Edel SMS Irons Review

Edel SMS Irons

Edel Golf introduced their new ‘Swing Match System’ (SMS) to significant fanfare last season via their SMS wedges. By implementing a a movable weight system in the rear of club, players are able to locate the head’s center of gravity (CG) in the most optimal location for their swing. In turn, this gives the player better feel, more control, consistency in finding the center of the face, and optimal performance. In more simple terms, the SMS system helps players consistently groove the club with their own unique swing. After seeing so much success with this design in their wedges, Edel introduced the same concept into their new “player’s distance” Edel SMS irons.

The Looks

“Player’s distance” is a fairly broad category these days. The general idea is that the iron has the looks and workability reminiscent of a blade profile, but with extra forgiveness for greater distances and easier control. Getting that profile right is tough, but Edel did a really good job with the SMS irons. From address, the offset is fairly minimal, especially in the mid and short irons. The length from heel to toe is on the shorter end of the medium range and the top line is pretty moderate and reasonable for a club in this category.

Branding is tastefully minimal with the standout feature obviously being the three weights in the back of the club. The heaviest of the three weights features a small red circle around the center while the two light weights are plain black. Like the wedges, the SMS irons also feature a slick custom ferrule for a perfect finishing touch.

How Does it Feel?

I have found that most hollow-body irons have a certain signature feel to them. Of course, there’s a certain level of subjectivity to that statement, but that’s this particular “big time” golf guy’s opinion. Many brands have done a great job making the feel precise, solid, and smooth, but there’s usually a certain “slapiness” to it that forged irons just generally don’t have. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad feeling, it’s just different. HOWEVER, the Edel SMS irons don’t have that feeling. Though a forged hollow body, the SMS irons have a proprietary dampening urethane foam that gives them a firm and precise feel, but with that smooth and clean characteristic more in line with a forged iron.

The SMS irons have a unique sole grind. With a somewhat wider body to accommodate the hollow design and weight ports, Edel still wanted a clean, player-friendly turf interaction. In order to achieve this, the trailing edge rounds off into the “weight pad” making for a smaller surface to interact with the ground. As a result, the SMS irons are nice and crisp as they pass through the turf.

Last but not least is the SMS weighting. Like the wedges, the SMS irons felt like three totally different clubs to me depending on where I had the heavier weight. Without even using any launch monitors, I was able to tell I had the weight in the correct spot purely from how natural the club felt. There is absolutely a noticeable difference in the club’s feel depending on weight location, but when you have it in your correct spot, the SMS iron feels natural and easy to slot on every swing.

How Does it Sound?

Much like the feel, the Edel SMS irons have a more solid and pure sound than you’d typically expect from a hollow-body iron. Again, I feel like many/most hollow-body irons have a sort of slappy sound to them. It’s not bad, it’s just a signature sound of the style. In the case of the Edel SMS irons, the sound is clean, muted, and has a snap much closer to a forged iron. It’s pleasant and provides good feedback across the face. Similarly, the sound from the turf interaction is a quiet crisp “whish” you likely wouldn’t expect. A little heavier downward strike has a tone that’s just shy of a thump, but isn’t heavy.

On-Course Performance

The impact from the adjustable weights in the Edel SMS wedge is the real deal. This is easily proved on a launch monitor and working through a thorough fitting process, however, in my opinion, it’s barely even necessary. The results were that obvious to me on the range. (To be clear, I still strongly encourage a proper fitting for dialing in shafts, grinds, distance gaps, etc.) With the weight in the correct position, the club gets familiar very quickly and accuracy will certainly be more consistent. (According to Edel’s testing, they saw a 15% increase in accuracy with optimizing the weight position.) Additionally, stronger distances should be more achievable as a result of finding the center of the face more consistently with the ideal weight position.

The SMS irons have the workability that shotmakers seek, but with a little forgiveness and distance added in for good measure. It’s easy to get the Edel SMS irons up and carrying. My flight was piercing with a nice subtle rise to it. If I needed to flight the ball up or down, I was able to do so without a problem. Players that like/need to work the ball both ways will be able to do so with ease as well.

Final Thoughts – Edel SMS Irons

My experience with Edel’s SMS weighting system in their wedges and irons has truly been fascinating. While the concept is fairly straightforward and makes practical sense, feeling the difference in the weight positions through your own hands really is compelling. You go from getting used to a new iron to feeling like you’ve been hitting the club for years in just a few swings. While distance gains are relative, the consistency and accuracy gains I experienced can’t be argued with. The Edel SMS irons are genuinely unlike anything I’m aware of in the current market. I was very impressed from my testing and once again tip my cap to the Edel team in delivering a well-executed premium product.