ncwoz

Keep in mind,  that some of the parameters of these tests are dictated by the OEM themselves and not MGS.  

I LOVE the Maxfli X! Excited for whoever gets the opportunity, and also interested to hear more about the S model!

I LOVE the Maxfli X! Excited for whoever gets the opportunity, and also interested to hear more about the S model!

As a moderator team we have seen a lot of comments about this and durability. The Red Rooster Range Rooster is their more durable glove, the sussex which is the one for testing is a premium glove and while still durable is in the premium market which means it isn't meant to last forever and ever. 
This is also something Kerry will explain more about on the call tonight during the Live Q&A with the Forum Community!

My current irons are pretty locked in, but these Edels look awesome and I love the concept! Anxious to see how the weight ports catch on with the testers!

Very cool! I've been intrigued from a distance about Red Rooster, looking forward to following along with the testers to hear their impressions and experiences! 

My current irons are pretty locked in, but these Edels look awesome and I love the concept! Anxious to see how the weight ports catch on with the testers!

Looking forward to following along, should be an awesome opportunity for 4 lucky folks!
Great to see Callaway back with a test opportunity!

Looking forward to following along, should be an awesome opportunity for 4 lucky folks!
Great to see Callaway back with a test opportunity!

Looking forward to following along, should be an awesome opportunity for 4 lucky folks!
Great to see Callaway back with a test opportunity!

Looking forward to following along, should be an awesome opportunity for 4 lucky folks!
Great to see Callaway back with a test opportunity!

Apologies if I'm speaking out of turn here, but are there as many graphite wedge shaft options as there are in the irons? Admittedly I'm not super clued into the graphite offerings in wedges and irons, but in passing I can't recall many graphite options for wedges.

Saw this on Instagram! Great work @edingc!

 

I've been a little remiss with an update these past few days. Unfortunately, my wife and I brought COVID home with us from our vacation and I've been out of action since mid-last week. I'm hoping to get back out on to the course for a full 18 for the first time in a while tomorrow.
I cleaned up the Edels tonight and am pleasantly surprised with how they are holding up. I use no head covers on my wedges. While I do usually have covers on my irons (when you switch as often as I do, resale value matters), I've always thought wedges looked better with a little chatter and patina on them.
There are a few dings here and there. The faces show a few little scuffs, probably from dirty range balls. Overall, however, they've held up extremely well. The milled bottoms do a great job of hiding any marks on the soles.



I know the weights are the selling point of these wedges, but you can definitely not overlook the value of the excellent grind options. For me, the V grind has been wonderful. I really love the eased leading edge and the large amount of leading edge relief. Even when I catch a ball a little fat (which is common) this grind gets in and out of the turf so well. 
Here's a comparison picture to the Cobra MIM Blacks that were in my bag previously. I liked the MIMs but if you caught a little turf before the ball you were punished severely. I never thought I'd like a fatter soled wedge, but the shaping of even the V grind is so versatile - every bit as much as the Cobra versatile grind I am coming from.

I am still playing with the weight in the toe and haven't seen a reason to move it. My goal is still to get on the FlightScope Mevo+ and see what happens when the weight is moved. Unfortunately, we are also renovating a bathroom in my house at the moment and my garage hitting space has become a staging area for that. I'm hoping to get it cleaned up and grab some numbers soon.
I've been hesitant to move the weight around because the results are there as is! This was the result of about a half bucket's worth of 50 degree wedges on the range:

 

Great weekend of golf for me. Played Poston Butte on Saturday (79), Ak-Chin Southern Dunes on Sunday (86), and Legacy Golf Resort on Monday (78). Snuck in an executive course on Tuesday after work and shot a 71 on a par 65 as well. 
Southern Dunes is a great test of golf. They play Korn Ferry events, Open qualifying, PGA Tour qualifying, US Amateur, college events, etc, out there. Between the greens being as fast as I've seen, the wasteland areas, and the 100+ bunkers out there, it's a great place to test your wedge game. It's one of those courses where slight misses can be brutal. It tends to attract the better golfer, and the threesome I was with elected to play it from 6900 yards, which is just a hair long for my liking, but that probably helped my testing as I missed a ton of greens and got lots of chances to pitch and chip. 
I thought I had the course conquered after I split the fairway bunkers with a 280 yard drive on 1, put my 54* Edel V grind to 20 feet, and drained the birdie putt, but I was quickly humbled with a double bogey on 2 (323 yard, par 4). I missed my tee shot left in the waste area. I favored the left miss on my approach with the 50* Edel C grind not knowing how the ball was going to come out of the desert and wanting to make sure I cleared the bunkers. That left me short sided, with the green sloping away. I thought I hit the perfect 58* Edel T grind flop. Came off so clean, direction was perfect. Exact shot that I was going for it, but it missed the hole by 2 inches and kept trickling and kept trickling, and then running and then going back down the hill into the collection area. Played a safer shot coming back and 2 putted. Yikes.
 


Put myself in another terrible position on 4. Pulled my tee shot long and left, into the back downslope of a huge bunker. The green slopes away there as well as in lightning quick. Very easy to get cute and leave it at the front of the same bunker as its a good 15 yards of carry, or to run it past the hole into the front bunkers. I played my 58* T grind but had to square the face with the downslope. Blasted it out low and of course it ran down the hill but had some spin and held up in the fringe. I was content with that. Might normally putt from there, but used my 50 and hit a great little bump and run that threatened the hole and ended up as a tap in bogey. Not amazing wedge play there, but the Edels did everything I was asking them to.
 

 
Shot of the day on number 11 (170 yard, par 3) after completely embarrassing myself on the tee box. I hit a low thin 6 iron off the toe that never got more the 3 feet off the ground. Went about 70 yards before getting caught up in the waste area. I had a decent lie around the ball, but plants in the way of the swing. Went with some extra club with the 50* C grind and hit to 6 inches. Butter.
 

 
So far, I'm loving the Edel's on full and partial swings. There's something to the added weight in the right spot that just gets the clubhead in the right position. The backswing feels smoother, like I'm not fighting swing faults as much. And the weight in the head really feels like your are mashing the ball. I've got a spare set of iron heads, and I'm now more than tempted to build them better in line with the Edel specs. Tip weights with extra lead tape in the center/toe area. Maybe some sort of MOI type build.
On touch shots around the green, I sort of use a Mickelson inspired hinge and hold method, off the back foot low shot and off the front foot for high shots. Rather simplified. Off the back foot, the Edels in every grind are great. The feel is really nice and its easy to dial in predictable ball speeds and launch angles. I'm not yet adjusted to the LW played open and off the front foot. Just seems like there is too much bounce at times. Its mostly feel related, as I like to pick the ball and can feel the 58 interacting with the turf. Funny enough, the ball comes out just fine. I know in theory the bounce can be helping me from chunking it, but there is a mental/feel issue. May just take more time there, as the quality of the shots are great. 

Man that course looks beautiful!  Also looks like it has some really challenging green complexes to put your Edel wedges up to the test.

Great work guys. I'm now looking at Edel wedges and I wasn't in the market for wedges just yet. These seem to be working out well. No fitters near me so I'll have to wait for another "business trip". 

I've got alot of golf on the schedule for next week, but this weekend I had my wife brother and 3 kids in town. Luckily, I was able to slip out Friday evening for a quick jaunt around the executive course. I turned it into my own modified par 3 course, playing whatever tees made the most sense as I only brought my 3 Edel wedges and a putter. 
I teed off at 5:30 PM, and we've been having monsoons in the Phoenix area nearly every night for the past few days. Hence, the wind was very gusty. The greens looked to have been punched a week or so ago, so not ideal conditions for scoring low, but I was mostly eager just to hit a bunch of full shots with the new clubs.  I would say 115-50 yards is probably the weakest part of my game, and not knowing my exact yardages with new sticks, I was tempering expectations.  

Fortunately, I put on a golf clinic on the front 9. All 9 GIR. First 3 holes I'm pin high right where I was aiming. Normally my 50* is a 115 club, but I'm hitting the Edels much further. I would never think to the hit GW 140, but #4 is downwind. I force a trap draw and hit the front edge of the green and the ball releases up toward the pin to 4 feet. 

 
I was equally impressed on #5, which was playing 105 yards dead into the wind. I try to force my 54* there and hit a flighted fade, that lands hole high and fortunately spins hards back to the right towards the hole. The green runs away, and had it not checked it would have easily been a 30 foot putt at best, but likely in the fringe. Instead I got to miss a 7 footer 🥲

 
#7 is again showing I'm easily 8-10 yards longer with the Edels. I'd normally hit a soft PW to 125, but a well hit 50 is left to 5 feet from the pin. Again the ball is checking up nicely on firm greens. 

 
#11 is a short hole playing downwind. I hit a 3/4 LW and thought it was a hole in one the entire way. Ends up 2 feet past the hole and had to have rolled within an inch or two. At this point I'm 3 under with 11/11 GIR. I've actually putted poorly by my standards but hole proximity has been very good. 

 
I finally miss a green on 12 leaving it a yard short. I blame the awkward teebox on a steep side hill on a hole that is normally a par 4. My long chip to 8 feet wasn't good enough and I card my first blemish. The next few holes are pretty boring golf, hitting it to 15-20 feet and 2 putting. I 3 putt from 30 feet on 17 because no round of mine is complete without that. On 18, I'm a foot off the back edge just 10 feet from the cup and nearly hole the chip, but collect the tap in par. 16/18 GIR, 1 under. Again with a poor putting display by my standards. Really didnt make much of anything outside of 5 feet. I wasnt quite able to sustain the early fireworks, but all in all this was an exciting debut. 

Fantastic work as always Cody. 

Things have gone awkwardly silent here, so reviving the thread -- 

Consistent struggle with the 3W -- mostly used for tee shots, and like 50/50 on whether I top it vs. bomb it (the only club that has this issue). Sooo... earlier today I pulled the trigger on this guy: 

 
Between U505 (not part of test) and T200, I could have gotten a 16° U505, 17° T200, or 18° U505 to complement the 20 degree T200 Utility. Considering it's replacing a 15-15.75° 3W, I went with the 16° -- head size was also a factor (17° T200 feels above my current skill level; 18° U505 felt too close to the T200 3i). Built the club to match the 3i from the test, which has been phenomenal (as has the 4i that I bought later). 
They say 6-8 weeks before I get it. For the 4i, they said 10 weeks and it came in 10 days. I'm hoping for something similar here, but we'll see. 
 

Really impressive showing from the wedges now that my comfort with them is growing. I had four birdies during this morning's round and the wedges played a big role in them.
On the par 5 third hole, I hit my drive just to the right under a tree, then punched an 8 iron down the fairway, leaving be about 110 yards to a back pin. Imagined a 7/8ths swing with the 54, and then proceeded to drop-and-hop it to basically gimme range:

On the par 5 No. 9 hole I had 125 yards out to another back pin. For whatever reason a full swing 54 felt right and I executed the shot perfectly, dropping another gimme birdie with an audience on the first tee:

On No. 18, my drive found the right rough about 110 yards out. With a bit of wind I aimed left of the flag and took a firm 3/4 swing with the 54. The wind pushed the ball over just a bit. Another great shot and another birdie to close out my round:

I took some video during my 9 holes yesterday. Should have something fun from that to post here soon.

Curious if you are noticing any differences in spin? Or if you experienced something similar when first testing the Cobras? I've heard this before where brand new wedges with sharp grooves are going to spin more and there's some distance loss on full swings because of it. As they break in, the distance returns. I'm not saying that is the issue here as they could just be shorter, but could be something to be mindful of. 

The Edels played a big part in my one-under 35 on the back nine this morning.
The 58 is quickly slotting in as my go-to for anything around the green. I got up-and-down on No. 11 to save par after running an 8 iron long into the back fringe for my approach. Nice little putting stroke chip to 10 inches for an easy tap-in par on one of the more difficult holes on the course.
On No. 13 I ended up well right of the green in some really thick, fluffy rough under a tree. I knew that I'd get a bit of run out but had quite a bit of green to work with. The 58 popped the ball out nice and soft, where it landed just on the fringe and released to five feet below the hole. I got up-and-down to save another par, bailing out what was not a good tee shot at all.

I was short of the green on No. 15, which is a short par 4 from the very back tees (I hit a tree with my tee shot, which is a habit of mine!). I got a good bounce into the rough, but being under the trees it was very patchy and hardpacked. I trusted the bounce on the 58's V grind sole and hit a nice little pitch that released to about six feet below the hole. I saved my birdie with a center cup putt. 

And, finally, on No. 18 I hit one of the best full swings I've taken so far with these wedges. A full 54 wedge from 120 out that set up a straightforward two-putt to finish off my round. 
I'm definitely starting to adjust to the steel shafts. I am looking forward to seeing my comfort with them grow over the rest of the season.

Nice first weekend breaking these wedges in. One range session, 27 holes, plus a few more practice holes under my belt since Friday. Overall first impressions are mixed-to-favorable.
I left the weights in the toe for now. I will spend some time in my garage testing the different configurations sometime soon.
As I said in my unboxing post, the clubs look fantastic. They have a very pleasing shape that frames the golf ball very nicely at address. This morning I had some harsh lighting on one hole and did have a small issue with glare despite the matte-finished face. I hit a few very old golf balls at my in-laws house yesterday (we built a small pitching area in their backyard) and there are some white marks on the faces now from the deteriorating surlyn. But, so far, despite being forged the wedges show very little scuffing, dents or dings that would be a cause for concern.
I made the mistake of hitting range balls as my very first experience with the wedges. To be honest, on the range the Edels did not feel very good. They felt very clunky and lifeless, with a very firm and harsh sound. We've gone from very wet to very dry all of a sudden and my range is starting to get very firm. The turf interaction did not feel great in these conditions.
My wife and I went out Friday evening and walked four practice holes while enjoying a beer. I wish that had been my first experience with the wedges. They felt so much better with the Maxfli Tour X I was hitting, and on the less packed down fairways and rough I had no issues with turf interaction.
I played nine yesterday and 18 this morning and have continued to adjust to the feel of the Edels. I need to recalibrate my feel to an extent as I'm moving back to steel in my wedges from graphite. The Nippons feel good, but they do have a significantly different sound and feel than the more muted graphite shafts I have in my Cobra MIM Black wedges.
The 58 degree wedge has quickly become a weapon around the green. I've gotten up-and-down to save par several times already, and there have been several more holes where my putting let me down inside of five feet. It feels awesome on partial swings and chipping around the green. The V grind just glides right along the ground and gives me a ton of confidence that I won't chunk the ball. I've hit some partial 50 and 54 wedges with similar success.
I'm struggling with full swing shots, which are usually a strength of mine. The Edels seem to be 5-10 yards shorter than my Cobras on full swings. I flushed two 50 degree wedges, one yesterday and one this morning, and they both came up 5-10 yards short of what I would expect. On No. 18 today I took a full swing 58 and experienced the same 5-10 yard loss. 
I also stone-cold topped a 54 degree wedge on a full swing today, which is something I've not done in a long, long time. It was a bit amusing to see the ball kicking up dew rolling down the fairway.
Now, the correct adjustment here is to hit more partial wedges. That's not something I'm terribly comfortable with at the moment, but I will spend more time in practice on. I also need to re-align my expectations on distance, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Oh, and not topping the ball might help. 🤣

Edel SMS Wedges – Official MGS Forum Review by edingc
Unboxing - June 16, 2022

Warning: gratuitous number of photos ahead! These clubs are too pretty to not take a million photos.
I received my wedges last night. Edel placed my order on May 27, so from order to delivery it took about three weeks. The Nippon Modus shafts I was fit for ended up not being a problem.

@GrumpyGolf has already covered the packaging. The handle is a unique touch I haven’t experienced with other manufacturers. The wedges were securely packaged and arrived without incident. 
The clubs are gorgeous. There is not another way to describe them. The milling on the soles completes the very clean and modern look. The custom ferrules (which appear to be hand turned) are a very nice touch. They are something that sets the Edels apart from other products. The chrome finish glistens in the sun, while the face has a matte finish that should cause no issues with glare.

One of the things drawing my attention to the Edels is their shaping. It seems like a very classic wedge shape to me, and I love the slightly rounded leading edge. The grooves extend in a way that makes them seem almost like a full-face wedge.

I fit into Edel’s V grind for all three wedges. My hope is that the grind provides some forgiveness on softer turf. The leading edge inspires confidence I won’t dig behind the ball on a slight miss-hit. The leading edge raises only slightly when the face is opened. I don’t foresee an issue playing shots with a more open face if needed.

The clubs arrived as requested with grips shipped loose in the box and the weight in the toe. Like others, I do find it a little strange there is not a tool included to change the weights. Especially because the card that comes in the box outlines the process for fitting the weights to your swing (a process that requires a tool!).

I gripped them with my own grips. I have been using undersized Star Sidewinders on all my clubs. I do some custom taping underneath that adds one more wrap to my lower hand and ends up with a “standard” size grip.

After gripping, I checked the specs of each wedge against what I requested. The lengths were spot on standard. Swing weights were also very close. Kudos to Edel for the build quality.

I should be able to get out to the range with these soon, and they'll get their first on course time this weekend!