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Greg Norman: “If I had to do it all over again, I would go to one-length clubs”
Greg Norman has never been a man to shy away from speaking his mind, and during Saturday’s Golf Channel broadcast of the QBE Shootout, the Australian declared that if he had the opportunity to begin his career again, he would do so with single-length irons.
Norman stressed how his experience while experimenting with Cobra King One Length irons led him to conclude that single-length irons are more beneficial than standard irons because “your spine angle stays the same” no matter what club you are using.
“Believe it or not, if I had to do it all over again as a 13 or 14-year-old, I would go to one-length clubs,” Norman said. “I actually had a set made for me when [Bryson DeChambeau] first came and joined, and I got it straight off the bat. When you think about it, my 4-iron and my 8-iron are the same length, but my ball flight was so good on all of them because your spine angle stays the same.”
The Australian went on to say that anyone looking to introduce their kid to the game of golf, should give them single-length irons to optimize their chances of success.
“I think parents now, for longevity, golf is a sport you can play your entire life, so if you look at that motion that [DeChambeau is] going through there, it’s such an effortless motion. He’s stacked up beautifully. At the end of the day, the motion is so simple through there. So the one-length golf club, in my humble opinion, give a kid at six, seven, eight…get him used to it and he’ll do well.”
Norman won 88 times in his career, including 20 wins on the PGA Tour and two major championship victories. Could the Shark have achieved even more if he had have used single-length irons during his career instead of standard irons?
Let us know what you think, GolfWRXers!
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Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
…The Jailbird craze hasn’t really slowed down in 2024, either. According to Odyssey rep Joe Toulon, there are about 18-20 Jailbird putter users on the PGA TOUR.
Most recently, Akshay Bhatia won the 2024 Valero Texas Open using a broomstick-style Odyssey Jailbird 380 putter and Webb Simpson is switching into a replica of that putter at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Now, Fowler, who essentially started the whole Jailbird craze, is making a significant change to his putter setup.
Fowler, who has had a couple weeks off since the 2024 RBC Heritage, started experimenting with a new, custom-orange Jailbird 380 head that’s equipped with a standard 35-inch putter build, rather than his previous 38-inch counter-balanced setup.
According to Fowler, while he still likes the look and forgiveness of his Jailbird putter head, he’s looking to re-incorporate more feel into his hands during the putting stroke.
He told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Championship that the 38-inch counterbalanced setup “served its purpose” by helping him to neutralize his hands during the stroke, but now it’s time to try the standard-length putter with a standard-size SuperStroke Pistol Tour grip to help with his feel and speed control.
Although Fowler was also spotted testing standard-length mallets from L.A.B. Golf and Axis1 on Tuesday, he confirmed that the custom Odyssey Jailbird 380 is the putter he’ll use this week at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship.
Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
So, with a couple of weeks off following his latest start at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Thomas sought to re-address his driver setup with the remote help of Titleist Tour fitting expert J.J. Van Wezenbeeck. About two weeks ago, Thomas and Van Wezenbeeck reviewed his recent driver stats, and discussed via phone call some possible driver and shaft combinations for him to try.
After receiving Van Wezenbeeck’s personalized shipment of product options while at home, Thomas found significant performance improvements with Titleist’s TSR2 head, equipped with Thomas’ familiar Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft.
Compared to Thomas’ longtime TSR3 model, the TSR2 has a larger footprint and offers slightly higher spin and launch characteristics.
According to Van Wezenbeeck, Thomas has picked up about 2-3 mph of ball speed, to go along with 1.5 degrees higher launch and more predictable mishits.
“I’d say I’d been driving it fine, not driving it great, so I just wanted to, honestly, just test or try some stuff,” Thomas said on Tuesday in an interview with GolfWRX.com at Quail Hollow Club. “I had used that style of head a couple years ago (Thomas used a TSi2 driver around 2021); I know it’s supposed to have a little more spin. Obviously, yeah, I’d love to hit it further, but if I can get a little more spin and have my mishits be a little more consistent, I felt like obviously that’d be better for my driving…
“This (TSR2) has been great. I’ve really, really driven it well the week I’ve used it. Just hitting it more solid, I don’t know if it’s the look of it or what it is, but just a little bit more consistent with the spin numbers. Less knuckle-ball curves. It has been fast. Maybe just a little faster than what I was using. Maybe it could be something with the bigger head, maybe mentally it looks more forgiving.”
Head over to PGATour.com for the full article.
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Bill
Dec 12, 2018 at 4:01 pm
I’ve been playing with 3 lengths in my set. 2,3,4,5 long irons, 6,7,8,9 mid irons, and all wedges the same. # different lengths, 3 different missions and it maximizes the power and control of each group. Single length weakens the long irons because they are too short, mid irons are ok, but single length are too long for control. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Craig
Dec 12, 2018 at 3:34 pm
There will never be a critical mass of people using one length clubs because there are very few teachers of the method.
retired04
Dec 12, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Just curious-How many of you naysayers have actually had a set of single length irons in your bag for a 30-90 day get acquainted/get-used-to honest try? Got a feeling the number is close to zero. Kinda changes the picture, doesn’t it?
I tried them-couldn’t believe the difference once I could wrap my head around the fact that my PW was the same length as my 7 iron-and have never looked back. Any bona fides? Yeah-am 71 and been in and around the golf business since I was 12(repair work at Dad’s course), single digit since high school, college scholarship, rep for years, managed courses….still single digit albeit from shorter tees now. Played blades my hole life other than an occasional experiment, but I was open minded enough to try one length. Got fitted by Cobra rep for lie angle (he came up with the same 2* flat I have always used), some practice, played 2 rounds and sold my Wilson Staffs. Have taken some grief from other players-don’t care because one length is easier.
My bet-once teachers/parents/players begin to realize the benefits of one length (especially with Cobra’s new blade type TEC Black one length irons), other manufacturers will enter the market-and it will be sooner than most of you expect. Players won’t know until they try them. Have you really tried them?
Think about it. You irons, the very clubs you use to get it close to the hole-every one is now the same length, lie angle, gram weight, swing weight (mine came from Cobra +/- 2 GRAMS and all exactly D2)-and they all swing the same-rather than 6 or 8 or 9 slightly different swings. Are you kidding me?!?!
Full disclosure: 1. I do not and have never worked for Cobra; 2. My 2 gap and sand wedges are shorter, BUT ALL 3 ARE THE SAME LENGTH (I have a stockpile of heads); 3. Yes, I tried the old Tommy Armour single length irons-couldn’t get the mid or long irons airborn.
Edward Bardoe
Dec 12, 2018 at 11:25 am
the single length idea is for irons that you wish to make the same swing and get different distance. Not drivers or other clubs where maximum distance is the goal (three wood would be the same for non-pros, for the non-talented like me even hybrids) or club played for “touch” or different distance results like wedges. De Chambeaus wedges are allegedly in the single length, but whatever length they are, he chokes up on the grip the 2 inches that would separate a seven iron length from a lob wedge. Basically your single length “set” is 4 to PW.
ogo
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:31 pm
Closed comments thread?!!
ogo
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:35 pm
1996 Masters debacle too?!!
ogo
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:27 pm
…. and played them in the 1996 Masters debacle instead of his Cobras.
Steve
Dec 10, 2018 at 9:53 pm
Kids who are ages six through eight do not play with full sets of irons.
ray arcade
Dec 10, 2018 at 7:03 pm
What happened to his left hand??
Sam Boulden
Dec 11, 2018 at 4:42 am
Chainsaw accident a few years ago
JD
Dec 11, 2018 at 8:20 am
His left hand is on his hip. That’s someone else’s right hand on the edge of the counter.
Tom
Dec 10, 2018 at 5:16 pm
You would think a guy who believes in the one -length club theory would have only had one wife, not three?
Marc Tebo
Dec 12, 2018 at 11:19 am
Fail…
Tom
Dec 10, 2018 at 4:45 pm
This guy talks too much, he is full of it!
HDTVMAN
Dec 12, 2018 at 6:25 pm
You should have his BILLIONS!
Tom
Dec 10, 2018 at 4:44 pm
Will he be using one length irons in he father-Son event this week?
Jamie
Dec 10, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Still a part-owner of Cobra, Greg? Are you sure that’s not your motivation for saying such things?
Dan
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:53 am
Imagine if 1/2 of his 2nd place finishes were 1st place. Not sure single irons could have overcome others luck
Peter McGill
Dec 14, 2018 at 2:56 am
Luck? If he didn’t shoot those 40’s on the back nines, things would have been very different.
Gun Violent
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:42 am
Well of course he says that, he’s still with Cobra! He wouldn’t be able to say it if he was with Titleist or some other company. Duh. He is such a good boy salesperson. Always has been. And he think’s that’s being clever.
Commoner
Dec 10, 2018 at 12:44 pm
GV’s post is right on the ‘money.’ (Sorry; had to do it.) Where are ethics, principles, morals, et cetera today?
Funkaholic
Dec 12, 2018 at 10:46 am
When someone offers you the kind of money he is making, then you can judge. you can’t buy a game and the pros know it, brand loyalty is silly nonsense. Nothing unethical about pushing a product that you are paid to rep.
A. Commoner
Dec 12, 2018 at 5:12 pm
Was not appropriate to time and place.
Blake
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:42 am
No he wouldnt. Im sure this isnt influenced at all by his relationship with cobra and them being the only ones pushing single length clubs