One length irons

[toolman]

Love my cobra forged single length. Originally had the forged with KBS FLT 120, and stupidly sold them. Then I went with the forged tec and HATED the feel. Went back to the OG forged with $ tapers and they are indeed money. I have the 4-pw and then the 3 one utility which is an awesome club. I haven’t found it a hard transition and just adore the long irons. I’d say I’ve picked up about 10 yards or so. They feel great and go nice and high.

[Sparky14]

I played a set of F7 OLs for a month early last year. Really liked them, but I did it more out of curiosity rather than dislike of my standard irons. My Maltby TS-1 have beaten back all comers.

I did just pick up a set of Orlimar single length irons. Going to reshaft them and see what happens.

I didn't find improved success with the 5/6/7 irons, but I do think I played the wedges better than my standard wedges. Strange but true.

[TKS]

I'm not sure either! Looks like I ran out of steam. Ment to say about 30% of my SL builds stay with a traditional length 56, 58 or 60 degree wedge.

[bullie76]

Got a set of SL irons 3 weeks ago. I thought my short game might suffer but it has actually improved quite a bit. Being a senior golfer I didn't figure I would have enough swing speed for a 5 and 4i so stayed with hybrids in that range. Very pleased overall with my new clubs.

[T.B.]

I’ve had my SL for a couple weeks. I only played once with them and it was ugly! Practice is good and I feel like I’m making progress.

[DuckHookDave]

Thoughts on one length irons for the shorter person? Im around 165cm/5ft5 and considering a set of these. Do you think they would be beneficial or make things worse due to the length?

[TKS]

Depends. How well do you hit your 8?

Height doesn't matter. Set make up should have irons end at the 6, 5 or 4.

[jstev4610]

Anyone hit the new 2020 forged tec and know if the flight pattern (ballooning) is better? I've been on the original forged for 3 years and hit my <8 irons WAY high. 4 looks like a normal flight pattern for me.

[TKS]

The Cobras are too long in club length. This is why Wishon has recommended the SL concept be based on your 8 Iron length - with COR engineered faces on the 7-5 keeps "longer" clubs gaps consistent. As with any short game technique you can still hit the knock down the scoring clubs/shots as conditions dictate. The SL concept is about consistency of strike, the trade off are changes in trajectory on the top and low end of the sets - for many the trade-offs are beneficial overall..

[ClubBuildRookie]

I’ve been gaming the F7’s for 2 years and it’s the best change I’ve ever made to my game. I also just picked up a set of 2020 King Forged Tec Ones with Nippon Modus3 120 (S) shafts at an awesome price but I figured shafts probably weren’t right for me. However, I bought and wanted to try them for a couple of reasons, I have a fast tempo, aggressive transition and wanted touch lower ball flight for more distance.

My F7’s have the stock TT 107g ® shafts which I have no real complaints about. I have a SkyTrak LM setup in my garage. My SS is 80ish with a 7i on the bare bones LM. When I attach the SkyPro sensor to my club and integrate it the to LM it says my SS is more like 85. Normal controlled swing with my F7 7i I average 148 total on a 20 shot average. I can step on the F7 7i and crank it out to 170 distance but I’m out of control and it’s always a pull left of target.

With the 2020 King 7i One, normal controlled swing I average 158 on a 20 shot average. Even with the different shafts there is virtually no differences in my trajectory under normal swing condition. When I compared the data from the (2) different clubs I was actually hitting the 2020 7i Nippon shafted a touch higher peak height and with about 400 more RPM backspin. I wasn’t expecting to see that. When I step on it with the Nippon shafted 7i my shot is online. However, with 2020 Nippon 7i, I notice a ballooning that I don’t see with the TT shafted F7 when I step on it.

This might sound weird but it’s what I’ve experienced. A normal controlled swing for me is more right arm push thru dominate with an earlier release. When I want to step on it, I know I have to pull thru more with the left arm to gain significant distance and my release feels later. It’s interesting what you can learn about yourself and your swing by having a LM to hit on regularly.

Spec wise, I think the newer 7i Head has .5 lower loft. Whether it has a hotter face or related to the Nippon shaft, it also produced 2 to 3 mph more ball speed for me. I’ve read a lot of other posts where guys have complained about ballooning with the Nippons. When I step on it with the Nippon 7i, I’m probably just swinging and loading the shaft more like them. From a feel perspective on shots I really stepped on it, I can tell the Nippon (S) is begging for more swing speed than I have my the tank. The harder I swing, better it’s feels off the face and I can feel the release thru the ball more. Wouldn’t recommend buying that particular shaft unless you have 90 mph in the tank. I picked up distance on the LM with 7i thru PW with the new head and Nippon shaft combo though. F7 4i I hit 175 to 180ish consistently and like the flight but didn’t hit the 4i Nippon enough to comment before pulling the shafts.

Ultimately, what I’m getting at is the shaft profile you are using and how your loading it is most likely the cause of your ballooning. Suggest you seek a fitter to help you find the shaft that is right for you. On a side note, I pulled the Nippons and I’m in the process of kinda blindly reshafting with PX LZ 5.0 shafts and have no idea what I’m gonna experience as a result but hoping for the best.

[ClubBuildRookie]

I think they would make things better with the exception that you might need hybrids in the bag too. One of my playing partners is 5ft 4”and nickname is Shorty. He converted to OL after starting to play with me last year. He immediately liked them but was previously playing standard length and standard lie ill fitted set of clubs prior to the switch.

When he decided to switch, I found and bought him a used standard set off eBay for $150 and forced him to have the lie angles tweaked to 2 degrees flat after having him hit a cut down demo 7i off a lie board. As a side note, Cobra will tell you the F7’s can only be tweaked 2 degrees flat if you try the same approach. Just so happens that is all he needed factoring in he needed them 2” shorter.

Last year he played them as standard length gripping way down just as he did with the prior poor fitted set despite me hackling him to get them cut down. We played 2 rounds this year prior to Sunday and then finally conceded to cutting them down. Last week when I was on vacation I cut 2” off them for him and regripped them. We played on Sunday and liked them ever more....Lol.

We are close to the same length off the tee but he has a lower ball flight, probably related to flatter swing plane. He uses (2) other old junker hybrids that aren’t OL’s and a (3) wood and hits them all good too. I regripped those clubs tonight. He doesn’t have 4i in his set, just 5i thru GW. If you give them a try, I think you’ll like them. Just make sure you get fitted properly if you cant do it half way decent yourself.

[geno4952]

A few years back I played through the pain with a bad back (big mistake) and struggled to keep it under 100. Playing in pain forced me to alter my swing and I really messed things up. I did notice the best club in the bag was my 7 iron so last year I built a set of SL irons with heads from a component company and I'll be darned if I didn't get back to shooting in the mid 70's to low 80's. I picked up a set of Cobra F7 heads still factory wrapped on ebay and put ProLaunch Blue Axis shafts in them, I'm hoping the better quality heads and shafts will help me stay in the 70's more. Haven't tried them yet as our course is still walking only and due to age and arthritis I can't walk a full 9 holes. I am really excited to get out there and give it a go. Just a bit of advice to those with back injuries... DON'T keep playing in pain cuz it will futz up your swing in a heartbeat. Bite the bullet and get healthy first.

Peace

Edited for spelling

[TheNameIsDalton]

Cobra F9 one length 4-SW, 37.75” with C-Tapers. Going SL is single handedly the best thing I have ever done for my water trash golf game.

[wakit300]

I've been playing golf for almost 50 years so you'd think I would be the guy that couldn't stand to make the change to SL irons. My journey to SL began about 5 years ago when I was talking wedges with our assistant pro and he mentioned he had gone to SL with all his wedges - PW and down. Like me, he hit a lot of full shots with all his wedges and liked the consistent setup. I tried it and liked the results as well.

Then comes Bryson. The whole Idea of a SL set made so much sense to me after playing my SL wedges. When Cobra came out with the Tour Forged SL set (which uses the 7-iron length) I had to give it a try, so started with 9-6 to see how it would go. It only took a couple of range sessions for me to realize this was a great idea. The 6 iron was easier to hit and even though the 8 and 9 felt a little weird they performed well. The problem was, could I trust them to give me the trajectories I wanted on the course and the answer was YES. After 2 rounds I ordered a 5-iron (I use a Callaway X Forged UT for my 4) and my MP-64s were sent to the basement. I guess you'd say I have a combo SL setup: wedges are 35.75" and 9-5 are 37.5". Everything above the 5 are normal length. I tried the SL Utility and hybrid but they didn't work out for me.

2 years in and SL irons are now the norm. Love the consistency and how it makes practicing easier. I can't see going back to variable length any time soon. I AM looking forward to the next evolution of the Cobra Tour Forged irons. At the Denver Golf Expo the rep showed me a pic of a MIM cavity back that Dufner was testing but who knows when it'll come out now.

 

[Rich Douglas]

I've played Wishon Sterlings for 4 years and have never looked back.

The 4I and the LW were both difficult to hit consistently. They won't be in the new set--EQ1-NX ("equinox"). The 4I was hard to elevate consistently and the LW was too limited around the greens. (You could choke down or open the face, but not both. Hitting short lobs with a club that long is a challenge.) But the EQ1s will have hybrids that can be set up with the same shaft length, so that's a real advantage over Sterling. (Sterling does has a 5I replacement hybrid.)

I'm a little longer than before, but that's probably due to better, more consistent ball-striking. And I'm never concerned if I can hit a long iron in any situation because no matter what, it's an 8-iron swing.

Swing plane doesn't matter, either. You swing every club like an 8-iron. It doesn't matter if that's on one plane or two.

I've never felt the need to check out the major competition (Edel and Cobra) since those sets are built around longer irons. (You can build a set of Sterlings that way, too. Just make sure you change the lie angles to accommodate the longer shafts.) I don't know if I'll go to the EQ1s, but I probably will just to stay up-to-date. And if Ping were to come out with an SL set....it would be hard to look away.

[Henricson]

I have a cobra sl utility 5 iron that works splendidly, however the one length hybrid is difficult. It has very strange angles when you look down on it. It’s way too upright and the face is closed witch makes it hard to aim. The concept is great and you can hit some great shots with it but cobra’s idea of making a club that “fight the slice” is so exaggerated that it becomes unusable.

[NoTalentLefty]

Tried it, hated it.

[rondo01]

I'm an extremely casual player who has been on/off with golf for a few years. First set were trusty burner 2.0s that I felt great with from 8-PW, but never had any confidence with 7 or lower. A few months ago I picked up cobra f8's and have never had so much fun with golf. I've got a 5-GW set and have no trouble with the pw or gw. I gained distance in all clubs and hit the 7 ir around 145ish, and that is with a very pedestrian swing speed. The best part is that I actually feel like my entire bag is now an option whereas before I loathed my 6-4 iron. Now though, I'll gladly pick up the 5 iron and let it rip. All that said: I wish I had gone with a 4-PW set instead of a 5-GW. I think the extra length would be more beneficial as wedges have never given me issues. That's not to say that I dont enjoy the SL wedge experience, but I'd trade the gw for a SL 4 ir gladly.

I'm not sold that these will be the final set of irons I ever buy, but I will not consider going back to VL clubs until I know for a fact that SL's are limiting my game. Given how much I have time to play and practice, that might be quite a while - and for that, I'm happy with my decision!

[DeanB]

I love my 1Iron single length clubs. Bought a set in December 2019 and shot my best round ever 2 weeks ago. I was intrigued by the SL when I first started looking for a new set of clubs last year. Had not played for about 10 years and wanted to get a new set of clubs. The SL sounded so simple and logical. I will never go back.

[Sons_of_Pitches]

I purchased a set of Edel SL built off a 6i last year and the set contained 5i-PW. I played well with them, however, I was having gapping issues with the bottom half of the bag . I tried to resolve the gapping issues with hybrids which semi-worked but my miss was going left more often than not. Over the past year I have worked really hard on my swing and made significant improvements and can hit the longer irons much better now. As a result, I have moved back to variable length and have been very happy with the switch. My gapping issues with the bottom half of my bag have been resolved. I have discovered I am a much better iron player than wood player. That said, if I could hit hybrids better I probably would have stayed with SL irons. So, if anyone is looking for a set of SL Edels PM me. I have set that is for sale. They are up on Ebay at the moment.

[ARL67]

Had my first round of 2020 today. My main bag ( see my Sig ) is L-S-G-P-9 SL = 36.125" , 8i = 36.5" , 7i = 36.875 , 6-5-3 SL = 37.25. The shaft length gaps are 3/8" and 0.5 SW for a "poor mans MOI build". Surprisingly I was able to do this build without the need of lead tape. My 3i is a Cobra OL Utility set at 22* ( I actually have this OL Utility in its 5, 4, 3 iron variants , will experiment and keep a couple of the winners for my 2 bags )

That said, I have on order Wishon's EQ1-NX P-9-8-7-6-5-4H-4W that I will build with a set of Accra Tour 110i. I already have a L-S-G ( SL = 36.125" ) with theses same shafts on hand.

I intend to build these EQ1 P-9-8-7 SL = 36.50". Somehow I don't trust to build 6-5-H that short ? I was going to go 6-5 at 3/8" longer at 36.875" , then 4H at 3/4" longer at 37.625 , then 4W at 40.0". I can always dismantle and make the long irons/hybrid/fairway shorter. Am I being paranoid about not trusting the EQ1 to deliver proper gapping with P-4H all the same length ? Or should just got all-SL from the get-go and show just trust in Mr Wishon's engineering prowess ?

[Nebraska]

I played Cobra one lengths for two years PW-4i. It was nice to be able to bag and use a 4i. But there is always a butt. The gaping and distance just wasn’t there for me starting with the 6i. The 6i was 5 yards short of my old Ping 6i, the 5i was 10 yards short my 5 hybrid, and the 4i was 15 yards short of my 4 hybrid. My lob, sand and gap wedges have always been and still are Clevelands all the same length and lie. So one length made since to me. The sad part for me was this story had two but’s. As my iron striking became more consistent with that one setup one length. My woods and hybrids became less consistent. So PW-7i some what better then before long game somewhat worse handicap up 4 strokes over 2 years. Cobras went to eBay I went back to playing Ping irons handicap is now below 20 lowest since I started playing 11 years ago and 7 strokes lower than when I gave up on one length. If they are working for you that’s all that matters they just weren’t for me.

[Nels55]

To me the ideal one length set would be driver through lob wedge all the same length. If that does not work then it kind of does say something about the concept does it not?

As strong as Bryson is getting maybe he could actually pull it off with a 7 iron length driver! The other way to go would be something like 43 inch lengths through the entire set. Now that would be interesting...

[TKS]

Now that's crazy talk!

The good part of SL is to reduce variables not eliminate them. Approach the system with a plan that will work best for you. I've built 50+ SL sets. Some 4-LW, some 5H-PW, others 4-7 only.

[Rich Douglas]

Tried it. Loved it. Never went back. Never will.

[lc1342]

Any word on a single length set from Ping? I know a couple years ago they purchased patent's from Nike.

[wcgolfer]

Do you have to really bend the lie angle to make that work? Or do you use heads from a different model?

[TKS]

Yes, mostly a different model or in some cases an inch shorter of the Sterlings - I bend to the correct lie and add some weight to maintain some head weight feel - that the beauty of how Wishon designs - complete fit focus.

[grantc79]

Depends on the player.

Some look at the loft and make themselves sweep a 4 iron or steepen a wedge even if the length tells them not to do so. If that's you then yes you need some different lie angles. The point to it is not to do it though if possible which leads to better consistency.

[EIE0053]

One Length made my game more consistent. I Replaced the longer irons with One Length hybrids and was able to get the yardage gaps right. The wedges took some getting used to but the consistency builds confidence and it is normal to me now. The only disadvantage I have is that I have a much smaller range of clubs to upgrade to and sometimes get jealous when some of the newer, sexier clubs get released that I know I won't game simply because they are not One Length.