on short chips but on full shots I developed the sh*nks with the heel weight and got freaked out so moved it to neutral. I’m not sure if it was mental or I was just off that day but neutral got me back on track.
I’m certainly using the heck out of it though. I’ve only had Arccos for 3 rounds and have clocked 40 shots with it.
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I put my 58 through its paces today. As a higher capper, I have really good touch with the Edels. The feel so good.
I definitely like/ need the 8 gram in the toe. I tend to miss there.The added mass seems to create forgiveness.
Ihadsome challenging bunker shots today. With good sand on the course I was able to make some very good outs with the wedge layed wide open. No excessive digging whatsoever.
Thanks Jimmy. My short game is really improving. It means a lot to hear you take notice.
My two Edels generally do what I want them to do. Which gives me confidence
I’ve got a buddy locally who is so ready to make a swap from his SM8’s to the Edel wedges. It’s pretty funny to listen to him hit them and celebrate the sound they make. SO clean.
1) What loft/grind are you using?
2) What weight position are you using?
2a) What made you decide on that weight position?
Questions for everyone:
3) How does your Edel SMS compare overall to your previous gamer?
4) How comfortable are you with this wedge compared to your previous gamer?
4a) How quickly did you become comfortable/still a work in progress?
Good questions.
I will answer 3 and 4.
It promotes really clean contact for me, possibly better than what I had previously. Which has led to some really good spin and more importantly some great consistency.
It became comfortable nearly immediately. I used it a few times in the Tech Studio and then it went right in the bag.
I too can answer 3 and 4.
My previous gamer was a hand-me-down wedge from an old set. It’s obviously light years better than what I was using.
That said it has been a bit of a challenge to get use to how differently it plays from the old one. I’m getting actual backspin on balls now and after about a month with it I’m starting to be able to manage distances and position much better. Still have some work to do but other than driver it’s been my most hit club.
Sweeper here…..
50 and 58 in C-grind.
Weight in toe on each.
My miss is out there, so more mass in that area helps with the consistency. I could make a case it helps me from pulls left too. But that’s hard to quantify.
Major improvement in performance for me. While my previous gamer (also forged wedge) was softer. THe versatility of the grind and the "denseness" of it really suit me well.
Pretty much right away. I just started playing it as soon as I got my hands on them. I warm up with chips to specific landing zones with both. On course I don’t think about the wedge. other than if I want to manipulate the face or not.
clean contact and dense feeling…..are probably what I equate to "hot". I’m getting 5-6 more yards in carry from my previous 50 wedge.
Those 50s feel so great when you drop one in tight! Nicely done.
Do you use it green side too?
I can’t blame the SMS for that. I just need to adjust my yardages with it and probably need to get a 58° or 60° eventually too.
What grind do you have?
Also, on one par 3, I had some absolutely RIDICULOUS spin from 120 with my 54. It was downhill a bit with some help wind, but I still kind of went after the ball to create some action. I swear that thing spun back 30 feet or so (@xThor and/or @Afizzle2100 can keep me honest). It was actually kind of a bummer because it turned a 12 footer into a forty footer hahaha
Some say it is still spinning back off the green to this day….
I can vouch that ball ripped back, and then the near ace also had good controlled back spin on it. When you dialed your wedges in the ball launched very high and just floated to the perfect distance and dropped next to the hole.
I’m opposite of you. Sweeper. So C grind for me.
So you’re saying it’s a keeper.
Nice! What kind/size grip did you put on? Mine has been so automatic that I don’t want to change a thing about it.
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I’d love to start dialing my swing with it in to average closer to the pin but I’m not going to complain about hitting the green 100% of the time with 75x shots.
It is kinda annoying that Arccos doesn’t have the Edel SMS as a club naming option. I had to select ‘Edel Digger’ ?
I went with a Golf Pride MicroSuede with an extra wrap on it. Its soft, but giving it a try in the wedges.