Edel SMS and SMS Pro Irons - 2023 Forum Review

[TylorJudd]

These Edel irons are so damn sexy

[GolfSpy_BOS]

6 hours ago, Bucky CC said:

Anyone taking the new sticks out for the holiday weekend?

Me! Me! Me!

I played a run round with @StrokerAce this morning… or we’ll it was more me watching Jason play golf, and I was, we’ll I’m not sure I’d call it golf. 
 

However, when I did manage to hit a good shot it was with the Edel irons or a wedge. I nearly holed this 165 yard par 3 with my 7 iron. Landed short and rolled past the cup. 
 

Later on I hit a great approach with my 9 iron from 130 in the rough. Landed and stuck right there. 
 

Also had some other good shots, but my swing just wasn’t there and I was awful off the tee.  It’s a hard way to play! But I still enjoyed my time out there and am really liking what I see from the SMS Pros!

[Bucky CC]

27 minutes ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

Me! Me! Me!

I played a run round with @StrokerAce this morning… or we’ll it was more me watching Jason play golf, and I was, we’ll I’m not sure I’d call it golf. 

I love the first pic.  I played a round with another member today, but he's blurry in the background with my new irons front and center!  Nicely played.

[StrokerAce]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

Me! Me! Me!

I played a run round with @StrokerAce this morning… or we’ll it was more me watching Jason play golf, and I was, we’ll I’m not sure I’d call it golf. 
 

However, when I did manage to hit a good shot it was with the Edel irons or a wedge. I nearly holed this 165 yard par 3 with my 7 iron. Landed short and rolled past the cup. 
 

Later on I hit a great approach with my 9 iron from 130 in the rough. Landed and stuck right there. 
 

Also had some other good shots, but my swing just wasn’t there and I was awful off the tee.  It’s a hard way to play! But I still enjoyed my time out there and am really liking what I see from the SMS Pros!

@GolfSpy BOS hit his irons well and his short game was superb. Once he gets some practice with the driver he’s going to be lethal 

Consider it a warning to those of you going to NC!!

Beautiful day and a great time

[J7Hawkins]

On 5/18/2023 at 6:52 PM, ejgaudette said:

Here are a couple photos while I work on the first impressions.

I still can’t get over just how great these look! That milled sole is awesome!

[Sluggo42]

Wow- these irons are truly good looking- 

can’t wait to hear if they hit as well as they look

[Triple_Putt]

Threw my initial impressions into some words and photos! Check it out when you have a few minutes!

 

[Triple_Putt]

A thing of beauty 

[fixyurdivot]

On 5/27/2023 at 11:42 AM, GolfSpy BOS said:

Me! Me! Me!

I played a run round with @StrokerAce this morning… or we’ll it was more me watching Jason play golf, and I was, we’ll I’m not sure I’d call it golf. 
 

However, when I did manage to hit a good shot it was with the Edel irons or a wedge. I nearly holed this 165 yard par 3 with my 7 iron. Landed short and rolled past the cup. 
 

Later on I hit a great approach with my 9 iron from 130 in the rough. Landed and stuck right there. 
 

Also had some other good shots, but my swing just wasn’t there and I was awful off the tee.  It’s a hard way to play! But I still enjoyed my time out there and am really liking what I see from the SMS Pros!

Meanwhile, back in the garage, the Cobra's were keeping busy 

[GolfSpy AFG]

So I FINALLY got to hit the Edel's outdoors today, on grass.  A brief range session only, and my attempt at some video went off the rails so I'll be back to the range tomorrow to try and get some better clips.  I also plan to post some early returns from a the Full Swing simulator testing of the different weight configurations.

So, yeah, more to come tomorrow.  What I can tell you tonight...the feel of these things is incredible.  INCREDIBLE.  I'm gaming a Mizuno, yes a JPX and not an MP, but still a Mizuno.  The Edel's are hands down better for feel.

 

[ChitownM2]

So I did end up getting to the range Saturday and made some progress working through my early season swing issues.  My long game is in shambles but the irons are a bright spot.  I've been striking the ball better than I finished last season and am seeing a better / higher trajectory and according to my mevo slightly more distance (<5 yards) compared to the Z585s.  I'm going to try and get out to the par 3 for a few rounds just so I can see how the irons perform on their own without being put in bad spots from my errant driver or the negative effect it has on my mental game.  

I also got out for 27 holes yesterday.  This was the first round of the season with my neighbor and we were joined by his old friend from HS.  While I was practicing my chipping before the round, I returned to the carts to see the two of them admiring the clubs in my bag.  They both loved the looks and were curious about the weights and compared them to PXG irons.  I explained a bit about the weights being movable depending on your swing and what you are trying to achieve with your ball flight.  They were definitely intrigued but also a little taken back when they looked up the price.  My neighbor plays Sub70 irons that he was fitted for at their HQ so I think he was expecting something similar since they are both small boutique club manufacturers, I think it's safe to say that a new set of SMS irons are not going to be in his budget.  

As for the round, I continued to struggle off the tee but did have quite a few great shots with the irons.  I hit a few greens and actually ended up sailing 3 because these clubs definitely go farther than my gamers when I hit them pure.  This happened on a few holes where I had a 5 iron go about +15 yards twice compared to normal and a 6 iron that went for an extra 12.  Another item that I've been keeping an eye on is the 4 iron in this set.  Given my handicap and all the general advice out there of why hybrids are better, I haven't carried a 4 iron in about 20 years. However, I have always hit that hybrid (there have been a few) like junk so I took this test as an opportunity to give a 4 iron a go and have actually been been getting some good results.  Before, I would hit the hybrid so bad that I usually wouldn't because I'd be better off hitting the 5 iron but now with the SMS 4 iron, I've gotten more consistent with it and my worst shots are now on par with hitting a 5 iron and the good ones are right on target with proper gapping.  I actually smoked the club off the tee about 230 yards which is 30 more yards than I ever hit my hybrid according to Arccos so I will definitely let this experiment play out and see if I really am better with a traditional 4 in the bag.

[ChitownM2]

I also forgot to make a post but I got my first impressions posted to the main review on Sunday night so please check them out here if you haven't already!

[ChitownM2]

10 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

So I FINALLY got to hit the Edel's outdoors today, on grass.  A brief range session only, and my attempt at some video went off the rails so I'll be back to the range tomorrow to try and get some better clips.  I also plan to post some early returns from a the Full Swing simulator testing of the different weight configurations.

So, yeah, more to come tomorrow.  What I can tell you tonight...the feel of these things is incredible.  INCREDIBLE.  I'm gaming a Mizuno, yes a JPX and not an MP, but still a Mizuno.  The Edel's are hands down better for feel.

 

Have to agree with this 100%.  I actually switched from Ping G400 to the Z585 2 years ago because of the Most Wanted scores of those clubs and was amazed by the feel.  These SMS irons feel at least as good if not better.  I can't be certain if it's just the Edel heads or a combination with the steelfiber shafts, but I can tell exactly where I'm striking the ball and good shots feel amazing and poor ones are not nearly as punishing as my Z585s were with the Modus 105 shafts.  It's the best of both worlds so far.

[ejgaudette]

9 hours ago, ChitownM2 said:

Have to agree with this 100%.  I actually switched from Ping G400 to the Z585 2 years ago because of the Most Wanted scores of those clubs and was amazed by the feel.  These SMS irons feel at least as good if not better.  I can't be certain if it's just the Edel heads or a combination with the steelfiber shafts, but I can tell exactly where I'm striking the ball and good shots feel amazing and poor ones are not nearly as punishing as my Z585s were with the Modus 105 shafts.  It's the best of both worlds so far.

Yes count me in as well in the feel. When well struck they feel awesome and are much softer than my current Mizuno irons. With that comes a really nice crack off the strike. I'll get a Rapsodo video this afternoon to highlight that sound. It really sounds just wonderful.

[GolfSpy AFG]

Time to get a little work in…

[StrokerAce]

On 5/18/2023 at 7:52 PM, ejgaudette said:

Here are a couple photos while I work on the first impressions.

When I played with Bryan I told him that the irons reminded me a little of the Scotty putters with the 3 cherry dots.

They are very nice looking clubs and the brushed steel is well done.

I put one down to have a look and heel to toe it is small with a thin topline.

19 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Time to get a little work in…

Loving those ferrules! Nice combo

[GolfSpy_BOS]

19 minutes ago, StrokerAce said:

When I played with Bryan I told him that the irons reminded me a little of the Scotty putters with the 3 cherry dots.

They are very nice looking clubs and the brushed steel is well done.

I put one down to have a look and heel to toe it is small with a thin topline.

Loving those ferrules! Nice combo

Don't worry Jason.... those two guys ( @Getoffmylawn and @ejgaudette ) elected to NOT get the SMS Pro 4 iron like I did, so they won't be as scared hitting the long irons  

Can't wait for the range report Hayes! 

[GolfSpy AFG]

Swing Match Weighting works, in more ways than one.

My build came with the standard 2 - 8 -2 weight setup, and last week I took them to my home course simulator to try and dial them in.  I'm going to spare you the raw numbers, but after a thorough warmup I hit 16 shots in each weight configuration, and then eliminated the three extremes on the high and low ends for distance, leaving me with 10 shots.  WARNING, INEVITABLE EXCUSE...I tweaked my lower back last week trying to set a new deadlift personal best, so I'm a little slower and these numbers are a bit off of my game speed.  But, the data still holds for purposes of the experiment.

I first hit those 16 shots with my gamer Mizuno's, then the Edel SMS Pro in the 2-8-2 weight set up, and then the 2-2-8 configuration with the 8 being closest to the heel.  These are all 7 irons.  I didn't bother to chart an 8-2-2 set up because I am a heel-biased ball striker to begin with, and after one swing in that setup I knew it was not for me.

Here's the data:

First, forgive me for the spreadsheet...the Full Swing simulator I had access to did not have a printer and wasn't set up to produce aggregate reports on its own.  Second, perhaps there is more or other data that would be relevant here that I failed to track and provide.

What I can tell you, and what the data tells me, is that the positioning of the weights absolutely helps customize the club to the golfer.  As you can see, moving the heavy weight to the heel gave me more distance, better spin, and better dispersion.  Today's range session confirmed for me that I'm consistently finding the sweet spot more often, with better control of the face overall, with the weights configured for more mass in the heel:

However, there's more to this story folks.  Edel sent me 4 and 6 gram weight kits too.  More to follow!

 

[GolfSpy_BOS]

Well now that testing is fully underway I wanted to take some time and drop in my introduction and first impressions along with the rest of the testers.

Be sure to check out their intros too and follow the thread!  Also, let us know any questions you all may have about the irons and what sort of things you'd like to see during our official test!

 

 

[sirchunksalot]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

what sort of things you'd like to see during our official test!

I'm thinking a round of only irons, wedges, and Putter might be in order. 

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

what sort of things you'd like to see during our official test!

 

I want to see high quality golf by @Getoffmylawn and yourself at the MGS outing.

[GolfSpy AFG]

2 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I want to see high quality golf by @Getoffmylawn and yourself at the MGS outing.

Me too!!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

3 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Swing Match Weighting works, in more ways than one.

My build came with the standard 2 - 8 -2 weight setup, and last week I took them to my home course simulator to try and dial them in.  I'm going to spare you the raw numbers, but after a thorough warmup I hit 16 shots in each weight configuration, and then eliminated the three extremes on the high and low ends for distance, leaving me with 10 shots.  WARNING, INEVITABLE EXCUSE...I tweaked my lower back last week trying to set a new deadlift personal best, so I'm a little slower and these numbers are a bit off of my game speed.  But, the data still holds for purposes of the experiment.

I first hit those 16 shots with my gamer Mizuno's, then the Edel SMS Pro in the 2-8-2 weight set up, and then the 2-2-8 configuration with the 8 being closest to the heel.  These are all 7 irons.  I didn't bother to chart an 8-2-2 set up because I am a heel-biased ball striker to begin with, and after one swing in that setup I knew it was not for me.

Here's the data:

First, forgive me for the spreadsheet...the Full Swing simulator I had access to did not have a printer and wasn't set up to produce aggregate reports on its own.  Second, perhaps there is more or other data that would be relevant here that I failed to track and provide.

What I can tell you, and what the data tells me, is that the positioning of the weights absolutely helps customize the club to the golfer.  As you can see, moving the heavy weight to the heel gave me more distance, better spin, and better dispersion.  Today's range session confirmed for me that I'm consistently finding the sweet spot more often, with better control of the face overall, with the weights configured for more mass in the heel:

However, there's more to this story folks.  Edel sent me 4 and 6 gram weight kits too.  More to follow!

 

That strike location is P.U.R.E.

[Triple_Putt]

4 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Swing Match Weighting works, in more ways than one.

My build came with the standard 2 - 8 -2 weight setup, and last week I took them to my home course simulator to try and dial them in.  I'm going to spare you the raw numbers, but after a thorough warmup I hit 16 shots in each weight configuration, and then eliminated the three extremes on the high and low ends for distance, leaving me with 10 shots.  WARNING, INEVITABLE EXCUSE...I tweaked my lower back last week trying to set a new deadlift personal best, so I'm a little slower and these numbers are a bit off of my game speed.  But, the data still holds for purposes of the experiment.

I first hit those 16 shots with my gamer Mizuno's, then the Edel SMS Pro in the 2-8-2 weight set up, and then the 2-2-8 configuration with the 8 being closest to the heel.  These are all 7 irons.  I didn't bother to chart an 8-2-2 set up because I am a heel-biased ball striker to begin with, and after one swing in that setup I knew it was not for me.

Here's the data:

First, forgive me for the spreadsheet...the Full Swing simulator I had access to did not have a printer and wasn't set up to produce aggregate reports on its own.  Second, perhaps there is more or other data that would be relevant here that I failed to track and provide.

What I can tell you, and what the data tells me, is that the positioning of the weights absolutely helps customize the club to the golfer.  As you can see, moving the heavy weight to the heel gave me more distance, better spin, and better dispersion.  Today's range session confirmed for me that I'm consistently finding the sweet spot more often, with better control of the face overall, with the weights configured for more mass in the heel:

However, there's more to this story folks.  Edel sent me 4 and 6 gram weight kits too.  More to follow!

 

Awesome post! I’m doing that this Friday night! Only instead of a tweaked back I may have a few cocktails to skew the results! Either way great data. 

[J7Hawkins]

9 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Swing Match Weighting works, in more ways than one.

My build came with the standard 2 - 8 -2 weight setup, and last week I took them to my home course simulator to try and dial them in.  I'm going to spare you the raw numbers, but after a thorough warmup I hit 16 shots in each weight configuration, and then eliminated the three extremes on the high and low ends for distance, leaving me with 10 shots.  WARNING, INEVITABLE EXCUSE...I tweaked my lower back last week trying to set a new deadlift personal best, so I'm a little slower and these numbers are a bit off of my game speed.  But, the data still holds for purposes of the experiment.

I first hit those 16 shots with my gamer Mizuno's, then the Edel SMS Pro in the 2-8-2 weight set up, and then the 2-2-8 configuration with the 8 being closest to the heel.  These are all 7 irons.  I didn't bother to chart an 8-2-2 set up because I am a heel-biased ball striker to begin with, and after one swing in that setup I knew it was not for me.

Here's the data:

First, forgive me for the spreadsheet...the Full Swing simulator I had access to did not have a printer and wasn't set up to produce aggregate reports on its own.  Second, perhaps there is more or other data that would be relevant here that I failed to track and provide.

What I can tell you, and what the data tells me, is that the positioning of the weights absolutely helps customize the club to the golfer.  As you can see, moving the heavy weight to the heel gave me more distance, better spin, and better dispersion.  Today's range session confirmed for me that I'm consistently finding the sweet spot more often, with better control of the face overall, with the weights configured for more mass in the heel:

However, there's more to this story folks.  Edel sent me 4 and 6 gram weight kits too.  More to follow!

 

Awesome post! I’m excited to see the difference in the 4 and 6 gram weights as well!

[GolfSpy AFG]

About to do some dew-sweeping at a course I’ve never played for my first 18 with the Edel’s.  They sure look good in the bag…

[GolfSpy_BOS]

2 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

About to do some dew-sweeping at a course I’ve never played for my first 18 with the Edel’s.  They sure look good in the bag…

They look nice with those new Vokey's too  

[GolfSpy TCB]

1 minute ago, GolfSpy BOS said:

They look nice with those new Vokey's too  

Those are like a surgeon's tools sitting in that bag.  Go carve up that course!!!  

[GolfSpy AFG]

The iron game was about the only thing working today!  Here’s a 183 yard 6-iron that got pretty close…

Overall I continue to be really impressed with the feel and forgiveness of these clubs.  They are not long, but I’d argue if you’re looking for distance a “player’s club” is maybe not the category to be looking in.  That said, mishits with these do surprisingly better than I expect.

[GolfSpy_BOS]

@Lacassem, I formally challenge you to a duel!

 

Tomorrow's Round... Irons Only + Wedges and Putter.  NO Drivers, Woods, Hybrids, or Driving Irons.

Edel SMS Pro vs Cobra Forged Tec 2022.

 

Are you man enough to accept my challenge?!