Edel EAS 1.0 Puttter– Official MGS Forum Review byStuart Marler (AZstu324)
As we’re all concluding our Stage 2 reviews and final words, I’ll say that this is probably the most difficult test that I’ve been involved with for MGS. To quantify the performance-related qualities and improvements from one putter to the next, was quite the task. In order to formulate a baseline of what I’m looking to accomplish, I asked 10 people this simple question:
What makes a good putter?
The most common answers were the following: Feels good off the face, Soft feeling, looks and feels good, gives me confidence, Enough weight in the head, gets the ball rolling quickly, made for my putting stroke i.e. Straight back and forward, Slight/moderate/strong arc, etc.
The common theme here was that all of the answers were really just regurgitated marketing specs we see bottled up and sold with the stock floor putters that we mostly find at the box stores. Sure, good feeling and looks are important, and performance is equated to feel and the ability to get the ball rolling, but is that all that people look for when trying to find the perfect putter that will help shave strokes off their game?
Not all putters are created equal. That’s a fact. What I found out through this specific test is that most putters aren’t even created for the person using them. Sure, they might look and feel nice and make the user excited about using them, but that is about as far as it goes for the most part. Before the testing began, I was certain that my "previous" (spoiler alert) gamer was as good as a putter could get. It felt soft and looked really nice. With plenty of practice, I was feeling pretty confident with most putts inside the 5’ range. Anything 8’ and longer, to me was just a “close your eyes and hit the ball” range. I didn’t understand until now that even 30 foot putts can be approached with confidence given the putter is fitted and built correctly.
Looks(9out of 10 points)
General Shape:The EAS 1.0 is a traditional “Anser” style putter head. It’s probably the most timeless and recognized design that you will find in production. The Anser was originally designed by Karsten Solheim (Ping) in 1966 and has become the brand name that everyone specifically correlates to an object.. like Q-tip, BandAid, or Chap-Stick, “Anser” is the common rectangle cavity-back style putter with the weight pushed out to both the toe and heel.
Graphics & aesthetics:Edel did a great job at keeping top portion sleek and clean while adding some nice and unique touches to the bottom. The EAS 1.0 is just slightly oversized but nothing dramatic and is absolutely a work of art within itself.
How does the overall look come together?:From the finish of the steel, to the various milling patterns on the face and bottom, to the color choice of almost blood red and black highlights, the look of the putter is stunning. It kind of reminds me of a modified and restored classic car (Resto-mod). It’s got timeless lines and a very classic elegance. Under the hood and at the 4 corners however, the thing is juiced up with the most modern tech to help it perform way outside of its classic presence. It’s a true sleeper and I love that about it!
Appearance compared to other similar clubs:The appearance is what I would say is the least attractive selling-point about the putter. I don’t mean that in any way as a knock. The putter looks fantastic in every way that a putter should look but it’s not in any way calling out for attention. I’ve played with numerous people over the past couple of months and not one has asked what putter I’m using. Sure I get a lot of “great putt!” “Nice roll” “awesome lag” “great read!”, but not once have I caught anybody eyeballing my putter to see what instrument I’m wielding to execute such shots. Again, another testament to how little people actually correlate good putting to custom fit and built putters. It’s almost like it’s still the unknown in the golf equipment and fitting realm.
Other unique details (i.e. alignment aids, coloring, blur, etc.):As we’ve all mentioned in our initial write-ups, the Edel EAS putter isn’t just a putter. It’s an experience. Each of us worked with a fitter in person and were assigned alignment inserts based on our individual tendencies. My alignment insert was the “plug socket”. It consists of 2 lines toward the face and 1 line toward the back. This is supposed to help neutralize my setup as I had a tendency to aim slightly left and push a hair right to compensate.
Sound & Feel(10out of 10 points)
The Edel EAS, at least the 1.0 has 2 different sounds and feelings. Similar to a good set of forged blades, this putter provides adequate audible and sensory feedback that corelates to how the ball was struck. Too much toward the toe or heel and you get a clicky tick off the face. Being that that entire putter from the butt of the handle to the floor is more “connected” with counter-weights and just overall more substantial build materials, you get some really good sensory feedback when you’re not hitting the center. Off-center hits offer a less than optimal feeling but I can actually appreciate that as it really lets you know you need to get your act together. I’ve also found that even strikes with the face too lofted or de-lofted provide the same type of clicky feedback.
A strike on the center plate of the face however, and delivered at the correct angle, provide a sound and feeling that is ultra-satisfying. It’s not so soft that the feeling and sound is muted, but more a semi-soft knock with the ball springing off the face with a very reactive and pure roll. Overall I actually appreciate the sensory feedback as this allows me to make appropriate adjustments throughout the round to find and maintain my best putting stroke when things start out a little sideways on the green.
Basic Characteristics(18out of 20 points)
Accuracy: Of course, accuracy when talking about a putter can be extremely subjective. After all, a putter (or any club for that matter) is only as accurate as the stroke used to swing it. When the stroke is true and natural, the putter is a laser beam. When the stroke or setup is off, the putter provides every bit of feedback needed to bring everything back into a harmonious rhythm.
Distance Control: This is something that I have been gushing about from the get go. Lag putting has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. “How am I supposed to roll a ball 15’, 20’, 30’ across the green and have any control over where it stops?”. The reason I always had issues with this is because I was using a putter(s) that would get lost through a substantial swing and I just didn’t have any way to know how far to move back and then forward. With a perfectly fit and constructed putter like the Edel EAS, I feel the whole putter through the entire stoke.
Stability of Stroke: This is where the concept of "counter" and "torque" balancing really shows up to present itself. The concept of torque balancing suggests that we shouldn't be putting so much emphasis on the various different stroke characteristics each player applies i.e SB/SF or various arc, but argues that there really should be only 1 effective stroke that everyone should be using. That's is a straight forward and straight back swing. Traditional methods however, state that not everybody's biomechanics are suited for a SF/SB swing, therefore the need for various balancing characteristics in traditional putters. Torque balancing along with proper putter construction for the individual, should allow each person the ability to apply a SB/SF putting stroke without having to manipulate their swing movements.
Forgiveness:As I mentioned in the “Feel/Sound” section, the putter offers some great sensory feedback when a less than quality stroke and/or strike is put on the ball. What I’ll add in this section though is that direction and distance suffer very little. It’s like a parent telling a child, what they did was wrong but without actually punishing them for behaving badly. In the end, the kid gets away Scott free.. and so does the person using this putter in many instances.
On-Course Performance(28out of 30 points)
This is the area that I think was the most difficult to quantify. I use a Garmin Vivoactive 3 watch with a really great golf app. This keeps track of all of my stats from tee to green. Before starting this testing process, my average putts per round were regularly in the mid 30’s. My average score per round was roughly 10-15 over par. Almost from the moment that I put the Edel EAS into play, my average PPR have dropped drastically from 2.4 putts to 1.6 avg. That’s pretty drastic when you figure that the difference between 34 putts and 29 putts is 5 strokes gained per round without improving any other areas of my game.
Final Performance Comments:
Pressure: When I’ve got the Edel in my hands and I’m lining up and scoping out a putt, It’s almost like I’m saying “c’mon, WE can do this” as if we’re working as a team. I don’t think I’ve quite kindled that kind of relationship with any other club in my bag. Maybe it’s weird.. but that’s the kind of connection I’ve come to form with this putter.
Overall I’m pleased with everything that this putter brings to the table. Look, sound, feel, performance.. it’s all there and I wouldn’t change a thing. The subtle uniqueness and Edel-specific design queues are right up my alley.
Anything Missing?:If I were held at gunpoint to come up with a single item that I don’t quite find to be in line with the rest of the putter, I would say the alignment plate. The different alignment options are truly essential to the custom Edel process. The plate and it’s attachment method might use a hair more refinement. There are tiny gaps that sometimes get grains of sand trapped inside and I’ve had to go in with a needle to clean them out. I don’t know enough about the manufacturing process but if it were possible to custom mill the alignment aids upon order, but that might help clean things up a hair. That said, I understand that over time, it may be necessary to change the alignment aid so that would defeat that purpose of interchangeable plates. Again, this is a splitting hairs kind of thing and wouldn’t deter me in the slightest.
Did it help improve your scores?: Did my scores improve? Yes. Was it because of the putter? No. For what it’s worth, I would say that the putter itself didn’t improve my scores, but IMO, it’s not as simple as putting a putter in my hands that magically makes putts from any distance. As a reminder, the Edel EAS is not just a putter but it’s an experience, a system, a process. While the putter itself won’t make all of the putts magically drop, what it does do is influence the player to practice regularly, instill confidence, calm the nerves and become better acquainted with the most important club in the bag
How, if at all, did this product change your overall impression of Edel?:I’ve known of Edel for a few years now. A while back when I ventured down the “single length” rabbit hole, Edel was at the forefront of the charge to push the concept. When a young kid named Bryson DeChambeau came onto the scene, he was geared up with Edel single length clubs. Like other individual designers in the industry such as Ralph Maltby and Tom Wishon, David Edel is what you get when you cross a genius, mad scientist, and golf enthusiast, and a guy who just doesn't give a spit about what the rest of the mainstream world says golf needs to be.. and the products that he creates are truly unique AND packed with performance to back up the claims.
Miscellaneous(10out of 10 points)
Of course, this is where I’m supposed to talk about subtle differences that set this putter aside from the rest. What I really what to emphasize (again) is that owning an Edel putter isn’t just owning a putter. Sure you can own a Scotty, a Ping, an EVNROLL, Even a Bettinardi, and many other names out there. And yes, there are a lot of good putters that you can buy off the shelf, and customize, modify, etc. When you own an Edel however, and go through the fitting process, have the club built specifically for you by Edel, and then shipped directly from Liberty Hill, TX to your doorstep, you’re making a personal statement and commitment to improving as a golfer. Showing a commitment and willingness to putting in the work needed to reach that next level of personal playing performance.
Play it or Trade it?(19out of 20 points)
Play it, Play it, Play it! As an official Edel Club inductee, I now feel an obligation and responsibility to wield this club with pride, respect, and honor, both for the brand and for the goodness of the game. Yeah those are a lot of goofy, overly dramatic words, but this is exactly the spirit that Edel as a company upholds with every club that it offers. It’s more than just a brand. Brands are sold at retail stores. Edel defines those who are in pursuit of the purity of the sport in a world where flash, and overly complicated tech and design can start to muddle what we’re all really after. Don’t get me wrong, performance tech and evolution are still an important part of the game we’re all here to celebrate, but Edel has far from forgotten that tradition and history is still very much a part of what makes this game so great and they continue to bind history and tradition with Evolution and modern tech.
Conclusion
To wrap this all up, I just wanted to throw in one final thought. During the testing process, I had considered taking my current gamer and making similar adjustments. It was even requested by a few followers. My thought was that I could add weight down the shaft, extend the shaft 2”, throw some lead tape on the head, and get a heavier grip to counter balance the butt section. Ultimately, as I thought more about doing that, I also thought more about how much of a Frankenputter I would end up with and wasn’t completely sure if I would be doing it accurately. I also remembered that the purpose of this entire test was to compare a shock “shelf” putter to that which Edel offers. That in itself is a testament to what the overall experience encompasses when working with Edel and a custom fitter. You buy a “shelf” putter from Edel and you're getting the entire experience. They’re building the club according to my individual fitting specs and they’re all truly professionals at what they do from the fitter to the builder. The end product is clean and all of the tech is tucked and disguised nicely under the hood. What you end up with is a 100% custom-spec’d and crafted putter. I use the word crafted because that’s really what Edel is doing for the individual. They are making 1-off models for each person who places an order and that’s absolutely worth every penny spent!
Final Score:94/100
The rating system doesn't allow for 1/2 stars so lets say I'm giving this a solid 4.5 stars instead of 4.
To start this off, I'd like to give an immense thank you to both MGS and Edel for creating this opportunity. The chance for a select few of us to be part of something that not too many people will get to do in their golfing life and that is being fully fit for a custom-built putter. Before coming into this, my experience with putter fitting was limited to the following: you putt with too much toe hang so pick another putter that's more upright. OK now you have an arc in your stroke.. you get a blade. Ok which grip do you like.. ok there's your "putter fitting".
MY GAME
I've been playing golf for nearly 30 years. for 25 of those I pretty much had no Idea what I was doing. It really wasn't until I stumbled upon the MGS community that I started to really take the game more seriously and actually start to study it. Over the years, I've come to rely on the MGS community for so many golf and non-golf related topics so much that I wear it on my sleeve.. well my bag anyway. I'm 100% self-taught but claim to have a decent enough eye and understanding of mechanics to be able to emulate and repeat what I see on TV and YouTube. According to my Garmin Golf stat tracker, I'm a 3.4 index.. but for starters, that's not an established handicap as I technically don't have one. And that's me playing my 80% of my rounds at my executive course where I'm a member and I know every nook and cranny. Most full-length courses that I play, I shoot high 70's to low 80's so I'm giving myself a more realistic handicap of around 8. That said, I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to be involved with a program similar to what GOFTEC offers and have some proper swing analysis and training.
MY PUTTING
Up until the last year, putting has really been a wall of frustration for me. I remember looking back at rounds in the high 80's thinking that if I had made all of those 3 footers.. or even 1-2 footers, I'd be 6 strokes lower. With the Pandemic and having more time at home, I decided to go all-in on putting practice and learn more about my stroke and build more confidence with the putter. I put in some decent time with the putting mat trying to create a solid repeatable putting stroke as well as feeling more comfortable with a putter in my hand. The putting practice paid off and I was no longer fearing those "should make" 1-2-3 footers. I have still had my struggles however with distance control and alignment. For starters, I've found that with my current putter (Cleveland HB Premier #4) anything outside of 12', the feel of the head seems to get lost and I'm unable to put a proper roll on the ball without seeing less than optimal skips and bounces. Another issue is getting my putt property lined up with my intended direction. Hitting a straight putt isn't the problem.. so much as being properly squared up with my intended line. So I'm hopeful that with all of the tech that goes into this putter, I'll start to see these areas improve.
THE PUTTER
The putter showed up well-packaged in a quite secure and stout Edel branded box. After watching@GolfSpy MPR's unboxing, I was thinking maybe I'd be seeing a weight kit with the putter. I didn't get a weight kit... But that's actually VERY OK by me. The last thing that I need is a means by which to mess up my whole fitting by giving me extra weights to mess with.. because if you give me matches.. I will burn myself.
I did however find that in addition to the putter, Edel did include a nice little gift. I'm very much a hat guy and the hat they sent me was right up my alley! Right color, right style, very unbranded but specific to Edel. It's one of those "in the club" type of hats and I love it!
THE PUTTER
The putter itself is noticeably heavier. Based on the specs of how the putter was fit and built, I'd speculate that it's a good 100g+ heavier than my Cleveland HB Premier #4. The grip section alone has an 80g grip with a 40g counter-weight. The shaft is counter-balanced with 30g.
As you can see, per the spec sheet above and pics, I was fit with the EAS 1.0. As I mentioned previously though, per the Blast Motion software, my typical contact is .2 to.4* open at impact. When I'm pushing, it goes to about .5 to .6* open. My fitter Aram at Golf-Tec mentioned that this is relatively neutral compared to most. Within 10', even .5* open is going to go in given my aim point and read is accurate. So while I was never fit into a blade (Answer) style putter, I was able to determine for myself over the past year that it really is the best fit for my setup. I have a tendency to aim slightly to the left as the blade-style putter looks a little more open to my eye and my miss is typically a slight push so in theory, while I'm aimed left, I'm pushing straight down the target line.
As for my specific specs, and how my weaknesses were addressed without causing me to lose my strengths: The putter was built at 36" with a lie of 74*. For comparison, my Cleveland was 34" and sat at about 70*. Aram wanted to get me slightly more upright in my stance but more importantly move me closer to the ball as to allow my arms to hang without becoming disconnected from my body. In doing the ball drop test I was typically in the right spot with my eyes just slightly behind the ball, but I was just way too bent over and standing much too far away from the ball. Another point relating to my biomechanics was that I was also putting with the butt end much too close to my hips which also forced a lot of my shoulder and body rotation as everything was kind of stuck inside and rotating everything was really the only way that I could get the putter to work. In other words, my arc was pretty severe and just needed to be tamed down.
As for the hosel, I was fit with the "back-set" option. This is something that I'm definitely going to have to spend some time with getting used to. In David Edel's words, its pretty much a left-handed forward set on a right handed head. Most of us are used to seeing some variation of forward-set hosel, especially with mallet style putters. The look of the Back-set is that of the putter head sitting slightly in front of the hands at address. This is another fitting trick to help neutralize the open face a little as well as tame a little bit of the arc in the putting stroke. As you can see from the pics, this creates the perfect toe-up or "torque-balancing" that the Edel putters are really making a strong charge for in the putter space.
The overall weighting and counter weighting is also something that's very different to me, and not what I'm used to a putter feeling like in my hands. Aside from the hefty 80g rubber grip, there is a 40g counter weight and a 30g shaft weight. As you can see in the photo above, this brings the total weight to a stout 619g vs the pretty standard 497g Cleveland #4. As@GolfSpy MPR mentioned in his post, the club seems strangely but very appropriately heavily weighted. One of my weak spots was my tempo through the putt being much too quick. I would have a good pace going back but then speed up through impact and this was a major culprit to my distance control.. or lack thereof. If the head alone feels too heavy, the tendency is to rush it through impact. After spending quite a lot of time indoors with the putting mat and working with a metronome at about 100 BPM, I'm really finding the benefit of all of the counter balancing. The ability to move all of that evenly distributed mass at a more even tempo really seems to work well for that distance control.
Alignment: I was fit with 2 lines up front and 1 in the back. I really liked how the 2 up front frame the ball while the 1 in back helps to concentrate on getting my eyes in the right spot over the ball.
I did have a chance to take the putter for a spin on Saturday at a 2 person scramble. That was literally after unboxing it Friday and hitting about 20 putts with it before going to bed. I'm not really going to count that as its 1st real round as I hadn't even had time to even acquaint myself with it. I just went in with my normal setup, same stance, grip pressure and tried to formulate a stroke throughout the round. So basically my game plan was.. no game plan. While I didn't putt my best round (putts within 10' were hit and miss, and I missed more 3 footers than I'd care to admit) what I did notice was that my lag putting and distance control was off the charts fantastic! Lag putting was something that I had struggled with, with the Cleveland. Anything outside of 15' was just typically "close my eyes, swing, and pray to the golf gods that I'd be within 5-10'. The problem that I was having was that I just couldn't generate enough controllable force without skipping the ball a good 4 or 5 times before it took to rolling. I had quite a few lengthy putts that not only were within 5' but some were well within 3'. I attribute this to having more mass with more momentum, but also having more control of all of the mass and not the feeling of the club disappearing in my hands when having to apply a lengthy stroke.
Here are just a few more pics of the putter as well as the Cleveland HB #4. As you can all see, this is a beautifully crafter putter.
INTRO CONCLUSION
My intensions throughout this test are to do do a few different things. One of the interesting bits about the putter testing experience is that there's not much of a roadmap to follow. Sure there are plenty of driver and iron testing examples to draw from but the putter is something that relatively limited.. and especially with the custom-fitting piece added.
What I hope to accomplish:
Reduce my average PPR from around 34 to below 30.
Quantify the difference (improvements or decline) with real numbers
Help others justify if paying the difference in price and going through the process is really worth it
EDEL EAS Putter
Posted
Stage Two/Final Review
Edel EAS 1.0 Puttter – Official MGS Forum Review by Stuart Marler (AZstu324)
As we’re all concluding our Stage 2 reviews and final words, I’ll say that this is probably the most difficult test that I’ve been involved with for MGS. To quantify the performance-related qualities and improvements from one putter to the next, was quite the task. In order to formulate a baseline of what I’m looking to accomplish, I asked 10 people this simple question:
What makes a good putter?
The most common answers were the following: Feels good off the face, Soft feeling, looks and feels good, gives me confidence, Enough weight in the head, gets the ball rolling quickly, made for my putting stroke i.e. Straight back and forward, Slight/moderate/strong arc, etc.
The common theme here was that all of the answers were really just regurgitated marketing specs we see bottled up and sold with the stock floor putters that we mostly find at the box stores. Sure, good feeling and looks are important, and performance is equated to feel and the ability to get the ball rolling, but is that all that people look for when trying to find the perfect putter that will help shave strokes off their game?
Not all putters are created equal. That’s a fact. What I found out through this specific test is that most putters aren’t even created for the person using them. Sure, they might look and feel nice and make the user excited about using them, but that is about as far as it goes for the most part. Before the testing began, I was certain that my "previous" (spoiler alert) gamer was as good as a putter could get. It felt soft and looked really nice. With plenty of practice, I was feeling pretty confident with most putts inside the 5’ range. Anything 8’ and longer, to me was just a “close your eyes and hit the ball” range. I didn’t understand until now that even 30 foot putts can be approached with confidence given the putter is fitted and built correctly.
Looks (9 out of 10 points)
General Shape: The EAS 1.0 is a traditional “Anser” style putter head. It’s probably the most timeless and recognized design that you will find in production. The Anser was originally designed by Karsten Solheim (Ping) in 1966 and has become the brand name that everyone specifically correlates to an object.. like Q-tip, BandAid, or Chap-Stick, “Anser” is the common rectangle cavity-back style putter with the weight pushed out to both the toe and heel.
Graphics & aesthetics: Edel did a great job at keeping top portion sleek and clean while adding some nice and unique touches to the bottom. The EAS 1.0 is just slightly oversized but nothing dramatic and is absolutely a work of art within itself.
How does the overall look come together?: From the finish of the steel, to the various milling patterns on the face and bottom, to the color choice of almost blood red and black highlights, the look of the putter is stunning. It kind of reminds me of a modified and restored classic car (Resto-mod). It’s got timeless lines and a very classic elegance. Under the hood and at the 4 corners however, the thing is juiced up with the most modern tech to help it perform way outside of its classic presence. It’s a true sleeper and I love that about it!
Appearance compared to other similar clubs: The appearance is what I would say is the least attractive selling-point about the putter. I don’t mean that in any way as a knock. The putter looks fantastic in every way that a putter should look but it’s not in any way calling out for attention. I’ve played with numerous people over the past couple of months and not one has asked what putter I’m using. Sure I get a lot of “great putt!” “Nice roll” “awesome lag” “great read!”, but not once have I caught anybody eyeballing my putter to see what instrument I’m wielding to execute such shots. Again, another testament to how little people actually correlate good putting to custom fit and built putters. It’s almost like it’s still the unknown in the golf equipment and fitting realm.
Other unique details (i.e. alignment aids, coloring, blur, etc.): As we’ve all mentioned in our initial write-ups, the Edel EAS putter isn’t just a putter. It’s an experience. Each of us worked with a fitter in person and were assigned alignment inserts based on our individual tendencies. My alignment insert was the “plug socket”. It consists of 2 lines toward the face and 1 line toward the back. This is supposed to help neutralize my setup as I had a tendency to aim slightly left and push a hair right to compensate.
Sound & Feel (10 out of 10 points)
The Edel EAS, at least the 1.0 has 2 different sounds and feelings. Similar to a good set of forged blades, this putter provides adequate audible and sensory feedback that corelates to how the ball was struck. Too much toward the toe or heel and you get a clicky tick off the face. Being that that entire putter from the butt of the handle to the floor is more “connected” with counter-weights and just overall more substantial build materials, you get some really good sensory feedback when you’re not hitting the center. Off-center hits offer a less than optimal feeling but I can actually appreciate that as it really lets you know you need to get your act together. I’ve also found that even strikes with the face too lofted or de-lofted provide the same type of clicky feedback.
A strike on the center plate of the face however, and delivered at the correct angle, provide a sound and feeling that is ultra-satisfying. It’s not so soft that the feeling and sound is muted, but more a semi-soft knock with the ball springing off the face with a very reactive and pure roll. Overall I actually appreciate the sensory feedback as this allows me to make appropriate adjustments throughout the round to find and maintain my best putting stroke when things start out a little sideways on the green.
Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points)
Accuracy: Of course, accuracy when talking about a putter can be extremely subjective. After all, a putter (or any club for that matter) is only as accurate as the stroke used to swing it. When the stroke is true and natural, the putter is a laser beam. When the stroke or setup is off, the putter provides every bit of feedback needed to bring everything back into a harmonious rhythm.
Distance Control: This is something that I have been gushing about from the get go. Lag putting has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. “How am I supposed to roll a ball 15’, 20’, 30’ across the green and have any control over where it stops?”. The reason I always had issues with this is because I was using a putter(s) that would get lost through a substantial swing and I just didn’t have any way to know how far to move back and then forward. With a perfectly fit and constructed putter like the Edel EAS, I feel the whole putter through the entire stoke.
Stability of Stroke: This is where the concept of "counter" and "torque" balancing really shows up to present itself. The concept of torque balancing suggests that we shouldn't be putting so much emphasis on the various different stroke characteristics each player applies i.e SB/SF or various arc, but argues that there really should be only 1 effective stroke that everyone should be using. That's is a straight forward and straight back swing. Traditional methods however, state that not everybody's biomechanics are suited for a SF/SB swing, therefore the need for various balancing characteristics in traditional putters. Torque balancing along with proper putter construction for the individual, should allow each person the ability to apply a SB/SF putting stroke without having to manipulate their swing movements.
Forgiveness: As I mentioned in the “Feel/Sound” section, the putter offers some great sensory feedback when a less than quality stroke and/or strike is put on the ball. What I’ll add in this section though is that direction and distance suffer very little. It’s like a parent telling a child, what they did was wrong but without actually punishing them for behaving badly. In the end, the kid gets away Scott free.. and so does the person using this putter in many instances.
On-Course Performance (28 out of 30 points)
This is the area that I think was the most difficult to quantify. I use a Garmin Vivoactive 3 watch with a really great golf app. This keeps track of all of my stats from tee to green. Before starting this testing process, my average putts per round were regularly in the mid 30’s. My average score per round was roughly 10-15 over par. Almost from the moment that I put the Edel EAS into play, my average PPR have dropped drastically from 2.4 putts to 1.6 avg. That’s pretty drastic when you figure that the difference between 34 putts and 29 putts is 5 strokes gained per round without improving any other areas of my game.
Final Performance Comments:
Pressure: When I’ve got the Edel in my hands and I’m lining up and scoping out a putt, It’s almost like I’m saying “c’mon, WE can do this” as if we’re working as a team. I don’t think I’ve quite kindled that kind of relationship with any other club in my bag. Maybe it’s weird.. but that’s the kind of connection I’ve come to form with this putter.
Overall I’m pleased with everything that this putter brings to the table. Look, sound, feel, performance.. it’s all there and I wouldn’t change a thing. The subtle uniqueness and Edel-specific design queues are right up my alley.
Anything Missing?: If I were held at gunpoint to come up with a single item that I don’t quite find to be in line with the rest of the putter, I would say the alignment plate. The different alignment options are truly essential to the custom Edel process. The plate and it’s attachment method might use a hair more refinement. There are tiny gaps that sometimes get grains of sand trapped inside and I’ve had to go in with a needle to clean them out. I don’t know enough about the manufacturing process but if it were possible to custom mill the alignment aids upon order, but that might help clean things up a hair. That said, I understand that over time, it may be necessary to change the alignment aid so that would defeat that purpose of interchangeable plates. Again, this is a splitting hairs kind of thing and wouldn’t deter me in the slightest.
Did it help improve your scores?: Did my scores improve? Yes. Was it because of the putter? No. For what it’s worth, I would say that the putter itself didn’t improve my scores, but IMO, it’s not as simple as putting a putter in my hands that magically makes putts from any distance. As a reminder, the Edel EAS is not just a putter but it’s an experience, a system, a process. While the putter itself won’t make all of the putts magically drop, what it does do is influence the player to practice regularly, instill confidence, calm the nerves and become better acquainted with the most important club in the bag
How, if at all, did this product change your overall impression of Edel?: I’ve known of Edel for a few years now. A while back when I ventured down the “single length” rabbit hole, Edel was at the forefront of the charge to push the concept. When a young kid named Bryson DeChambeau came onto the scene, he was geared up with Edel single length clubs. Like other individual designers in the industry such as Ralph Maltby and Tom Wishon, David Edel is what you get when you cross a genius, mad scientist, and golf enthusiast, and a guy who just doesn't give a spit about what the rest of the mainstream world says golf needs to be.. and the products that he creates are truly unique AND packed with performance to back up the claims.
Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)
Of course, this is where I’m supposed to talk about subtle differences that set this putter aside from the rest. What I really what to emphasize (again) is that owning an Edel putter isn’t just owning a putter. Sure you can own a Scotty, a Ping, an EVNROLL, Even a Bettinardi, and many other names out there. And yes, there are a lot of good putters that you can buy off the shelf, and customize, modify, etc. When you own an Edel however, and go through the fitting process, have the club built specifically for you by Edel, and then shipped directly from Liberty Hill, TX to your doorstep, you’re making a personal statement and commitment to improving as a golfer. Showing a commitment and willingness to putting in the work needed to reach that next level of personal playing performance.
Play it or Trade it? (19 out of 20 points)
Play it, Play it, Play it! As an official Edel Club inductee, I now feel an obligation and responsibility to wield this club with pride, respect, and honor, both for the brand and for the goodness of the game. Yeah those are a lot of goofy, overly dramatic words, but this is exactly the spirit that Edel as a company upholds with every club that it offers. It’s more than just a brand. Brands are sold at retail stores. Edel defines those who are in pursuit of the purity of the sport in a world where flash, and overly complicated tech and design can start to muddle what we’re all really after. Don’t get me wrong, performance tech and evolution are still an important part of the game we’re all here to celebrate, but Edel has far from forgotten that tradition and history is still very much a part of what makes this game so great and they continue to bind history and tradition with Evolution and modern tech.
Conclusion
To wrap this all up, I just wanted to throw in one final thought. During the testing process, I had considered taking my current gamer and making similar adjustments. It was even requested by a few followers. My thought was that I could add weight down the shaft, extend the shaft 2”, throw some lead tape on the head, and get a heavier grip to counter balance the butt section. Ultimately, as I thought more about doing that, I also thought more about how much of a Frankenputter I would end up with and wasn’t completely sure if I would be doing it accurately. I also remembered that the purpose of this entire test was to compare a shock “shelf” putter to that which Edel offers. That in itself is a testament to what the overall experience encompasses when working with Edel and a custom fitter. You buy a “shelf” putter from Edel and you're getting the entire experience. They’re building the club according to my individual fitting specs and they’re all truly professionals at what they do from the fitter to the builder. The end product is clean and all of the tech is tucked and disguised nicely under the hood. What you end up with is a 100% custom-spec’d and crafted putter. I use the word crafted because that’s really what Edel is doing for the individual. They are making 1-off models for each person who places an order and that’s absolutely worth every penny spent!
Final Score: 94/100
The rating system doesn't allow for 1/2 stars so lets say I'm giving this a solid 4.5 stars instead of 4.
To start this off, I'd like to give an immense thank you to both MGS and Edel for creating this opportunity. The chance for a select few of us to be part of something that not too many people will get to do in their golfing life and that is being fully fit for a custom-built putter. Before coming into this, my experience with putter fitting was limited to the following: you putt with too much toe hang so pick another putter that's more upright. OK now you have an arc in your stroke.. you get a blade. Ok which grip do you like.. ok there's your "putter fitting".
MY GAME
I've been playing golf for nearly 30 years. for 25 of those I pretty much had no Idea what I was doing. It really wasn't until I stumbled upon the MGS community that I started to really take the game more seriously and actually start to study it. Over the years, I've come to rely on the MGS community for so many golf and non-golf related topics so much that I wear it on my sleeve.. well my bag anyway. I'm 100% self-taught but claim to have a decent enough eye and understanding of mechanics to be able to emulate and repeat what I see on TV and YouTube. According to my Garmin Golf stat tracker, I'm a 3.4 index.. but for starters, that's not an established handicap as I technically don't have one. And that's me playing my 80% of my rounds at my executive course where I'm a member and I know every nook and cranny. Most full-length courses that I play, I shoot high 70's to low 80's so I'm giving myself a more realistic handicap of around 8. That said, I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to be involved with a program similar to what GOFTEC offers and have some proper swing analysis and training.
MY PUTTING
Up until the last year, putting has really been a wall of frustration for me. I remember looking back at rounds in the high 80's thinking that if I had made all of those 3 footers.. or even 1-2 footers, I'd be 6 strokes lower. With the Pandemic and having more time at home, I decided to go all-in on putting practice and learn more about my stroke and build more confidence with the putter. I put in some decent time with the putting mat trying to create a solid repeatable putting stroke as well as feeling more comfortable with a putter in my hand. The putting practice paid off and I was no longer fearing those "should make" 1-2-3 footers. I have still had my struggles however with distance control and alignment. For starters, I've found that with my current putter (Cleveland HB Premier #4) anything outside of 12', the feel of the head seems to get lost and I'm unable to put a proper roll on the ball without seeing less than optimal skips and bounces. Another issue is getting my putt property lined up with my intended direction. Hitting a straight putt isn't the problem.. so much as being properly squared up with my intended line. So I'm hopeful that with all of the tech that goes into this putter, I'll start to see these areas improve.
THE PUTTER
The putter showed up well-packaged in a quite secure and stout Edel branded box. After watching @GolfSpy MPR's unboxing, I was thinking maybe I'd be seeing a weight kit with the putter. I didn't get a weight kit... But that's actually VERY OK by me. The last thing that I need is a means by which to mess up my whole fitting by giving me extra weights to mess with.. because if you give me matches.. I will burn myself.
I did however find that in addition to the putter, Edel did include a nice little gift. I'm very much a hat guy and the hat they sent me was right up my alley! Right color, right style, very unbranded but specific to Edel. It's one of those "in the club" type of hats and I love it!
THE PUTTER
The putter itself is noticeably heavier. Based on the specs of how the putter was fit and built, I'd speculate that it's a good 100g+ heavier than my Cleveland HB Premier #4. The grip section alone has an 80g grip with a 40g counter-weight. The shaft is counter-balanced with 30g.
As you can see, per the spec sheet above and pics, I was fit with the EAS 1.0. As I mentioned previously though, per the Blast Motion software, my typical contact is .2 to.4* open at impact. When I'm pushing, it goes to about .5 to .6* open. My fitter Aram at Golf-Tec mentioned that this is relatively neutral compared to most. Within 10', even .5* open is going to go in given my aim point and read is accurate. So while I was never fit into a blade (Answer) style putter, I was able to determine for myself over the past year that it really is the best fit for my setup. I have a tendency to aim slightly to the left as the blade-style putter looks a little more open to my eye and my miss is typically a slight push so in theory, while I'm aimed left, I'm pushing straight down the target line.
As for my specific specs, and how my weaknesses were addressed without causing me to lose my strengths: The putter was built at 36" with a lie of 74*. For comparison, my Cleveland was 34" and sat at about 70*. Aram wanted to get me slightly more upright in my stance but more importantly move me closer to the ball as to allow my arms to hang without becoming disconnected from my body. In doing the ball drop test I was typically in the right spot with my eyes just slightly behind the ball, but I was just way too bent over and standing much too far away from the ball. Another point relating to my biomechanics was that I was also putting with the butt end much too close to my hips which also forced a lot of my shoulder and body rotation as everything was kind of stuck inside and rotating everything was really the only way that I could get the putter to work. In other words, my arc was pretty severe and just needed to be tamed down.
As for the hosel, I was fit with the "back-set" option. This is something that I'm definitely going to have to spend some time with getting used to. In David Edel's words, its pretty much a left-handed forward set on a right handed head. Most of us are used to seeing some variation of forward-set hosel, especially with mallet style putters. The look of the Back-set is that of the putter head sitting slightly in front of the hands at address. This is another fitting trick to help neutralize the open face a little as well as tame a little bit of the arc in the putting stroke. As you can see from the pics, this creates the perfect toe-up or "torque-balancing" that the Edel putters are really making a strong charge for in the putter space.
The overall weighting and counter weighting is also something that's very different to me, and not what I'm used to a putter feeling like in my hands. Aside from the hefty 80g rubber grip, there is a 40g counter weight and a 30g shaft weight. As you can see in the photo above, this brings the total weight to a stout 619g vs the pretty standard 497g Cleveland #4. As @GolfSpy MPR mentioned in his post, the club seems strangely but very appropriately heavily weighted. One of my weak spots was my tempo through the putt being much too quick. I would have a good pace going back but then speed up through impact and this was a major culprit to my distance control.. or lack thereof. If the head alone feels too heavy, the tendency is to rush it through impact. After spending quite a lot of time indoors with the putting mat and working with a metronome at about 100 BPM, I'm really finding the benefit of all of the counter balancing. The ability to move all of that evenly distributed mass at a more even tempo really seems to work well for that distance control.
Alignment: I was fit with 2 lines up front and 1 in the back. I really liked how the 2 up front frame the ball while the 1 in back helps to concentrate on getting my eyes in the right spot over the ball.
I did have a chance to take the putter for a spin on Saturday at a 2 person scramble. That was literally after unboxing it Friday and hitting about 20 putts with it before going to bed. I'm not really going to count that as its 1st real round as I hadn't even had time to even acquaint myself with it. I just went in with my normal setup, same stance, grip pressure and tried to formulate a stroke throughout the round. So basically my game plan was.. no game plan. While I didn't putt my best round (putts within 10' were hit and miss, and I missed more 3 footers than I'd care to admit) what I did notice was that my lag putting and distance control was off the charts fantastic! Lag putting was something that I had struggled with, with the Cleveland. Anything outside of 15' was just typically "close my eyes, swing, and pray to the golf gods that I'd be within 5-10'. The problem that I was having was that I just couldn't generate enough controllable force without skipping the ball a good 4 or 5 times before it took to rolling. I had quite a few lengthy putts that not only were within 5' but some were well within 3'. I attribute this to having more mass with more momentum, but also having more control of all of the mass and not the feeling of the club disappearing in my hands when having to apply a lengthy stroke.
Here are just a few more pics of the putter as well as the Cleveland HB #4. As you can all see, this is a beautifully crafter putter.
INTRO CONCLUSION
My intensions throughout this test are to do do a few different things. One of the interesting bits about the putter testing experience is that there's not much of a roadmap to follow. Sure there are plenty of driver and iron testing examples to draw from but the putter is something that relatively limited.. and especially with the custom-fitting piece added.
What I hope to accomplish:
Reduce my average PPR from around 34 to below 30.
Quantify the difference (improvements or decline) with real numbers
Help others justify if paying the difference in price and going through the process is really worth it