one length irons test

RoadRunner · 31-10-2018 2:27pm #1

I picked up a new set of King Forged one length irons about a month ago. Saw them going for a good deal in mcguirks.

A couple of people are asking me about them and I seem to be repeating myself, so I thought I'd scribble down a few notes about them and maybe update as I go along.

Top Pros:
Savage looking irons! Longer irons (is that right now?) are easier to hit.

Worst Con:
Lads on course see them and instantly yack on about bryson desh. (sp?) It's uncanny. Literally. Every. Time.

More on them:
The pw goes a mile. Too far for me, so I had to also get a new (used) wedge to cover a big gap between my 52 wedge and the 45 set wedge.

The 4i and 5i do fly slightly less. And there's another gap forming between my new 4i and my next club up which is a 2i. Not the biggest issue and I won't bother doing anything about it.

Beginning to feel like I have too many irons just covering a range of 130m - 170m. Did a gap test on trackman and found my 7i and 8i flew the same distance in the number of shots i hit.

I nearly took them out of my bag to seel as I was starting to carry my old PW alongside my new PW as they both covered a different range. But now I picked up a used 48 wedge which I like and recently sold my old set of mizuno irons.

Missing the centre of the club "high" or "heavy" with these is very punishing.

Accuracy seems good.

Long irons are easier to hit.

Long irons better for utility purposes. Eg need to punch a 4 or 5 iron out of the trees back to the fairway.

One of the issues mentioned by others is that the longer irons fly too low. This hasn't been an issue for me. Also the pw does fly higher, but I feel like I can control this okay, flight down if necessary or hit an easier 9i below the wind.

For chipping they feel okay, but still a bit nervous here.

Here's my setup
M2 driver and 3wood
Mizuno 2i
Cobra 4i - pw.
Cleveland 48, 52, 58.

Anyway back to work now. Any Q's or anyone else try them out and have anything to add?

prawnsambo · 31-10-2018 3:32pm

You're not really 'selling' this as a concept.

It sounds like a lot of drawbacks. Just in summary, my takeaways were:

Off-centre hits are heavily punishing.
Gaps aren't consistent
Shorter irons seem to be going too far - which seems to me to to mean more gap issues?
You've been very close to getting rid of them
You say the long irons seem easier to hit, but at the same time aren't flying as far.

The only positive (from a golfing point of view) is that they 'seem' to be accurate?

Keano · 31-10-2018 5:02pm

Why the sudden desire to play single length is my only question?

GreeBo · 31-10-2018 5:42pm

45* is a low enough loft for a Wedge.

RoadRunner · 31-10-2018 6:38pm

prawnsambo wrote:

It sounds like a lot of drawbacks.

Sry, might not have been clear, see below :pac:

RoadRunner wrote: »

Savage looking irons!

prawnsambo · 31-10-2018 8:12pm

RoadRunner wrote: »

Sry, might not have been clear, see below :pac:

Yeah. I filed that under "non golfing reasons". :P

RoadRunner · 01-11-2018 10:00am

Keano wrote: »

Why the sudden desire to play single length is my only question?

Fewer variables in my game now. Always hit my 7i well. High swingspeed means I don't struggle to get these low irons airborne. I'm a good candidate for this in theory and i like a challenge. At the end of the day i had been interested in trying them out but price (of new irons) was a big factor for me to not do that. Saw a new set going for a good price in mcguirks which was key.

Golfgorfield · 02-11-2018 12:41pm

RoadRunner wrote: »

I picked up a new set of King Forged one length irons about a month ago. Saw them going for a good deal in mcguirks.

A couple of people are asking me about them and I seem to be repeating myself, so I thought I'd scribble down a few notes about them and maybe update as I go along.

Top Pros:
Savage looking irons! Longer irons (is that right now?) are easier to hit.

Worst Con:
Lads on course see them and instantly yack on about bryson desh. (sp?) It's uncanny. Literally. Every. Time.

More on them:
The pw goes a mile. Too far for me, so I had to also get a new (used) wedge to cover a big gap between my 52 wedge and the 45 set wedge.

The 4i and 5i do fly slightly less. And there's another gap forming between my new 4i and my next club up which is a 2i. Not the biggest issue and I won't bother doing anything about it.

Beginning to feel like I have too many irons just covering a range of 130m - 170m. Did a gap test on trackman and found my 7i and 8i flew the same distance in the number of shots i hit.

I nearly took them out of my bag to seel as I was starting to carry my old PW alongside my new PW as they both covered a different range. But now I picked up a used 48 wedge which I like and recently sold my old set of mizuno irons.

Missing the centre of the club "high" or "heavy" with these is very punishing.

Accuracy seems good.

Long irons are easier to hit.

Long irons better for utility purposes. Eg need to punch a 4 or 5 iron out of the trees back to the fairway.

One of the issues mentioned by others is that the longer irons fly too low. This hasn't been an issue for me. Also the pw does fly higher, but I feel like I can control this okay, flight down if necessary or hit an easier 9i below the wind.

For chipping they feel okay, but still a bit nervous here.

Here's my setup
M2 driver and 3wood
Mizuno 2i
Cobra 4i - pw.
Cleveland 48, 52, 58.

Anyway back to work now. Any Q's or anyone else try them out and have anything to add?

Very risky buying these off the shelf without a fitting on Trackman, with single length irons you 100% need lofts adjusted to make sure the yardage gaps are consistent. These would have been made as mass produced and each iron would have a + or - tolerance so the lofts are likely all over the place as well as the lies. Go find a good fitter with a trackman and get them adjusted. (do not go somewhere that only has a net)

RoadRunner · 02-11-2018 12:55pm

Golfgorfield wrote: »

Very risky buying these off the shelf without a fitting on Trackman, with single length irons you 100% need lofts adjusted to make sure the yardage gaps are consistent. These would have been made as mass produced and each iron would have a + or - tolerance so the lofts are likely all over the place as well as the lies. Go find a good fitter with a trackman and get them adjusted. (do not go somewhere that only has a net)

Interesting point. The lies are bang on for me, but lofts too strong on the pw and 9. I guess I could have bent them open a little. Will bear that in mind as an option in the future if I stick with them for the long term.

benny79 · 02-11-2018 3:14pm

The thinker man of the golf forum! De-Roadrunner, you will have to start wearing the caps now

Dbu · 02-11-2018 4:22pm

Before I ask you a question, Whats your handicap Roadrunner?

RoadRunner · 02-11-2018 4:49pm

benny79 wrote: »

The thinker man of the golf forum! De-Roadrunner, you will have to start wearing the caps now

don't do that :rolleyes:

Dbu wrote: »

Before I ask you a question, Whats your handicap Roadrunner?

Just back up to 9 after a few weeks at 8.

prawnsambo · 03-11-2018 10:01pm

Looks like that question is a doozy.

The Premier Man · 04-11-2018 1:30pm

I played a round with them last summer while on holidays in the US. I couldn't believe how easy they were to hit, long irons went slightly less but I'm talking 5-10 yards max. I found the pw and 9 very easy to hit aswell, they did go further then normal but I was also playing in 30+ degree heat which would have a big effect compared to playing here. After playing them I would have no problem buying them. Just to the negative lads out there, golf is a horses for courses game so just because some people don't agree with a one length concept doesn't mean your right.

prawnsambo · 04-11-2018 3:08pm

The Premier Man wrote: »

I played a round with them last summer while on holidays in the US. I couldn't believe how easy they were to hit, long irons went slightly less but I'm talking 5-10 yards max. I found the pw and 9 very easy to hit aswell, they did go further then normal but I was also playing in 30+ degree heat which would have a big effect compared to playing here. After playing them I would have no problem buying them. Just to the negative lads out there, golf is a horses for courses game so just because some people don't agree with a one length concept doesn't mean your right.

I wouldn't make any kind of definitve statement about them without trying them first. But what's being said here isn't exactly selling them imo. Like you say there that the PW and 9i are very easy to hit. I can't really see that as a positive since they are probably the easiest clubs hit in conventional irons as well. Certainly never heard anyone saying they were havng problems hitting those clubs.

The advantage that I see from them is a 'one swing fits all' kind of approach. De Chambeau has a very similar swing with all clubs, but it looks terribly robotic. And for me, playing with irons is all about different types of swings for different conditions and shot shapes. So you have to be able to be a bit creative depending on what you are facing. In other words, iron play should be about adaptability rather than robotics.

GreeBo · 04-11-2018 11:23pm

Why can't you hit different shots with these irons?

RoadRunner · 05-11-2018 2:16pm

prawnsambo wrote: »

Looks like that question is a doozy.

Can't really blame it on the clubs. Poor shortgame cost me some +.1's also playing in windy leafy conditions recently doesn't suit my game.

RoadRunner · 05-11-2018 5:20pm

After playing 12 holes over the weekend I hit some good and bad shots. My trend with these seems to be that the good are very good but the bad are terrible.

Expanding on "terrible" more, where misses have happened they have been bad strikes, so poorly hit that they are basically knock-downs. They feel awful and you look stupid

Strangely this is okay with me from a longer-term prognosis. Once you deal with the feeling of wanting to throw the club into the trees. More often then not this type of mish1ts will be easily found and playable and will not have the distance to do too much damage.

I think I might be starting to prefer these when lie conditions are not perfect as I feel like if I'm above the ball i don't need to worry as much about length and head weight. I lashed together a quick image showing what I mean about regular lenght irons when your on a flat v's a sloped lie.

I feel a little more confidence in these situations with one length. I would previously allow (aim left) a different amount based on 1) The gradient and 2) the length of the iron I'm using. Whereas now I think this is a little easier. But again I think it will take many months to get the real feel for these types of differences.

Quick footnote: I'm not trying to sell this concept or try to get others doing samething. I'd agree this is not for everyone. Also I've been focusing more on the negatives of this concept, as I think for the purposes of this game minimizing the destructiveness of the weaknesses you have is more important then focusing on what the perfect strike and conditions can achieve.

RoadRunner · 05-11-2018 6:38pm

GreeBo wrote: »

45* is a low enough loft for a Wedge.

The shaft is longer and the head is lighter, swing speed is up, these combined along with the slightly strong loft means it gets out there.

ShivasIrons · 05-11-2018 7:44pm

prawnsambo wrote: »

The advantage that I see from them is a 'one swing fits all' kind of approach. De Chambeau has a very similar swing with all clubs, but it looks terribly robotic. And for me, playing with irons is all about different types of swings for different conditions and shot shapes. So you have to be able to be a bit creative depending on what you are facing. In other words, iron play should be about adaptability rather than robotics.

The robotic DeChambeau is number 5 in the world, so he must be doing something right.

GreeBo · 05-11-2018 10:00pm

RoadRunner wrote: »

The shaft is longer and the head is lighter, swing speed is up, these combined along with the slightly strong loft means it gets out there.

Sorry, I meant low as in strong.
I wouldnt have thought it would need such a strong loft considering it already has a longer shaft?

RoadRunner · 05-11-2018 11:49pm

GreeBo wrote: »

I wouldnt have thought it would need such a strong loft considering it already has a longer shaft?

me too, if I could change anything it would be to spread the loft out more and/or remove a club from the set.

RoadRunner · 05-11-2018 11:58pm

See my post #1, 4th line down, the worst Con of these Irons

It's Uncanny.

benny79 wrote: »

The thinker man of the golf forum! De-Roadrunner, you will have to start wearing the caps now..

Literally.

prawnsambo wrote: »

De Chambeau has a very similar..

Every.

ShivasIrons wrote: »

The robotic DeChambeau is number 5 in the world, so he must..

Time.

RoadRunner · 06-11-2018 1:02am

prawnsambo wrote: »

what's being said here isn't exactly selling them imo. Like you say there that the PW and 9i are very easy to hit. I can't really see that as a positive since they are probably the easiest clubs hit in conventional irons as well. Certainly never heard anyone saying they were havng problems hitting those clubs.

For me hitting a regular Pw or 9i is/was not really a "problem" as such. It's not that I struggles with a wedge or a 4iron. I'll guess I'll try explain what I see as the main driver of this test for me.

The Length of the shaft of a regular pw is obv. different to the 9 which is different to the 8 and so on. To keep the clubs feeling the same weight the head weight of the wedge is heavier, and the head weight of the longer clubs is reduced. The clubs I moved from were dg amt shafts. Nice clubs and shafts, they worked well for me. BUT they are actually different weighted shafts too that get lighter as the clubs get longer (so as to help get the longer irons up in the air and get swing speed up). There's a lot going on. Put me and most others on the range, given any club, say a 4i and 20 balls. Probably not on the first, second or even third ball.. but by the 20th I've found my groove and could likely impress the pants of your sister.

So, again, hitting a regular pw or 9i is not a problem. But if your next shot is a 4iron, the length&weight of the club is different. So the short heavy headed pw that you just swung well bears little relation to the next swing you are about to take with the next club which is a longer shafted lighter headed club.

Perhaps my bg as a programmer means most work I do is geared towards making everything repeatable. The end goal for me is that each time I swing an iron I get to better know the feel, weight and my own hand, wrist, elbow timing better and pick up more confidence in each shot. So that difficult 4i I've got to hit into the 16th green, well I've just hit 19 other shots just like it.

Now of course, all of this is a moot point if the negatives don't stack up, eg pw's are too hard to hit, 4 or 5 irons become worm-burners or can't be hit hard enough to stop on the other end.

Russman · 06-11-2018 6:20am

RoadRunner wrote: »

See my post #1, 4th line down, the worst Con of these Irons

It's Uncanny.

Literally.

Every.

Time.

I suppose, to be fair, no one would be trying one length irons were it not for him.

Each to their own and all that, and I’m certainly not knocking you or the idea of trying them, fair play for being open to it. But sometimes you’d swear Bryson was the first player to ever go to college the way he’s often feted. He’s a one off freak (neither a good nor bad thing) and imho, if his swing or his one length irons were a good idea, someone would have thought of them before now or already be swinging like him. I’ve no idea when he started using single length irons, but he was probably already a good player and is probably talented enough to use anything.
For me, I think the idea of a SW, PW & 9i being as long as my 7i is very off putting, particularly in terms of delicate or feel shots. Be very interested to hear how you go after a good length of time with them though.

benny79 · 06-11-2018 10:20am

RoadRunner wrote: »

Perhaps my bg as a programmer means most work I do is geared towards making everything repeatable. The end goal for me is that each time I swing an iron I get to better know the feel, weight and my own hand, wrist, elbow timing better and pick up more confidence in each shot. So that difficult 4i I've got to hit into the 16th green, well I've just hit 19 other shots just like it.

This is a very interesting point and makes total sense in theory. I find one length clubs very interesting just on this point alone.

We'll see how you go De-RoadRunner

kiers47 · 06-11-2018 11:46am

Playing single length Irons and being upset at being compared to DeChambeau is a bit like having a beard/man bun while shadowboxing in your nearest gym and getting annoyed about being compared to Conor McGregor.

RoadRunner · 06-11-2018 11:58am

touché, Definition of:
—used to acknowledge a hit in fencing or the success or appropriateness of an argument, an accusation, or a witty point

now can we move on (and hope this doesn't turn into a mcgregor chat too!)

kiers47 · 06-11-2018 12:05pm

Ah im only on the wind up

Interesting chat in here all the same.
I wonder would a 4-7 single length with regular 8-Wedge type set be of any benefit. Would seem to fit in with the general feedback that you are seeing.
You would lose some distance as you say with long irons but at least you could be more confident in the scoring clubs.

prawnsambo · 06-11-2018 12:55pm

Russman wrote: »

... if his swing or his one length irons were a good idea, someone would have thought of them before now or already be swinging like him. I’ve no idea when he started using single length irons, but he was probably already a good player and is probably talented enough to use anything.

It has been done before though. In fact, afaik, that's where De Chambeau started from. Bobby Jones used them at one stage I think. Tommy Armour produced them in 1989. The first ones were made by a Canadian company in 1986.

RoadRunner · 06-11-2018 1:10pm

kiers47 wrote: »

I wonder would a 4-7 single length with regular 8-Wedge type set be of any benefit. Would seem to fit in with the general feedback that you are seeing.
You would lose some distance as you say with long irons but at least you could be more confident in the scoring clubs.

I don't want to feel like I'm losing any confidence in the scoring clubs, if I see that (as more of a longer-term thing, rather then an odd bad shot here or there) then I'd be done with this fairly soon. You just can't have a club in your hand and be thinking "damn I hate this club". << edit: this exact thing was happening me with the wedge on day1 which gave me the initial hesitation, but I think I'm getting better now.

one length irons test

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