Beauty in the Eye of the Golfer

Edel began making fine-looking putters. It’s added irons and wedges in the last few years and the new SMS iron is another handsome club.

By Tony Dear

It always was the case and, one strongly suspects, the maxim has become increasingly true as the 21st Century has evolved – golfers feel more comfortable and play better with clubs they like the look of than those they regard as ugly or misshapen. It’s hard to imagine anyone not liking the look of Edel’s new SMS (‘Swing Match System’) iron so elegant are its dimensions as you look down at address and so intriguing the weights positioned in the heel, center and toe on the back of the clubhead.

When PXG debuted its 0311 iron in November 2015, the TPE filler inserted into the clubhead’s hollow-body to soften vibrations caused by impact and improve the sound may have been the most significant tech story, but it was invisible. The tungsten screws positioned around the perimeter on the back of the clubhead are what got people’s attention initially, prompting further inspection.

The Edel SMS doesn’t have as many screws or weights as the 0311 did but the three that are there are still eye-catching and trigger curiosity. Unlike the back of the PXG iron which some regarded as a bit chaotic, the SMS weights look altogether more refined.

It doesn’t take a club engineer to guess what their purpose might be. By moving the weights (one 8g and two 2g) the golfer can alter where the Center of Gravity (CG) is in the clubhead and thus affect ball-flight. Put the heavy 8g weight in the heel to encourage a draw (or right-to-left shape for the right-hander), and in the toe for a fade. The difference in weight between the three circular inserts isn’t large and they are relatively close together on the clubhead (compared with weights on a driver head) so the changes affected by moving them probably won’t be drastic but certainly will help golfers looking for a little help either way.

The SMS, which comes five years after Edel’s first iron – the Single Length SLS – and a year after the SMS Wedge, has a forged 1025 carbon-steel body and maraging steel face cup to boost ball-speed. The body is hollow and filled with a proprietary urethane foam to improve sound and feel.

The lack of offset, shallow cavity and somewhat compact clubhead design (the top-line is neither narrow nor wide, but…satisfying) suggest the club is built for the better player, but the company says it will actually suit quite a wide range of golfers.

Check them out at any of the 13 Edel-certified fitters in the Greater Denver area.

Price – $250/club
Lofts – 4-iron 23˚, 7-iron 32˚, PW 45˚.
Shaft – KBS Tour (steel). Various options at same price.
Find a fitter here https://edelgolf.com/pages/find-a-fitter

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