Single-length irons are among the most peculiar things you’ll see during your golfing career. Surprisingly, they have been around for nearly a century, and Bobby Jones, a golf legend of the 1920s, was an admirer.
More recently, players like Jacob Bowden and Bryson DeChambeau have used single-length irons and have achieved considerable success. This begs the question, are single-length irons better, and if yes, how, and who should use them.
However, there’s still a massive chunk of the golfing community who have little to no idea about single-length irons. If you’re one of these people, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll help you with all the information you need about single-length irons, including what they are, how they are different from normal irons, and how they can benefit you. Keep reading.
What are Single Length Irons
As most of you might know, iron sets usually come in a configuration of 7 or 9 golf clubs, typically ranging from 3-PW or 5-GW. Moving from low numbers to high, the loft steadily increases while at the same time the length decreases. These are called variable-length irons and can be found in the majority of the golfer’s bags.
Meanwhile, the name single-length iron is pretty much self-explanatory. It means the entire irons set, including the wedges, have the same length. The only parameter that changes is the loft. These are also known as one-length irons.
As we mentioned before, the irons and wedges have varying lengths to adjust for different play areas and shots. However, single-length irons have identical lengths. We understand it might seem weird to some players to play with irons with the same lengths, but apparently, many of them do, and quite successfully so.
In general, single-length irons are comparable to standard 7 or 8-iron, which is 37 or 38 inches.
History of Single Length Irons
The concept of irons having identical lengths might seem like a modern innovation. However, that is far from the truth. In fact, single-length irons have been in vogue for nearly a century now.
As mentioned above, legendary golfer Bobby Jones was arguably the most influential figure to play using single-length irons. Bobby Jones famously won two major championships in 1930 with single-length irons, the US Open and the Open Championship.
In the initial days, single-length irons were not precisely “single-length.” Instead, two consecutive irons had identical lengths. For example, 3 and 4-irons would have the same size, 5 and 6-irons would have the same length, and so on.
However, over time, companies began rolling out entire iron sets with the same lengths. Tommy Armour Golf was one of these companies that experimented with single-length irons in the 1980s. However, they had limited success with their single-length irons and ultimately discontinued them.
Jack Nix and Moe Norman were some other prominent golfers who used single-length irons. Lately, Bryson DeChambeau has emerged as the most renowned golfer who plays with single-length irons. Since 2015, he’s had remarkable success while playing with single-length irons.
How Are Single Length Irons Helpful
Sometimes the simplest explanation turns out to be the correct one. Something similar seems to be happening here. Some of you might be thinking that having a set of irons with the same length can be helpful as it can improve consistency.
Ironically, this happens to be true. Playing with variable-length irons requires you to have a different swing for each of the irons. However, if you keep the length of the club constant, the need to modify your swing is nearly eliminated.
Instead of working on multiple swing techniques to suit different club lengths, players only need to master one swing. In theory, having a single length should make it easier to have a consistent swing pattern for consistent results.
This is extremely helpful for players who struggle to hit long irons. In a single-length iron set, the long irons are shorter than usual as they are as long as a 7 or 9-iron, making them relatively easy to hit.
As of today, there are only a handful of brands that manufacture single-length irons. PGX and Cobra Golf are two of the leading brands that make single-length irons. Orlimar and Mazel are the other two less popular brands.
Drawbacks of Single Length Irons
At first glance, single-length irons might seem the answer to all of your problems in approach play. Many of you might be thinking of already switching over to single-length irons from variable-length irons.
But we should warn you, once you make the switch, it’s not going to be smooth sailing from then on. Instead, you could be looking at bouts of frustration trying to adjust to irons with the same length. You might even dread making the switch.
It’s true that single-length irons simplify things to a whole new level, but not everyone can make the switch that easily. If you’re a golfer whose swing patterns vary drastically according to each iron, you might struggle more than others.
After all, it makes sense. Golfers spend years developing a playing style that has different swings for each iron. So abandoning those methodologies overnight and switching to a whole new playing style can be a daunting task.
Achieving similar results with single-length irons will take some time. You’ll have to spend countless hours trying to adjust yourself with your new set of one-length irons.
Single Length Irons: Verdict
By now, most of you might have made up your mind about single-length irons. Undoubtedly, single-length irons have emerged as a tried and tested alternative to variable-length irons because of their higher consistency. Since their inception, they have found their way into several prominent golfers’ bags, most recently in Bryson DeChambeau.
Single-length irons indeed help with players who want to have a consistent swing technique. However, you should also keep in mind that switching over to single-length irons will not cause overnight success. It will take some time for you to adjust and get the best results.