Using detailed testing with the GC Quad from Foresight, I compared the Wishon and Cobra one-length irons with my Ping iblades Have a look and see for yourself!
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My golf learning began with this simple fact – if you don’t have a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, it is practically impossible for your body to execute a fundamentally sound golf swing. I’m still a big believer that the golf swing is much easier to execute if you begin with the proper hold on the club.
As you might imagine, I come into contact with hundreds of golfers of all skill levels. And it is very rare to see a good player with a bad hold on the golf club. There are some exceptions, for sure, but they are very few and very far between, and they typically have beat so many balls with their poor grip that they’ve found a way to work around it.
The reality of biophysics is that the body moves only in certain ways – and the particulars of the way you hold the golf club can totally prevent a sound swing motion that allows the club to release properly through the impact zone. The wonderful thing is that anyone can learn how to put a fundamentally sound hold on the golf club, and you can practice it anywhere your hands are not otherwise engaged, like watching TV or just sitting and relaxing.
Whether you prefer an overlap, interlock or full-finger (not baseball!) grip on the club, the same fundamentals apply. Here are the major grip faults I see most often, in the order of the frequency:
Mis-aligned hands
By this I mean that the palms of the two hands are not parallel to each other. Too many golfers have a weak left hand and strong right, or vice versa. The easiest way to learn how to hold the club with your palms aligned properly is to grip a plain wooden ruler or yardstick. It forces the hands to align properly and shows you how that feels. If you grip and re-grip a yardstick several times, then grip a club, you’ll see that the learning curve is almost immediate.
The position of the grip in the upper/left hand
I also observe many golfers who have the butt of the grip too far into the heel pad of the upper hand (the left hand for right-handed players). It’s amazing how much easier it is to release the club through the ball if even 1/4-1/2″ of the butt is beyond the left heel pad. Try this yourself to see what I mean. Swing the club freely with just your left hand and notice the difference in its release from when you hold it at the end of the grip, versus gripping down even a half inch.
To help you really understand how this works, go to the range and hit shots with your five-iron gripped down a full inch to make the club the same length as your seven-iron. You will probably see an amazing shot shape difference, and likely not see as much distance loss as you would expect.
Too much lower (right) hand on the club
It seems like almost all golfers of 8-10 handicap or higher have the club too far into the palm of the lower hand, because that feels “good” if you are trying to control the path of the clubhead to the ball. But the golf swing is not an effort to hit at the ball – it is a swing of the club. The proper hold on the club has the grip underneath the pad at the base of the fingers. This will likely feel “weak” to you — like you cannot control the club like that. EXACTLY. You should not be trying to control the club with your lower/master hand.
Gripping too tightly
Nearly all golfers hold the club too tightly, which tenses up the forearms and prevents a proper release of the club through impact. In order for the club to move back and through properly, you must feel that the club is controlled by the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the middle two fingers of the lower hand. If you engage your thumbs and forefingers in “holding” the club, the result will almost always be a grip that is too tight. Try this for yourself. Hold the club in your upper hand only, and squeeze firmly with just the last three fingers, with the forefinger and thumb off the club entirely. You have good control, but your forearms are not tense. Then begin to squeeze down with your thumb and forefinger and observe the tensing of the entire forearm. This is the way we are made, so the key to preventing tenseness in the arms is to hold the club very lightly with the “pinchers” — the thumbs and forefingers.
So, those are what I believe are the four fundamentals of a good grip. Anyone can learn them in their home or office very quickly. There is no easier way to improve your ball striking consistency and add distance than giving more attention to the way you hold the golf club.
More from the Wedge Guy
- The Wedge Guy: Golf mastery begins with your wedge game
- The Wedge Guy: Why golf is 20 times harder than brain surgery
- The Wedge Guy: Musings on the golf ball rollback
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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?
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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.
For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.
Setup
You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.
While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.
Get a Better Shoulder Turn
Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.
In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.
Stay Better Connected in the Backswing
When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.
Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.
Conclusion
I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.
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Ken
Sep 25, 2018 at 4:15 pm
LOL, I love that any positive review of SL clubs is combatted with a negative comment by those that just can’t believe there could be another way to play the game, having to hold on to “the way we all do it is the only right way”. Who cares, play whatever gets the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes and quit trying to disprove everything to make yourselves feel better.
I am now a 6 handicap, down from a 10-11, playing Sterling SL irons going on my third summer. My misses are much less severe and I can’t tell you how many GIR I have hit with my 6 iron at 185-190 yards. Best thing, is that I can take off a few weeks and when I come back out to play, my game doesn’t drop off. I hardly practice anything except my chipping / pitching and putting anymore as IMO the SL irons has simplified may set up and has improved my ball striking. I had my set made up with graphite shafts, MOI spec’d, 6-SW, 2 deg up. Same weight, length, lie, MOI, through out the set. YMMV…..
ogo
Sep 26, 2018 at 3:28 pm
So you have five irons (6-SW) at single shaft length. What about the remaining eight clubs? Are they all different shaft lengths… and nine different swings?
Ken
Sep 26, 2018 at 11:09 pm
See, there you go, having to get a dig in on 9 different swings vs possibly accepting the fact that some has success with SL irons. There are no absolutes in life, play how you want to play. I’m not selling anything here.
I play 11 clubs. Driver (44.25”), 4w 42”, 21 degree hybrid at 39”, putter and my (7) irons. I Found playing my longer clubs a little shorter than std has given me improved accuracy.
Most people that carry 14 can’t hit half of them consistently lol.
Results
Sep 22, 2018 at 11:37 pm
“Here are the results.” There are literally no results except “I love my 3-iron.” Cmon guys, numbers. This is like one of your 70 min podcasts with 5 seconds of actual material. So, are you going post results?
oppie
Sep 22, 2018 at 3:12 pm
I can play both types of clubs because I have control of my swing regardless of club length and lie. If you can’t control variable length clubs it’s unlikely you can control so-called single length irons. If you can’t compensate for length and lie, it’s likely you don’t have any golf swing eye-hand coordination.
Steve Cantwell
Sep 22, 2018 at 2:04 am
How about just simply learning to hit a decent shot that can be repeated. If a guy can’t break 100 with a traditional set up, He isn’t going to break 100 with this single length set. Someone else however will benefit with his money in their pocket.
Brent
Sep 22, 2018 at 8:30 am
Couldn’t disagree more. “simply learn to hit a decent shot that can be repeated” Millions of golfers have been trying that for decades. What’s the harm in trying a slightly different club.
oppie
Sep 22, 2018 at 3:17 pm
Simple test: — Play a round only with a 5/7/9-iron combination and adjust for distance by gripping down or reducing your backswing and clubhead speed. Use hybrids for sub-4-iron play. Wedges are essential the same.
Ty
Sep 21, 2018 at 9:50 pm
That was “nutted” haha I like this guy! Back swing is kind of ugly but he obviously Gets the job done . I am now anxious to try the shorter length on my longer irons . Great video .
Robb Houle
Sep 21, 2018 at 2:26 pm
I have been using “dual length” irons since 1999. 8-W are Wedge length and 4-7 are 7 iron length. Only have to be able to hit 2 clubs to be consistent.
I play in the Midwest where due to weather it is hard to get out and play 3-4 month out of the year. I play at a 7 handicap but thanks to my irons I can go 4 months without playing and come back and never be worse than a 9.
ogo
Sep 22, 2018 at 5:38 pm
What was your handicap level before you switched to the dual length irons? Most ‘golfers’ can’t hit one club consistently. To blame it on the multi-length irons is just a feeble excuse… blame the clubs not the duffer.
Robb Houle
Sep 24, 2018 at 3:55 pm
My handicap before was probably in the 14-15 range. Read an article about Bryson that had a good explanation. It referenced Occam’s razor theory. Which is the problem-solving principle that says the simplest solution tends to be the right one.
If golf was just now being invented would the easiest solution be 14 different clubs each one at a different length?
shane
Sep 24, 2018 at 11:17 pm
They are NOT 14 different golf clubs; they are a progressive set of clubs that are matched to distances and trajectories. If single length were the standard somebody would invent progressive length clubs.
Robb Houle
Sep 25, 2018 at 8:21 am
A set of 14 progressive clubs are ABSOLUTELY 14 different clubs. They are different length, loft and lie. Which is the definition of “different”
I am not arguing that single length should be the standard. I was giving an example where a version of non-traditional progressive length worked for me.
What it comes down to is that you need 14 clubs in your bag that can fill yardage gaps and go the direction you think they are going to go.
Bob the Gopher
Sep 21, 2018 at 1:41 pm
I just snagged a set of the Wishon Sterling irons. Best golf purchase I’ve made in a long time. Standing over the 5-7i feels like cheating. Never been more consistent from 200 yards out. The biggest adjustment you have to be prepared for is the mental aspect. If you can consistently put a smooth swing on these, they are absolutely phenomenal. I recommend to anyone who struggles with the irons.
oppie
Sep 21, 2018 at 7:00 pm
Anyone who struggles with irons will not solve their swing problems with single length irons… believe it…!!!
A. Commoner
Sep 21, 2018 at 8:26 pm
Ridiculous fabrication.
Ken singer
Sep 21, 2018 at 11:29 am
Great video. I tried the single length Wilson irons. ( wishon makes great products ) Yet, I found that I was hitting my 5 hybrid and4 hybrid better then the 5 and 4 single length irons. I think this goes back to club speed ( not sure) and even though the 5 and 4 iron are shorter, they still have the loft of typicial 4 and 5. I would have liked to seen more of a comparison. Of single length vs those of us who use hybrids. Thanks Ken singer
christian
Sep 21, 2018 at 7:23 pm
Your issue is iron vs hybrid and not with single length. Most average non-pro golfers hit their hybrids better than their long irons.
Ken singer
Sep 22, 2018 at 9:18 am
I agree ( Christian) about hybrid vs iron. Yet more and more pros are using hybrids. Second many recreational golfers with low handicaps are using hybrids. In the single length set wishon made, he includes hybrids at the 4 and 5 length clubs. If you talk to Tom wishon he says that his single length clubs were made more for the recreational golfer ( yet Bryce d has turned this upside down ) What I’m saying in my experience with the single length clubs ( which I tried out about a year ago) is that loft is more important then length of a club in hitting consistent shots , and once you get up to long irons hybrids are easier to hit.
Spitfisher
Sep 21, 2018 at 11:17 am
I could see the possibility of 3 different lengths over the set of 7-8 irons being marketed. Including gap. I just don’t believe the single length is for better players period, people that are looking for something to improve their game , have at it
Personally develop a swing or lessons and you won’t need single length. Ignore lofts and club heads. If you hit a 6 hybrid as far as a well struct 4 or 5 iron go for it. Most people should not even carry a 4 iron and some not a 5 iron.
Deschambau should not be used as testimony to this theory. He has a unique swing perhaps only to himself and one only has to see that his clubs are 12-14 degrees upright with baseball bat size grips.
Equs Golf
Sep 21, 2018 at 11:58 am
http://www.equsgolf.com
The new EQUS series of irons highlight traits of both traditional length and single length golf clubs. Using matched combinations in three progressive lengths, this concept is designed to improve consistency, ball striking ability and therefore, performance for golfers of all levels.
This concept allows golfers to easily transition to the single length concept without changing their current swing or giving up standard grips, lies or the traditional lengths found in long, mid and short irons.
stevet
Sep 22, 2018 at 3:02 pm
Mr. Lytle(?): Viewed your website and read your US Patent Application (20180185718). Congratulation on bringing your product to market.
Could you further clarify your advertisment or claims for static “swingweight” (1st MOI) and dynamic “MOI” matching (2nd MOI) for your clubs? Thanks.
EQUS Golf
Sep 24, 2018 at 11:52 pm
EQUS golf irons are MOI (Moment of Inertia) matched for each combination in each set. The result is a progressive swing weight, constant within each individual combination, and progressive in subsequent combinations.
MOI is the force necessary to initiate the motion of a stationary object about an axis. In EQUS irons the axis is both the center of gravity of the club head and the pendulum created by the entire club. EQUS clubs utilize both of these matched forces to improve consistency within any given combination.
ogo
Sep 26, 2018 at 3:25 pm
You have 3 sets of irons with different lengths and 3 different swings. Why not a true single length for all the irons and only one swing?
Bruce
Sep 21, 2018 at 3:47 pm
Sounds like you made your decision before watching the video.
Mike
Sep 21, 2018 at 12:54 am
Interesting video. I have considered the single length clubs at one time but was afraid of the longer irons having distance issues. Granted with today’s lofts, I would probably only use a 5 iron on down but still worried about the 5 and 6 iron distances.
Do the companies make them at whatever length you want or is the standard a 7 or 8 iron? I thought Cobra was based on a 7 iron but could be wrong!
steve
Sep 20, 2018 at 6:17 pm
Shawn… I notice in your swing… you turn your head back twice at Address… and your backswing comes to a virtual stop/pause at the Top. Your hips rotate quite a lot and your X-factor to your shoulder turn is small, but you unwind smooth and powerful. Your legs are active… 😉
Leo Vincent
Sep 22, 2018 at 12:22 am
Doubt the guy in the video can break 80
steve
Sep 22, 2018 at 3:05 pm
All that counts is proper desired impact results… style is secondary.
ogo
Sep 20, 2018 at 6:11 pm
WOW!!!! Single length irons from PING??!!!
And the empty cavity back Sterlings sound more pingy than elastomer filled iBlades??!!!
Bruce
Sep 21, 2018 at 3:56 pm
Pings were his variable length and used as a standard.
Single length from Stirling and Cobra
Tom
Sep 20, 2018 at 5:16 pm
Uhhh….Tommy Armour golf had this one length iron concept back in the mid 1980’s…they called it EQL….nothing new here.
John Siegenthaler
Sep 21, 2018 at 11:12 am
Exactly!!
A. Commoner
Sep 21, 2018 at 8:32 pm
They were a flop and for a good reason.
gunmetal
Sep 20, 2018 at 4:10 pm
Cool vid. Hopefully the rest of the companies take note of the benefits that most golfers in the world would see.
steve
Sep 20, 2018 at 6:20 pm
Any competent golf like Shawn can compensate and adjust their swing with any make of club. The results may be different but the performance is standard.