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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- John, 09:09:20 01/11/08 Fri
I've had my 1 Irons for about 14 months and had hovered between a 6 and 7 handicap for the three years prior to that. By the end of the first month with my 1 Irons I dropped down to a 5 and finished up this summer as a 1 handicap.
Like I said, it took about a week at the range to become comfortable using the same swing and ball position with every iron because like the playability tips say it's hard to break old ingrained habits. After the first week everything started to click and I began nailing shot after shot with all the irons. Every trip to the driving range after that the swing groove kept getting stronger and stronger because it becomes more ingrained since you're only trying to ingrain one swing.
I follow Mr. Lake's advice and only take my #3 iron to the range. Since a low lofted iron is always the hardest to master and since it does'nt produce as much backspin any swing flaws that you have will show up quickly. By using only the #3 iron I can correct any of these flaws immediately. Another benefit to this is that since a low lofted iron is the hardest to master that once you do it exponentially improves your ball striking with all of the other higher lofted irons.
I agree with you 100% about the customer service and help that I've received from 1 Iron Golf. This is one company that really works hard for their customers.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- ed norman (another drop in handicap), 17:25:56 01/11/08 Fri
hi guys,
I had to chime in too, I dropped from a 9 to 5 handicap in our league this summer. I think I can get down even further, I still use my driver to often, my short game is getting very strong, so I am confident with a little better course management, I might get to scratch someday. Before I got my 1 iron clubs, I literally "grilled" David Lake, I have not been golfing all that long, and he answered every question, every e mail, with candor and honesty, pretty refreshing if you ask me. Can't wait for winter to get over here in Northern Michigan. Good luck,,,,,,ed
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Steve P, 07:10:01 01/16/08 Wed
They have arrived!
I received my 1 Irons last night and proceded to spend an hour doing the "touchy feely" thing.
Comments,concerns;
Very well packaged for shipment.
Very nice finish on the heads.
VERY NICE thin top line unlike most large cavity back heads.
Sets up very square at address, looks like you can't miss the ball.
I would have liked to see a nice ferrule rather than an
o-ring (?) there is no flow from the shaft to the head, just different than what I am used to, nothing to do with performance.
Good quality grip although not what I normally play.
Not sure why the supplied grips are oversized but they should be fine as I am a bigger guy (6'3"/198Lbs).
I read some comments about the overall weight/swing weight being a little heavey but they feel solid and well balanced to me.
OK, off to the range! Can't say if my OCD will let me hit just half shots for the WHOLE session today...., no I know it won't......I will report back this afternoon.
Steve P.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Steve P., 13:21:29 01/16/08 Wed
Just back from the range and David, you did good. These irons are very straight, fairly consistent distance, shot to shot and have a very solid feel.
The distance seemed a little shorter than what I have been playing, at first, but once I figured out the swing plane and relaxed a bit I started hitting some nice looking shots.
I had no problem adjusting to the wedges, within 50 balls I could begin to control the trajectory and distance as well as my old wedges.
The long irons were another story, I was hitting them straight, which is great, but the trajectory was terible.
Low, not much spin, kinda just flew and dropped out of the air with no umph. I sat down and thought about it and remembered the one stance, one ball position theory and tried again. Similar results, it became obvious that I was overswinging so I tried something that might help others. I focused on the 100 yard marker and told myself I had a wedge in my hands. This is not easy to pull off because you know you have a 3 iron and you think you need to swing hard to get the ball out there. Anyways, when I could put a wedge swing on the ball wth the 3 iron in my hands, the ball flight was much improved. Now, when I can put a 7 iron swing on it, watch out!
Another trip to the range and I will be confident enough to take them out on the course this weekend.
Very positive begining to my journey, thanks again David.
Steve P.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Steve P., 06:49:52 01/18/08 Fri
Went to the range yesterday afternoon and hit a couple of buckets. 2 trips to the range so far, about 500 balls total. These 1 Irons are really something special. As you groove your swing on the range, you just pick up another club and boom, no transition to worry about, just put the same swing on it and watch it track to your target.
At this point I am very commfortale with the 5-LW and after another trip to the range today, I should be comfortable with the 4 and hopefully the 3 also, we will see.
My wife asked me how I liked my new irons and all I could do was smile and say I love them, the transition to 1 Irons has been much easier than I was anticipating, in fact much easier than switching to a new set of conventional irons.
The biggest issue I will have this weekend on the course is how far the ball will fly. The range I hit at has poor yardage markers and lots of wind. So I will anticipate and except losing a few strokes from missclubbibg myself the first few rounds I play.
This is fun...
Steve P.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- David Lake, 19:21:01 01/20/08 Sun
Steve,
What you are experiencing is the learning curve that is disscussed in the Playability Tips that you received with your 1 Irons. The hardest part in acclimating yourself to single-length irons is using the same swing and ball position with every iron. This sounds very easy but in reality the mental adjustment takes time and repetition at the range to fully kick-in.
The fact that you have a #3 or #4 iron in your hands makes it very difficult to not try and hit the ball as hard as you can. However, the key to success with the 1 Iron #3 or #4 is to use the same controlled swing that you would use with your #7 or #8 iron. Simply use a center of stance ball position and try to just nick the turf with the sole of the club at impact using a controlled swing. The important point is that if you let the club do the work and you will see a perfect trajectory with increased distance.
David Lake
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Steve P., 06:59:02 01/21/08 Mon
David,
Thanks for the re-iteration of the learning process. I have approached this process as per the playability tips, but have found that I really need to focus when I set up to the ball as the ball seems to creap up in my stance all by itself with the longer irons. As with anything new, I realize it will take time to ingrain.
Now, onto the course I went, 1 Irons in tow.
Stats;
8 fairways
12 greens
35 putts(ouch)
3-Birdies, 2-Bogies, 2- DBL's, 11 Pars
3 over 75
2-LW, 4-SW, 1-GW, 3-9I, 1-8I, 1-7I, 2-6I, 1-5I, 2-5W, 1-3W
As I expected , I miss-clubbed myself many times. These 1 Irons are long, compared to my Hogans, as much as 2 clubs longer on the shorter clubs. Spent most of the day on the back or over the greens. Had a heck of a time chipping with the longer shafts. I will be spending most of my practice time this week chipping, I think the full swing will take care of itself.
Practicing tip...work on the weakest area of your game to gain confidence, if you practice what you are doing very well at the time, it is very easy to work youself into bad habits and lose what you had.
Steve P.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Steve P. (David Help!), 06:36:05 01/23/08 Wed
This may be a stupid question but here goes. My WTF 36.8. What I am finding is that I am consistantly hitting my 1 Irons as follows;
LW,SW left @ 6 ysrds
GW left @ 4 yards
PW left @ 2 yards
9-8-7 Straight
6 right @ 6 yards
5 rigth @ 12 yards
4 right @ 15 yards
3 right @ 20 yards
Seems like a lie issue but what is causing it?
Question, The most common fault when transitioning to the 1 irons would be,
a- I am subconsiously changing my swing plane.
b- I am changing my distance from the ball.
c- I am moving the ball up and back in my stance.
D- I just suck.
Since you use geometry to determine shaft length based on a predetermined lie angle and the constant of human physiology, with my WTF and shaft length, what is the predetermined distance I should be from the ball at address for these irons. Also, is this distance from the toe or heel line. Please assume I am set-up square to the target line and provide a precise number.
I appreciate any advise as I feel like I am forcing and manipulating and guiding the ball right now. Just need the confidence that I am set-up properly so I can groove my swing from there.
Thanks David,
Steve P.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- David Lake, 08:02:10 01/23/08 Wed
Steve,
You have fallen into the trap of over-analysis. You are hitting your #7, #8, and #9 straight but are hitting the higher lofted irons to the left and the lower lofted irons to the right. What you have to remember is that all of your irons are identical in every respect with the exception of loft angle. Therefore, if you use the same swing, set-up, and ball position with all of the irons you will get exactly the same directional results. If not then you are unconsciously making swing changes based on the particular iron you have in your hands (a deeply rooted mental carryover from using conventional irons).
I would strongly suggest that you go to the range three days in a row and only take your #3 iron with you (taking any other irons will tempt you into using them). Your #3 iron is your lowest lofted iron and will produce the least amount of backspin. This lesser amount of backspin will make any swing flaws show up immediately (a high degree of backspin will mask most swing flaws). Once you become proficient with your #3 iron you will have automatically become exponentially more proficient with all of your other higher lofted irons without even practicing with them (this is another benefit of single-length irons).
After this point it is extremely important to use your new #3 iron swing, set-up, and ball position with every other iron in your set. By practicing with only one iron you are not confusing your unconscious mind with all of the different set-ups and swings associated with a conventional set of irons. This allows you to ingrain your single efficient swing deeply into your muscle memory.
David Lake
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I hope you keep posting your progress. -- Cub, 10:14:05 01/23/08 Wed
This is a very interesting thread.
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Oops! Above message meant for Steve P, not David (n/t). -- Cub, 10:16:28 01/23/08 Wed
n/t
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Re: Oops! Above message meant for Steve P, not David (n/t). -- Steve P., 11:05:54 01/23/08 Wed
Thanks David,
I am an engineer and unfortunatly this comes with the territory. I will do as you suggest and only hit the 3 iron until I hone it in. In regards to the distance from the ball, I am 6'3" with 34" inseam. I would think that there would be a specific distance I should be from the ball for the 63.5 D lie of the heads.
Off I go with the 3 iron, wish me luck.
Steve P.
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Re: Distance from ball -- David Lake, 11:33:55 01/23/08 Wed
Steve,
A simple way to determine your correct distance from the ball at address would be to take your normal set-up and then extend your arms fully so that your left arm and the shaft of the golf club form a straight line. Make sure that the score lines on the clubface are parallel with the ground to ensure a proper posture. Where the sole of the clubhead touches the ground is where you want to place the ball at address.
David Lake
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Re: Distance from ball -- Steve P. (Thanks David), 06:57:47 01/24/08 Thu
OK, to be honest, I have never been one to go to the range and pound 3 irons, I much prefer hitting the majority of my practice shots from 100 yards in and as such, I am a very good wedge player. But, I am committed to giving these 1 Irons a run for their money so I went out yesterday in the wind and rain, 3 iron in tow and hit a couple hundred balls. It was a very revealing experience.
Firstly, I realized I was crowding the ball, by about 6".
Secondly, I realized I was comming too far from the inside, either blocking it right or if I was able to flip through it, hitting a low sniper to the left.
I proceded to work on getting my plane in order and by about 100 balls I was hitting torwards my target, for the most part. Not a pretty trajectory yet, but straight.
I started to feel comfortable and began trying to hit golf shots, working the ball higher with a nice cut or hitting a low draw that runs forever (A shot I would use on a short par 4 off the tee).
By this time I had a smile on my face and I was pretty worn out, but, I had to see how I would hit another club after all these 3 irons, so, I went to my car and grabbed a wedge.
David, you are so right when you say focus on your 3 iron and all the other clubs will benifit, which is contrarian to standard length clubs. I hit about 10 wedges and was hitting them so high and so far it was ridiculous. I was basically hitting the ball about 120 yards with what I would call a half wedge. As pure as the driven snow....
I am so excited...
Steve P.
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Re: Distance from ball -- Steve P. (Should I continue?), 09:14:26 02/04/08 Mon
All,
Not sure how this thread is going, I don't want to tie up the space if this is going nowhere. I will update this thread going forward when I feel I have something interesting to offer.
My observations so far;
I have hit @ 3000 range balls, chipped for a few hours and played 5 rounds with my new 1 Irons.
Ball flight is higher than I would prefer but I am hesitant to make any adjustments until I groove my "One" swing with all the irons.
It is very easy to hit a draw with these irons, not so for the fade, this I would expect with the head design.
My biggest problem on the course has been with the wedges, the sharp leading edge and the added length of the shaft make it very easy to hit the ball fat, of which I've done too many times. I don't seem to have the same trouble on the range, so this has been very frustrating.
I am playing a new course(to me) with a new group of guys Friday, this should be a very good indication of how I am comming along with these clubs.
At this point, I am confident that I made a good decision going with the 1 Irons....
I will let you all know.
Steve P.
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Re: Distance from ball -- michael, 11:10:59 02/04/08 Mon
yes steve you should keep posting.this is a very interesting thread plus i am on the fence about ordering these clubs.thanks for all the posts,i hope they keep coming.
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Re: Distance from ball -- Len (Interested), 19:47:58 05/08/08 Thu
Steve keep posting. This is a very interesting and informative thread. Keep playing and posting.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- George Chow (not convinced yet), 05:55:20 03/02/08 Sun
I am a short person 5'4" and i normally need 1" shorter on each of my irons off the standard lengths, can u tell me how i could benefit from the 1 iron clubs.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- David Lake, 11:10:06 03/02/08 Sun
Email sent.
David Lake
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Matt, 20:22:21 03/09/08 Sun
A word of advice ... get your Gap / Sand / Lob wedges cut down by at least an inch, or at least closer to what your old wedges are. You will need to have the head weight and lies adjusted by a clubfitter, but its worth it.
I had my whole set of 1-Irons built from components by a club fitter, with the 3-PW at 37 inches and the wedges at 36 inches.
They are good.
The 4 degree loft differences from iron to iron are the major part of this set that gets missed by those promoting "conventional" sets. Most modern 3,4,5 irons have 3 degree increments. So by the time it gets down to comparing 3 irons my 3 iron is 3 or 4 degrees stronger in loft than theirs. So when they say - "you have to lose some clubhead speed" you can say "yep, but that is more than made up for with my stronger loft".
There is no reason to have your wedges at a longer length. It makes sense to have your 3,4,5,6,7 irons shorter - but I want to hear why your wedges being longer helps anything? Some will say that helps in your consistency on full shots - if you are playing at low single figures that just aint so !! You need to be able to manufacture shots with the wedges and control the wedges when chipping - both helped by a shorter length.
I have had this discussion on this forum before and it usually doesnt get much support ... but I have experienced it for myself.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Paddy, 06:00:18 03/10/08 Mon
Well JMO but if you don't have 1irons, but a clone or knock off then maybe people here don't think you can base your advice on actually using the real deal. I too made some knock offs (rather had them made) years ago and while ok, not near as good as any 1irons I used. That includes the Outburst models, the CER models and the current line. I have very good forged Snake Eyes wedges that can really do the job but not as well as eh newest line up of 1Irons. all that being said I'm glad your clubs work well for you. It is satisfying trying something and enjoying it. Paddy
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Paddy, 09:37:57 03/10/08 Mon
Whooops, sorry Matt, I thought you meant component (ie Golfsmith etc.) clubheads and not the 1Iron club heads. Big difference anyway. Cheers, Paddy
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Matt Falcon, 08:10:09 03/10/08 Mon
Matt,
If I remember your previous post your irons were built by a local clubfitter from clubheads you bought from 1 Iron Golf. I agree with you that the shorter length in the 3-5 irons produces some amazing results, but I disagree with you about the wedges. I personally love my 1 Iron wedges at the longer length - all of my irons are 37" in length. I find that my control and ball striking are greatly improved with the longer wedges just as my ball striking and control are vastly improved with the shorter 3-5 irons. I find that it gets back to the consistency of your swing when all of the irons are identical which not only improves your "long" iron play but your wedge play as well.
At the end of the day club length is really up to you and if your prefer shorter wedges than so be it. But I think you said that you originally had your wedges built shorter without trying them at the same length as your other irons. You should really give the longer length a try because you are just introducing another swing into your game that does'nt need to be there.
Matt F.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Matt, 20:27:32 03/24/08 Mon
Actually ... I tried them at 37 inches initially.
I found my ball striking did not improve at all - it actually detracted from my wedge play. Full shots produced a much higher trajectory with the longer shafts, and reduced my control. Chipping was much less precise. Bunker play exaggerated the length issue even more.
I decided to reduce the wedges by an inch, and got instant results.
I do love my 1-Iron club heads, and have found the 4-iron to PW single length setup excellent.
I even love the wedges, they are a great club head - just like em at the shorter length.
Wedge shots are less about consistency - more about creativity for me. They save me more shots by being fitted for chipping and pitching - than fitted for full-shots.
cheers,
Matt
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Steve P. (Short update), 07:20:18 02/20/08 Wed
A quick update;
I have had my 1 Irons for about a month now, maybe longer.
I think the best illustration or the most impressive comment on how great these 1 Irons are is as follows;
If you currently use the 1 Irons, grab one of your conventional 3 irons and grab your 1 Iron 3 iron. look at faces of each and compare the impact pattern between the two. If you are like me, the difference is amazing. My misses tended to be on the toe with the conventional 3 iron with the concentration of impact points about the size of a golf ball slightly torwards the toe. Ego aside, very poor consistancy for someone who thinks he can play this game. On the 1 Iron 3 iron, the impact pattern is very tight, slightly torwards the heel, about the size of a nickel.
Incredible!
David, why on earth does the major golf manufacturing industry continue to produce and market crap that the average person has no chance of ever using to produce any sort of consistancy.
I have heard many times the saying that "good golf is a game of good misses" baloney, good golf requires equipment that give you all the opportunity to NOT MISS.
I am sitting her feeling like I have been lied to and laughted at by the golf industry for 25 years. I have spent thousand of dollars on the latest and greatest equipment that has ultimately given me no real chance to excel, and I am pissed.
I have to thank Jaacob Bowden, for having the guts to endorse your products on his web site and leading me to 1 Iron Golf. Well, maybe it did not take much in the way of "guts" considering how well the 1 Irons perform. But he is going out and playing professionally with clubs that his fellow competitors may harass him about. Thanks Jaacob.
In closing for now, after just a short while of using these 1 Irons, I would HIGHLY reccommend them to anyone looking to have more fun and improve at this game.
I guess this was not a "quick update" after all. I got on a roll and just had to let out some steam....
Steve P.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Matt, 08:21:54 02/22/08 Fri
Hey Steve -
Why don't to tell us what you really think? Ha..Ha..
I've been playing 1 Iron Golf clubs for three years and could'nt agree with you more. There's no brand of golf club anywhere that can compare with my 1 Irons no matter what misleading advertising or outright lies the golf industry tries to shove down your throat.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- Steve P (Final thoughts for a while!), 07:58:21 03/24/08 Mon
Well, I have had the 1 Irons for about ten weeks now, played about 20 rounds, hit about 5000 balls on the range. I decided, after toying around with it for the last 2 years, to take the opportunity with these new irons to comit to a major swing change. The Mike Austin/ Dan Slaughter method. That being said, my progress with the 1 Irons was hindered by such a major change in my swing. Or, you can say that my major swing change was greatly eased with the change to the 1 Irons. At this point I prefer the later as I can not see myself EVER going back to progressive length clubs.
My new swing is comming around enough to begin to trust it more on the course and although this is the 1 iron forum, I would reccommend this swing type to anyone, especially the new golfer or the golfer with back problems.
Back to the 1 Irons, I have adapted very well to the long irons and am really striking them solid. Although the wedges still feel long, I have adapted well to them also and am beginning to trust the distances(which are much longer for me). I am just not used to hitting a sand wedge 105 yards. But, after flying enough greens I am starting to believe.
Conclusion on the 1 Irons for now;
Nice appearance at address, sits very square.
Large sweet spot with minimal loss of distance on off center hits.
Very high ball flight with a standard swing.
Easy to draw, much more difficult to cut.
Very, Very good feel for a cast clubhead. Solid and soft.
Impart a ton of back spin, grooves are sharp.
Overall for me, 1 club longer than anything I have played before.
Consistant distances shot to shot, unlike many cast clubs where for no appearant reason you hit the ball 20 yards longer or shorter than normal.
Well, I can't think of any more accolades I can put on these irons right now. they are flat out THE BEST for your game.
Stop hesitating and pull the trigger, you are wasting your time and energy and emotion playing with anything else. I have 7 full sets of irons in my garage that are now worthless to me now and they are going on E-bay as soon as I have time.
Thanks to you, Mr Lake, for having the commitment, fortitude and love of the game to design and produce these clubs, I, as many before, will always thank you.
I suppose the next logical step will be to get the driver... but them I will have 6 other worthless drivers in my garage....
Thanks again,
Steve P.
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Re: My 1 Iron journey -- David Lake, 14:12:55 03/25/08 Tue
Steve,
Thank you for your kind words. I have found this thread to be very interesting and enlightening.
David Lake
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