There are good deals showing up on eBay again for new non current Cobra OL irons, from Quickshipgolf. I've got a set supposed to arrive tomorrow. Actually I bought a demo set that probably came out of a store. The 7 iron has ball prints covering the whole face! 😅 I am hoping I can find a way to clean that up.

So anyway. I have noticed that 37" is about the limit for me to put a good swing on an iron. I don't know what it is about irons versus hybrids, because I can hit the center of the face with hybrids that are considerably longer than 37". It's almost like I have two or three preferred spine angles, and a 37.5 or 38 inch iron is not one of them. It's a big part of the reason that my 6 iron is always hard to hit. When I really grind, I can hit it well. But that sucks. I'd rather have one setup, one that works.

The Cobras are 37". A couple of guys whose opinions I trust, from another small forum, have been playing them this year with the same shafts I got. KBS steel. They have raved about the height of the lower lofted irons and both of them have reduced their indexes. I played real well the last time I had SL irons. And I'm hitting my current steel 7-SW great. So let's see what happens.

I could just cut down my existing 6 iron and add weight. That might happen. But I'm looking forward to trying these Cobras. Even if I end up having to reshaft them, the price was less than new Maltby heads.

    sdandrea1 When I played the other set, I grew to love the longer 9i and wedges. But I stopped at the GW. So does this new set.

        DonM

        Sidebar: I'm playing my best right now with women's length and flex. Ball striking has never been more consistent. My PING Rhasody irons are 1/2' shorter than SWMBO'S, but are 2* upright. I've got 2 XXIO Eleven ladies hybrids in the bag and the Cleveland HB Turbo is a women's club. They fit me as good as anything I've ever played and the light weight is friendly to these aching joints. I still hit the 35.5" W 100 yards on carry.

          sdandrea1

          sdandrea1 Very interested in your results. I love the idea of a 37" 6, 7, & 8i, but I am scared of a 37" 9, W, GW.

          Make a 37" 6-7-8 iron and then make the 9-PW-GW whatever length you are comfortable with...I had a discussion with Dave Tuttleman a couple of years ago about making a hybrid 5-6-7 in one length and the irons 8-9-PW-GW in another length for the same reason you cite - length of club for 9-PW-GW... He felt as long as the shafts were same length and weight and head weights for each group were the same should be no problem. Pick the length you want, choose the club head you want to use as the base in each group and then add/subtract weight as needed...

              For those who don't follow the single length scene, you're probably surprised to see those lie angles. I have heard two reasons why Cobra does that. One, the lighter shafts with longer tip sections in the lower lofts lead to more toe droop, and vice versa for the short irons. Two, hackers swing the lower loft clubs harder so they get more toe droop on them. I'd add third, probably to help fight slicing on the lower lofts. Surprisingly I didn't find the flat long irons to want to go right on me. By the book, I'd normally be at 64 or 65 degrees for a 37 inch club.

              I think the one photo exaggerates the length variations in the set, but they do range from 37 to 37 &3/16ths. I might clean that up if/when I change grips.

              I went out tonight and played them for several holes from shorter tees, using the 5 and 6 irons off the tee. Played two balls all the way. I measured all my shots with GPS. The 5 iron is strong off the tee. My first hit went 205, which is crazy. There was some downhill at the end, though. I came up with some rough carry numbers, but later I realized I was swinging all out. So they are weird.

              5) carry unknown, 180-190 total.
              6) n/a
              7) 160
              8) 140
              9) 120
              PW) 120
              GW) 95

              I can't figure those gaps out yet. I need more time and to calm my swing down. They were going nice and high. At 100%, the GW was hitting moon balls. Finally on the last hole, I hit a GW and then PW approach with a nice moderate swing. They had a good normal trajectory and went just a few yards less.

              I was hitting the middle of the face for the most part. The different shafted clubs do feel different but it might not be a problem. The sound and feel of the hollow irons is clicky. Nowhere near as nice as my TS2's.

              Chipping with the GW was crappy at first. The ball seemed to go nowhere off the lighter head. On the last hole I did 5 different chips with it, thinking 7 iron but with more loft, and I rolled them a lot better. It would be an adjustment for sure.

              And that's the thing. You can't judge how SL is going to work until you've played them for several and I mean several rounds. So I think these have some potential. I'll have to nail down the yardages before they go in the bag for a money game. I have a spot in the bag for the 5 iron right now, though. It will be a long iron for me.

                DonM

                Yeah, I was surprised to see the lie angle disparity. Swing weight too. I think for me, I've been playing way too long to try such a significant departure from the old norms. At this point, I'm not even interested in practicing or improving. Just love to play the game with family and buddies and try different brands/clubs (at traditional lengths).😉

                I'll follow this thread though. I'm interested to see if you can take advantage of the SL design!👍

                  If anybody is looking to try SL, I have a set of KBS S flex shafts, which ones I need to go back and look, with brand new grips on them that I need to pull from a set. I tried to demo them on the range and my elbow quickly advised I knock that off.

                  DonM lie angles

                  I could see a small variation in lie angles...maybe, but 3.5 * 🤔,... They got to be out of spec!/?

                  • DonM replied to this.

                      I remember Bobby Lopez getting a set of these from Cobra. He used his bending machine to change the lie angle. The more upright lie angle is what DeChambeau uses.

                        DonM wow, upright with offset, blended down to flat with minimal offset 😳... interesting!

                        • DonM replied to this.

                            I’d be interested in trying out the SL 4,5,and maybe 6 irons in single length. That’s about it. Just to see what they do as far as contact and flight goes. For me it wouldn’t make sense going longer in short irons. I’m pretty happy with my consistency thru 6 down. I’ve never been paired with anyone who’s had them

                            ode Yeah. Well, they've been selling and refining them for several years. I'm sure the Arccos system has given them a lot of intel about how they work in the field. I don't get it, but I'll give the lie angles a chance for a while. Ball flight direction will tell what's what.

                              sdandrea1 Very interested in your results. I love the idea of a 37" 6, 7, & 8i, but I am scared of a 37" 9, W, GW.

                              I played most SL iron brands over the years but not the Cobras. Unless the clubs are the same head weight and lie, same shafts and lengths they are not SL. One club I never tried but had some interest in were the Pinhawk SL hybrids as father time took his toll on my game. The best performing SL clubs I ever had were the original Wishon Sterlings. I never had any issues with the SL wedges. I started having issues with the lower loft head distances dropping off the older I got.