It’s tough to name a club in the golf bag that is more personal, more sacred than the putter. My sense of loyalty to putters, through the years, has probably run deeper than even my loyalty to the people who cut my hair, dry clean my clothes or even the pediatricians who have thoughtfully and adeptly seen to the health and well-being of my kids.
Through my junior golf and high school days and early 20s, I ripped many a heart out with my trusty beryllium-copper Ping B60. It was an extension of my arms, the putter I was born to use. That putter was the Jerry Rice to my Joe Montana, the Lucille to my B.B. King. With that wand in hand, I could turn daunting misfortune into improbable magic. Somehow, with my being in the golf industry for almost three decades and being endlessly fascinated with emerging technology, that dependable B60, brown and weathered like a long-lost penny, began to move farther and farther to the back of the closet. If there’s been a trend in putters – face inserts, fancy finishes, innovative alignment aids- I’ve probably dabbled and I eventually settled into blade-style putter guy, never really able to recapture the uncanny feel or confidence I got from my childhood putter. 
So, when I saw the head design of Edel Golf’s EAS 2.0 putter model, with the look of a blade coupled with a concave radius on the back edge of the putter (essentially humped shapes behind the heel and toe that coax your focus even more to club’s sweet spot), I was beyond intrigued. The head shape of my dreams in the hands of David Edel, one of golf’s most inventive, research-based and innovative club designers, had to be worth testing.
The first advantage you see in this putter head is its alignment properties. Interchangeable alignment plates for the top and back of the putter head help personalize the golfer’s alignment cues for optimal aim. Lines on the top help you focus forward and move your aim to the right while the lines on the bottom move your focus backwards and aim more left. In my fitting, Edel’s talented son, Nico, an Edel Golf Master Fitter and Putter Craftsman, discovered that a single line on the top and another on the bottom helped my fuzzy brain set up square every time. The optimal alignment setup varies for all golfers, so the interchangeable plates make fitting and tinkering for optimization a breeze.
Meeting Nico at Edel Golf’s Liberty Hill HQs was a blast and extremely educational. In the words of Team Edel, its Torque Balanced technology “significantly reduces the negative effects of torque, promoting a smoother and more consistent motion and allowing the putter head a greater opportunity to return to square at impact. Torque Balanced technology strategically removes weight from the toe of the putter, creating a “toe- up” balance point versus traditional toe-down or face balanced putters. With an optimally weighted design, the Torque Balanced putter is less susceptible to the forces of torque during the putting stroke. The Torque Balanced technology is contained completely within the sole of the club, allowing the putter to maintain a sleek and traditional look at address.” It’s an effortless stable and smooth putting experience once you’ve been properly fit with an Edel putter.
After Nico found the alignment combination that dialed in my square set-up, we started working distance control and consistency in my stroke. By adjusting weights inside the putter’s shaft at various depths from the top of the shaft, Nico was able to fit the weight and momentum of my putter to match my stroke tendencies. The farther down the shaft the counterweight is insert, the heavier the putter head will feel and as the weight moves to the top of the shaft, the head feels lighter. The key is finding the optimal balance, tempo and feel. I’d never seen a fitting that included adjusting weights at various places INSIDE the putter shaft. The amount of control it gave the fitter – and me – was astounding.
Speaking of control – and leaving no stone unturned in the fitting process – Edel promotes a symmetrically round grip, for solid reasons. Take a look at the flat, target-facing side of your putter grip. In theory, it’s great for alignment, but Edel’s research found that it causes golfers to struggle as they try to square both the grip and the putter face versus just focusing on the one variable – a squarely aligned putter face.
Now that the Edel EAS 2.0 putter is in my bag, let’s talk about the benefits. This putter’s patented alignment system moves mass away from the toe, into the heel and more evenly distributed across the face. I’m so much less inclined to feel like the face is open and I have to shut closed as I make my putting path.
My EAS 2.0 has been customized for my stroke tendencies and tempo, so, now, my stroke is much squarer and purer through the impact zone. On top of that, my distance control is greatly improved because Nico took great care during my fitting to find the ideal spot to position weight inside the shaft so it is properly counterbalanced and in sync with how I struck putts. I never feel like the head of the putter is too far ahead or too far behind my hands, even when I’m making long lag putts with a lot of momentum.
Because I am striking putts with a pure, smooth tempo that matches my natural rhythm, I’m making more strokes that come through right on the sweet spot. That gives sensational feedback in the form of confidence-inspiring feel. Every putt that comes off the face feels responsive and rolls about the exact distance and on its intended line, makes me feel that much more invincible over the ball. Confident putters are dangerous putters, and, with practice, I feel like I’m earning back hope of rediscovering that kind of talent on the greens. The Hex machined face pattern is designed to create friction and incite forward roll and I’m seeing more and more putts roll pure end-over-end, versus skidding then rolling.
I can’t imagine buying another putter without going through a fitting like my hour-long experience with Nico. The positioning of weight inserts inside the shaft was an eye-opener. The way Nico was able to move different weight ports to specific heights within the shaft so I could immediately see better control and tempo, was really an extraordinary experience. He was imparting the gift of pure feel with just a couple of quick mechanical adjustments.
We didn’t walk out of the fitting room until we had a putter that felt like an extension of my arms.
If you’re lucky like me and you live around Austin (not far at all from Edel Golf’s Liberty Hill headquarters), or if you live somewhere near an Edel fitter, take advantage of their talent and expertise. In an hour, I was able to rediscover the feel and confidence on the greens I’ve been chasing for more than two decades. Putting is fun and exhilarating again and I even feel like my mechanics are getting better because I’m not wrestling with anything distracting in my equipment that would impede my improvement.
To learn more more about Edel Golf’s innovative and customizable lines of putters, wedges and irons, or to find an Edel Golf fitter near you, visit EdelGolf.com.