Ping buys Single Length patent from Nike
Interesting....if Ping came out with an SL set, that would be huge!
What's with the single length thing? Same lie, different lofts, I guess. Same headweight, I'd presume. What does this do to the yardage gaps between clubs? I'd guess not as much as it seems or it wouldn't be such a hit, I guess.
puttnfool We've had some long discussions about SL irons that you can read through. Long story short, the manufacturers try really hard, through various means, to keep the gaps consistent. Wishon makes all the clubs have exactly the same feel in terms of swingweight, etc. To compensate for gap issues, he uses a hyperflexible face (for lack of a better word) in the long irons and does somewhat the opposite for the faces of the short irons.
Cobra has already come out with a SL set, as well. There are obviously component companies and non-big-name manufacturers who have been doing SL for quite some time.
I've never tried any of them, but the idea is kind of interesting to me. I know Rickochet was, at one point at least, playing the Wishon Sterling irons. He probably still is, because he was saying that he really liked them.
Sounds interesting. Not sure I could get past the SL aspect. My OCD tells me that they're all supposed to be different lengths. I mean, why else would they call them "long irons"?
FWIW, I'm still playing my Wishon 550c/mb split set. Blades from 7-SW with 5 and 6 cavity backs.
I'm giving the Wishon Sterling set a proper trial presently. Results have been exceptional so far. They're still long irons because they're the irons I use to hit the ball longer.
The 4/5/6/7 have high COR faces to make up for being shorter than their standard length counterparts. So far for me I haven't seen any reason to think that this doesn't work. I still get good height and fantastic distance.
It's hard to imagine how awesome it is for every club to feel exactly the same - same weight, same length, same ball position. I am really digging it so far.
You need some swing speed to make the lower lofted irons work - the high COR face can only do so much. That's the drawback if there is one.
I realize you'd still use the "long irons" to hit the ball longer. I was being a bit facetious with that comment. It's all mental, I'm sure.
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A single length set with everything the exact same length!? I can't see how that would possibly work. And the woods all weighing a total of 200g?? That would mean a head weight of 130g, even if using an ultralight 45g shaft and 25g lightweight grip. Good luck with that! Also, what is the 70 number for the length?? 70cm = 27.55" but that's obviously not right. Seems like a patent for something that won't ever actually see the light of day.
I've never reviewed a patent for a golf club or anything really but I don't think the numbers correlate with weights or lengths but are rather numbers for references made within the patent.
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Oh, okay, that makes more sense. LOL. Only reason I thought it was weight is because of the #400 for the irons, which is about what they would be with a lightweight shaft (265-270g head, 80-85g shaft, 50g grip).
I still don't see how a full set of Driver-wedge at the same length would even work though. As has been proven by existing SL sets, once you get below a certain loft (it varies by swing speed) you'll need a longer club to get the appropriate distance with it. No way is anyone going to get any sort of respectable distance with an iron-length driver.
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customgolfcenter it would certainly be interesting to try a 37" driver!
I'm sure I've read before about PGA Tour pros using a 40" driver. That'd be about the length of a typical 1-iron, wouldn't it?
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Jimmy Walker put a 42" driver into play this year, not sure if he's still using it or not.
Eh, maybe not. I've been out of the game for a while. I dunno. I do know, from my limited experience, I used to hit my steel shafted 43" driver further than my playing partners' longer graphite shafted drivers. I'm 1/2 tempted to put a grip on my steel shafted 10° Spectrum and give it a go.
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puttnfool why not....I'm currently playing my 919 HL at 43.75 with s2s black 85.....Not as long as with my other setups, but it's easier to control and center face strikes are improved. I added a lot of weight and it's essentially a big headed 2 or 3 wood....Sometimes referred to as a thriver
We'll see. I'm not hitting the current driver all that bad. I honestly only need it about 3-4 times per round on the courses I play here anyway.
The whole thing I don't get is the fact that the average golfer can't swing a 37 inch club of any kind more than 70 mph. A 70 mph anything won't carry more than 150 yards. Lowering the lofts kills carry distance even more. How can a golfer play a good round without the ability to hit any shot over 150. Add to that a shorter wood that won't travel 200 .