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Single Length Irons – Passing Fad, or Here to Stay?
You may or may not have heard of single length irons, but they are slowly becoming an interesting topic in the golf club industry. They are gaining popularity because of a familiar phenomenon that occurs when recreational golfers want to play with what the pros have in their bags.
Golfers love clubs, and they certainly love keeping tabs of what is going on in the professional ranks in terms of which players are playing certain brands. Like clockwork, each time someone wins a PGA event, someone is posting pictures on Twitter of WITB minutes later.
This always confused me. I get the curiosity overall, but what does it matter to a 20-handicap golfer what driver configuration Dustin Johnson is using? It’s custom fit to his 125+ mph swing, and there are absolutely zero parallels that 99.9% of the golf world can take from what pros play.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with admiring what’s in their bags though. They’ve got some nice stuff.
There is a recent equipment story that is interesting, and it has to do with the 2015 U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau. You’ve probably heard of him at this point because he’s done extremely well in the majors and has an extremely unique personality that blends a love for Physics and golf. But his short professional career has sparked a lot of interest in the clubs he plays.
His irons are all the exact same length.
When I first heard about this after he won the NCAA individual championship, my reaction was, “why the heck would anyone want irons the same length?”
Bryson worked with a boutique club manufacturer Edel, out of Texas, to perfect a set of irons that helped make him the top-ranked amateur in the world. It had been the first time in a few decades anyone had really heard about single length irons, and it started to revive the belief that they could help golfers.
So I spoke to my friends at Pete’s Golf. They are recognized as some of the best club fitters out there, and actually have experience fitting another professional golfer with single length irons.
When I first asked Woody Lashen, the co-owner of Pete’s Golf, about what it takes to fit someone for single length irons, his response was this:
“I’ve had a few golfers come in asking about getting single length irons, and I tell them if they want me to do it they have to write me a check for 10 thousand dollars as a retainer. If there’s anything left at the end we will give it back.”
Before we get into why it would take such an extreme amount of money to build a set of single length irons properly, let’s first understand the theory behind this equipment.
Why Would You Play Single Length Irons?
In theory, there’s a few reasons why playing single length irons work:
- Having a shorter shaft on lower-lofted irons will make them easier to hit
- You can make the same exact swing on every shot
- Golfers wouldn’t have to change ball position or alter anything between shots
Personally I don’t believe I make different swings on any of my irons, or alter my ball positions. But some of you reading this might feel that way, which is why single length irons have gotten a lot of interest lately.
It’s actually not a new concept.
Back in the 80s Tommy Armour designed a set of single length irons but they failed pretty quickly. Golfers struggled with hitting the higher-lofted irons too high and their lower-lofted irons too low.
Woody believed they were too ahead of their time because they didn’t have the technology back then to move center of gravity, test ball flight, and adjust the lofts and lie angles accordingly.
So the concept remained mostly dormant until a college kid with a penchant for Physics decided to adopt Homer Kelly’s complicated, science-based swing system from his book The Golf Machine. Bryson had a theory that having irons the same length would help him perfect it.
His results were staggering, so like anything in the golf world people assumed that if it worked for him that it could work for others.
The Reality of Getting Fit
Woody Lashen and Pete’s Golf actually have developed quite a bit of experience building single length irons with another professional golfer, but you probably have never heard of him.
Matt Dobyns is the head teaching professional at Fresh Meadow Country Club in Lake Success, NY. He has an interesting side gig that makes him a bit unique. He plays part time on the PGA Tour.
Matt has established himself as one of the top players amongst the PGA teaching ranks, and at the age of 37 his playing career seems to be flourishing. He has made cuts in three consecutive starts on the PGA Tour including the prestigious Wells Fargo Championship played on the brutal layout of Quail Hollow.
Not bad for a guy who plays competitive golf on the side.
Before his recent success he did a deep analysis of his statistics to see what was holding him back from performing better on tour. In almost every category he was in the top 25% except one where he was dead last – proximity to the hole from 150-200 yards.
Matt was almost double the length of the PGA Tour average from this distance, which can cost a player serious strokes and prevent them from succeeding at the highest levels. Anyone who is playing well on Tour certainly has their strengths, but the players who make cuts every week really don’t have any glaring weaknesses relative to their competition.
So Matt started working with the staff at Pete’s to build a set of single length irons because he felt it could help his ball striking with longer shots.
It took a lot of time. We’re talking hundreds of hours.
Endless Variables
The main issue with building a set of single length irons is controlling all of the variables that go into building a set of clubs fit to a golfer’s specific swing.
The first step is to determine the actual length of the shaft you are going to use for the set. Is it going to be a 6-iron length, 7-iron length, or an 8-iron length? Maybe even 9-iron length! Then based on the length you are going to have to determine the lie angle for each club, and based on the player’s testing results they might have to adjust the lofts and center of gravity.
Listening to what they went through to get Matt’s set right, it seems like a huge can of worms.
The main issue with fitting a golfer for these kinds of irons according to Woody is that you’re going into “uncharted territory.” There’s no real true system for single length irons, and fitting Matt Dobyns proved that.
Master club builder Mr. Ohno built numerous prototypes for Matt, and spent hours tweaking each club after he had tested it on the launch monitor and out on the course. He also said that because Matt is a world-class ball striker this process was actually much easier than if they had done it with a 20 handicap because his swing was so repeatable, and they could tell pretty quickly if each prototype was going to work or not.
Bryson DeChambeau went through that same process with Edel, and is currently going through it with his new sponsor Cobra.
To put it mildly, it requires a lot of tinkering.
It Actually Worked Though
When they finally did get Matt Dobyn’s irons right (they ended up using two lengths for his entire iron set), you can’t argue with the results. He has made his last three cuts on tour, and qualified to play in the PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
Most importantly he improved his performance from 150-200 yards dramatically.
So while it took hundreds of hours and a mangled looking set of irons, this process did work for Matt’s game.
But Matt is not like most golfers who are reading this article. He can hit drives 340 yards and has tremendous club head speed, so he has no issue getting the ball in the air with his 4, 5, or 6-iron.
In Woody’s opinion, that could be one of the major hurdles for recreational golfers playing single length irons. They might not have the club head speed necessary to generate enough height with the lower-lofted irons.
Is it Going to Catch on?
In order for single length irons to become a “thing” in the golf industry, some of the major manufacturers would have to get behind the concept. They would need to develop a system to make sure players get fit properly, and then spend tons of marketing dollars convincing the golfing public to buy these clubs.
Based on the conversation I had with Woody Lashen I think that idea sounds a little far fetched. It will take tons of research and development to control all of the variables that come into play when building a set of single length irons. This doesn’t seem like a concept where a player can walk into Dick’s Sport Goods and buy them off the shelves.
Never say never though.
Right now there is one company offering single length irons. Wishon Golf has developed the Sterling Irons. There isn’t a peep from Titleist, Taylor Made, Cobra, Callaway, or any of the other major companies.
My guess is that their engineering staffs will hope it stays that way.
Woody actually believes if done properly a set of single length irons could be tremendous for beginner golfers because they could learn the game with the same exact swing on every shot.
As mentioned earlier though, it’s controlling all of the variables that arise when building a set that becomes the main challenge. It is a time consuming process to get it done right, and it’s unclear whether or not a true system could be built to cut down on that time and cost.
We’ll have to wait and see.
Re “Personally I don’t believe I make different swings on any of my irons, or alter my ball positions.” I question this. If you set up to a ball with a 3-iron and then I take that club away from you and give you a wedge, you will find you cannot reach the ball with that shorter club. You have to stand closer, bend over more, etc. Each length club has a slightly different swing.
Also, fitting a pro for single length clubs should be a vastly more difficult job than for a higher handicap amateur, but could not an amateur whose swing wasn’t completely learned not take a “standard” set of one length clubs and learn to swing with them instead of having to find the optimul length clubs for the swing they have already invested huge amounts of time into?
Having said all of that, I saw a study of one length clubs (quite some time ago) that showed that a very significant proportion of the differences between the distances of irons was due to the length differences of the shafts. It was not all just due to the loft angle differences. A set of standard lofted clubs was only about 5 yards different between clubs which is insufficient. I assume that since Mr. Wishon is offering a set of such clubs that that difficulty has been worked out (I presume with lofts quite different from the norm).
The Sterlings seem to be pretty well though of, I have read several positive reviews on them. Mark Crossfield said “I could easily play with these”. You can also get fitted for them by a Wishon fitter. So it’s not an off the rack thing. They retail for 950 dollars. Not nothing certainly, but not 10k.
I guess I didn’t want to sound like I was criticizing Woody unduly, but I am not sure he knows the SL market all that well. I have been intrigued with SL irons for a year or so and have done a good bit of research. There are actually three companies that market SL irons. There’s Tom Wishon’s Sterlings, in addition there is Pinhawk, which makes SL components (you can order just the heads and shaft them with the shaft of your choice, or they will assemble sets for you) and finally, One Iron Golf, which sells SL sets in 36.5, 37, and 37.5 lengths, if I recall correctly. All of these sets can be had for anywhere from 400 to 950 dollars, depending on how much you do on your own.
I tried to build a set for myself, using old Hogan Edge heads, they are forged and I knew I would have to do some bending to get it right. Ultimately, with the limits I have in my garage, the set didn’t quite work. The lower loft irons 4,5 and 6 tend to bunch. You can deal with this issue in a high tech way like Tom Wishon did with hi core faces and so on, engineering that I can’t duplicate. I believe there is a low tech solution in finding just the right shaft, and coupling that with loft adjustments, and perhaps going to a two length solution. One length for the 4-7 and another for 8-gap wedge. I was pleasantly surprised how effectively I hit my 9 and wedges at 36.5″. I had no problem with that. Chipping and pitching you just grip down a little, and full shots were a breeze. The extra length gets you a little more distance, so I never felt like I was forcing anything. There is a lot of tinkering involved, especially for the do it yourself approach. Bending, tons of lead tape, etc. This is how Bryson did his first set, and he says on his website that he felt they worked pretty well. It’s all up to him, of course, if he turns into Jordan Spieth (with more personality) then SL will take off. If he flops (which I don’t think is likely) or is more of a mid pack guy then the landscape will stay pretty much what it is.
I believe there is great promise in SL irons for good players who want to make a next level leap, and beginners especially. Everyone else is trickier, because of habit. Golf, is a very traditional, conservative game, and untraditional choices run into a big head wind, and Bryson has gotten a lot of “who does this kid think he is” reaction that I feel is underserved. His ideas are backed by science/physics, in which he has has a degree, and the studies of Homer Kelly, and anyone who has read, or even attempted to read his book knows is extensive. The physics makes sense, and let’s face it, almost everyone hits their 7 iron fairly well. I got interested because like Matt Dobyn, (although on a more modest scale) I did some stat work and realized that my 7.9 index would be considerably lower, if I hit more greens. I have long thought, in a “gut feeling” sort of way that this was the case, but seeing the numbers really brought he reality home. I felt, and still feel, that SL irons could really help. However, my “do it yourself” approach is time consuming, and I am not there yet.
This is probably more info than anyone wants to know, but I through it in there anyway.
Btw, I really like Practical Golf, I read every post.
Oh, and in response to a question Steve poses in his post. It’s actually the other way around. The most significant factor in the length of a golf shot is loft, the shaft length is secondary, roughly 85 per cent of carry is loft.
John – First off, thank you for being a reader of the site. I really appreciate the kind words!
I assure you Woody knows all of the players in the market, I don’t think you are going to find many guys who know more about fitting clubs than him. His business has been recognized as one of the best for over 30 years, and the best players trust them because they always do right by golfers. Woody is not opposed to single length irons at all, as I mentioned be believes they can help players and is excited about the concept. However, he can’t ignore his instincts as a fitter. Getting them right will take time (as you experienced building your own set), you are going to need to get fitted properly by an experienced professional. Unfortunately most golfers purchase clubs off the rack, and many of the big retailers don’t have people who know how to truly fit clubs properly. Those are two huge hurdles that in my opinion could prevent the concept from catching on. However, let’s say Cobra Golf comes out with a set that shows promise, then maybe you could see things changing quickly.
Again, these are just our thoughts and I always welcome feedback on articles. The concept of single length irons can work, and it’s possible that it could be a significant part of the club market down the road. We will just have to wait and see.
Jon and I spoke in depth about the engineering needed to make a one length club head work and about the manufactures currently making heads for one length. The key here is they are unproven, not to say they don’t work or won’t work for you. When a set of clubs leaves our shop we need to be sure that they will work for that client and it takes a lot of testing before we can be sure a product or design will work. I am not telling you it can’t be done, I am just saying that if you want our name on something it needs to be done 100% correct.
Woody, isn’t any new club “unproven”? Do you carry any current equipment in your shop? What is it about Sterling club heads that needs more testing?
Jon, does it make any sense that a random, engineered off-the-rack conventional set would perform any better or worse than an engineered off-the-rack single length set? (a poor fit is a poor fit)
Intuitively, wouldn’t it be easier to learn to hit one poorly fit iron than learn to hit eight poorly fit irons?
Thanks,
Art
Art – I think the theory is that a poorly-fit set of single length irons could possibly throw a lot more variables into the mix than a conventional set simply because it’s a concept that has not been validated by a wide variety of golfers yet. Cobra has since announced a set that will hit the market sometime next year, so it will be interesting to see how it does, and how golfers perform with it.
Scoring well on the golf course is having good course management, accurate golf shots and patience. Having a good set of golf clubs in your hand will help to achieve good scoring as well but if you can’t get on the green in regulation or you can’t putt then no matter what kind of clubs you have in your bag you will not be shooting par golf.
Golf club manufacturers always need a new angle to sell more clubs from year to year (adjustable driver heads for instance or the latest wedge that has more accuracy). One length clubs fit into this catagory and why not? A shaft manufacturer can pump out single length shafts without a single set-up change to the machine and I am sure there are other factors that can reduce the cost of making a one length shaft which would help the bottom line (the real reason to be in business). Club head manufacturers have a new line to produce as well.
All in all it will depend on the professional golfers. If they can use one length clubs successfully and get paid enough endorsement money the clubs will sell.
How can single-length club sets possibly “throw a lot more variables into the mix than a conventional set” ??
You REMOVE variables very obviously:
– same shaft length, same head weight, same lie angle (all different in conventional sets)
– the only material variable is the loft angle (no different for conventional sets)
– same address, same distance to the ball, same body position
– same swing dynamics and balance as a consequence of the above
And the rest is just practise, like with any club set. So no, there are not more variables, on the contrary.
Oh and I forgot the manufacturer angle already touched upon by Charles above: in the end, once they decide to actually make them, these single-length sets will end up simpler and cheaper to manufacture, AND test.
For me it works (!), see my detailed journey including stats on the course for 2017 compared to previous “regular” set in 2016
🙂
https://golf-made-in-us.blogspot.com/2017/05/switching-to-single-length-golf-clubs.html