Single Length Updates (post'em up!)

[Rich Douglas]

My observations on Sterlings after 16 months:

 

Consistency--great. I feel so confident over every shot. I was pretty sure the low-lofted irons would get better by using a shorter (8-iron) shaft, but I was worried about the 9-GW. Nope. They're great.

 

Distance--just fine. My distances haven't changed from my conventional set.

 

Gapping--fine, too. Because I swing fast enough (110mph driver), the 4-iron isn't a problem.

 

Problems--I had the same trouble others had, at first, adjusting to the 4- and 5-irons being so short. They felt like a kid's set. But once I got over that, no troubles. Also, I really had trouble with the gap wedge. But then I realized the bounce on it was less than the GW from my previous set. Now that's solved. Finally, I wasn't impressed with the SW and LW--too long and you can't open the blade without dragging the toe; the lie angle is just to flat. I'm going to keep practicing with them while continuing to game my traditional-length SW and LW.

 

I played 9 holes today. I don't really care about score or handicaps, but I look back on my shots to see if they were "good enough." Typically, I expect two-thirds to three-quarters of my shots to be good. I hit Sterling irons 11 times today, some off the tee and some from the fairway. I hit 10 good shots. (The other was a PW I didn't turn well on; the downswing was thus steep and I blocked it into a bunker.) The 10 were terrific. The only other shots I missed were two 3-irons (traditional length). Just an anecdote, certainly, but it feels good to be this consistent with my irons--traditionally my weakest spot.

 

I'll never go back.

[Jaggie99]

And just ordered 3-9 King Forged Tech Black OL's from DD.

 

I hate you all.

 

How are y'all deciding on the lie, shaft etc when ordering online ?

 

I am intrigued going OL irons via DD but concerned if I should get fitted or go the off the shelf route. Now, to be honest, I have no idea if the OL concept from Cobra requires a "proper" fitting if in the F8/FTB versions. My VL specs are standard length and standard lie

[SecondandGoal]

Like many of the others here, I was intrigued by the concept of the single length irons. As an engineer, the idea makes logical sense and appeals to me. As a long-time golfer, I was very skeptical. So I decided to take a shot and build a set of Pinhawk SL's from Value Golf to try them out for relatively short money (right around $30 per club). I went with some basic graphite shafts, as I've been having some soreness when playing a lot the last couple years.

 

I've got a couple range sessions and a couple rounds under my belt. None under anything remotely approaching ideal golf conditions (we no longer have spring in New England, just fall, winter, late winter, and summer). My initial feelings about them are VERY positive. My ball striking is definitely more consistent. Distance is actually a bit longer than my variable length set (Cobra King F6's), and that's with higher ball flight than the Cobra's. I've always been a very high ball hitter. So I may try bending them so the lofts are a little stronger, and get even more distance, while still having plenty of height.

 

The only club I'm really having any trouble with is the lob wedge, but I've always had problems with the lob wedge. It definitely feels a bit odd with the longer shaft on the wedges, especially out of the sand, but I'm getting used to it.

 

I was planning on buying a new set of irons this year anyway. If I continue to feel comfortable with the SL's, I'm going to try out and get fitted for either Edels or Sterlings.

[Milfordlefty]

From Rich Douglas's post:

 

"Just an anecdote, certainly, but it feels good to be this consistent with my irons--traditionally my weakest spot. I'll never go back."

 

This is the general feeling for those who have gone to SL irons. Still can put a bad shot on here and there, and maybe have had a longer shot here and there with VL long irons, but it feels good to be consistent through a round with irons.

[AZstu324]

(we no longer have spring in New England, just fall, winter, late winter, and summer).

 

 

 

Spring and Fall went MIA about 3 years ago in AZ and we are down to 1 month of winter and 11 months of blazing hot summer. Courtesy of global warming and greedy land developers!

[broth518]

i have seen the power of one length and I am now a part of the tribe!!!

 

I love the one set up and one swing. I love hitting my 4 iron now when I was afraid of it before!!

 

The wedges being so light is weird but I will get used to it.

[broth518]

And just ordered 3-9 King Forged Tech Black OL's from DD.

 

I hate you all.

 

How are y'all deciding on the lie, shaft etc when ordering online ?

 

I am intrigued going OL irons via DD but concerned if I should get fitted or go the off the shelf route. Now, to be honest, I have no idea if the OL concept from Cobra requires a "proper" fitting if in the F8/FTB versions. My VL specs are standard length and standard lie

 

i have done so many fittings with true spec and club champion I know which iron shaft I fit into (KBS Tour X flex) and i know I am stock loft and lie.

[Rich Douglas]

 

The wedges being so light is weird but I will get used to it.

 

Why are the wedges "so light"? If the set is designed and constructed correctly, the wedges should have the exact same static weight, swing weight, and MOI. You shouldn't be able to feel any difference throughout the set.

[SwingBlues]

I was getting unhappy with my F8 after Sundays round. I think its my 6th round with the F8s.

 

The G400 Max driver was totally awesome but me in some great spots but a black tee is just still black and still ong. The F8 hits on the 5 and 4 was not going as far as I was expecting, may be it was the wind... but it was short at the end of the day.

 

So tonight, I pulled out my Ping Ansers 8, 6 and 4 as well as my F8 8, 6 and 4 and had a shoot out at the range. The Ansers have the 120gm Tour V x-flex shafts. The F8 as the Tour V 110gm stiff shafts.

 

3 balls with each club & club vs club. 8 was about the same. 6 was easily won by F8, further and more consistently close to my target. 4 irons was longest on the Anser, if hit sweet but the F8 was more consistent contact, more accurate and longer overall. This was the most striking difference in the clubs, the consistency of the OL really showed here.

 

Plus, after the test, I worked on my F8 4 iron and found out, I can gun the F8 4 iron, just needs more work.

 

Some of you may say "put the same 7 iron swing" on the 4 iron OL but to me, that does not work. You gotta hit the 4 iron harder, let the tech on the F8 sing. A shorter club is easier to swing fast at the intermediary target than it is to swing the longer one.

 

The winner: F8, back in the bag. But now, I have to seriously consider a F8 3 utility or hybrid. Or trust my 2 iron or 3 wood more. Choices, choice, choices & work, work, work

[broth518]

The wedges being so light is weird but I will get used to it.

 

Why are the wedges "so light"? If the set is designed and constructed correctly, the wedges should have the exact same static weight, swing weight, and MOI. You shouldn't be able to feel any difference throughout the set.

 

The SW and GW not the PW or AW it's how I purchased it. Let's just say I didn't pay much for the SW and GW and to do them right I really need to order the proper shafts in them.

[Milfordlefty]

I was getting unhappy with my F8 after Sundays round. I think its my 6th round with the F8s.

 

The G400 Max driver was totally awesome but me in some great spots but a black tee is just still black and still ong. The F8 hits on the 5 and 4 was not going as far as I was expecting, may be it was the wind... but it was short at the end of the day.

 

So tonight, I pulled out my Ping Ansers 8, 6 and 4 as well as my F8 8, 6 and 4 and had a shoot out at the range. The Ansers have the 120gm Tour V x-flex shafts. The F8 as the Tour V 110gm stiff shafts.

 

3 balls with each club & club vs club. 8 was about the same. 6 was easily won by F8, further and more consistently close to my target. 4 irons was longest on the Anser, if hit sweet but the F8 was more consistent contact, more accurate and longer overall. This was the most striking difference in the clubs, the consistency of the OL really showed here.

 

Plus, after the test, I worked on my F8 4 iron and found out, I can gun the F8 4 iron, just needs more work.

 

Some of you may say "put the same 7 iron swing" on the 4 iron OL but to me, that does not work. You gotta hit the 4 iron harder, let the tech on the F8 sing. A shorter club is easier to swing fast at the intermediary target than it is to swing the longer one.

 

The winner: F8, back in the bag. But now, I have to seriously consider a F8 3 utility or hybrid. Or trust my 2 iron or 3 wood more. Choices, choice, choices & work, work, work

 

Still say swing them all like the 7 (on full swing shots). Do you pull your 4 to hit to a specific distance on the course like you would with higher irons (ie: 8 iron to this distance, 9 iron to that distance)? Or do you just hit your 4i as far as it will go? If it is the latter (as far as possible), mentally your thinking, "hit harder to make go farther". Just my opinion. On longer shots, farther off line from target line at start of shot(either right or left), farther away from target you will end up compared to shorter distance shots. Does swinging harder bring in chance for less consistency of contact? Again, just my opinion, I am a bogey golfer.

[SwingBlues]

Still say swing them all like the 7 (on full swing shots). Do you pull your 4 to hit to a specific distance on the course like you would with higher irons (ie: 8 iron to this distance, 9 iron to that distance)? Or do you just hit your 4i as far as it will go? If it is the latter (as far as possible), mentally your thinking, "hit harder to make go farther". Just my opinion. On longer shots, farther off line from target line at start of shot(either right or left), farther away from target you will end up compared to shorter distance shots. Does swinging harder bring in chance for less consistency of contact? Again, just my opinion, I am a bogey golfer.

 

Typically, with a 7 iron, I would swing about 70% of capacity. Let call that "baseline". My experiment last night, to give me back my carry distance of a VL 4 iron, I need to go at 90% - those percentages are just words to convey what I "feel" I need to swing and release at so don't take me literally that I can hit a specific mph 90% speed or 70% - its a feel.

 

Does swinging harder bring in the chance for less consistency? Good question and my answer, for me right now, is probably not. My miss on a harder swing is an overdraw but thats because I mostly do not release right of my intermediary target but on those shots, it carries the same as a proper in-line shot.

 

As an example, on the Encino #10, Par 5 I had about 218 to a front pin after a nice drive with the Max. Fairway looked firm, very little breeze so I tried by 4 iron. My intention was to allow the ball to run up to the red flag. I knew I had to crank it, great contact & baby draw but it was still short by about 11 yards in front of the green. That was in play, so it is possible to crank it and still get it inline which was what gave me the idea to throw out the 7 iron swing thought and crank it for longer irons. On a good day, the Anser would have done it.

 

I think each of us is different, start with the baseline 7 iron swing and if it works it works, if it doesn't - feel free to deviate and make it work for YOU. I think thats what I am finding out. With the OL, the variability of the different planes, set up is almost gone (aside from the minor steep vs shallow lie angles these F8 irons have) so I can focus more on the speed of the swing and release to maximize the club that is in my hand.

[Mr. Grumpy]

I think the "hit harder with the 4i" is mental to make sure you get it up in the air. I feel that SL rewards a smooth "ability fast" swing. Going all out on something causes more miss hits,, lets say your typical miss,, for me that means fat.

 

I have noticed that the SL 4i distance compared to 5i is not as much as I thought. For me its a smaller gap than the 6i to 5i..

[Rohlio]

I had been wanting to switch. Picked up a set of F7 One Length forged. Holy crap I should have switched sooner.

 

4-8 iron just seem so automatic like this. I can work them either way and am hitting laser beams. I am giving myself time to adjust to the 9, pw as I do hit them miles high. They can be knocked down easy, but I am not sure if I shouldn't just get standard length 9, pw.

 

I kept my standard 53 and 58. No reason to change those imo.

 

As to the low launch 4,5 iron, I just moved them a half ball forward and problem solved. Plenty high for my taste.

 

Make sure you get properly fit for these clubs and you will likely love them.

[NoTalentLefty]

I switched last year with the F7 SLs . But only the 6-PW. May try adding the GW this year. Just couldn’t get use to it last year for shots within 75 yards. I tend to not use a SW due to a swing problem.

[Pack7483]

Just finished another 9 today with my f7 OL. I am finding better shots and consistency by moving the ball back in my stance. It's kind of weird, but knockdowns just feel better than trying to swing every club as a 7 iron. Love the irons. Redicuously easy to hit straight.

[casey_0507]

I’m getting interested in the Cobra Forged One. My buddy has a set and hit a couple 4 irons into the woods behind my house so couldn’t judge distance but were plenty high.

[Pack7483]

Never hit the forged ones, but the f7 feel amazing.

[Mr. Grumpy]

I tried both quite extensively before ultimately settling on the non forged F7 SL. They felt pretty similar but i'm cheap and went less $ for the test. The only thing I miss is the thinner sole - I had Bridgestone J40 DPC's before - when getting out of the thicker grass. I'm also not used to the thicker sole on tight lies/winter fairways.

 

That said, I've improved every stat and this will be my first full season with them.

[SwingBlues]

Never hit the forged ones, but the f7 feel amazing.

 

I tried the Forged, didn't think much of it. The F7 really raised my eyebrows, great feel and also a great price. However, I decided to go F8 instead for the tech. Recommended by DD themselves. Now, ironically, I feel the F8s are softer than my Forged Ansers. I so enjoy the hitting my F8s over my Ansers.

 

Cobra has a winning formula here: F7, F8, Forged Tec...

[JaNelson38]

Very intrigued by all of this. With the slow start to the season up here in Wisconsin, Im wondering if I shouldnt give these a smash...especially since a set like the F7 can be had for dirt cheap.

 

Anyone have this set with graphite shafts and how they feel?

[cheeser]

I bought the F7 One's on release date and I'm not looking back. I have the 4-GW and trajectory and distance have continued to be spot on. I tested the F8's at a demo day at my course a couple weeks back and they weren't any better in my opinion so I'm staying put. I did buy a SW to test out and I just couldn't get used to the extra length out of the bunkers. This is the strongest part of my game and I struggled mightily, not to mention that the SL wedge was competing against the PM Grind, which is the greatest wedge ever.

[broth518]

I am playing 36 the next two days so it's time to sink or swim!!

[Techgolfer1]

Edels going up on BST soon. I like em a lot but I’m not hitting them as consistent as I’d like.

[nicodywill]

I went and hit the F8's with the Aldila Rogue 65 shafts and I loved the feel and sound of the clubs and just found them to be flat out very easy to hit.

Thinking I'm gonna get fit and place an order for a full set pretty soon.

 

I have what has been characterized as a smooth swing tempo but just moderate swing speed so I think the system matches up with me pretty well.

I'm a new player that hits mid irons best and I don't get to practice or play as much as I'd like so the look of short long irons and long short irons didn't affect me really.

[SlamMan]

I gamed the F7s last year. I really like the concept but struggled with getting the longer irons in the air and found my 9 and P often went further than expected. I sold them and picked up a set of Srixon 565s and have been really happy so far. The gapping is better for me and I'm doing better with the longer irons. I'm glad I got to try the SL set though.

[LONGBALL777]

Very intrigued by all of this. With the slow start to the season up here in Wisconsin, Im wondering if I shouldnt give these a smash...especially since a set like the F7 can be had for dirt cheap.

 

Anyone have this set with graphite shafts and how they feel?

Mine are graphite and they feel amazing. so good, my buddy hit them a few times, and bought a set.

[Mcgeeno]

Well guys to re-affirm my love of SL irons, I rolled out of bed from Northern BC with a week off and traveled to Eastern (I was corrected by a local that its more Central) Washington with my wife and played some courses down south after a 5 month hiatus.

 

Usually I have ZERO chance to post good scores the early month of the season. No touch around greens, no feel on wedge shots, aim and alignment feels foreign.

 

But I broke 80 4 out of 6 rounds and already posted an under par round. It's just simplified the game for me from 205 and in.

 

Hit more greens=lower scores

[ode1]

Not much of an SL story, but I do play one SL club, a Pinhawk 5i/25*.....super easy to hit and has become a "go to" club for me. I think there is some room for those that struggle with long irons to give the concept a try on that side of the bag. I have now built the 4i and early signs are also good.....I envision the 4i to be a super to easy to hit/stinger type of club on shorter holes or layups on par 5's.

[broth518]

i am sold I have so much confidence in my long irons now it's unreal. I hit them so much better just due to how short they are.

 

Let's go Bryson!! LOL