Almost every golf ad you see says their product can add distance to your drives. I was very confused when I heard Eidolon Golf make the same claim about their V-Sole Wedges. How can a wedge add yards to your drives? We’re about to find out.
About Eidolon
I liked Eidolon’s gear right when I first saw it. I didn’t know why until I found out that co-founder and president Terry Koehler had worked with the likes of Otey Crisman, Ray Cook, Joe Powell, Ben Hogan Golf and others over the last 25 years. Ray Cook and Ben Hogan Golf? Need I say more?
In 2001, Terry and friend Ralph Thompson conceived Eidolon Golf with the goal of focusing on top notch equipment and strong relationships with it’s customers and professionals. Goal accomplished.
The Technology
These “scoring tools” are finely machined. The V-Sole club faces are perfectly flat, unlike many clubs. A close look at the club and you can see hundreds of tiny little grooves which are machined into the face. These CNC-machined grooves give you the utmost control and spin from any type of lie or shot.
The name “V-Sole” comes from the shape of the club’s sole (bottom). Many wedges have rounded or even flat soles. The v-shaped sole provides the player with many different options for shot making.
The leading part of the sole is about 1/4″ and features what Eidolon calls an “aggressive” bounce. The bounce is 18 degrees on the 52 Gap, 30 degrees on the 56 Mid and 25 degrees on the 60 Lob. This angle helps you to sweep through the shot with the proper bounce, insuring cleaner impact.
The back portion of the sole has a low bounce angle. The bounce is 3 degrees on the 52 Gap, 7 degrees on the 56 Mid and 6 degrees on the 60 Lob. The club sits cleanly behind the ball at address. With the low bounce angle you are able to get the club under the ball, even from the tightest of lies.
Open up the face of the club and you’re combining the front and rear bounce angles for even more shot making precision. By changing how open the club face is, you’re changing the V-Soles two bounce angles together which allows you to fine tune each shot for the conditions.
Features
* Patented V-SOLE technology for unmatched playability.
* CNC-milled faces and grooves for maximum spin
* Mild 8620 carbon steel — the favored material for wedges for decades
* Double nickel and satin-polished chrome plating to eliminate glare.
* Tightest loft, lie and weight tolerances in the business
* Precision® Rifle® Spinner® shaft with FOUR options – Regular and Firm flexes, in both steel and graphite
* EIDOLON PermaWrap® grip by Lamkin®
* NO CHARGE for custom work — loft or lie, or length adjustments.
Did you read that last line? NO CHARGE FOR CUSTOM WORK!
On The Course
My test units were a 52 and a 56 degree. I usually use the 52 from about 110-125 yards and the 56 for shots from about 90-110. I also use 56 the from the sand and from around the greens.
The first shot I hit was with the 52 from my usual 125 yards. The shot flew true and right at the pin. This shot was looking stiff and landed right by the flag about 5 feet. Problem: the ball (ProV1) spun back so far it went off the green! That ball must have spun back 20 feet.
I used the 56 to chip the ball close and get my par. I instantly fell in love with chipping and pitching the ball around the greens with the V-Sole 56. I was able to get that little bit of check on the 2nd or 3rd bounce and then have the ball release nicely to the correct distance. One of my biggest problems with pitches and chips is distance control. This problem is greatly reduced with the V-Soles.
Over the next bunch of rounds I hit tons of shots from 90-125 yards with the V-Soles. I do find that I completely have to change my approach to hitting shots with these wedges because they spin so much. I literally have to aim past the flag and “bring them back.” My old wedges would hit and stop, or release a few feet. The V-Soles hit and stop sometimes on harder greens, but usually spin back quite a bit. On really soft greens? Better aim quite a bit past the pin!
Shot Making
Since putting the V-Soles in my bag I’ve learned I have short game shots in my repertoire I didn’t even know about!
The leading edge of the V-Soles is more rounded than many other wedges I’ve played and this allows clean contact on tight lies and makes those green side chips from long grass much easier.
Placing the ball in different positions in your stance and altering the clubs approach angle is a blast. You can “invent” all sorts of special shots, from the quick check on the 2nd bounce to a closed face runner. You can lay the blade wide open and hit flops or blasts from long grass or sand or you can close the face down to hit extremely fast checking punch shots.
Spend a couple of hours around the practice green with these babies and you’ll have many more shots in your bag.
Any Problems?
Get A Grip
My only issue with the V-Sole wedges are the grips. The V-Soles come with Lamkin PermaWraps. These are fine grips and I’m sure many people love them, but just not me. Grips are more of a “personal” component of clubs and I happen to like softer grips. Very seldom do I go with the stock grips on clubs.
The PermaWraps are fairly hard grips. The impact of the shots seems to go right to your hands and isn’t padded at all by the grips. Some people may like and/or want that feeling for feedback from the club, so I get that.
The PermaWraps have one other issue that I had a problem with: moisture. I played in some rain and some very moist conditions with these grips. Once the PermaWraps get slightly wet they get extremely slippery. No matter how much you dry them, they stay slippery until the air is dry. In wet conditions I was in fear I’d launch my wedge as far as my ball.
I re gripped the wedges and put my usual Winn W5’s on them and they were like butter after that. The feel was perfect and the impact was just the way I like it. I was able to have even better feel and control.
Shavings
The only other issue a player may run into with the V-Soles is ball shearing. The CNC-milled grooves, and the regular grooves of the V-Soles impart a ton of spin on the ball. In order to get that much spin the club needs to grip the surface hard. A full 56 from 100 yards might take a bit of the skin of your ball off. I really don’t have a problem with this if I know I’m getting that much spin.
So how can wedges increase your driving distance?
You’ve been waiting to hear this answer haven’t you? It’s simple. You get SO much spin with the V-Soles that you can switch from a higher spin “control” ball to a lower spin “distance” ball. So for me they’re saying I could switch from a ProV1 to a ProV1x and not lose any control in the short game. By switching to a distance ball, you’re adding yards to your drive.
There’s only one flaw to their logic though: You lose distance with their wedges because they spin back so far! 🙂 My 125 club is now a 115-120. My 110 is now my 100-105 when I account for the backspin.
Conclusion
The Eidolon V-Sole wedges are finely tuned shot making machines. There isn’t a shot you couldn’t conceive and execute with these wedges. The looks and feel inspire confidence. The design and technology make hitting great shots easier.
Visit the Eidolon online store to pick up your V-Soles!
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