In a Word: Smart
There are few companies that are as consistently impressive as Edel Golf. Whether it’s their unrivaled putter fitting system or their award-winning wedges, everything they do is among the best of its kind.
Because of their track record, Edel’s announcement of a single-length iron fitting system sparked my attention like few other things at the 2017 PGA Show. As soon as the weather became cooperative, I paid a visit to Matt Jones, Edel’s Director of Education and Training, to see it for myself.
The Fitting Process
I showed up at Bull Valley Golf Club for my fitting with an open mind and a rough idea of what was in store. Matt and I went to the range, and I warmed up hitting my gamer 8-iron on his FlightScope. Once we had gathered a little data on my 8I, the fitting began. As a longtime club fitter myself, I’ve learned to be a good fittee: shut up and hit what you’re handed.
We started with the Edel 8I. The first thing I noticed was how good the head looks. It’s fairly short from heel to toe, there’s not much offset, but the top line is a little thick. It reminded me a good driving iron, and it felt great to hit.
Matt works quickly in a fitting – I didn’t hit more than 2 shots with any set up before he would take it to make a tweak. We hit 8I until he found something that I was striking consistently well, then we switched to 6I. Fitting the 6I didn’t take long – only one thing changed from the 8I.
Fitting the 4I took a little more work. With the loft getting low, we experimented with a few different things to get the launch angle up. Ultimately, we found that going to a softer flex created the best results.
The final step was testing the sand wedge. Before Matt handed it to me, he told me that everyone hits the first few shots fat. He said that some people adapt to it, but others simply can’t look at that much loft on such a long shaft. Of course, I was determined to prove him wrong and hit the first shot well, but it wasn’t to be. After I dug half a dozen ditches, Matt and I decided the single length sand wedge wasn’t for me.
Options for Day
After it was all over, I asked Matt to walk me through the system. As you’ve already learned, the cart includes 4I, 6I, 8I, and SW heads. Each head can be weighted to anywhere from 264 grams to 278 grams in 2 gram increments. There are also lie angles of 60, 62, 64, and 66 degrees.
Next are the shaft options. These Paderson graphite shafts were designed specifically for Edel’s fitting system. There are three profiles – long iron, mid iron, and short iron – designed to create the best trajectory for each club. There are also three weights: 80, 95, and 110 grams. Finally, each weight has three flexes: A, R, S in 85 grams and R, S, X in 95 and 110 grams.
Last, you can choose your single length. The Edel fitting system has every shaft in 37″ and 37.5″, but they can build the irons anywhere from 36.5″ to 38.5″.
For those of you keeping score at home, that’s 4 lofts, 8 weights, 4 lie angles, 2 lengths, 3 shaft profiles, 3 shaft weights, and 3 flexes per weight. That’s a total of 6,912 fitting combinations.
If you’re interested in trying single length irons,you have choices. You can go with one of the companies that are trying to ride the hype, or you can go with a company that has poured thousands of hours into developing the more comprehensive fitting system anywhere. It’s not a hard choice to me. Click HERE to find your local Edel fitter.
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After the fitting and having a chance to hit these irons, do you think they are something you will consider having in the bag full time?
Christian,
It’s certainly something to think about. My iron play is the strength of my game right now, so I’m not inclined to switch, but I think the concept is very interesting and the performance I saw made me think it’s a viable play.
Best,
Matt
no actual numbers?
Joe,
What numbers are you looking for?
-Matt
Matt Jones fit me for my set back in May and it was a fantastic experience. He and David Edel fit me for my Edel variable length irons and wedges a few years ago and Matt just fit me for my torque balanced putter in March. I have never felt so comfortable swinging a long iron, and the system is so perfectly designed to allow a fitter to dial in a perfect set. My SLS set should arrive this week, and I could not be more excited. If David and his team made a driver, that would be in my bag, too! They are the only equipment manufacturer that I trust to do things right and make great gear every time. My Edel gamers would only ever have been set aside for another set made by Edel.
Excellent write-up Matt, as usual.
Matt,
Great review of the fitting process….but not much about the Edel SLS irons.
Are there gains to be had? How do they perform through the bag compared to your gamers?
Big bucks involved in this change because totally fit irons are not going to sell if you stop gaming them!
Some feedback to your avid readers would be appreciated.
Peter,
I appreciate your interest, but this is just a look at the fitting process, not a review. I only hit each combination a couple of times, and I was just hitting, not looking at any of the data.
I would be more than happy to do a complete review if Edel would provide a fit set of irons. If you’re interested in seeing that, I’d ask you to let them know via social media.
Best,
Matt
Matt-Come on- cost, cost, cost? Or is this another PXG/Epic iron, etc., that is out of reach of anybody but the 1%? I appreciate Edel is a quality outfit, but can we afford them?
Richard,
The irons are $245 each.
-Matt
Interested in SLS. Thanks
Why not opt for a SLS system in 4/5/6 irons to match 7 iron length then go 8-W as usual. Seems the biggest benefit would be in shortening the longer swing on those irons.
Adam,
I’m sure that works for some people. I think Edel would say that the benefit if the consistency of having every club the same whether it’s a long or short iron.
Best,
Matt