Equipment

Edel introduces moveable weight Swing Match wedges for 2021

Published

3 years ago

Apr 2, 2021

The 2021 Edel Swing Match wedges are taking the concept of custom fit wedges to a level that has never been brought to the short game before, with the goal to use every possible tool to tighten dispersion and consistency to help you shoot lower scores.

The new Edel Swing Match wedges utilize a movable weight system in the flange to fit each club to a golfer’s natural short game swing profile. The research indicates that once properly fit, everything from mechanics to launch conditions shows measurable improvement.

Edel Swing Match wedges: The why

It’s no secret the best way to properly optimize your equipment is through custom fitting. When it comes to wedges, the only factors that have been traditionally accounted for are length, lie, loft, and grind—all of which, beyond grind, are already standard for iron fittings.

With how specialized wedges have to be for performance, is grind really the only thing golfers should be concerned with?

At Edel golf, they set out to answer this question, and they came away with “no,” which lead to the development of the Swing Match system to help every golfer achieve their maximum potential.

The backbone of Swing Match weighting philosophy is that a wedge’s weight location has a dramatic effect on how a golfer creates dynamics leading to impact. It’s no different than how a change in shaft weight of a driver can change impact location and delivery numbers.

The how

The weighting technology allows each golfer to adjust their wedge in order to match their natural swing profile and release motion. Edel breaks these profiles into three major categories which are

Cover – A steeper approach to impact
Side On – A neutral approach
Under – A shallow approach to impact

Once the heaviest weight in the wedge has been moved to the optimal position, it works alongside a player’s swing to optimize short game performance.

Results demonstrated that 80 percent of the golfers who were tested saw their best spin numbers and delivery were created with the weight adjusted somewhere other than the center weight port, and the average increase in backspin was just over 10 percent from the lowest spinning location to the highest location of the weight.

Edel’s research and testing have been analyzed by Mike Duffey, a PhD Biomechanics at Penn State and golf swing Biomechanist who came to the following conclusions:

There is a substantial improvement in a player’s ability to control the flight of a wedge with weighting that matches – or is correctly fit – to the swing.
The type of weighting that works best varies for individual golfers. The initial assessment of the data clearly showed that there are no consistent trends across golfers showing that one single weighting always works best for each golfer. In fact, the same weighting may have nearly the opposite effect on ball flight control depending on individual swing characteristics.

It was with this knowledge that the design team at Edel developed the Swing Match weight fitting system and now they are ready to introduce it to golfers.

The Construction

The Swing Match wedges are forged from soft 1025 carbon steel and have all of the bounce and sole geometries CNC machined to ensure maximum precision wedge to wedge.

Like other Edel wedges of the past, they feature full-face groove coverage as well as a micro-engraved face texture to maximize friction for increased spin.

Another signature design element of the Swing Match wedges is their shorter hosel to precisely locate the center of gravity.

The grinds

The Swing Match wedges come in four unique grind options with each one designed specifically for a specific player delivery—much like the adjustable weight system.

: Edel T Grind

: Edel C Grind

It’s easy to spot the grind type on the back of each wedge, but there is one thing you won’t find and that is bounce number—here’s why:

“Typical bounce is an arbitrary number called “effective bounce” that really has no standard and is played loosely across the industry. That’s why you won’t see a bounce number on our wedges.” – Edel Golf

C-Grind: This grind is optimal for golfers with a moderate to shallow angle of attack who take a smaller divot. The extra sole width allows you extreme versatility for bunker play and greenside shots in the higher lofts; while being able to work in all turf conditions in the lower lofts.
T-Grind: A tri-angle sole grind utilizing an extremely high bounce leading-edge, followed by a crescent-shaped lower bounce surface, and extreme heel relief. These three surfaces allow you to open the face without increasing the effective bounce for better performance on tighter lies.
V-Grind: Inspired by Edel’s most popular DVR grind, this sole is great for cover golfers with a steeper swing motion. The higher bounce angle closer to the leading edge allows the sole to engage with the turf quickly which results in minimal hesitation through sand or turf.
D-Grind: This high bounce grind is optimal for on-top golfers with a steep angle of attack who take a larger divot. The channel in the midsole creates two separate bounce surfaces; the high bounce leading edge to cut through the turf at impact without resistance and the extremely high bounce on the second surface to prevent any excessive digging.

Price, specs, and availability

The new Edel Swing Match wedge will be available starting April 2, with the retail price of $199 for a stock wedge with Nippon Modus wedge shaft and Golf Pride grip, while custom wedge will start at $225 with customizable hand-stamping and paint fill.

The wedges will be available in lofts 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60 degrees in all four grind options and come in a cream chrome finish.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.

Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Tway’s clubs here.

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Tway’s clubs here.

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Equipment

Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2024

Andrew Tursky

With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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