My Edel Putter Fitting

[l33t hacker]

I just read through 21 pages and all it did was make me more excited for my Edel putter fitting next week.

Is there a place I can check out all the customization options in advance? I'd like to have an idea of what I want when I go in, so I don't have to make choices on the spot. Thanks!

[iacas]

  On 1/20/2017 at 5:10 AM, l33t hacker said:

Is there a place I can check out all the customization options in advance? I'd like to have an idea of what I want when I go in, so I don't have to make choices on the spot. Thanks!

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Not really. You can get stamping on the toe, typically. The hosel if it's a flat one (front or back). The sole of the putter.

You can also ask that they not put the dots on the face, too. A lot of my golfers do that.

What kind of putter? The Torque-Balanced has far fewer options for customization.

[l33t hacker]

Thanks for the reply! I've seen some different things - the script type of Edel on the heel changing (seen at least 3 different types of font/logo), dollar signs, etc. I was just wondering if there was a place to view it all similar to Scotty's site. That's okay, the pics people post are helpful and I'll create a general mock-up to work from using what I've seen.

I'm going to see Matt Mora at UGP, hoping for a classic fitting as opposed to torque balanced, but I'll let him help me find what works best.

 

 

[Lazarus]

Got my order in the system last week. I didn't get too fussed about customisation colours etc but pretty excited about it.

Having said that I did get the matching platinum shaft.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Lazarus

[iacas]

  On 1/20/2017 at 4:18 PM, Lazarus said:

Having said that I did get the matching platinum shaft.

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That is the standard shaft: silver steel.

Resist the urge to change any colors like head or line colors. Or shaft.

[Lazarus]

  On 1/20/2017 at 4:52 PM, iacas said:

That is the standard shaft: silver steel.

Resist the urge to change any colors like head or line colors. Or shaft.

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As opposed to the chrome shaft? It was an upgrade.

Yes. I went with black lines (3) as that's what I was fitted with.

Q - is the centre line always in the middle of the sweet spot? I believe that with some putters it isn't always. I am aware that the sweet spot is obviously bigger with an Edel.

 

[iacas]

  On 1/20/2017 at 5:09 PM, Lazarus said:

As opposed to the chrome shaft? It was an upgrade.

Yes. I went with black lines (3) as that's what I was fitted with.

Q - is the centre line always in the middle of the sweet spot? I believe that with some putters it isn't always. I am aware that the sweet spot is obviously bigger with an Edel.

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Oh, yes. Platinum vs chrome. Right you are. I'm glad for you that you did not get black or gold.

[Lazarus]

  On 1/20/2017 at 5:37 PM, iacas said:

Oh, yes. Platinum vs chrome. Right you are. I'm glad for you that you did not get black or gold.

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The fitter did try and rush some steps a little but thanks to your helpful post on what to expect I slowed him down and made sure we tested a few more times, moved the testing site further away from wall etc. - thumbs up!

[iacas]

  On 1/20/2017 at 5:52 PM, Lazarus said:

The fitter did try and rush some steps a little but thanks to your helpful post on what to expect I slowed him down and made sure we tested a few more times, moved the testing site further away from wall etc. - thumbs up!

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Heh heh. I have a sneaking suspicion that there are a few Edel fitters out there who don't really like that article, or how thorough we are at Golf Evolution…  I'm glad to hear it, for your sake, though.

[DeadMan]

According to the Edel website, it looks like they do fittings at my local PGA Tour Superstore. Anyone had a fitting done through the PGA Tour Superstore? That makes me a little nervous, because I'm worried it would just be some random sales associate doing the fitting.

[OrangeHog]

Yesterday I went through an Edel putter fitting at the Jess Hansen Academy in Kansas City. This was the first time I've gone through a putter fitting and it was certainly eye-opening. Figured I'd share some of my experience with you guys to sort of build on this already awesome thread.

For a bit of background on me, I've always considered putting one of the better parts of my game. Since I began tracking my stats (about 2 years now) I've averaged 33 putts per round and from one round to the next that number is pretty consistent. Lately, though, I've had some issues with putts of 4 to 5 feet. Just seems like my aim isn't where I want it to be to make 100% of those putts. Like a lot of people I've rotated the putter more times than I can count but I finally landed on a putter that I feel pretty comfortable with - Ping Ketsch Mid. Still it just didn't seem to get the job done enough for me...at least not to the level where I feel like I should be.

After reading a lot of reviews about Edel putters and their fitting process I decided to roll a couple different models while at the PGA Superstore in Dallas. I really liked the look and feel but couldn't really figure out which one was right for me. They aren't cheap so I wasn't about to take a leap without getting fit. So, I decided that I'd go in for a fitting with an Edel certified fitter.

Anyhow, fast forward to today. When I got to the academy Jess put me on the SAM machine to establish a baseline with my current gamer. I started by rolling 10 putts from around 8-10 feet and then we reviewed the data. Without boring you with all the stats here's the jist - my tempo is good but I was taking the putter too far back, the path was very much an in-to-out path and at impact the face was shut almost a full degree. Effectively I was hitting a smoother little baby draw with the putter! The issue with this, according to Jess, is that the miss on this club path can be pretty severe if the face doesn't close - in other words a big push to the right.

Jess also videoed me rolling those putts and discussed my set up to the ball with my gamer. First, my eye line was well behind the ball but a few inches and my weight was back on my heels too much. Second, Jess did a quick test to determine my dominant eye, which we discovered was the left eye. That being said Jess said that my ball position - center of my stance - was totally wrong. He said that I needed to set up with the ball aligned to the in-step of my left foot in order to put a bit more loft on the ball to get it rolling better.

So, the next step was to put me back on the SAM with a better set up, roll a few putts and see what the SAM suggested as optimal loft, lie angle, and toe hang. Basically it suggested that I needed 7 degrees of toe hang, 70 degrees lie angle and 1 degree of loft in a 34 inch length shaft.

Once we had the specs established Jess set me up with the E-3 head and we started working on alignment. To check alignment he put this green 2 ft by 2 ft green screen up with a special puck in front of it that is the size of a standard hole on a green. The puck, however, has this green laser that shoots out of it. Next he put a small mirror on the face of the putter, set down a ball and had me set up to the ball like I was rolling it toward the puck. He then moved the ball and the laser reflected where I was aiming at set up (it was left, by the way). He then put the ball back and had me step back and set up 2 more times. Both times I was dead in the middle of the cup so Jess said there was no need to try and alignment lines or different head shapes.

The really unique thing with Edel's fitting process is that head shape and alignment lines have major influences on how we aim the putter at address. I guess for me no alignment aid was optimal, which made things pretty easy.

The final step in the fitting was weighting out the putter, as this also has a significant impact on how the putter is delivered through impact. Jess had me set up and roll a few 10 foot putts and then tweaked the putter with a few different counterweights that slid down into the shaft. In the end I came away with a weight 6 inches down the grip and a back weight at the very butt end of the grip.

He handed me the final product, had me set up to a 10 foot putt and I was rolling in putts like it was nothing. The final product is the E-3 head in black with a black shaft and a round grip and the previously mentioned weight set up, which I should have in 7-10 days.

Why the rounded grip? Honestly, at first I was not excited about it and thought I'd be rolling the head too much. Turns out that's not at all the case. Additionally, Jess said that flat top grips run the risk of being installed incorrectly and possibly slipping over time, which both impact consistency. I know when I've installed Superstroke grips on my putters before I've always been nervous about does the grip really line up simply from me eye-balling it.  Rounded grips don't cause those issues and it really only took me 1 or 2 putts to discover that I liked how it felt.  It's a new change but I'm looking forward to it.

Sorry for the super long read but I found the process to be really cool. I'm excited to get the putter and will update this thread with in-hand pics when it arrives. I'll also drop some feedback in here once I get out and put it to work on the course.

[iacas]

Just one quick question: how many different things did you test to see if you had the right alignment? Did you go from aiming left (once) to aiming straight (twice) with the same putter head, and was that all that was done there for alignment?

You'll see I documented a similar process there.

[OrangeHog]

  On 2/1/2017 at 8:49 PM, iacas said:

Just one quick question: how many different things did you test to see if you had the right alignment? Did you go from aiming left (once) to aiming straight (twice) with the same putter head, and was that all that was done there for alignment?

You'll see I documented a similar process there.

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The only thing we really did to check alignment was to use the laser.  As you mentioned in your linked post, he had me back off each putt, get aligned and keep my head down.  Effectively what worked best was no alignment lines.

Edited February 2, 2017 by OrangeHog

[iacas]

  On 2/2/2017 at 12:18 AM, OrangeHog said:

The only thing we really did to check alignment was to use the laser.  As you mentioned in your linked post, he had me back off each putt, get aligned and keep my head down.  Effectively what worked best was no alignment lines.

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What I'm asking is that it sounds like you did this only three times: you were left aligned, then centered on the next two, and you called it good.

  On 2/1/2017 at 8:07 PM, OrangeHog said:

He then moved the ball and the laser reflected where I was aiming at set up (it was left, by the way). He then put the ball back and had me step back and set up 2 more times. Both times I was dead in the middle of the cup so Jess said there was no need to try and alignment lines or different head shapes.

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This reads as though he checked your alignment three times, and one time it was "left".

[colin007]

  On 2/2/2017 at 12:32 AM, iacas said:

What I'm asking is that it sounds like you did this only three times: you were left aligned, then centered on the next two, and you called it good.

This reads as though he checked your alignment three times, and one time it was "left".

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That jumped out at me too. I'm not sure how many different head/hosel/face/line combinations I tried, but it was in the dozens. And when we finally narrowed it down, we checked and re checked it at least ten times, stepping away each time

[OrangeHog]

  On 2/2/2017 at 12:32 AM, iacas said:

What I'm asking is that it sounds like you did this only three times: you were left aligned, then centered on the next two, and you called it good.

This reads as though he checked your alignment three times, and one time it was "left".

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The SAM recommended the specs, which he then built and had me set up to the laser to check alignment with said specs as a starting point.  The first time I was left aligned.  Stepped off again and back up to address.  This time and the following it was dead in the middle.  Now, I didn't cheat by looking or anything.  I was staring straight down at the floor and he said "look up" and it was dead on.  He then had me roll a few putts and then checked the laser alignment again.  We did this a couple of times, alternating between the laser alignment and rolling actual putts and every time I was aligning the laser dead in the middle.  From there he said he didn't think any additional alignment lines were necessary but asked if I wanted to try any.  I didn't because I felt like I could easily align the putter and it clearly showed that I could on the laser test.  From this point we went on to counterweights and so on.

[iacas]

  On 2/2/2017 at 3:13 AM, OrangeHog said:

The SAM recommended the specs, which he then built and had me set up to the laser to check alignment with said specs as a starting point.  The first time I was left aligned.  Stepped off again and back up to address.  This time and the following it was dead in the middle.  Now, I didn't cheat by looking or anything.  I was staring straight down at the floor and he said "look up" and it was dead on.  He then had me roll a few putts and then checked the laser alignment again.  We did this a couple of times, alternating between the laser alignment and rolling actual putts and every time I was aligning the laser dead in the middle.  From there he said he didn't think any additional alignment lines were necessary but asked if I wanted to try any.  I didn't because I felt like I could easily align the putter and it clearly showed that I could on the laser test.  From this point we went on to counterweights and so on.

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Hmmmm. That's not really how SAM works. It doesn't tell you a thing about toe hang (let alone 7 degrees) or what your brain sees as square.

It sounds like you might have ended up with a putter you can aim, but I'm not liking what I'm hearing of his process.

[OrangeHog]

  On 2/2/2017 at 3:17 AM, iacas said:

Hmmmm. That's not really how SAM works. It doesn't tell you a thing about toe hang (let alone 7 degrees) or what your brain sees as square.

It sounds like you might have ended up with a putter you can aim, but I'm not liking what I'm hearing of his process.

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I wish I had taken a picture of it because there was some software he had that recommended specs.  I'm assuming it was built into SAM but I could be wrong.

Personally I was pleased with the process.  Could we have spent time trying other heads and alignment lines?  Sure.  But why would we do that when I was clearly aligning this one spot on multiple times?

From all the Edel fittings I've read about and watched videos on we went through the exact same steps.  As far as I'm concerned it was money well spent and I'm excited to put the finished product in the bag.