Single Length Updates (post'em up!)

[MountainGoat]

Uh oh. My formerly reliable single plane swing has suddenly disappeared. Poof...gone! By the 11th hole yesterday I was back to my old dual plane swing. Trouble is that my SL Cobras don't really work well with a DP swing. I can't get them to close, and I was losing everything right. So, when I got back home I pulled my old VL blades out of the back of the closet and dusted them off. I'm not looking forward to maybe having to put them back into use. I'm about to go down a very dark and dangerous path.

[games]

Uh oh. My formerly reliable single plane swing has suddenly disappeared. Poof...gone! By the 11th hole yesterday I was back to my old dual plane swing. Trouble is that my SL Cobras don't really work well with a DP swing. I can't get them to close, and I was losing everything right. So, when I got back home I pulled my old VL blades out of the back of the closet and dusted them off. I'm not looking forward to maybe having to put them back into use. I'm about to go down a very dark and dangerous path.

 

I worked on a single axis swing for two years. Hit the ball straight as an arrow. Not long, but kept me out of trouble. Anyway, on a guys trip to Myrtle Beach, I was really frustrated with my play the first day. That night, I went to the range and in a swarm of no see 'ums, put the grip back in my fingers. For the rest of that trip and the rest of that summer, I played the best golf of my life.

 

My point is there may be something to be said for practicing using single axis drills and methods, while playing conventional...

[MountainGoat]

Uh oh. My formerly reliable single plane swing has suddenly disappeared. Poof...gone! By the 11th hole yesterday I was back to my old dual plane swing. Trouble is that my SL Cobras don't really work well with a DP swing. I can't get them to close, and I was losing everything right. So, when I got back home I pulled my old VL blades out of the back of the closet and dusted them off. I'm not looking forward to maybe having to put them back into use. I'm about to go down a very dark and dangerous path.

 

I worked on a single axis swing for two years. Hit the ball straight as an arrow. Not long, but kept me out of trouble. Anyway, on a guys trip to Myrtle Beach, I was really frustrated with my play the first day. That night, I went to the range and in a swarm of no see 'ums, put the grip back in my fingers. For the rest of that trip and the rest of that summer, I played the best golf of my life.

 

My point is there may be something to be said for practicing using single axis drills and methods, while playing conventional...

 

I hope you're right, even though I'll have to live with the humiliation be being a huge SP/SL advocate who switched back to DP/VL. I'll never be able to post here again.

[ChaosTheory]

I feel your pain but I think you are experiencing a mental golf problem, not a physical one. A 37 inch 7 iron is a 37 inch 7 iron, no matter if it's for a single axis swing or a conventional swing. And the same goes for the rest of the set. Now if you have the lie angles off for one swing or the other, then sure.

[ChaosTheory]

My SL clubs are going back in the bag to see if I can do better than with my VL clubs. Pure and simple, I make nicer swings with a 37 inch club than with a 36 or 35.something. I don't swing as well when I'm bent over to that extent. So my VL 9 iron and wedges are sucking, and I'm not ever hitting them close enough to have good looks at birdies. I remember with the SLs that I was more accurate with the wedges than this. And it's time to shaft up a 36.5 or 37 inch 58 degree wedge.

 

Going forward, I need to think about another SL set, with graphite this time. I don't think I can deal with the zero offset of the Edels. Probably a set of Sterlings is in my future. Although I could look to snag some used Cobras.

[games]

Just got my new GigaGolf set. I call them "new" even though I ordered used, because all of the clubs (except the SW) don't look like they've been hit! The toe-end of the face of the SW looks like it got clipped by a lawn mower, but the hitting area is pristine. I may keep my current LW/SW setup anyway.

 

First impressions: These are a very nice looking set of GI/SGI irons. Mirror finish. Cavity graphics are busy but not crazy. Really like coloring the two lowest grooves for alignment purposes.

 

My one negative, and complete ignorance on my part for not noticing the specs or industry norms, but why do Cobra, GigaGolf, and Sterling design SL sets with progressive offset?

[games]

First impressions into the backyard net with 5i and SW:

 

- Dang, these things are heavy.

- Initially, the SW was spitting laterals. Really need to focus on staying with the shot.

- These feel really heavy.

- 5i has a lower flight than I'm used to. Specs suggest it's 3* lower than my regular 5i. Might not make the bag if I can't keep it in the air.

- Very pleasant feel at impact. Remind me a bit of my old KZG PFTs which were also cast. Flushed feels really nice, and thin doesn't rattle your teeth!

 

A bit of a conundrum: I'm going to like the heavier weight, but the SW laterals have my attention.

Going to install some oversize Lamkin 3Gen Crosslines in the 5i, 8i, and SW and try a transverse grip.

[ChaosTheory]

Just got my new GigaGolf set. I call them "new" even though I ordered used, because all of the clubs (except the SW) don't look like they've been hit! The toe-end of the face of the SW looks like it got clipped by a lawn mower, but the hitting area is pristine. I may keep my current LW/SW setup anyway.

 

First impressions: These are a very nice looking set of GI/SGI irons. Mirror finish. Cavity graphics are busy but not crazy. Really like coloring the two lowest grooves for alignment purposes.

 

My one negative, and complete ignorance on my part for not noticing the specs or industry norms, but why do Cobra, GigaGolf, and Sterling design SL sets with progressive offset?

 

Offset helps with launch, by moving the COG farther back.

[MountainGoat]

I feel your pain but I think you are experiencing a mental golf problem, not a physical one. A 37 inch 7 iron is a 37 inch 7 iron, no matter if it's for a single axis swing or a conventional swing. And the same goes for the rest of the set. Now if you have the lie angles off for one swing or the other, then sure.

 

I'd be happy to agree with you, but I just can't. I've told this story before, but I'll relate it again, because it speaks directly to this issue.

 

I once had the opportunity to hit a set of Moe Norman's irons. This wasn't a Moe Norman Model set; it was a set he actually used. These clubs had three outstanding features: 1) they were as stiff as any clubs I've ever hit; 2) they had very weird grips (like sand paper); and 3) they had a mountain of lead tape on the back.

 

If I used an SA swing with Moe's clubs, they all went straight. In fact, it seemed impossible to hit the ball off line. However, if I used a conventional DP swing swing, I couldn't get them back to square. Everything sliced to the right. Conversely, if I used my conventional clubs with a DP swing, I hit the ball straight. But, if I used an SA swing, everything hooked. Same guy; same day; same swings; different clubs. That was the day I learned that club design makes a difference.

 

So, in fact, two 37" clubs aren't the same, even at the same length. Among other features, a blade with a COG located near the hosel will close easier than a GI club, which has the COG located farther toward the toe and, hence, a higher rotational MOI. I concluded from this experience that if you listen, clubs tell you how to swing them. Just like women, they're not all the same.

[mootrail]

If the clubs are all one length and the heads all weight the same, why in the world would the shafts be 'different'? Why wouldn't the just use the appropriate length shaft or butt trim all shafts to the same spec?

 

That makes no sense to me...

 

Cobra ONE heads do not all weight the same. The shafts are all different, whether they are flighted, moving the bend point or tip trimmed for graphite shafts to accomplish the same thing; changing the characteristic of each shaft to get the desired launch, flight and distance Cobra is after. The AMT shafts also add 3g per shaft in ascending order. It's confusing for sure, and how they get the SWs correct is still baffling to me.

[Short Pete]

Well, a few rounds under the belt with my Cobra F7 irons, here's how it goes:

 

Full swings go really well from the 9 up to the 5 iron. I have no height or gapping problems, the irons feel really good at impact. The heads are big and forgiving, spin is good. On full swings there is very little not to like. The concept works well here.

 

But, and there's a huge BUT: Everything else apart from full swings doesn't really work for me so far. I am not really precise with the two wedges, I don't hit them on the screws often enough. If I have a perfect lie they get the job done, everything else doesn't really work well. I chunk shots too often. 30-50 yard pitches don't work at all. I practised all kinds of short game shots with them beforehand, hoping to get a grip on those, but I don't. I have major issues picking them clean, may it's because the 7 iron attack angle is different from what I was used to for the last 30 years. Shorter pitches and chips lack control, I tend to chunk more than I am used to. On finesse shot these lack in feel for the clubhead for me.

 

That's how it goes. To be honest, at the moment I don't know what I will do. The iron shots are good, I hit slightly more GIR than before, but If I miss the green I struggle badly at the moment. I lost 5-6 shots due to bad chipping and pitching on the last rounds, which is a shame because my long game is really sharp at the moment. I plan to get some more short game practice in, hopefully that does the trick. If not, I am willing to stop this experiment.

[matchavez]

Well, a few rounds under the belt with my Cobra F7 irons, here's how it goes:

 

Full swings go really well from the 9 up to the 5 iron. I have no height or gapping problems, the irons feel really good at impact. The heads are big and forgiving, spin is good. On full swings there is very little not to like. The concept works well here.

 

But, and there's a huge BUT: Everything else apart from full swings doesn't really work for me so far. I am not really precise with the two wedges, I don't hit them on the screws often enough. If I have a perfect lie they get the job done, everything else doesn't really work well. I chunk shots too often. 30-50 yard pitches don't work at all. I practised all kinds of short game shots with them beforehand, hoping to get a grip on those, but I don't. I have major issues picking them clean, may it's because the 7 iron attack angle is different from what I was used to for the last 30 years. Shorter pitches and chips lack control, I tend to chunk more than I am used to. On finesse shot these lack in feel for the clubhead for me.

 

That's how it goes. To be honest, at the moment I don't know what I will do. The iron shots are good, I hit slightly more GIR than before, but If I miss the green I struggle badly at the moment. I lost 5-6 shots due to bad chipping and pitching on the last rounds, which is a shame because my long game is really sharp at the moment. I plan to get some more short game practice in, hopefully that does the trick. If not, I am willing to stop this experiment.

 

Like a large minority here, you are not happy with the wedge thing. That’s ok; you’ve put in the time with those VL wedges that they work for you. The good part is that you get the advantage with your irons!

 

Some like just wedges, like me. Others go bananas. Nothing wrong with it. You found where it is advantageous, so exploit that!

[9woodfan]

It took abit but after I started playing the longer wedges I don't think I'd ever go back. Mind you I'm a little shorter in the Sterlings then the Cobra (36.5) vs 37... So a tad easier to manage.

 

No harm in SL wedges a tad shorter then your SL irons

[Dash Boogie]

I tried a brief experiment where I replaced lower irons with the 4 and 5 Cobra F8 One hybrids in order to get everything above my 7iron as even. Did not work - irons are back in the bag. I just couldn't wrap my head around hitting such a short hybrid. I was topping balls like 50% of the time.

[SwingBlues]

Well, a few rounds under the belt with my Cobra F7 irons, here's how it goes:

 

Full swings go really well from the 9 up to the 5 iron. I have no height or gapping problems, the irons feel really good at impact. The heads are big and forgiving, spin is good. On full swings there is very little not to like. The concept works well here.

 

But, and there's a huge BUT: Everything else apart from full swings doesn't really work for me so far. I am not really precise with the two wedges, I don't hit them on the screws often enough. If I have a perfect lie they get the job done, everything else doesn't really work well. I chunk shots too often. 30-50 yard pitches don't work at all. I practised all kinds of short game shots with them beforehand, hoping to get a grip on those, but I don't. I have major issues picking them clean, may it's because the 7 iron attack angle is different from what I was used to for the last 30 years. Shorter pitches and chips lack control, I tend to chunk more than I am used to. On finesse shot these lack in feel for the clubhead for me.

 

That's how it goes. To be honest, at the moment I don't know what I will do. The iron shots are good, I hit slightly more GIR than before, but If I miss the green I struggle badly at the moment. I lost 5-6 shots due to bad chipping and pitching on the last rounds, which is a shame because my long game is really sharp at the moment. I plan to get some more short game practice in, hopefully that does the trick. If not, I am willing to stop this experiment.

 

Now...you do know there is nothing in the books, no rule that says you MUST have the same OL gap, sand the lob wedges, right?

 

100 and in wedge shots are finesse shots. IMHO, these work best with shorter aka regular length wedges. I use a regular 50*, 52* and 56* wedges for my game. My F8s are rarely used to chip although I do play a some "chip" PW, 9 and 8 irons alot for between 105 to 140 yards but I do choke down on it somewhat and set the ball to the left of my right foot instep. Zero chunks. Ball position and width of stance and a shallow arc ensures clean contact each time, I never dig. Give those thoughts a try...

[Rohlio]

Well, a few rounds under the belt with my Cobra F7 irons, here's how it goes:

 

Full swings go really well from the 9 up to the 5 iron. I have no height or gapping problems, the irons feel really good at impact. The heads are big and forgiving, spin is good. On full swings there is very little not to like. The concept works well here.

 

But, and there's a huge BUT: Everything else apart from full swings doesn't really work for me so far. I am not really precise with the two wedges, I don't hit them on the screws often enough. If I have a perfect lie they get the job done, everything else doesn't really work well. I chunk shots too often. 30-50 yard pitches don't work at all. I practised all kinds of short game shots with them beforehand, hoping to get a grip on those, but I don't. I have major issues picking them clean, may it's because the 7 iron attack angle is different from what I was used to for the last 30 years. Shorter pitches and chips lack control, I tend to chunk more than I am used to. On finesse shot these lack in feel for the clubhead for me.

 

That's how it goes. To be honest, at the moment I don't know what I will do. The iron shots are good, I hit slightly more GIR than before, but If I miss the green I struggle badly at the moment. I lost 5-6 shots due to bad chipping and pitching on the last rounds, which is a shame because my long game is really sharp at the moment. I plan to get some more short game practice in, hopefully that does the trick. If not, I am willing to stop this experiment.

 

This is exactly why I put my normal PW, GW and SW back in the bag....

 

The 4-9 iron are MONEY. Once I learned to knock them down, and quit trying to swing them hard or soft and just started choking down to take some off while using same swing they are freaking magic..

[funkatation]

2 rounds in with my Forged Tec Black OL -- learning the wedges, and short game isn't bad. Full shots with 9-SW go way too high for me, trying to work on ball position and later release, but kind of goes against the OL concept. Any suggestions from long time OL users?

[ChaosTheory]

Move the ball back a bit, if you have the skill to do that. If you don’t, then you have to live with it.

[jgerbs]

I’ve been following Cobra One for quite some time but play 1.5 inches over standard. I keep wondering whether I could buy off the rack and essentially play 9 iron length or get custom. I’m just worried that custom with a longer shaft will throw off the swing weight and the other mojo/physics baked into the design. Does anyone have experience with longer Cobra One length irons?

[IsleOfMan]

A buddy of mine got a sweetheart deal on F7 OneLength 5- Gw for $230 new from GolfETail in what I think was a mis-price plus code (cheaper than their own used price). I'll report back on how things go for him with them.

[dcmidnight]

I got my first swings in last night with the 790s, 8-GW, with the Recoil 110s. Super soft, ball just feels 100x better off the face. Extremely easy to work the 8 iron either way. I had them built 1/2" long, 1* strong, Recoil 110s. Love the ballflight so far.

 

Hoping to get two things out of this experiment. One - close the yardage gap in my wedges/short irons. Two - get a little more spin with the short irons.

 

Was hoping to get my first round in with them in the bag tonight but what a surprise, its going to rain some more.

 

So we'll see how it goes. This is my second season with the one length long irons though and I cant ever see going back.

[PGATourDriven]

I just bought 1iron golf 3-LW left handed they should be here on Friday. Ive had them right handed so I know what to expect. Just super excited to start hitting the ball more consistently left handed. All clubs will be as long as my 9 iron.

[OsnolaKinnard]

Could you share your thoughts on the cobras vs Edels?

 

 

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.

 

I am playing the SLS-01 in 5-GW and was waiting to snag an Edel Wedge (not the SLS01 SW). That being said, I do like the idea of 'an 11 iron.

 

My current SW is an older Callaway Vintage Forged 54* wedge that I just cannot seem to get rid of. I was thinking of getting an Edel 60* Wedge for use out of bunkers and chipping, and the SLS01 55* for shots from 70 yards or less.

 

Mini-report...I love my Irons. I hit several very nice shots and love the setup, feel/sound and ball flight. 2 highlights were a stiffed 8 iron to about 8 feet from 145 and a 5 iron knockdown into the wind from 165 that put me about 12 feet from the flag on a par 3 today.

 

I hit several nice pitches at the 80-110 mark with the GW and PW as well.

 

The longer length short irons really do suit me quite well (6'4" tall).

[ChaosTheory]

My SL set is too flat and too stiff for my swing now, so I'm playing my set that has 1/4" gaps from SW to 5 iron. It's a very nice compromise IMO.

[Noke]

I've played a few rounds with my SL iron set and I'm sold.

 

Originally I had built a set around a wedge weight (294g) for everything, 5h-LW. Same lie angle on all clubs and I tweaked the loft a little for gapping. Counter-balanced a lot to get the swing weight back up. They worked fine but I could tell they were going to wear me out over 18 holes.

 

I liked the way the Integra iWin heads looked and they were cheap, so I picked up a few and have combined those high-loft, thick-faced irons with my Wishon 870ti high-COR irons in the lower lofts. All head weights and lie angles are the same except for the 5h, which is too upright but I've hit some fantastic shots with that thing so I'm not touching it.

 

They've been great so far, quite forgiving and consistent and my misses with all clubs have been less severe.

 

I do have some Sterlings on the way so we'll see how that goes...

[Magus_golf]

I haven't Golfed in a few years, and never heard about SL clubs. Just ordered from Cobra, eagerly waiting on delivery. I really wanted to get them in 8 iron length, but ended up getting the standard 7 iron length. Will post pics once I have them in hand. I'm happy to join this experiment.

 

KING F7 ONE Length Irons - Single Irons

Shaft Flex Option Graphite Regular Shaft COBRA UST Recoil 460 - Graphite Regular Shaft Length STANDARD (7 iron length) Grip Cobra - Lamkin - Crossline ACE - Blue Hand Right Loft 5 Iron, 7 Iron, PW,

[SDGolfRookie]

I’ve been following Cobra One for quite some time but play 1.5 inches over standard. I keep wondering whether I could buy off the rack and essentially play 9 iron length or get custom. I’m just worried that custom with a longer shaft will throw off the swing weight and the other mojo/physics baked into the design. Does anyone have experience with longer Cobra One length irons?

 

FWIW:

- I purchased the Forged Tec Black One Length at half an inch long

- All seems to feel good (I really liked the stock steel stiff shafts. Light!)

- I DID NOT get into details on asking the rep if the added length throws off the algorithm

- I do not know for sure, but I’d guess that the “standard” one length club head is used even with longer shafts. (Otherwise that would be a lot of customization for Cobra!)

 

Overall:

- I love the clubs. Shoot about the same score (87-97) but a lot more shots go in the air and are straight. Fun times

- Note: Compared to when I tried the Forged One Length, the Forged Black Tec One Length felt more forgiving, a bit longer and “easier” to hit

[jgerbs]

Ive been following Cobra One for quite some time but play 1.5 inches over standard. I keep wondering whether I could buy off the rack and essentially play 9 iron length or get custom. Im just worried that custom with a longer shaft will throw off the swing weight and the other mojo/physics baked into the design. Does anyone have experience with longer Cobra One length irons?

 

FWIW:

- I purchased the Forged Tec Black One Length at half an inch long

- All seems to feel good (I really liked the stock steel stiff shafts. Light!)

- I DID NOT get into details on asking the rep if the added length throws off the algorithm

- I do not know for sure, but Id guess that the standard one length club head is used even with longer shafts. (Otherwise that would be a lot of customization for Cobra!)

 

Overall:

- I love the clubs. Shoot about the same score (87-97) but a lot more shots go in the air and are straight. Fun times

- Note: Compared to when I tried the Forged One Length, the Forged Black Tec One Length felt more forgiving, a bit longer and easier to hit

Thank you for responding. I’m encouraged by your response. Definitely interested in the Forged Black Tec.

[phil6380]

Jumping in on the OL thing and just got F8 5-GW and a utility 3-4. I'm fairly new to the game. I'm fairly tall, and I don't have a lot of hand eye coordination. I've mainly focused on wedges - 8 iron in lessons and on the range so far. I'm a hot mess off the tee (rarely pull out the driver and stick with the 3W so I have any hope of hitting fairway). I tried out a set of OL and everything below 7 iron became useable where I have literally zero control using my current set.

 

Should be interesting as I have no swing memory on anything other than wedges-8 iron. I don't really have any older habits to break. My teacher said if I was interested in OL I'd be the ideal candidate, so here we go!

[j-rob]

So gang, after a ~5 year lay off of not playing any regular golf I have decided to make my return. After my first 8 rounds back, I am playing horribly. Lots of shanks and mishits with glimmers of hope in between. I am looking to simplify and rebuild everything. Move to SL clubs and a single plane approach.

 

Currently playing:

Cobra F8 driver

Titleist 913 3 wood

Titleist 913 Hybrid

5-GW Ping G25 Irons with nunchuk shafts

58* Callaway Mack Daddy wedge

 

Looking to move to:

Same driver

Same 3 wood

Cobra King Utility OL 2/3 Iron (driving iron)

5-SW Cobra F8 OL Irons

60* Cobra OL Wedge.

 

What do you guys think? I want to primarily drive with the utility until I get back in a groove. Any thoughts on this setup are greatly appreciated.