Welcome back to another episode of the Edel Podcast. It’s been a while since we got together, but it’s good to be back.
Today, I want to tell you all about our new wedge that incorporates SMS (Swing Match Weighting System). This system utilizes three weight ports in the back of the wedge. Two dummy weights are light and one is heavy. Our fitting system allows us to optimize these weights based on a person’s swing type.
This system is centered upon the leverage we put on the club as we swing. If there is more weight in the toe, it keeps the face from opening. Conversely, weight in the heel of the club allows it to close.
It took some experimentation to come up with this system, but what we eventually found was that there’s a dramatic difference in both ball flight and how a club feels when we move weight from the toe toward the heel.
While moving weight laterally makes a significant difference, it doesn’t change the COG much. What does change is steering force. Steering force has always been articulated as a collision at impact – more weight in the toe creates draw bias and more weight in the heel creates fade bias. While this is true, steering force also sets the table for what happens in the downswing during the transition.
By putting weight in different aspects of the golf club, you can customize the variables in your swing that match what you’re intending to do. That’s exactly what SMS allows us to accomplish.
Mike Duffey, a leading biomechanist from Penn State, led the way in crunching our research as we studied golfers of all different body and swing types using our prototype wedges. What we found was that there was a 44% improvement in downrange ballistics (peak height, total distance, left and right deviations) and a 10% increase in spin when the weight was put in the correct place for the specific player. Even more, only 24% of people needed weight in the middle of the golf club.
The moral of the story is that having weight properly oriented in the club allows golfers of all types to optimize their motion to achieve desired results.
As always, thanks for listening to Edel Golf Podcast. For more information and the check out our new SMS wedges, visit us at Edelgolf.com.
Podcast link here: https://edel-golf-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/why-the-swing-match-weighting-system-matters
