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The One Length Challenge : My Journey

SuperStroke
Well it was another rainy weekend here in normally somewhat dry central California. Decided to grab the rain gear and head out in the muck. Headed to the range to get some work in with the One Lengths.

After warning up with the orange whip, I decided I would start in reverse order to my typical start of range time. Went with the 5 iron and after a couple of chunks, started hitting some pretty good shots. I forgot my range finder so all I had was targets at the range to go by. The area I was going to was about 180 yards out and from my point of view I was consistently getting it close to the pole that represented that yardage. Only got a couple that seemed to go past that marker, but I was in the area most of the time. I was really happy with what I was getting with that 5 iron as I have mentioned, I typically don't carry one.

Next I mixed up some 6 and 7 irons. There was another marker at about 165 that I began to hit to. The 6 iron was topping out just past the 165 spot while the 7 iron was about 10 or so yards short of it. I tried hitting some draws and was able to get a touch of movement on most shots but not a lot of draw. Again as I have stated many times, these are just straight. Can't get upset about that...at least not me.

Moved on to some short irons. For me, this is where I have seen the most trouble. 5 and 6 iron being short do not bother me at all. However, I am still having issues looking at the 9-GW. The heads are a little bigger than what I have played with over the last few years, so a game improvement club is definitely taking some time for my eyes and brain to adjust to. I know when I am standing over a shot with the GW, it just looks like a shovel to me. I also feel like I may need to check the lie angle of it, as it just does not sit right to me. I tend to keep my hands low and it just feels a little awkward when I swing it. Enough of the negatives. Although I fight my perceptions of the looks of the short irons, they seem to work pretty well for me. The 8 iron is consistently getting me around 145-150 yards, while the 9 seems to top out at 130-135. As I work down to the PW, that is the one club that I have truly noticed a decent amount of distance loss compared to my variable set. 120 yards was one of my favorite distances. It was pretty much a 90%, firm PW for me. I have yet to hit that number with the OL's. I have to step on it to get close to 115 right now. Shots are straight, as every other shot has been, but just cannot get it to 120. Not a huge deal as I have learned to manage my game around distances like that. As I have mentioned also in the past, GW continues to top out at 100-105.

So the question has been brought up(Kevin81002) about gapping. I think the gaps have been fine throughout the set. My expectations have been tempered as far as the distance increase I thought I might see, as they just haven't been there. I am not blaming the clubs as I am still not swinging great. Mixed in with some unexpected crappy weather, plus it finally starting to become winter, the distance decrease could just be a simple matter of the time of year. I would be interested to see how these play as the weather turns warmer(could this be a subtle spoiler?)

By the time I was ready to hit the first tee, it began raining. I did a quick check over to see if I had begun to melt, and when I realized I hadn't, it was time to play. This is going to be pretty short and sweet. The fairways were pretty drenched. I played 18 and shot 86. Most of my iron shots were consistently straight. With the constant 10 mile an hour wind that was blowing, it was hard to get completely dialed in. I did not over shoot any greens. I did hit 10/18. Was always short of the hole. I think I am still fighting these a bit. Haven't completely learned to trust the swing or the results of the range time and previous rounds with the OL's. However, I have never had this string of rounds with the number of greens hit like I have had with the OL's. It's pretty eye opening. While I am not seeing the distance I am used to or like, I am starting to see some actual results that matter. More greens mean more chances of saving par and a few more chances at birdies that I normally wouldn't have had. It's a little eye opening.

Decisions....decisions...can they be bought??? HAHAHAHAHA!
 
Very nice write up, Tim. This has been a fun follow.
 
kevin81002 said:
Very nice write up, Tim. This has been a fun follow.
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Thanks Kevin. I appreciate everyone following along. I feel like I tend to get a little long winded sometimes and I apologize.
 
wait, the 10 mph wind was bothering you? GTFO.

This has been a good follow and I would rather have too much info than not enough. Really been a good job.

As far as gapping, seems like very solid from 5-9, and actually between PW/GW has been good, but a big gap between 9 and PW am I right? Wonder if adjusting the loft on those might help? if you could keep the 9I at 130, get the PW to 115-118 or so if your GW was at 105 that would be a pretty ideal set up, or maybe I am just daft.
 
mancest said:
wait, the 10 mph wind was bothering you? GTFO.

This has been a good follow and I would rather have too much info than not enough. Really been a good job.

As far as gapping, seems like very solid from 5-9, and actually between PW/GW has been good, but a big gap between 9 and PW am I right? Wonder if adjusting the loft on those might help? if you could keep the 9I at 130, get the PW to 115-118 or so if your GW was at 105 that would be a pretty ideal set up, or maybe I am just daft.
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I agree that adjusting the gapping and doing a "retrofit" (especially if you decide to keep going with OL) is worth it. From my dabbles with OL I found that I was trying to swing too hard with the PW and upwards which due to the loft led to a pretty inefficient strike that went waaaay too high. Doing a 3/4 swing (in my head at least...) brought the flight down and improved contact significantly and I was seeing a lot better yardages. I also put the ball further back in my stance.
 
Little update:

I have gotten in a few more rounds and range sessions since my decision to keep with the OL's. My swing is a little bit of a mess and has been for while. I know that has been the culprit in my distance issues and not the clubs. While I am fighting through it, I can't help but be amazed at how straight these clubs are. It's point and shoot with these things. Dispersion has been really nice. Not a lot of clunkers. Not sure if the 5 iron will stay in the bag as it's the least dependable right now. As I mentioned before, I pretty much gave up using a 5 iron with my variable set and had been going with a 5 hybrid. I have been working on shortening up my back swing to get a more consistent strike and it's helped and I am hoping I can gradually work to increase it to get some of my distance back. Next plan of attack is to re-grip. Not a fan of the crossline style. I much prefer a corded grip like the mcc new decade multicompound. I am very much a "feel" player, and if it doesn't feel right in the hands, I don't want it there.:cool:
 
Haven't read every post but have read several. My thinking is that if you get away from a preconceived distance for the clubs and work with what distance you are actually hitting them they would work fine. Straight is hard to beat if you are hitting greens.
 
GG194 said:
Haven't read every post but have read several. My thinking is that if you get away from a preconceived distance for the clubs and work with what distance you are actually hitting them they would work fine. Straight is hard to beat if you are hitting greens.
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I think the preconceived notion is what makes people dislike things that help them. We mistakenly believe improvement has to do with length, but really consistency is the greatest improvement any golfer can make IMO.
 
GG194 said:
Haven't read every post but have read several. My thinking is that if you get away from a preconceived distance for the clubs and work with what distance you are actually hitting them they would work fine. Straight is hard to beat if you are hitting greens.
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This is a very good point and one that applies to any golfer's situation, not just those trying one-length.
 
I completely agree and is probably the hardest part of golf to come to grips with.
 
Curious to see how a 5h would work for you.

Appreciate you continuing to update and talk about your experience with these irons.

I also agree the Cobra Connect grips are my least favorite thing about them.
 
Sorry about the inactivity of this thread. I just haven’t played much in the last 3 or so weeks. I pulled a muscle in my back which has caused me to have my longest layoff in some time. I got a round in this past Monday at Pebble Beach. I had a THP buddy from Dallas that had never played it and he was going to be in the area so I booked one of the last twosomes the resort had during their special pricing promotion with the NCGA. I did not play very well and did struggle a bit from the inactivity. I did notice that with the layoff I didn’t have any second guessing of myself when I played and iron shot. Everything Just felt right. I think I have finally gotten used to the feel of the swing with the OL and it’s becoming a bit “second nature”. I noticed distances were a little better, although I pulled quite a few iron shots. I think I may not have taken into account losing distance in the winter when I was griping about it. Still considering the possibility of adding OL hybrids. I would love to try some as I really enjoy playing hybrids.
 
time4tim said:
Sorry about the inactivity of this thread. I just haven’t played much in the last 3 or so weeks. I pulled a muscle in my back which has caused me to have my longest layoff in some time. I got a round in this past Monday at Pebble Beach. I had a THP buddy from Dallas that had never played it and he was going to be in the area so I booked one of the last twosomes the resort had during their special pricing promotion with the NCGA. I did not play very well and did struggle a bit from the inactivity. I did notice that with the layoff I didn’t have any second guessing of myself when I played and iron shot. Everything Just felt right. I think I have finally gotten used to the feel of the swing with the OL and it’s becoming a bit “second nature”. I noticed distances were a little better, although I pulled quite a few iron shots. I think I may not have taken into account losing distance in the winter when I was griping about it. Still considering the possibility of adding OL hybrids. I would love to try some as I really enjoy playing hybrids.
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I wouldn't hesitate to throw in a one length hybrid if you don't find the height of the 5 iron acceptable. I have bagged the F7 Ones for close to 3 years now, and I moved to the 22 degree F8 one length the first chance I got (ditching the 5 iron) and haven't looked back since. It provided better height and a little more distance to where I have zero gapping issues.

Now I will say I tried the 19 degree F8 One as well, and did not find the same success. But the 22 degree was, and is still fantastic.
 
Thinking about giving these a try. I have been going through this thread but wondering if anyone know if this tends to be a better option for high handicappers or better golfers? It seems appealing as a high handicapper that I can work on one swing length.
 
jvbart said:
Thinking about giving these a try. I have been going through this thread but wondering if anyone know if this tends to be a better option for high handicappers or better golfers? It seems appealing as a high handicapper that I can work on one swing length.
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It's useful for any skill of golfer, but I think the biggest benefits come to high cappers.
 
I picked up a set of F9 irons off FleaBay in December at a great price. I'm planning to play them for our yearly trip to Orlando at the end of February. I have 5-PW, not sure I have the swing speed for the 5 iron but I also have F8 19* and 22* hybrids (which I've played all last year) and they should fill the gap.
 
Homeyjoe99 said:
I picked up a set of F9 irons off FleaBay in December at a great price. I'm planning to play them for our yearly trip to Orlando at the end of February. I have 5-PW, not sure I have the swing speed for the 5 iron but I also have F8 19* and 22* hybrids (which I've played all last year) and they should fill the gap.
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Are they the OL variety or the VL?
 
Hybrids and irons are OL
 
I think it may have too low of a trajectory if I need it for par 3s. I tend to hit it fat or thin for some reason. I'm fighting the subconscious thought that I need to swing it harder/differently than a 7 iron. I have no problem with the 'shorter' irons, the 5 is the only one I don't hit very well for some reason.
 
It's interesting the long irons are going lower, I would have expected the opposit. I usually see my ball flight dip with the 5i and 6i
 
Tim, are you hitting more GIR than with your variable set...?
 
One length people: Can you tell me your approximate 7 iron distance? Also, what’s your yardage gap between 5 and 9 iron. I just started experimenting with one length. I think the yardage at the store was off, but I was mainly looking at the gap. I had 46 yards between 5 iron and 9 iron which is almost exactly what I have with my current set gap wise.
 
JDax said:
Tim, are you hitting more GIR than with your variable set...?
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I have been averaging about 2-3 more GIRs than what I was seeing but distances are shorter than what I had with the Apex 19’s.
 
oumagic said:
One length people: Can you tell me your approximate 7 iron distance? Also, what’s your yardage gap between 5 and 9 iron. I just started experimenting with one length. I think the yardage at the store was off, but I was mainly looking at the gap. I had 46 yards between 5 iron and 9 iron which is almost exactly what I have with my current set gap wise.
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5i 182
6i 175
7i 164
8i 151
9i 143

based off what I remember from GG
 
time4tim said:
I have been averaging about 2-3 more GIRs than what I was seeing but distances are shorter than what I had with the Apex 19’s.
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I played apex 19 and they were silly long, actually stoped playing them and went back to Srixons because the apex 19 was too long.
 
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