1 iron golf

[The Big Schwag]

http://www.1irongolf.com

 

anyone trying this? or thoughts on the idea

[Placebo]

Things that make you go hmmmmm? Interesting idea, I'll be curious to see what the experts here have to say. That idea has been nagging me since I took up the game a few years ago.

[05_g35]

it is basically the Tom Wishon principle

[Smokey]

I've been playing the 1 Irons for two years and for me they're the best thing since sliced bread. I've got the 1 Iron Golf #3 iron through Lob Wedge, the #3 wood and the new Titanium Driver. In every category they exceed the performance of the Pings I used to play: distance, accuracy, etc. Plus using the same swing and set-up with all the clubs is simple and just makes common sense. BTW, I'm currently a 5 handicap and was a 10 handicap when I played the Pings.

[Charlie_Foxtrot]

http://www.1irongolf.com

 

anyone trying this? or thoughts on the idea

 

Q: Why are golf clubs made with different lengths?

 

A: Quite frankly, it is because - that is how it has always been done. There is absolutely no mechanical basis for it.

 

 

Okay, I am not an engineer (nor do I play one on television), but isn't the mechanical basis that the the longer the lever (the shaft of the club), the greater the leverage (ball flight distance)?

 

I'm not say their clubs don't work (I have no idea whether they do or not), I just think their statement seems a little melodramatic.

[bobcat]

It is the combination of varying shaft length and loft that provides the proper distance spacing between clubs. If you make every shaft the same length then you must rely soley on loft to very the distance between them.

 

Really don't see the "one length" idea catching on with serious golfers....

[CashmereGoatJ]

The reason longer equals farther for a golf club has to do with the tangential velocity of the clubhead. For the same d(theta)/dt at your shoulders and body (let's say an 80% swing) the velocity at the end of the arc will be greater for a longer arc (longer club and that's also why taller people have a natural advantage in golf, they move can their body slower and get the same clubhead speed or move their bodies the same rate and get higher clubhead speed). Also, the arm-golf club unit is a class 3 lever so the longer the club, the greater amount of work you need to do to move the same load.

[The Big Pinch]

This is a concept that I have been thinking about very much. The idea of having a "one swing" swing approach to golf seems extremely solid. I would imagine that it would take time to become comfortable with the visual changes found when addressing the golf ball. However, when a person is able to make a confident swing again, I can only see improvement being in the future of those who stick with it.

It's not a new idea either. I remember as a teenager (born '74) seeing the Tommy Armour EQL irons which were all one length and being intrigued by the idea. They didn't last long though. I think people were afraid of being seen as desperate or something.

 

WOW...that was cool. No idea what you said but still cool ;)

[Young04]

interesting idea...would be nice to have a shorter 3 iron (the lofts on these long irons is stronger - presumably to make up for the clubs' lack of length), but by the same token, i like having a 9I or PW that i can stand over and really whack. not that i find a 7 iron (which all of these irons are apparently the length of) unwieldy per se, but when i'm in the rough, i feel more confident making a hard aggressive swing straight down on the ball with something the length of a 9I than a 7I...

 

has anyone ACTUALLY played these clubs?

[Charlie_Foxtrot]

The reason longer equals farther for a golf club has to do with the tangential velocity of the clubhead. For the same d(theta)/dt at your shoulders and body (let's say an 80% swing) the velocity at the end of the arc will be greater for a longer arc (longer club and that's also why taller people have a natural advantage in golf, they move can their body slower and get the same clubhead speed or move their bodies the same rate and get higher clubhead speed). Also, the arm-golf club unit is a class 3 lever so the longer the club, the greater amount of work you need to do to move the same load.

 

;) I think my hypothalamus just exploded.

[mr_divots]

I can't see these being very good like when you have the ball well above your feet or something where you don't necessarily want your PW to be the same length as your 5 iron.

[herkyjerk]

That's funny because I always knock the everloving shiznit out of my daughters La Jolla junior stick, about the same length as a wedge. Hmmmmmmm

[Smokey]

I found this post by David Lake (company President) on another forum:

 

I thought that I would post an excerpt from an article I wrote a few years ago on club length versus distance. I hope that it provides a little food for thought on the subject.

 

“Theorists will point to the radial arm length in a golf swing as being the prime determinant of swing speed; stating that the longer the radial arm, the greater the swing speed and resultant distance in a golf shot. A common misconception is that club length alone is used to define this radial arm length. Regardless of how many hinging points and resultant secondary arcs/planes are involved, the true center of a golf swing is a point somewhere between the golfer's shoulders (this center point moves laterally between the shoulders during the swing). Hence, you must include the golfer's arm length into the radial arm length equation for any meaningful analysis. Therefore, assuming a 37” iron length and an arm length of 24”, the actual radial arm length in the golf swing is 61”. This means that a 1/2” increase in club length results in a radial arm length increase of 1/122nd or 0.008197. A 2” increase in club length results in a radial arm length increase of 1/30.5 or 0.032787. As you can see, these fractional increases in radial arm length will not produce any measurable increase in swing speed or distance. In fact, the only thing that incremental increases in club length will produce is a progressive lack of control and poor ball striking.

 

For those demanding additional analysis on the affects of club length increases in relation to distance other factors need to be considered:

1) If the average golfer swings a #5 iron five times he will record five different swing speeds varying +/- 5mph.

2) Each incremental increase in club length results in lessened average center-face contact, which results in decreased distance.

 

Consequently, any increases in club length have to be analyzed in relation to decreases in center-face contact for each incremental club length increase in order to produce effective data. As per above, a 2” increase in club length results in only a 0.032787 increase in the radial arm length of a golf swing with a virtually immeasurable increase in swing speed. Even if there was a measurable increase in swing speed our testing has shown that a 2" increase in club length dramatically reduces the percentage of center face hits, and impact just 1/4" off center-face can reduce distance by 10 to 15 yards. Add to this the fact that the average golfer is incapable of producing a constant swing speed with any golf club, and you can plainly see through the myth that club length is the primary determinant of distance.”

 

David Lake, President

1 Iron Golf, Inc.

 

 

Anyway, after I got used to using the single length clubs (it does take some getting used to after years playing regular irons) my distances went up about 5 yards with every iron and I've got a ten yard gap between each one of them. The real benefit comes from being able to nail a #3 iron 10 out of 10 times instead of 4 or 5 out of 10.

[Charlie_Foxtrot]

The reason longer equals farther for a golf club has to do with the tangential velocity of the clubhead. For the same d(theta)/dt at your shoulders and body (let's say an 80% swing) the velocity at the end of the arc will be greater for a longer arc (longer club and that's also why taller people have a natural advantage in golf, they move can their body slower and get the same clubhead speed or move their bodies the same rate and get higher clubhead speed). Also, the arm-golf club unit is a class 3 lever so the longer the club, the greater amount of work you need to do to move the same load.

 

;) I think my hypothalamus just exploded.

 

 

I found this post by David Lake (company President) on another forum:

 

I thought that I would post an excerpt from an article I wrote a few years ago on club length versus distance. I hope that it provides a little food for thought on the subject.

 

“Theorists will point to the radial arm length in a golf swing as being the prime determinant of swing speed; stating that the longer the radial arm, the greater the swing speed and resultant distance in a golf shot. A common misconception is that club length alone is used to define this radial arm length. Regardless of how many hinging points and resultant secondary arcs/planes are involved, the true center of a golf swing is a point somewhere between the golfer's shoulders (this center point moves laterally between the shoulders during the swing). Hence, you must include the golfer's arm length into the radial arm length equation for any meaningful analysis. Therefore, assuming a 37” iron length and an arm length of 24”, the actual radial arm length in the golf swing is 61”. This means that a 1/2” increase in club length results in a radial arm length increase of 1/122nd or 0.008197. A 2” increase in club length results in a radial arm length increase of 1/30.5 or 0.032787. As you can see, these fractional increases in radial arm length will not produce any measurable increase in swing speed or distance. In fact, the only thing that incremental increases in club length will produce is a progressive lack of control and poor ball striking.

 

For those demanding additional analysis on the affects of club length increases in relation to distance other factors need to be considered:

1) If the average golfer swings a #5 iron five times he will record five different swing speeds varying +/- 5mph.

2) Each incremental increase in club length results in lessened average center-face contact, which results in decreased distance.

 

Consequently, any increases in club length have to be analyzed in relation to decreases in center-face contact for each incremental club length increase in order to produce effective data. As per above, a 2” increase in club length results in only a 0.032787 increase in the radial arm length of a golf swing with a virtually immeasurable increase in swing speed. Even if there was a measurable increase in swing speed our testing has shown that a 2" increase in club length dramatically reduces the percentage of center face hits, and impact just 1/4" off center-face can reduce distance by 10 to 15 yards. Add to this the fact that the average golfer is incapable of producing a constant swing speed with any golf club, and you can plainly see through the myth that club length is the primary determinant of distance.”

 

David Lake, President

1 Iron Golf, Inc.

 

 

Anyway, after I got used to using the single length clubs (it does take some getting used to after years playing regular irons) my distances went up about 5 yards with every iron and I've got a ten yard gap between each one of them. The real benefit comes from being able to nail a #3 iron 10 out of 10 times instead of 4 or 5 out of 10.

 

Oh, wait, nope. I was wrong before. There it goes. :crazy:

[retep]

hum... like an idiot when i first started 3 years ago with my wife's clubs i never realized that they were different lengths! i have no idea how i missed that . i shall read some more... seems like a good concept actually at first idea. hum... hum squared, hum 9000. hum...

[TCWhite]

I agree that a longer shaft should give more velocity/distance if swung at the same tempo, but my tempo tends to slow down with the longer clubs. Should I strive to swing my driver with the same tempo as my 9 iron?

[gunmetal]

it is basically the Tom Wishon principle

 

 

Uh, not really at all.

[jscw]

It should be not hard to make any irons set single club length. Just ask the fitter to install 7i shafts to all 3-PW, if the club heads are the same shape from 3 to PW.

Just bought a yamaha ST-25 1i last week for 5 bucks, maybe I should get a shorter shaft (I would prefer 5i shaft because I shot 5i better than 7i) to see the result.

 

BTW, the following quote is a very smart error. When golfer swings the club, the shoulder, the bicept, the forearm, the wrist all force the club head to swing. It's obvious the length between those power sources and the club heads are different, and by physics 101, torque = force * distance.

His argument ignores the above on purpose and just let people to think the "total length". It's wrong, but a very smart wrong.

 

"Theorists will point to the radial arm length in a golf swing as being the prime determinant of swing speed; stating that the longer the radial arm, the greater the swing speed and resultant distance in a golf shot. A common misconception is that club length alone is used to define this radial arm length. Regardless of how many hinging points and resultant secondary arcs/planes are involved, the true center of a golf swing is a point somewhere between the golfer's shoulders (this center point moves laterally between the shoulders during the swing). Hence, you must include the golfer's arm length into the radial arm length equation for any meaningful analysis. Therefore, assuming a 37” iron length and an arm length of 24”, the actual radial arm length in the golf swing is 61”. This means that a 1/2” increase in club length results in a radial arm length increase of 1/122nd or 0.008197. A 2” increase in club length results in a radial arm length increase of 1/30.5 or 0.032787. As you can see, these fractional increases in radial arm length will not produce any measurable increase in swing speed or distance. In fact, the only thing that incremental increases in club length will produce is a progressive lack of control and poor ball striking."

[mramage]

If all irons were the same length as a seven iron, but had normal lofts then:

 

8, 9, P, S, L would go longer then normal

 

6, 5, 4, 3 would go shorter then normal

 

The range of distances would be decreased.

 

The distance between irons would be very small.

 

I want to cover 70m to 180m not 100m to 150 m with lob wedge through 3 iron (sorry about meters but Australian and thats how we do it)

 

= I won't be getting a set.

[ranghips]

This concept has certainly been tried before, I remember looking at a set of Tiger Sharks ( I think!) which were based on this principle in the mid 1980's. That company seemed to disapear because very few golfers were willing to try the equal length clubs.

Having just had a set of irons custom made, my clubmaker placed great emphasis on getting the swingweights equalised throughout the set, how would these 1 Irons fare if their swingweights were checked?

[bantam]

I bought a set. The shaft frequency was like a noodle (2.7). I had all the shafts rebuilt to match the clubheads, which are all the same weight. The shafts are at 6.0. Both ways were a failure for me.

[daughterscameron]

The reason longer equals farther for a golf club has to do with the tangential velocity of the clubhead. For the same d(theta)/dt at your shoulders and body (let's say an 80% swing) the velocity at the end of the arc will be greater for a longer arc (longer club and that's also why taller people have a natural advantage in golf, they move can their body slower and get the same clubhead speed or move their bodies the same rate and get higher clubhead speed). Also, the arm-golf club unit is a class 3 lever so the longer the club, the greater amount of work you need to do to move the same load.

 

:dntknw: I think my hypothalamus just exploded.

 

 

I found this post by David Lake (company President) on another forum:

 

I thought that I would post an excerpt from an article I wrote a few years ago on club length versus distance. I hope that it provides a little food for thought on the subject.

 

“Theorists will point to the radial arm length in a golf swing as being the prime determinant of swing speed; stating that the longer the radial arm, the greater the swing speed and resultant distance in a golf shot. A common misconception is that club length alone is used to define this radial arm length. Regardless of how many hinging points and resultant secondary arcs/planes are involved, the true center of a golf swing is a point somewhere between the golfer's shoulders (this center point moves laterally between the shoulders during the swing). Hence, you must include the golfer's arm length into the radial arm length equation for any meaningful analysis. Therefore, assuming a 37” iron length and an arm length of 24”, the actual radial arm length in the golf swing is 61”. This means that a 1/2” increase in club length results in a radial arm length increase of 1/122nd or 0.008197. A 2” increase in club length results in a radial arm length increase of 1/30.5 or 0.032787. As you can see, these fractional increases in radial arm length will not produce any measurable increase in swing speed or distance. In fact, the only thing that incremental increases in club length will produce is a progressive lack of control and poor ball striking.

 

For those demanding additional analysis on the affects of club length increases in relation to distance other factors need to be considered:

1) If the average golfer swings a #5 iron five times he will record five different swing speeds varying +/- 5mph.

2) Each incremental increase in club length results in lessened average center-face contact, which results in decreased distance.

 

Consequently, any increases in club length have to be analyzed in relation to decreases in center-face contact for each incremental club length increase in order to produce effective data. As per above, a 2” increase in club length results in only a 0.032787 increase in the radial arm length of a golf swing with a virtually immeasurable increase in swing speed. Even if there was a measurable increase in swing speed our testing has shown that a 2" increase in club length dramatically reduces the percentage of center face hits, and impact just 1/4" off center-face can reduce distance by 10 to 15 yards. Add to this the fact that the average golfer is incapable of producing a constant swing speed with any golf club, and you can plainly see through the myth that club length is the primary determinant of distance.”

 

David Lake, President

1 Iron Golf, Inc.

 

 

Anyway, after I got used to using the single length clubs (it does take some getting used to after years playing regular irons) my distances went up about 5 yards with every iron and I've got a ten yard gap between each one of them. The real benefit comes from being able to nail a #3 iron 10 out of 10 times instead of 4 or 5 out of 10.

 

Oh, wait, nope. I was wrong before. There it goes. :fie:

:stop: :stop: FUNNY, i always love reading CF's replys. :) ;)

[Young04]

If all irons were the same length as a seven iron, but had normal lofts then:

 

8, 9, P, S, L would go longer then normal

 

6, 5, 4, 3 would go shorter then normal

 

The range of distances would be decreased.

 

The distance between irons would be very small.

 

I want to cover 70m to 180m not 100m to 150 m with lob wedge through 3 iron (sorry about meters but Australian and thats how we do it)

 

= I won't be getting a set.

 

 

if you look at their lofts, the lofts in longer irons is stronger than average (presumably to offset the distance loss from the shorter shafts).

 

whether the stronger lofts account for all of the distance loss, i'd just be bothered by a PW the length of a 7i.

[TCWhite]

A better execution of this concept might be to make the 2-4 the same length, the 5-7 the same length, then 8-pw the same...

[Smokey]

Like I say, I added about 5 yards in distance with my 1 Irons: #3, #4, #5..all the way through the lob wedge, and for the first time in my life I've got an equal yardage gap between my irons. My range from the #3 iron through pitching, gap, sand, and lob wedges is 200 yards down to 80 yards. I found the wedges were much easier to play at the #7 iron length instead of the typical short length that makes you bend way over and reach for the ball. By being able to use just one swing and ball position for everything you can really dial these babies in and your confidence level soars. After awhile you're not worried about just making good ball contact but instead you're looking at the pin on every shot. I'm completely sold on these clubs, the concept, and the company (great customer service), but I'll admit that they probably aren't for everybody.

[Placebo]

Thank you Smokey for your insightful posts on this subject. It's nice to hear from someone who has actually tried them and likes them.

 

This creates the perfect winter project for me. As a 23ish HI I am the ideal person to test this theory hehe. So I will be building a set of irons, 3 thru SW at all the same length. I see on the 1 iron site that they use a floor to wrist measurement for determining optimum club length. I am going to differ from that just slightly. I plan to take my irons to the range and hit 20 balls with each iron while keeping an accuracy record for each shot. Whichever club I end up hitting the most accurate shots with will be the club I use to determine optimum length for my irons. As a guess I think it will be my 9 iron but we'll see.

 

I think I foresee the purchase of a loft bending machine in my not-too-distant future hehe.

[SnapHooker_307]

:stop: :stop: ;) :) :dntknw:

Wow, this is the first time I have ever heard of this. It is an intriguing idea, but they looked a little above my price range to take a flyer on.

[mttrout]

I listened to a "Golf Smarter" podcast this morning and thought I'd do a little research on here. This is a really old past, but I am wondering if anyone else has some feedback on this? I'm a 20HCP and he idea definitely makes some sense. I lose confidence with the 3-5 (but hate hybrids...so don't go there) and can see how shortening them to a 6 iron length might help.

 

I have pings and don't want to mess with them and end up making it worse, but perhaps make a couple of snake eyes clubs that are adjusted to the specs of my 6 iron ping?

[yoonie]

In theory, for the longer irons distance is more important so you have the longer shafts, while in the wedges control is more important so you have the shorter shaft.

[1641bill]

Remember if you try to build your own with any old iron heads the swingweights will be crazy. A featherweight 3 iron and a barbell for a pw. The heads have to be all the same weight for this to work.