One Length Irons Thread: Join the Revolution

[fuffle master]

For those that have played one length - when moving through the iron set, do you play the same ball position relative to your feet, or do you progress it rearward for shorter irons and maybe a touch forward for longer irons? Just curious....

Yes, that’s the biggest reason for my switch to OL. Trying to have the same ball position and swing no matter which club.

As pointed out, adjustments are made if trying to hit a knockdown or punch out shot.

 

[GraniteRoost]

Same works best for me. When I struggle most, it is because I move it around. That said, you can move it just like you would a normal 7i if you are trying to hit a knockdown shot or something. My problem seems to usually be when I let the 4 or 5 irons creep forward. I have tried the hybrid from middle of stance to forward and had my best shots with that club just a little forward, but I think all of the irons from 7i spot works best.

Thanks for the replies everyone, seems like good consensus. THP is wealth of good experience.

 

[JB]

I mentioned earlier updating from my range session, so here goes and bare with me this could get a little bit lengthy. I'm trying to find a few gaps if they exist because I want to test these thoroughly. Despite having a bit of a bad shoulder, I wanted to put them through their paces. So in the THP Tech Studio, I setup with each club 5-GW and 4 Hybrid.

Testing was 5 balls with each one all done using the Callaway Chrome Soft.

Distances are carry distances only.
Nothing was removed and I had a few rough swings in there that might have skewed results, so I will explain.

4 Hybrid: 194.1
5 iron: 186.1
6 iron: 174.7
7 iron: 162.4
8 iron: 151.9
9 iron: 139.7
PW: 131.7
GW: 117.9

The 4 Hybrid I had a pretty big miss where I hit it off the toe and lost a bit of speed. It brought the average down probably 2-3 yards.
The 9 iron I also had a pretty big miss where I caught it a bit thin and it carried pretty darn short, bringing that average down probably 3-4 yards.

Otherwise I think it was pretty spot on based on the GCQuad carry distances. There are some things I need to figure out. I continue to find myself swinging the 5 iron harder than the other clubs. Is it mean I am getting more out of it? No, actually. Im not. I have hit a few a pretty long way, especially when playing rounds, but generally the distance averages are on par with what I am used to seeing. Just some variances due to my mindset a bit that I am slowly overcoming.

The GW surprised me a bit. I thought I would hit it a little further, but it is right between 115 and 120, which oddly enough is exactly what I am looking for.

That is it in a nutshell. In the Tech Studio still seeing good ball flight across the board and no issues at all with settling in and swinging.

Bringing this back up to the latest post for gaps as I plan to play a round in the Tech Studio today. So far they seem to be in line with what I am seeing during the rounds.

 

[KEV]

Bringing this back up to the latest post for gaps as I plan to play a round in the Tech Studio today. So far they seem to be in line with what I am seeing during the rounds.

That has to comfort your mind and make you more comfortable with this setup seeing that kind of gapping.

Are you seeing good peak height and spin numbers?

 

[JB]

That has to comfort your mind and make you more comfortable with this setup seeing that kind of gapping.

Are you seeing good peak height and spin numbers?

Peak height has been exceptional. Working around 95 feet for me, which I am good with, although that fluctuates on the day with my swing.
I have been reluctant to discuss spin, because what I am seeing is better than I had previously seen with both One Length or Speedzone. Aboutbou 500-600 more on average than previously and it is approaching the level I was seeing with many other irons. @JDax last time was around 6200 with 8 iron and I was a bit more. Im tabling that a bit to not get too enthusiastic until I have a bit more time. I'll save the 2 swings and judgement for the youtubers

 

[Parrot]

how does lie angle work with OL sets?

I have always assumed same length + same swing = same lie, but they are quite different through the set.

View attachment 8978997

In fact even more of a change than the VL set.

View attachment 8978998

Seeing such upright lies in the 4 - 6 are scary for someone who fights a hook. When I was fit in the M6s a year and a half ago, my 5, 6 and 7 were standard lies (62, 62.5 and 63), the 8 and 9 were a degree flatter than standard (62.5 and 63) and the PW and GW a 1 1/2 degrees flatter (63). Interesting lies in the RAD OL to be sure. I was standard length in the 5-6, an inch long in the 7-9 and inch and a quarter long in the PW and GW.

There would need to be some fitting done but I'll go OL next year.

 

[smgoldstein]

Real game changer is the OL hybrid. Love it.

 

[JB]

Played some sim golf today with this set on a tough links course with the wind blowing. Shot right around 80 with a quad on the 9th hole. The quad came from a bad tee shot and then getting stuck behind a tree and hitting it twice. Took a 9 on a par 5. Only playing 4-Wedges on a 6100 yard course left an opportunity to hit a lot of different clubs.

Distances seemed to be right in line with what I posted above and I’m slowly dialing them in to where there is a confidence that I enjoy.

 

[BigDill]

Those are some solid numbers @JB. I would bet that most golfers wouldn’t think twice of picking up a VL set if they saw those numbers, so I hope it helps more people give OL a chance.

(Not the quad number. That was a traves-tree)

 

[hedley_lamarr08]

Totally normal to go 8 over 7i or heck, split the difference. Its only 0.5" so you could order the stock set -0.25" and wind up halfway between 8 and 7is. That's isn't going to dramatically change anything. Point is to be comfortable and confident!

I was thinking this way as well. The shorter club to help with my flat lie angle as well.

 

[fuffle master]

For others at what point do you think the OL is not usable? Do u go up to 4hybrid or higher up the bag? Same going down? Can you go all the way to your most lofted club?

When I purchased the F9 OL, I didn’t have much luck on the extreme areas. The 4 hybrid nor the wedges felt like I could get the correct flight.

 

[chile]

Now that I’ve got a year of playing under my belt...and an ugly but repeatable iron swing, I wouldn’t mind trying OL again...didn’t mind the F9s I had but I really had no clue about what was/wasn’t good for me at the time...it would be interesting to see how OL would play for me now...

 

[JDax]

I agree that the conversion rate may be lacking at the end of the day, still surprised at the amount of people who are open to it vs the past where majority shite on it.

Looking at the previous MCs (off of memory)

2018 Two people went OL @mjkladis and @PatsFan

2019 @phoffer

2020 @Jmk202 and @oumagic

it's not like we've seen a steady progression YOY, but based on what we're seeing in the forum looks like it may be 1/2 of the participants in the MC depending on who is lucky enough to punch their tickets.

If I get my Morgan Cup ticket punched, my MC bag would absolutely have OL irons in it.

The Revolution will not be televised...

 

[JDax]

For others at what point do you think the OL is not usable? Do u go up to 4hybrid or higher up the bag? Same going down? Can you go all the way to your most lofted club?

When I purchased the F9 OL, I didn’t have much luck on the extreme areas. The 4 hybrid not the wedges felt like I could get the correct flight.

I hit the OL 4 hybrid a ton tonight and the numbers were just as good as my Srixon H85 hybrid... That hybrid was Uber popular on here.

 

[JDax]

Played some sim golf today with this set on a tough links course with the wind blowing. Shot right around 80 with a quad on the 9th hole. The quad came from a bad tee shot and then getting stuck behind a tree and hitting it twice. Took a 9 on a par 5. Only playing 4-Wedges on a 6100 yard course left an opportunity to hit a lot of different clubs.

Distances seemed to be right in line with what I posted above and I’m slowly dialing them in to where there is a confidence that I enjoy.

I played this round with him (@JB won 81.5 to 82 with drama on the 18th hole). He was able to hit knock down shots with both the OL PW & GW.

We played from 6100 yards only using OL from 4H to GW. I switched to variable length CBX2 52° & 60° around the greens (that feedback is for another thread).

The OL 4 hybrid is a game changer, I saw distances from 200-215 consistently. The launch angle, spin, carry yardage, & ball speed was basically identical to what I have seen from my Srixon H85 4 hybrid when I’ve hit it in the Tech Studio. I was hitting some shots that were blocked to the right due to an open face, but this was because I kept wanting to move the ball more forward in my stance. Can’t do that, the ball position needs to stay the same.

The RAD Speed OL irons continue to be mashers and preform extremely well.

 

[Stemmy66]

I played this round with him (@JB won 81.5 to 82 with drama on the 18th hole). He was able to hit knock down shots with both the OL PW & GW.

We played from 6100 yards only using OL from 4H to GW. I switched to variable length CBX2 52° & 60° around the greens (that feedback is for another thread).,

The OL 4 hybrid is a game changer, I saw distances from 200-215 consistently. The launch angle, spin, carry yardage, & ball speed was basically identical to what I have seen from my Srixon H85 4 hybrid when I’ve hit it in the Tech Studio. I was hitting some shots that were blocked to the right due to an open face, but this was because I kept wanting to move the ball more forward in my stance. Can’t do that, the ball position needs to stay the same.

The RAD Speed OL irons continue to be mashers and preform extremely well.

Just to confirm the 4 hybrid is same length as irons? What is the swing weight for the hybrid?

 

[robo729]

I am enjoying this thread a lot. I had bought a used set of F9 OL and did not like them at all. They were too chunky for me. I like a thinner top line. If I was to be lucky enough to get a ticket to the Morgan Cup I would be looking at these RAD irons. I would be glad to be properly fitted for them, the F9 OL I was not fit for, I just purchased someones used set. The idea of OL is very intriguing to me, I have a lot of success with my 7 iron, I can hit consistently 160-165 and I do get enough height. But my current gamers are 716 AP1's which play a 1/2 inch shorter than the Cobra OL so I would have to order for an 8 iron length (37.00).
After reading this forum and following along I am hyped up to get a ticket to the Morgan Cup and jump in to the OL discussion and experiment a whole year with them and not just a few rounds.

 

[JB]

Just to confirm the 4 hybrid is same length as irons? What is the swing weight for the hybrid?

The hybrid is One Lngth but I have not cut it to 8 iron length yet. So it’s stock at 7 iron. I will cut and regrip this weekend.

 

[DataDude]

Thanks for sharing! I was looking over the specs on Cobra's site and noticed the OL 4 iron is actually higher lofted than the VL 4 iron in the RADSpeed. My intuition would have been the opposite. My thinking would be shorter shaft, slightly less speed, lower loft needed for similar distance. What is the math going on there?

 

[Luchnia]

If the clubs are OL and you swing the same swing speed, and your ball contact is consistent, then the lofts are what changes the distance between the clubs. I am not seeing any rocket science here at all. It simply makes sense to me. I guess my brain is simple that way.

 

[JB]

If the clubs are OL and you swing the same swing speed, and your ball contact is consistent, then the lofts are what changes the distance between the clubs. I am not seeing any rocket science here at all. It simply makes sense to me. I guess my brain is simple that way.

It’s not just lofts however.
Weight is crucial. That’s why the VL and OL club heads are not built the same

 

[JB]

For those following, here is a great video we shot with Mike Yagley a few years ago on what makes a golf club forgiving, and he dives into the differences in club heads between VL and OL. Including showing off two models that are cut in half to show the differences internally.

 

[gkeller813]

Great video that shows the construction while describing the why behind it. Really cool, and something I had not seen previously. I'm a visual learner, so this was perfect.

 

[DataDude]

If the clubs are OL and you swing the same swing speed, and your ball contact is consistent, then the lofts are what changes the distance between the clubs. I am not seeing any rocket science here at all. It simply makes sense to me. I guess my brain is simple that way.

Sorry, meant to say higher lofted. The OL 4 iron is 19.5* and the VL is 19*

 

[GoldenBuff]

I read through every post. OL is novel and there is an appeal in the sense that maybe there is a different way. But what I don’t see is evidence that OL measurably improves performance. It seems to be more of a same thing in a tweaked approach. The best I can muster so far is skeptical interest. I will follow along. For one I will be quite curious to see how long @jb’s experiment runs. By spring I will venture OL moves from exclusive use to occasional use. Any wagers?