Single Length Updates (post'em up!)

OsnolaKinnard · Oct 4, 2016

In a few weeks, I am going to pull the trigger on a set of Edel SLS-01 irons. I got fitted in November and after making repairs to my home in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, can finally order them.

I am curious as to those of you that made the switch how it's going, are you still happy with the performance, and if you're staying with it. I am also curious to hear from those of you that have gone back to variable length irons, and why you switched back.

Thanks in advance.

Mcgeeno · Oct 29, 2011

I’d love to post as I liken myself as a semi-expert.

Used Cobra F7s all year, 106 rounds total. Used to tinker and mess with irons but now I ended up selling my backup set which would be unheard of 1-5 years ago.

Handicap dropped from 5.X to 2.3 not all due to them but they were a huge addition. I shot more rounds in the 60s than the last five years combined. Defended my club championship and the clubs never gave me a worry.

I gained consistency in practice and play. Less tinkering and thinking about ball position, setup, takeaway, etc. I was able to practice less and play more because I could bring one club to the range. All the same haha.

I don’t see myself switching unless Ping comes out with a set.

I battled the low ball long irons that problem was real for me. I ended up putting the Ball forward a tad with all clubs to increase launch and it helped tremendously.

I did have some bunching issues with the 4-5-6 but dropped the 4 for a hybrid and it worked out. My wedges and mid irons gapped perfectly according to game golf gps tags.

I could not recommend them more although your mileage may vary. It’s a weird feeling hitting a LW the length of a 7 iron!

It sounds like an infomercial and I apologize but just be open minded and willing to try it. Might be a home run for you.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

OsnolaKinnard · Oct 4, 2016

Mcgeeno wrote:

I'd love to post as I liken myself as a semi-expert.

Used Cobra F7s all year, 106 rounds total. Used to tinker and mess with irons but now I ended up selling my backup set which would be unheard of 1-5 years ago.

Handicap dropped from 5.X to 2.3 not all due to them but they were a huge addition. I shot more rounds in the 60s than the last five years combined. Defended my club championship and the clubs never gave me a worry.

I gained consistency in practice and play. Less tinkering and thinking about ball position, setup, takeaway, etc. I was able to practice less and play more because I could bring one club to the range. All the same haha.

I don't see myself switching unless Ping comes out with a set.

I battled the low ball long irons that problem was real for me. I ended up putting the Ball forward a tad with all clubs to increase launch and it helped tremendously.

I did have some bunching issues with the 4-5-6 but dropped the 4 for a hybrid and it worked out. My wedges and mid irons gapped perfectly according to game golf gps tags.

I could not recommend them more although your mileage may vary. It's a weird feeling hitting a LW the length of a 7 iron!

It sounds like an infomercial and I apologize but just be open minded and willing to try it. Might be a home run for you.

Thanks for the report.

I am sold on the idea and have hit some SL irons and loved the short irons...it felt RIGHT to me. I just wanted to make sure before I dropped the coin on the Edel Irons.

ottrad1 · Jan 17, 2009

I got my SLS-01 Edels last fall... and I'm never going back. You won't regret getting the single length Edels with the Paderson shafts. Fitting is everything and practice for individual club distances are important. I found myself at least one club longer across the set. I did get the sand wedge, mainly for full shots, and i kept my Edel 58 deg digger wedge for shotmaking and bunkers. The clubheads don't look small to me, and with my fitting I am more consistently on the clubface and dead dog straight. Personally I don't try to work the ball much. Higher lofted irons fly higher, and lower lofts lower as expected but I've adjusted. I haven't played in severe wind yet. Awesome to take one iron and a driver to the range before a round... Good Luck! Glad you are recovering after the storm.

tucker500 · Aug 29, 2010

I played a Cobra F7 ONEength set last summer. I hit more greens than usual, controlled trajectory better, and had more confidence. I didn't expect them to be this good.

I hit the short irons a bit too high. But it was nice to know I could fly the ball over most any obstacle! Some lessons and gym time improved my swing, so in hindsight I would have gotten stiffer or heavier shafts.

I'm selling my F7 and ordering some F8 with a different shaft.

BestGrips · Nov 6, 2013

I've had my set of SLS-01 irons since May. No going back. So much easier to hit than variable lengths and my left right dispersion is so close. I love these irons so much, I ordered a fitting cart to start fitting others into them!

9woodfan · Mar 15, 2011

Wishon Sterling player here... also not going back! I'd like to try the Edels if they ever come in left but I'm very happy with my Sterlings. They've definitely improved my iron play.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

Mr. Grumpy · Oct 1, 2011

I have the F7's and love them. Stats across the board are better. I am consistently in the mid 80's with occasional days into the 70's. Still have a penalty shot or two, mostly the Driver. I have gaps in my bag which forces me to bite off more than I can chew several times a round. LoL, no matter how hard I swing a HY is not gonna cover the distance I want to cover - over-swinging gets me into trouble...

I am sold on the concept.

tatertot · Jun 29, 2009

Tried it on the cheap with an older set of EQLs ... Had success early, but found the long irons consistently low and the short irons consistently long. Could have been the shafts (DGX100) or the older tech ... But didn't like them enough to take the plunge for a new set.

Milfordlefty · Jan 19, 2008

Pinhawk SL here. Saw scores drop and more consistent (driver was the problem in the 2nd half) last year. A well built iron for the price. I went mixed length, 4h.5-7 @ 37" FST 90 and 8-SW @ 36.5" FST 115. Post a review after you have your Edels.

Milfordlefty · Jan 19, 2008

tatertot wrote:

Tried it on the cheap with an older set of EQLs ... Had success early, but found the long irons consistently low and the short irons consistently long. Could have been the shafts (DGX100) or the older tech ... But didn't like them enough to take the plunge for a new set.

Tatortot, if you want to try again, look at Pinhawks thru ValueGolf. Relatively inexpensive and if you can build your own, even better.

tatertot · Jun 29, 2009

Milfordlefty wrote:

tatertot wrote:

Tried it on the cheap with an older set of EQLs ... Had success early, but found the long irons consistently low and the short irons consistently long. Could have been the shafts (DGX100) or the older tech ... But didn't like them enough to take the plunge for a new set.

Tatortot, if you want to try again, look at Pinhawks thru ValueGolf. Relatively inexpensive and if you can build your own, even better.

I have though about that ... thank you for tempting me to spend more money

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GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

wfwp · Jan 4, 2009

Played the Wishon Sterling in 2017. Playing the Cobra Forged One in 2018. I am a fan of single length irons, but prefer a standard length sand and lob wedge for touch and feel shots so I stop at the gap wedge. The performance of the Sterling irons is great, but prefer the head shape and size of the Forged One. My Sterling irons are going nowhere, since I had my second hole in one with the 7 iron. It took some time to get the loft gaps to create good distance gaps.

Dave Tuttelman's article and Tom Wishon's feedback has been significant in customizing the set.

http://tutelman.com/...ngleLength1.php

driveandputtmachine · Mar 18, 2014

Myself and a few others on here have touted that Single Length Irons aren't for everyone. Custom Length Irons are for everyone.

Some people do great with single length, and some people do great with something more like a standard 1/2 gapped set and some people perform better with something in between.

Myself, my short irons are 1" over length and my LW, SW, GW, PW, and 9 iron are all the same length. My clubs go up 1/4 from there. 6 iron is about standard. 5 Iron and 4 iron are shorter than standard. I have a bit of lead tape on my long irons and was lucky that my short iron had some tip weights in them and I removed them. My LW and SW were ported to remove weight.

My newest irons just got here and they are standard right now while I play with SW and my most comfortable length in the set. I have been adding lead tape in the mid and long irons until I get the feeling I like and then will build off of that iron.

I think where most people run into issues are with the long irons. At normal length they run into issues with hitting them solid. At the reduced length they hit them more solidly, but lower and most of the time shorter which affects gaps.

AZstu324 · Jan 20, 2018

If you want to do as I did and take SL length set for a test drive for a season or 2 without blowing your budget, Gigagolf makes a decent set. See http://gigagolf.com/club_detailsHTML.jhtml?manufacturer=GigaGolf&groupnum=MI-GGTM20-SET. You can custom fit length and lie and choose shafts and grips. All in with TT shafts and tour Velvets I think I spent $200. They have a 30 day full money back satisfaction guarantee as well and shipping's free.. and they usually have a 10% off coupon that they'll apply for trying them out. I played their standard length in the same set for 2 seasons prior and loved them. AND.. they're actually pretty nice irons. At the time, they were perfect for where my golf game was and I couldn't have asked for anything more..

Now for my 2 cents on the matter of yay or nay on SL: While I really enjoyed the SL experience and still believe it's an excellent way to simplify the fundamentals and clear your head of much of the extra nonsense that we tend to cram in there, I'm moving back to standard length. Using the single length clubs really helped me find some nice fluidity and consistency in my swing.. which I know is part of the concept and I do still believe it's an excellent way to play the game. All that said, for me, I'm becoming a bit bored with the simplicity of things. Don't take offense as this is just me and the way my head works. I'm now looking to take my sharpened fundamentals and apply them in a more complex manner with a standard length more bladed set. This is my way of pushing myself further, and proving to myself that I know enough about swing mechanics to make the proper corrections to handle the extra challenges that can come with a standard length set. I just hope this doesn't all backfire on me and I find myself completely deprogrammed from standard length.

I'd be interested to know if any of the folks playing single length have felt the same feelings or if I'm just on crazy pills.

Cheers!

Stu

MountainGoat · Dec 30, 2016

Cobras...still have them; still play them; still love them. SL works. That's all I have to say.

pbr2121 · Sep 4, 2008

I tried Pinhawks most of last year then went to i200s in the fall. I hit more great shots with VL but more consistent shots with SL. This year I'm trying L, S, G, W standard length (but SL in essence) and 9-4 in cobra forged OL.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

crohrs · Aug 10, 2006

Question for those who play single length...what is your shortest club at that length? And then is your next club a traditional length? So if your PW is at the single length, your gap or sand wedge is standard for those clubs?

BestGrips · Nov 6, 2013

crohrs wrote:

Question for those who play single length...what is your shortest club at that length? And then is your next club a traditional length? So if your PW is at the single length, your gap or sand wedge is standard for those clubs?

Shortest SL club is Sand wedge. The only non SL iron I carry is the 59* and it is 36", I believe.

Mcgeeno · Oct 29, 2011

crohrs wrote:

Question for those who play single length...what is your shortest club at that length? And then is your next club a traditional length? So if your PW is at the single length, your gap or sand wedge is standard for those clubs?

I went all in.

4-LW all same lie,length,weight,grip etc.

I carry a 16 degree hybrid I use mostly as a driving iron that is conventional length. Although I am looking into the idea of the F8 single length hybrids.

I could see guys doing a different setup or tiered system, but I wanted to fully commit as I used to hit 500+ balls at the range. Having all my clubs the same length has made my practice so much easier. I literally had times where I would just grab a 5 and LW or a 7 and PW after work and go to the range for a quick grooving session or some fundamental/mirror work. This part gets glossed over a lot or ignored, but it was awesome for me.

rawdog · May 8, 2016

crohrs wrote:

Question for those who play single length...what is your shortest club at that length? And then is your next club a traditional length? So if your PW is at the single length, your gap or sand wedge is standard for those clubs?

I'm "all-in" as well. My 59* is 36.5".

This loft and length combo seems to keep me from de-lofting, and holy cow does that 59* go high. Loving it.

Snowman9000 · May 7, 2010

52 or 53 wedge is SL, then my 58 is a normal Cally MD2. I keep meaning to build an SL 58 to at least try it.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

tucker500 · Aug 29, 2010

I had 4-sw in the F7 single length. Kept a traditional LW, but as the season went on I used the SW more and more around the green.

Snowman9000 · May 7, 2010

I want to mention chipping. The SL irons and wedges greatly simplify the chipping stroke. The 6 iron feels like the PW, right? If you are used to using your numbered irons for chipping, this is great. And if you're not, you should now be able to. That's been my experience.

Snowman9000 · May 7, 2010

rawdog wrote:

crohrs wrote:

Question for those who play single length...what is your shortest club at that length? And then is your next club a traditional length? So if your PW is at the single length, your gap or sand wedge is standard for those clubs?

I'm "all-in" as well. My 59* is 36.5".

This loft and length combo seems to keep me from de-lofting, and holy cow does that 59* go high. Loving it.

Rawdog,

Did you order your Cobras at 36.5"? If so, do you know if they were built with the normal swingweight, or lighter?

rawdog · May 8, 2016

Snowman9000 wrote:

rawdog wrote:

crohrs wrote:

Question for those who play single length...what is your shortest club at that length? And then is your next club a traditional length? So if your PW is at the single length, your gap or sand wedge is standard for those clubs?

I'm "all-in" as well. My 59* is 36.5".

This loft and length combo seems to keep me from de-lofting, and holy cow does that 59* go high. Loving it.

Rawdog,

Did you order your Cobras at 36.5"? If so, do you know if they were built with the normal swingweight, or lighter?

I did order them that way. When I was experimenting in 2016, I built my own at 36.5.

I did not request any changes to swingweight, as that's what I was used to. So I assume they would be lighter swingweight, especially since I play 4 wraps of tape under a standard grip.

If you call them to order, they'll make whatever you want. I requested 65* lie and custom lofts and they worked with me to get that done, too. Hence, my 6i plays at the loft of a 5i.

SwingBlues · Dec 18, 2007

I built a set of PinHawks, the sole grind and shaft did not suit me. As much as I wanted it to work, my swing feedback hated it. However, I really liked the idea but the PinHawk was not me.

Fast forward, I tried some Cobra Forged One irons and then some F7 OLs and surprised how much better the strikes felt. I really liked it and gapping was nice.

Fast forward some more, instead of getting the F7, the F8 was announced and talking with DD, they recommended the F8 so I ordered them in the first week of Jan this year. This time I got the KBS Tour V shaft instead of the True Temper OL. This is the same shaft as my Ping Ansers except the flex (stiff 110gm vs x-stiff 120 gm in my Ansers) but thats fine. I got the x-flex in the Ansers to lower the trajectory of my shots and trajectory is not an issue here. I don't think.

Today, my Tour V F8 OLs 4 to PW arrived. The 4 and 5 iron heads looked chunky but thats OK (I have G25 irons in the house, can't get any chunkier than those heads). Looks much nicer than the F7s. Personally, I think the Forged Tec One length could be nicer...but thats another time.

Plus I got a nice deal with DD here especially with their $50 off already their prices, I cannot complain.

I threw them into the bag tonight for tomorrow's round.

Golf is gonna get interesting. As side note, I am keeping my 50*, 52* and 56* wedges, no changes there.I'll report back on my experiment.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

Perrkka · Feb 5, 2017

I played half of the 2017 season with Cobra Forged One and half of the season with Edel SLS-01. Both sets worked great. I will continue on in 2018 with the Edel SLS-01. I play SL in 5 - SW and VL in Driver, 3W, 2-Hybrid, 4-Hybrid and 58 degree LW. This setup give me best gap distances (while using SL irons in the bag). My swingspeed is 85 mph with 7 iron and 105 mph with the driver.

pbr2121 · Sep 4, 2008

Could you share your thoughts on the cobras vs Edels?

Perrkka · Feb 5, 2017

pbr2121 wrote:

Could you share your thoughts on the cobras vs Edels?

I posted sort of a review on another thread a while ago. Here is it again.

Clubs used

Cobra Forged One with steel shaft KBS 120 gram, off the rack stock set (with correct lie angle for me).

Edel SLS-01 with graphite shafts 95 gram, ordered to detailed specifications.

Estetics

The Forged One clubhead has a look similar to an MB iron with minimal offset and a thin topline.

The Edel SLS-01 clubhead is slightly shorter with zero offset and has a very thick topline. I prefer the more classic look of the Cobra clubhead.

The Paderson graphite shats on the Edel irons is very nice looking.

Feel

When striking the Cobra Forged One iron it feels like striking an MB iron, similar to Mizuno or Titleist, nice butterly smooth feel.

The feel of the Edel SLS-01 irons are very different. The hollow club head design is felt in the strike. When striking it, it feels like a SGI iron similar to the Titleist T-MB irons.

It is difficult to compare the feel of the two sets when one of the sets have steel shafts and the other one graphite shafts. I do love graphite shafts in my irons. It takes away vibrations from off center hits.

Custom fitting

The Cobras have standard custom fitting features like most big OEMs. Lie and shaft length can be adjusted as well as several different shaft types.

THe Edel SLS-01 also have these option as well as the possibility to adjust the weight of the club head. This is a very good feature, no need for lead tape on the club head.

There is no Edel custom fitting service near where I live. That´s not a big problem for me having played golf for 30 years with high interest in golf equipment. Over the years I´ve learnt which specifications suit me and it was possible to order the SLS-01 to these specs.

Gapping

Both sets give me similar distances on irons 6 - GW. The 5 iron in SLS-01 travels a couple of meters further than the 5 iron in Cobra Forged One.

The SW is 55 degrees in SLS-01 and 56 degrees in Cobra. This makes the gapping better in SLS-01 with a SW tha goes 5 meters longer than the SW in the Cobra set.

Wedges

The Cobra ONE wedges (SW and LW) are very good for shots around the green, out of rough and out of the sand. My only problem with them are the lofts which do not give good gapping distances.

The Edel do not have a LW and the SW is not designed for chips and pitches around the green and is not very functional out of the sand. It is like a PW with 55 degrees of loft. So you need do add a wedge when playing with SLS-01.

Final verdict

I could game either one of these sets. Out of the two sets I will continue to play the Edel SLS-01 for next season. This is becuse it has better specs suited for me and because I like the graphite shafts. I am also getting more positive to the explosive (SGI) feel of the clubs.

GolfWRX · Jan 1, 2005

pbr2121 · Sep 4, 2008

Thanks

Single Length Updates (post'em up!)

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