Edel Golf Podcast

Today we’re going to dispel a long-held myth that we can’t fit for wedges indoors.  Such is not the case. The process starts with having the proper mat so that we can analyze turf interaction.  Just any old concrete, worn out mat won’t do the trick.  In actuality, the right mat can be just as good as hitting shots of proper turf.  Nonetheless, having the right mat is imperative. If you listened to our previous podcast, you know that we’ve launched our new SMS line of wedges.  When fitting indoors for these wedges, the process starts with one of four grinds.  Each grind is designed for a specific type of player based on swing and body type.Next, we put the weight in the center of the golf club, then adjust it based on what we find. One of the most common questions we get during the fitting process is, how do we determine the correct bounce?  It starts with looking at launch angle and subtracting it from the true loft of the wedge.  This is determined with the use of a launch monitor.  While it might sound complicated, it’s rather simple in practice. The final step is determining the right shaft.  We have 18 to choose from. Normally, we determine shaft weight by looking at spin rate and length of backswing.  If you have a shorter backswing, a lighter shaft is going to be better.  By comparison, the longer your backswing, the heavier shaft you’ll need. Determining shaft flex is a function of how hard you hit the golf ball. The best part is that this entire process is that it's simple. We’ve always prided ourselves in our wedge fitting – being the best in the business at what we do. The system we’ve created with SMS line is our best yet. For a lot of folks, doing a fitting outdoors this time of year is a challenge due to the weather.  The good news is that an Edel Fitter near you can accomplish the task inside.  Head over to EdelGolf.com and a fitter near you.Thanks for listening!

We're back! It’s good to be back and I wanted to kick off by talking about our SMS wedge that we launched last year. It incorporates the Swing Match Weighting System, which 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 every person’s swing type. This system is centered upon the leverage we put on the club as we swing. It took some experimentation to come up with it, 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. 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. Why the Swing Match Weighting System matters is so you have the weight properly oriented in the club and allows golfers of all types to optimize their motion to achieve desired results. Make sure to check out our SMS wedges at Edelgolf.com.  

Heath is a four-time PGA Tour winner and getting ready to start competing again after a hiatus.  He recently went through our putter fitting process and said it was “it was very eye-opening… It opened my mind to what I was missing for such a long time… I’ve got a putter and wedges in my bag I know I can count on.”  For Heath, “Understanding is knowledge, and knowledge is power.”Here at Edel, we’re about to release our new wedge line which has variable weighting.  Heath says this new line of wedges “blew my mind… in terms of weighting, feel, and flight.”  For him to make these changes is pretty remarkable.  He’s a guy that doesn’t like to change equipment much.  His irons are four or five years old. When I asked Heath what he would tell his younger self, he says it would be “to learn more.  To educate myself on the little things I know now… You can get to the end result quicker, with less effort.” He also had some interesting things to say about how things have changed now, compared to when he first got out on Tour.  Today he “sees a lot of speed.  The power game is there... short games have improved too.” As hard as it might be to believe, putter fitting hardly exists on Tour according to Heath.  More often than not, players are putting with something that’s being pushed by a manufacturer, not necessarily the right club for them.  Heath stresses how important getting this part of the equation right is.At Edel, we’ve also started using BioMech technology in our putter fitting process.  There’s nothing on the market quite like it in terms of the information it provides real time.  Heath’s using this technology as well and has nothing but good things to say.  The best part is, it’s affordable for almost anybody. The key to all of this is matching proper aim and speed, with biomechanics.  Once you put these three pieces of the puzzle together, it’s pretty hard to make a bad stroke.We can’t thank Heath enough for taking time out of his busy schedule to join for a conversation.  His insights are unique and useful for any golfer that wants to get better.  We have no doubt that he’ll find success in the coming years as he resurrects his game.

Welcome back to another edition of the Edel Podcast.  Today, we have the pleasure of sitting down with my longtime friend, Mike Adams.  To this day, Mike continues to mentor both students and teachers.  He’s a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and has worked with the majority of the Top 100 Teachers.I ask Mike what biomechanics means to him.  He says it’s “It’s the study of human movement and how people move in time and space.”Mike got started in the biomechanics sphere when his wife retained a ski injury.  The doctor that performed her surgery, Dr. Steadman, worked alongside Dr. Chuck Dillman who was the biomechanist for the U.S. Olympic Ski Team.  “Dr. Dillman and I became friends and started working on projects together.”  Through a lot of time and toil, the pair came up with different body types and how they relate to the motion of swinging a golf club.As time wore on, the pair, with the help of Dr. Ned Armstrong, developed a “testing system to find out what students could and could not do.”  This revolutionary process screens players for six things: wingspan vs. height, middle knuckle to elbow, elbow to shoulder socket, right hand grip, external shoulder rotation, and lower body pivoting.  The screens “give teachers a blueprint to move forward with their students.”When Mike describes the Ultimate Golf Lesson, he recounts the first one he did last year with Terry Rowles.  The event also featured some of the leading authorities in biomechanics and how their research and findings relate to golf.  He used force plates, video, launch monitors, and three-dimensional technology.  The premise was that “it’s better to test than guess.”Mike and I both maintain that it’s vitally important for the teachers of today to take these measurements and properly apply them to their students.  Where teachers get into trouble is trying to fit all their students to a single methodology.  That’s why these scientifically backed screenings are so valuable.In order for teachers to continue to improve their craft, and in turn get results for their students, they have to be continually learning instead of repackaging information that already exists.Mike and his partner Terry Rowles are about to release a new book.  It’s based on the two Ultimate Golf Lessons.  Their goal is to write the “the most extensive golf instruction book ever written, backed by science.”  If you want to become a better instructor, this book is a must read.Terry and Mike are also hosting a webinar that starts in February.  In the webinar, the industry’s best biomechanists and instructors are going to explore all the quantitative information they’ve realized.  It’s not meant just for instructors, however.  The information is accessible for players of all levels that have a desire to improve their game.I ask Mike what he wants his legacy to be.  His response is that “I contributed to helping people get better.”  Pretty simple and modest for one of the game’s greatest teachers.This podcast is chalked full of game-changing information so be sure to set aside a few minutes and give it a listen.As always, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us at the workbench on the Edel Podcast.  We’ll see you next time.

Welcome back to the Edel Podcast.  On this week’s installment, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Terry Rowles.  Terry is a Top 100 Instructor who works with a host of PGA and LPGA Tour players.  When I asked Terry who some of the other people he’s been influenced by, he said “technology has been a good friend… and before that I worked with David Ledbetter in the late 90’s and early 2000’s which stimulated me to think about a holistic approach to golf…” Terry points to the importance of teachers understanding how the body works as it relates to the golf swing.  It’s absolutely critical.He says there’s two pieces to being a great teacher.  “First is having an understanding of the game… we’ve got to look at a golfer and see what the skills they need to score better are… Second you have to be good at listening… Who is this human being in front of you and what are they asking for?”When we talk about biomechanics as it pertains to golf, Terry thinks “it’s quantifying movement… to enhance performance or reduce injury.” Biomechanics gives us “the framework to understand where we are on a map and how to move forward.” For modern teachers, Terry stresses that understanding biomechanics and how to properly apply them is a long process.  Unfortunately, not enough teachers make the necessary investment to go through the process.  In order to be an industry leader, these skills have to be mastered.Through the process of quantifying the movements of the best players in the world, Mike and Terry have learned two things.  First, that what players are working on usually coincides with their biomechanics.  Second is that these players are so good, “they don’t usually need to make big changes.” The key is determining what the right things to work on are in a biomechanic sense.According to Terry, the ultimate golf lesson involves biomechanical tests that determine what a player needs to do with their golf swing in order to improve.  Keep an eye out for his upcoming book. What’s so great about Terry and Mike is that “they aren’t just teachers, they’re teachers of teachers.” To that end, their ideas have proven tremendously beneficial in helping other instructors learn and therefore, allow their students to see real, tangible benefits.As it pertains to fitting, Terry thinks the key is  “matching up all the pieces so that you can go after it hard… it’s a matter of matching up the offense and defense.” If there’s a single pinch pin where the golf swing goes wrong, Terry says  “Average is the enemy… if Matt Kuchar and Dustin swung ‘in the middle,’ they wouldn’t be the players they are… We need to fit the golf swing (and therefore equipment) to the way a person’s body is supposed to move.” We’re all too thankful for Terry taking the time to sit down at the workbench with us today.  If you’d like to learn more about his ideas and teaching philosophies, head over to his website and tune into the full podcast above.As always, thanks for hanging out with us here on the Edel Podcast.  We look forward to being with you again on our next episode.

 Today, we’re lucky to be joined by Mike Schy.  His coaching philosophy and methods have helped thousands of golfers improve from beginners to Tour Players, including Bryson DeChambeau.More than anything else, Mike is passionate about helping people.  Even more, he thinks outside the box.  That’s evidenced by the work he’s done with players like Bryson DeChambeau. His philosophy on teaching constantly evolves.  He’s always seeking out new information and loves to learn.  He says, ”the longer I do this the less I know.”  Unlike a lot of younger teaching professionals, Mike refuses to put his students in a singular box.  It takes time to learn who students are as golfers, and as people. Concerning Bryson, Mike knew he was different from other players around the age of 12 or 13.  “He was smart, had a passion that was unlike anything I’d ever seen…”  As a teacher, Mike has learned that great players like Bryson, “have to discover things on their own… It’s my job to help facilitate that.”  A great example of that was Bryson’s discovery that playing single-length equipment made the most sense. Mike has some interesting thoughts about why people are so hesitant to try playing with single-length irons like Bryson.  “It’s because of what he does.  His golf swing looks funky.”  Coupled with the fact that the clubs are so upright, he uses jumbo grips, and wears odd hats, he doesn’t conform to what most everyone else is doing. Mike thinks that the biggest advantage of single-length irons is that they make the game easier to learn.  Because the clubs are the same length and weight, beginners aren’t having the learn a bunch of different swings.  For good players, the consistency that single-length clubs afford is undeniable. When I asked Mike about what club fitting means to him as a Golf Professional, he said fitting clubs is like buying a pair of shoes.  Of course, you’re going to try them on before you buy them.  Golf clubs are no different.  Club fitting is “absolutely essential.” As for the direction of his instruction in the future, Mike was very candid when he said “I don’t know and that’s probably a good thing…”  One he absolutely maintains however, is that “you have to understand the makeup of a player way before you start developing a golf swing.”  Even more, he’s working to understand more about biomechanics and the mental side of the game. Now that he spends so much time out on Tour, Mike learns a lot through observation.  “I’m observant.  I love watching other teachers and players and learning about what they do… There’s a big difference between being a teacher and a coach.” Any time I get to spend with Mike is always a treat.  I really appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to sit down and pass along some of his wisdom to our listeners. If you’re interested in learning a little more about Mike, visit MikeSchy.com.  Should you happen to be in the Fresno area, be sure to stop by Dragonfly Golf Club and take a lesson – you won’t be disappointed. 

Welcome back to the Edel Golf Podcast.  Today we’re taking another listener question about aim markings on a driver and aim bias in regard to offset vs. no offset.The question specifically reads “how does the same aim bias due to lines on a putter also apply to markings apply to other clubs in the bag such as the driver?”To answer this question, let’s start with a story from a longtime Edel Golf friend, Lon Hinkle.  After we did a putter fitting with Lon, he said to me, “you know what, I’ve switched to a driver that looks a lot like this mallet putter.”  In comparison to his recent switch from an angular and closed driver to a more round and bulbous, concluding that aiming a putter is just as important as properly aiming all the other clubs in the bag.This leads us to discussion of the popular notion that blade clubs with little or no offset aim farther right and clubs with more offset aim farther left.  In reality, the opposite is true.  We were surprised when we came to this realization that turned conventional wisdom on its head.In the end, there’s no denying that aim markings on a golf club absolutely effect aim bias.  The same can be said for paint patterns and top lines.If you’re curious to learn more about how aim markings and other factors impact directional bias, all you need a laser and mirror to do the test for yourself.  Listening to the podcast above is a great place to start.As always, thanks for your questions!  We can’t wait to sit back down at the workbench and help you understand and learn how to play your best golf.

Usually when golfers forward press, they’re “trying to take something away.”  Some people say they need something to get the stroke going.  In reality, the reason they “can’t get the wheels going is because they know if they stay in the position they’re in at address, with the aim bias that accompanies that issue… they know that nothing good is going to happen from it.”Let’s talk about what a forward press is.  It’s the “changing of a vector… which is a power angle, like hitting a cue ball with a cue…”  In general, forward presses are trying to take away left aim.  This delofts the putter and opens the face. The problem is that people forward press so much that they create negative loft which is terrible for trying to roll the ball truly.  Even more, it makes both speed control and direction difficult to achieve. While there’s most definitely something to be said for having a trigger, like a forward press, to get things in motion, the negative variables that it brings about tend to create more serious issues. In the end, a little bit of forward press can be good.  However, most people do it too much.  For some players, it works great and by all means, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.  However, if you’re forward pressing and not seeing the results you want, it’s probably best to try and negate the motion as much as possible.Thanks for tuning into to another episode of the Edel Podcast.  We are always hearing from our listeners so feel free to drop us a comment with your thoughts below. 

We’re lucky to be joined in-studio by In Gee Chun.  She’s twice been a major champion on the LPGA Tour winning the Evian Masters and U.S. Open as well another LGPA event.  Altogether, she has 14 worldwide wins. When I asked In Gee Chun about the things she’s learned from the Edel fitting process, she says it changed her “whole perception of the game, especially the scoring clubs.”Going through the fitting process, one of the things she learned most was about the right setup for her game and her confidence has grown significantly. As it pertains to wedges, finding the right grind has been a game changer.  She says “I can’t use any other wedges anymore.”  With the new grinds, she’s able to make solid contact out of trouble lies more consistently.  Again, the result has been a big increase in confidence. For In Gee Chun, the “scientific approach to golf makes all the difference…”  That’s what we’re all about at Edel Golf – using science to help you find what looks real and feels real. 

The Perception of Reality If you listened to Bryson DeChambeau talk during the U.S. Open, he spoke about this very concept with his putting and how his goal was to match both perception and reality.  The secret to becoming a great player is to “match what you see and match what you feel and match it against reality.”When it comes to selecting a putter, most golfers take what they see and feel, and hope that it matches reality.  It doesn’t have to be that way because there is an exact science to all of this. More than any other part of the game, putting is a perceptive process.  The validity of this process can be found immediately by using a laser on the face of the putter to see where it’s aiming.  Even with all the focus patterns that putters come with (lines, head shape, length, colors, etc.), it’s astounding that “only three percent of golfers we’ve tested can aim their putter correctly.” The question becomes what causes so much aim bias?  1. The answer is that we all perceive things differently.  What makes us so proud of the job we do at Edel Golf is that 96% of the people that get fitted for a putter by us, can aim their putter precisely and correctly. 2. The other prominent perceptive process in putting has to do with speed.  When golfers struggle with speed, it’s usually a weight issue.  That’s why having a putter that’s properly weighted to your perception of what speed is, is so important. When we’re able to fit golfers with putters that they can aim correctly and are correctly weighted, the end result is confidence. “Confidence is knowing you can do something and having the result match the intention… Confidence comes from doing something over and over…” What’s cool about the process of putter fitting is that it’s fluid from one golfer to another. Sure, the tenants and mechanics are rooted in science but that science is applied differently to every individual. The key to becoming a great putter is understanding your process and perfecting it. At Edel Golf, we’re here to help you learn the process and equipment that works best for you. We have fitters all over the country that know how to fit putters correctly.  All you have to do is reach out to us and find one. 

Today’s question is “How do you go about switching from radial to linear and what are some drills?” Even though this process is multi-faceted, it’s generally easier than people think.  In order to answer this question, we have to start with the assumption that radial strokes are more complicated than linear strokes.  To that end, most of the game’s greatest putters have had linear strokes. If you’re trying to move from a radial stroke to a linear stroke, you first have to understand that there are three types of linear strokes - short, medium, and long. When switching to linear putting, fitting the right putter is the first step in the process.One of the biggest issues we see is that people with linear strokes have putters that are too heavy.  Excess weight results in inconsistencies with regard to pressure, lag, and face rotation in the forward stroke. Another factor to consider is the slot in which you putt.  Slot is determined by arm length differentials.  Depending on your measurements, your slot is going to be steep or flat relative to if your arms are the same length.  If your putter doesn’t match the slot in which you putt, issues with path are going to become magnified. Once you have an understanding of the biodynamics of linear putting, and you have a putter that properly fits your stroke, there are some drills that you can start doing to get more comfortable and make your stroke more repeatable. The first drill is nothing more than “putting with your right arm only.”  This drill trains you to use your right arm efficiently during the linear stroke. Another drill is a string drill.  All you have to do is lay a piece of string perpendicular to your putting line and hit putts trying stop the ball as close to the string as possible.  This drill is all about speed, which is the most important factor in putting well consistently. Lastly, a useful drill is to find a straight putt and work on starting the ball online, all the while being conscious of setting up to the putt with the right body positions. There’s always plenty of room for gate drills, much like you see Tiger use as he’s warming up for a round.  If you can roll the ball through your gate consistently, those short you used to dread are going to become a lot easier. In the end, it’s tough to argue that linear putting is much more simple and repeatable than radial putting.  Making the transition is easier than you might think but, you need a putter that fits your body type and natural tendencies. 

Our question for today is “Do your aim and eye position directly correlate to each other?”  This isn’t a yes or no answer.  Everybody has different perceptions.With that being said, the most obvious correlation is with eye dominance.  Left eye dominant players “tend to leave the shaft more forward and right eye dominant players tend to lean the shaft back.”When we see aim bias, there tends to be a lot of head rotation.  The is especially true with right-handed golfers that exhibit left aim bias. When it comes to putter length correlation, “longer aims more right and shorter aims more left.”  This is because the longer the putter is, the steeper the eye plane becomes. Other factors include putter shape, weight, perception of closed vs. open, the list goes on. In the end, there are a lot of factors that go into understanding the relationship between eye position and putter aim.  That’s why it’s so important for players to get properly fit for a putter. 

When you think about Texas golf, names like Hogan, Nelson, Mangrum, Crenshaw, Kite, and Speith come to mind just to name a few.  Over the years, however, there’s one PGA Tour player I like sitting down to have a beer with more than most.  That’s Rich Beem. The proud son of El Paso Country Club, you probably remember Rich Beem as the winner of the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine in Minnesota.  Though he’s played less and less in recent years on the PGA Tour, he’s gearing up for the Champion’s Tour, and I couldn’t be more excited for him.Recently, he was kind enough to join us for an insightful chat about putting and what he’s been up to. Our conversation starts out with Rich sharing his thoughts on putting over the years.  He makes no bones about the fact that he “vaguely remembers what it was like to be a kid going out there to the putting green and just taking one ball and knocking it in… There wasn’t a single thought about how to do it, just how many… I have actually digressed from that probably as much as you can…”As Rich gets ready for the Champion’s Tour, he’s “trying to get back to the point where (putting) doesn’t have a value… If it goes in, great.  If it doesn’t, that’s great too… It doesn’t matter.” We proceed to talk about how Rich learned the game growing up and putting specifically.  He credits his dad with teaching him the fundamentals.  One of the most important pieces of advice was keeping his elbows close together throughout the swing.  That same thought governs much of how Rich goes about both his swing and putting today. His dad also stressed how important it is to “never stop searching.”  If one thing isn’t working, you can’t be afraid to try something else.  That thought is likely one of the reasons Rich has never been afraid to switch putters and putting methods.  Self-admittingly, he’s “played with a smorgasbord of putters.”To that end, Rich has never been an overly mechanical putter.  Instead, he sees reading greens as more of an art.  “Those greens books… they help out a little bit if you’re unsure, but I still think there’s an art to how you do it… Tiger seems to have a way that he sees it in his eyes.”When asked what his putting looks like today, Rich says “I’m looking at a putter that also mimics what I’m trying to do in the golf swing.  And that’s my posture.”Today, Rich’s putter is longer and more upright than a lot of players.  This fits his body type and cross-handed grip. Since Rich’s days of grinding week in and week out have curtailed, he’s spent more time as an announcer.  During that time, he’s noticed a couple of significant differences in how today’s young players go about putting compared to the older guard.  First, “they aren’t afraid to try anything… They will go and find the strangest looking thing… put it up their forearm…”  Next, “they don’t leave anything to chance.  He’s blown away by the “amount of apparatuses they have to try and show them what the ball is doing off the stroke or… just embed it in their muscle memory.”As always, it was great to sit down with Rich for a few minutes and record this week’s podcast.  He truly is one of the great guys in the game and, we wish him nothing but success as he gets ready to head out on the Champion’s Tour.To hear the full conversation, listen in to our podcast above.  Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you next week.  

If you’re a regular listener to our podcasts at Edel, you’ve certainly come to realize that we aren’t afraid to think outside of the box.  While bigger companies are primarily concerned with mass production and getting their products into the hands of as many golfers as possible, our sole mission is to help people play better golf and have more fun.  That’s why we continually spend our time and resources trying to find methods and perfect equipment that makes the game easier. While we’re constantly working to achieve these goals, we also have our eyes open for other companies and manufacturers that are thinking outside the box.  That’s exactly what we found when we ran into Sam Goulden at the PGA Show.  Sam’s the founder of MNML Golf Bags.  As we learned more about Sam’s story, we were more than a little impressed. Sam was kind enough to join us on this week’s podcast to tell us a little more about his story and discuss some of the game’s hottest topics.Sam got into the game of golf in high school and became a good enough player to earn a college scholarship.  After college, he was drawn to teaching and did so for a number of years until he decided that he missed competing.  He eventually moved to Los Angeles and played the Golden State Tour for a number of years during which he was able to work with some of the game’s greatest teachers. In 2014, Sam returned to teaching and launched his online instruction platform, SamGouldenGolf.club.  A short time after, he moved to Puerto Rico to focus solely on that endeavor. When he returned to Puerto Rico for the second time in 2018, he felt a strong need to get some passion in his life and that became MNML Golf.  He saw golf becoming more casual and less stuffy.The decision to make golf bags came when he was working a student in his simulator and he noticed his student’s miniature golf bag.  The bag’s simple, functional design, and lack of excessive features caught his eye and he realized that a golf bag should be “an extension of a golfer’s personality.”Today, that’s reflected in the MNML golf bags.  The bags come in black or white and feature magnets instead of zippers.  The bag’s lack of logos and branding leaves plenty of room for customization and logo design that’s hand-painted by the company’s resident artist.   Additionally, the bag’s tech kit comes with a solar power bank, a Bluetooth speaker, and a phone charger. Sam and David first met in St. Louis in 2005 when Sam was just beginning his professional career.  After going through a putter fitting, Sam was “blown away.”  While he was waiting for his Edel putter to arrive Sam “putted with his sand wedge because… he couldn’t aim his putter.”  David and Sam have remained good friends to this day.The conversation then turns to the topic of single length golf clubs, something both Sam and David are passionate about.  By taking all the variables of extra length clubs and different length clubs out of the equation, both agree that the game becomes not only easier to play for golfers of all levels, but the learning curve for beginning players is much faster.  In fact, Sam believes so strongly in the single length method that he teaches it to all of his students.  In his words “There is absolutely nothing you could say to me at this point that would convince me to play anything other than single length.”Check out the video of Sam unboxing his Edel Single Length club HERE.There’s no question in our minds that Sam will continue to find success with both his teaching and the MNML Golf brand.  We can’t thank him enough for taking time out of his busy schedule to join us on this episode of the Edel Golf Podcast.To hear the full conversation and learn about MNML Golf and the man behind the brand, tune into the podcast above.  Interested in an Edel x MNML Stand Bag? Buy yours here: https://edelgolf.com/collections/accessories/products/edel-x-mnml-stand-bag

In this installment of the Edel Golf Podcast, we debunk yet another myth when it comes to putting.  This week, we’re discussing MOI, or moment of inertia.  This term gets tossed around a lot when we talk about the forgiveness and stability of drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, and irons.In recent years, it’s also become frequent parlance in the world of putters.  On the surface, the concept of “having equal mass on both ends of the playing field... makes sense…”  However, when it comes to putting, MOI and stability are “a bit of a false narrative.”  Sure, the concept of having equally distributed mass in different parts of the putter head provides stability.  However, if the MOI changes where the center of the face is, then what value does it have in regard “to stabilizing the putter face if it’s offline because of itself?”  Practically, “it’s like killing a cow for the milk…”It’s for that reason that all this talk of MOI isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  The reason why the big MOI putters made by mass manufacturers are so popular is because they actually aim you left and cause you essentially “block” the putt down the line.  In short, you get the feeling that everything is square even though it’s not. This gets back to what we’re about at Edel Golf.  That’s helping people understand, through scientifically based reason, why they struggle and what the solution is to help them play better golf.  And that’s reflected in our fitting processes and club manufacturing. There’s no question that, “at times we (Edel Golf) suffer from being different…. But that doesn't make us wrong.”  At the end of the day, our methods allow golfers to “take their hands off the handlebars and just peddle.”  Sure, it takes some getting used to, but that’s only because most golfers are playing with equipment that’s not best suited for their game, or they’ve been fed so much misinformation that anything else seems foreign – even though it might be right. For a more in-depth look at the relationship between putters and MOI, take a few minutes and listen to the podcast above. Thanks for listening and we can’t wait to sit down at the workbench together on our next episode.  

Welcome back to the Edel Golf Podcast.  This week we’re going to talk about one of the biggest misconceptions out there when it comes to putters.  That’s the widely held perception of toe hang vs. face balance and arc vs. straight back, straight through putting.There’s been a lot of misinformation about this with some of the big EOM’s and we’re here to hopefully correct some of that information so that you can become a better putter.What’s perpetuated this myth perhaps more than anything else is the notion that “toe hang is better for arc putters and face balance is better for straight back, straight through putters.” If you think about a toe hang putter, like an 8802, the notion that a putter wants to open on the way back and close on the way through “makes no sense… that putter actually wants to fan more open on the way through…”  What actually happens with most players that use toe hang putters is that they have a left-aim bias issue.  The end result is that these players end up with a putter that’s more of a band-aid for poor aim, rather than addressing aim as the root of the problem. In reality, “these players are better off with a face balance putter…”  Conversely, straight back, straight through players are actually better off with more of a toe hang putter.  It’s completely the opposite of what the industry’s teachers and manufacturers often espouse. At the end of the day, it’s our mission to help golfers of all levels develop a better understanding of their golf games through scientifically-based information.  The truth is that a lot of the big OEM’s continue to perpetuate misinformation in an effort to keep you coming back for more. We hope you’ve found this podcast helpful and we can’t wait to have you back again for the next one!  Thanks for tuning in!

In this installment of the Edel Golf Podcast, we discuss one of the most important aspects of putting.  Having an understanding of this principle is really the key to unlocking your potential as a putter.  We’re talking about your personal body type.  Specifically, “how your arms’ lengths and fold patterns influence your stroke.” All the game’s great putters had keen perception systems that were in alignment with how they physically putted.  To that end, each player looked different when they putted.  “They didn’t fight their body type.” David’s understanding of this process stems largely from his work with Mike Adams and his process of BioSwing Dynamics which allows players to understand their unique physical attributes. The first primary measurement that David’s adopted for the putter fitting process is arm length differential.  It’s this metric that gives us the slot.  The slot is a plane through which the putter and your arms work during your stroke.  ”If your lower arm is longer than your upper arm, you’re a shoulder slot player…  If the arm length differential is fairly neutral, you’re a torso slot player… And if your upper arm is longer than your lower arm, we call that a hip slot.” One of the biggest things that negatively affects people’s ability to putt well is that their putter doesn’t match their slot.  Being in the wrong slot creates issues with path which in turn, leads to inconsistent putting. A second key measurement in the fitting process is span.  This is nothing more than the measurement from fingertip to fingertip when you span your arms out parallel to the ground.  Span, calculated as a differential compared to your height, is going to determine your posture.  “If your span is greater than your height, you’re going to stand more vertical… If your arm span is shorter than your height, your posture is going to be more bent over.”  This measurement, in conjunction with your slot, is going to affect fitting measurements like putter length and lie angle. The third component of the putter screening process is an arm fold test.  This looks at how your elbows and arms work throughout the stroke based on your body type.  We use this information to dictate “how to get your wrists onto the putter… and what kind of grip you should use.” When any of these metrics don’t match a golfer’s body type, they tend to have issues with alignment.  That’s why it’s important to remember that while getting putter specs correct for weight, loft, etc. is important, it’s also imperative that the putter fits the person’s body type. Even though this podcast is chock-full of complex information, it’s our hope that you can develop a better understanding of how your body type plays such an important role in your equipment, and how you go about the business of putting.As always, thanks for listening, and please reach out to us if you have any questions!

Welcome back to the Edel Golf Podcast!  In today’s episode, I want to talk with you about something that means a lot to me personally.  Having been a PGA Professional for nearly 25 years, it’s important for me to recognize the people who have helped me throughout my entire career as a player, teacher, and clubmaker.My hope is that you, as a listener, seek some of these people out and learn from the knowledge they have to share. The first individual is the late Ben Doyle.  He was the first authorized instructor of the Golfing Machine.  I “first met Ben back in 1989… I was just a young college kid at the time…”  Not only did I learn a lot from this wonderful man, but he also opened up a huge network of the world’s best instructors, players, and influencers.  Sure, Ben shared a lot of information with me.  More than anything, however, ”he taught me how to be a golf professional… how to man your post, how to care about your students.”After working with Ben, I started working with Henry Griffitts where I met Randy Henry.  In my opinion, “he is the father of modern-day fitting.”  His company invented things like the lie board and removable shaft system that we still use today.  The time I spent with both Ben Doyle and Randy Henry tremendously shaped what Edel Golf has become today.Mike Adams is another individual who made a huge impact on me and my career.  Not to be confused with Adams Golf, Mike is an extraordinary teacher who’s written north of 20 books, taught four presidents, the list goes on.  Suffice it to say, “the guy’s influenced more teachers than anybody in the business.”  He “gives and gives and gives, and he never takes.” One of the smartest guys I’ve ever been around is Mark Sweeney, the creator of Aim Point.  His hard work and research have revolutionized the green reading process and I’m proud to call him my friend. Through Mike, I met Terry Rowles.  He works alongside Mike to create processes to “demystify the golf swing… make it more about how you can play your best golf… how you can understand your own body type…”  A large part of their work is helping other instructors understand these complex systems so that they can better serve their students. Jim Fannin is a world leader when it comes to sports psychology.  Reading his work has played a huge role in helping me stay in the zone both on and off the golf course. Last but not least, is one of my best friends, Mike Schy.  Mike thinks outside the box and was instrumental in helping Bryson DeChambeau learn to play with single-length clubs. This list is far from complete as far as people that have played a critical role in shaping who I am as a PGA Professional and a person.  However, these folks are free thinkers and it’s my whole-hearted belief that the knowledge and information they bring to the table is worth sharing with everybody.If you’re curious to learn a little more about what each of these people are about, I highly encourage you to seek them out. Thanks for tuning in and I’ll see you next time on the Edel Golf Podcast!

Welcome back to the Edel Golf Podcast.  This week we received a question about arm lock putting.To start, I think this style of putting is a tremendously complicated process.  However, “If you’re having success with it, who am I to say don’t do it?” When I see people switch to arm lock putting, they’re usually “survivors from long putters or belly putters.” What I’ve found is that the complications with arm lock putting stem from the fact that it “doesn’t match your slot.”  Arm lock putting is usually best for “shoulder slot putters… players whose lower arm is longer than their upper arm.”  That said, if your arms are equal in length, you’re a torso slot player and you might be able to make the arm lock method work.  But, if your upper arm is longer than your lower arm, it probably isn’t going to help you putt better. For players that use the arm lock putter, two things are going to happen.  First, the ball position might move more toward the middle of your stance so “you’re going to get more of a lean pattern.”  As a result, the loft of the putter changes and it becomes difficult to roll the ball correctly.  Second, players have a tendency to put the ball too far forward in their stance which creates left aim bias. When I fit players for arm lock putters, I use a double-bend shaft.  The question then becomes “how do you weight the putter?”  Instead of adding weight to the head, I prefer to add weight to the shaft.  This can provide a lot of stability for players that struggle with short putts.  However, controlling speed on longer putts can be more difficult with an arm lock putter. When it comes to choosing one putting style or another, most people do so without really knowing a lot.  Maybe they see someone win on tour with a particular method and decide to give it a try.  That’s why I’ve created both putting and bio fitting processes to help bridge that gap. In short, I think arm lock putting is something that can be done, but I wouldn’t recommend it for everybody.  If a player comes to me and wants to arm lock, I’ll help them through the process to the best of my ability.At the end of the day, putting comes down to finding out what works best for the individual and “physically manifesting it into a golf club.”I look forward to answering more of your questions in future episodes so keep them coming!  Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to another installment of the Edel Golf Podcast.  One of the things I love so much about doing these is that it allows me to interact with our listeners and customers.I recently received a question from a listener asking, “What is your experience with grips in the marketplace and why did you design your own?”As part of developing our putter fitting process, I had to find a way to make round grips interchangeable.  I initially came across round grips from Natural Golf, which was modeled after the one-plane motion of Mo Norman.  Over time, it occurred to me that there was a direct correlation between aim bias and putter grips.  In short, round grips made a lot of sense in this regard.One day I went to visit my good friend, Mike Schy, in Fresno.  One of his pupils was “one of the best putters in collegiate golf.”  She had been using an Edel putter since she was a junior but as of late, she was struggling with her putting.  I noticed she had switched to a flatted grip instead of the round one she’d always used.  After performing an aim test, we found out she was aiming way left with the flatted grip.  After we switched out the flatted grip for a round grip, she aimed the face perfectly.  It was from this interaction that I learned that the grip on a putter really does affect someone’s ability to aim properly.“The grip is the first primary connection you have to the putter… and it’s the easiest to change…”  Furthermore, because grips come in different weights, “the counterreaction…. which is also called counterbalance…” plays a significant role in the bigger picture of how we interact with our putter.Armed with this information, I sent the PGM Program at Mississippi State a bunch of round grips so they could perform a study doing aim tests with two exact putters – one with a flatted grip and the other with a round grip.  Their findings were substantial.  There was a 4.3” difference in aim bias.This was yet further evidence that confirmed putters with round grips are easier to aim than putters with non-round grips.  Why?  “I don’t believe that the grip should be the alignment system… The hands feel something different from what the eyes see… This produces noise…”  These two perceptive aiming forces produce a lot of conflicting information that makes it difficult to aim correctly for most golfers.I further learned that “how we hold a putter should dictate what kind of grip we should use…”  For some golfers, a flatted grip might be correct.  For a lot of golfers, however, a round grip makes the most sense.  It was based on this information that we developed our grip fitting process.Part of that fitting process has a lot to do with the size of the grip.  So “who would need a larger grip and who would need a smaller grip?”  There’s a lot that goes into this but, what we’ve consistently found through research, is that players that exhibit left-aim bias benefit from larger grips because their body’s natural reaction is to close off the hips.  Conversely, players with right-aim bias or relatively square aim, might be alright with midsize or smaller grips.With this in mind, it’s imperative to remember that when we change grips, we change weight.  And when we change weight, we have to account for lots of other variables.  Fortunately, we do that with both our putter and grip fitting systems.In the end, “the more we can simplify the putting motion...” the easier it is to become a better, more consistent putter.I’m the first to admit, there’s a lot of technical information in this podcast.  However, I think it’s important to get the right, scientifically proven information out to the masses so they can better understand what we believe in and, become better putters themselves.If you have questions, feel free to give us a call or, head over to EdelGolf.com and shoot us a message.  I can’t wait for our next episode and as always, thanks for tuning in!