Single Length Irons

[Red_on_the_head]

I have had some in the bag for the past year and they have certainly improved my game. Designs and clubs have been somewhat limited. I have bought and sold Tommy Armour EQL's because I didn't like them. I tried building my own out of standard components but had problems getting the weights right. 1iron golf is out of my price range.

I ended up with a set of Purefit iMatch SL's right now and love them so far. I have also found out that another company(valuegolf.com) is coming out with some new heads but his are a little different and I think are going to be quite a bit better.

They come in a set 5-PW. The lofts have 5* increments starting at 25* for the 5 iron. They all weigh in at 265 grams for a head weight so you can easily adjust them to play at 6 iron, 7 iron or even 8 iron length. All of the lie angles come in at 62.5*

Has anyone seen these yet? Reactions?

[sean_miller]

I personally like the longer shafts in my current long irons. The extra clubhead speed is necessary to ensure proper distance gaps, in my opinion.

[Red_on_the_head]

  sean_miller said:

I personally like the longer shafts in my current long irons. The extra clubhead speed is necessary to ensure proper distance gaps, in my opinion.

and by "long irons" which ones are you talking about?

[sean_miller]

  Red_on_the_head said:

and by "long irons" which ones are you talking about?

2, 3, 4

I actually grip down on my mid and short irons and they're probably too short for me to begin with - basically, I think one iron would work for the 5, 6, 7, and 8 and I like a bit shorter shaft on the 9 and wedge.

[c. lassiter]

I always thought the Tommy Armour EQL's were one of the goofiest things ever offered in the club marketplace (though not as goofy as that one club you could buy in in-flight magazines in the 1970's that could be adjusted to any loft and length, as though a guy traveling was going to haul 1 unbelievably compromised club instead of borrowing a set of proper clubs from someone).

I do know a few guys who used to use an EQL 2-iron, and swore by it.

[Red_on_the_head]

  sean_miller said:

2, 3, 4

I hear what you're saying. There is one company with a set out there like that. They split the single length concept into two lengths so that your long irons are longer and your short irons are shorter but all fall into one of two lengths.

Have you ever tried one length for the 5,6,7, and 8 irons? This new set(not available yet but soon) starts at the 5 iron and goes the the PW. A 37 inch(or so) PW is hard to wrap your head around at first but when you get used to it I've found it extremely beneficial for a high handicapper for me. The PW in a traditional set is too short for me. Ever since I stumbled upon the concept online I haven't been able to figure out why clubs have been made in 1/2" increments for generations. The reviews from people who have given the SL concept a shot has been overwhelmingly positive. I am just happy that there is going to be another option out there. It looks like the ones produced from valuegolf.com are going to have a thinner sole which the rest of the SL irons out on the market today(new or old) have a wide sole.

[Red_on_the_head]

  c. lassiter said:

I always thought the Tommy Armour EQL's were one of the goofiest things ever offered in the club marketplace (though not as goofy as that one club you could buy in in-flight magazines in the 1970's that could be adjusted to any loft and length, as though a guy traveling was going to haul 1 unbelievably compromised club instead of borrowing a set of proper clubs from someone).

Haha, I actually have one of those adjustable irons too. I bought it as a novelty item for like $20 on ebay. I have never hit it.

The EQL's were ok. The only reason I didn't like them because the shafts were WAY too stiff for me and they were catching top dollar on ebay so I sold them. I couldn't beleive how long and straight I could hit the 2 iron. SL irons like the EQL's are not for everyone that's for sure but what I can't seem to figure out is that if you present a golfer who is brand new to the game. Pretend like he has never seen a set of golf clubs before. Let him pick between two sets and describe the differences to him. I'll bet you that he'll take the single length irons before the "standard" irons. If loft is the primary determinant of distance then why not take the rest of the variables out of play?

[RoverThomas]

Re: Anyone here play single length irons?
I have all the specs for:
• PUREFIT i-Match SL irons,
• PINHAWK SL irons, and
• 1-IRON SL irons.
I'm waiting on specs for SIMPLETON (who thought of that unfortunate name) irons.
But I can't discover the specs for TOMMY ARMOUR E.Q.L. irons.
Can anyone put me in touch with someone who knows where to get these specs please?

[Red_on_the_head]

  RoverThomas said:

Re: Anyone here play single length irons?

here is the patent for the EQLs

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3984103.pdf

[MGP]

I'm seriously thinking about building a set of these irons for next season. The clubhead design is very very similar to the Acer XP905 Pros that I have been gaming the past two seasons. I already have a bunch of FST Pro White iron shafts and like them so the cost will be very reasonable.

Should be an interesting experiment.

[RoverThomas]

Thank you RED ON THE HEAD for the very helpful reference to EQL specs.

MGP - I presume you understand the basic requirement of single length clubs - that they also have common weights and lie angles

[MGP]

  RoverThomas said:

Thank you RED ON THE HEAD for the very helpful reference to EQL specs.

Yes, I understand that. I was talking about building a set using the Pinhawk SL heads.

[double_j]

I've never heard of single length clubs. What's the benefit? It just seems like you'd be making your short irons hard to hit?

Would a 3 iron of 5 iron length travel much further than a standard 5 iron? If not, why not just hit the 5 iron?

[Red_on_the_head]

  double_j said:

I've never heard of single length clubs. What's the benefit? It just seems like you'd be making your short irons hard to hit?

Dave Tutelman wrote a very good piece on this exact question.

Check it out here : http://www.tutelman.com/golf/clubs/OneClub.php?ref= Basically, your irons will compress in distances a SMALL amount. Your PW will go a little farther and your 3 iron will become a little shorter. For most weekend hacks like myself SL irons are a godsend. The only thing you really need to know when using SL irons are the distances. The idea is that once all of the other variables are gone you can become more consistent with your ball striking. Imagine having the same swing for your 3 iron as your favorite club length. I'm completely sold on the idea. To address you question if your short irons harder to hit... I have found that after I got used to them I am more accurate than before with a little bit longer 7,8,9 and PW. This has to do with the consistency thing.

[Red_on_the_head]

  MGP said:

I'm seriously thinking about building a set of these irons for next season. The clubhead design is very very similar to the Acer XP905 Pros that I have been gaming the past two seasons. I already have a bunch of FST Pro White iron shafts and like them so the cost will be very reasonable.

When I first talked to Aaron about these he said that Hireko let him use the 905 mold for modeling these heads(I think anyway). I've never played the 905's but I've found that they get rave reviews from mid handicappers.

[RoverThomas]

Just checking if you built the PinHawks and if so what you think of them

Regards Rover

[mdaddy]

red ...do you still have those sl i match purefit irons ?

mdaddy@verizon.net

[Deryck Griffith]

Personally, I think the single length irons is band aid solution.  I have traditional 3-PW irons and my swing is not by any means "drastically different" throughout the entire set.  Sure, my 3i may flatten out on the backswing more than a PW due to the length but my "swing" per se isn't different.  I still have to hit all the proper positions with my body, shoulderes, arms; hinge correctly and transfer my weight correct (ie. to the left foot at impact).

If I don't execute those positions correctly, a single length iron set won't magically help my ballstriking.

How much has your game improved (handicap wise_ since you purchased the irons?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red_on_the_head

  None said:

The idea is that once all of the other variables are gone you can become more consistent with your ball striking. Imagine having the same swing for your 3 iron as your favorite club length.