News
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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News
Tour Rundown: Rose blooms, Rory rolls
This week last year, I found myself praying to the weather goddesses and gods that Rochester would be spared their wrath over the next seven days. The 2023 Oak Hill PGA Championship (that was slated for August when the contract was signed) was on the horizon, and I wanted my region to show well. Things turned out fine, with all four seasons making an appearance, a PGA Professional (Blockie!) stealing hearts, and a proven champion in Koepka (although I was pulling for Viktor.)
This year, no concerns. Louisville will shine this week at Valhalla, but we’ve matters to consider before we look to four days of coverage this week. Nelly did not win on the LPGA this week, so who did? The PGA Tour held two events in the Carolinas, and Tour Champions celebrated a major event in Alabama. Four noteworthy events to run down, so let’s head to RunDownTown and take care of business.
LPGA @ Founders Cup: Rose blooms
There was a sense that Rose Zhang might have a role in the 2020s version of the LPGA. After winning everything there was in amateur golf, she came out and won her first tournament as a professional. That was last May and, let’s be honest, who among us thought it would take 12 months for Zhang to win again? Rhymes with hero, I know.
This week in New Jersey, eyes were on Nelly Korda, as she made a run at a sixth consecutive win on the LPGA circuit. Korda ran out of gas on Saturday, and that was just fine. Madelene Sagstrom and Zhang had turned the soiree at Upper Montclair into a battle of birdies. Gabriela Ruffels came third at nine-under par. No one else reached double digits under par but Sagstrom and Zhang. They didn’t just reach -10…they more than doubled it.
Sagstrom had the look of a winner with five holes left to play. She was three shots clear of Zhang, at 23-under par. The Swede played her closing quintet in plus-one, finishing at 22-deep, 13 shots ahead of Ruffels. That performance we’d anticipated from Zhang? It happened on Sunday. She closed with four birdies in five holes to snatch victory number two, by two shots. Spring is a lovely time for a Rose in bloom.
Take a look back at hole No. 1… @rosezhang is living life on the edge ? pic.twitter.com/o6z6SK7TRA
— LPGA (@LPGA) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Wells Fargo: Rory the Fourth is crowned in Charlotte
Xander Schauffele is a likable lad. He has an Olympic gold medal on his shelf, and a few PGA Tour titles to his credit. Even X knows that even par won’t get much done in a final round unless conditions are brutal. They weren’t brutal at Quail Hollow on Sunday. X posted even par on day four. It kept him ahead of third-place finisher Byeong Hun An but gave him zero chance of challenging for the title.
Paired with Xander in round four was the King of Quail, Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had previously won thrice at the North Carolina track, and he was champing at the bit to gain some momentum on the road to Louisville. While Xander scored increasingly worse along the week (64-67-70-71) McIlroy saved his best round for the final round. Thanks to five birdies and two eagles, McIlroy ran away with the event, winning his fourth Wells Fargo by five over Schauffele.
HOLE-OUT EAGLE FOR RORY!!!
He now leads by SIX! pic.twitter.com/UE49lwfwNC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour @ Myrtle Beach Classic: a little CG won the inaugural week
It always seemed odd that the PGA Tour had zero stops along the Grand Strand each season. This week’s event seemed odd in that the golfers played the same course each day, and there were zero handicaps involved. Most events at Myrtle Beach involve hundreds of amateurs at dozens of courses, with all sorts of handicaps.
The Dunes Club is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, down toward Pawley’s Island. It claims what used to be considered an unreachable, par-five hole, the watery 13th. Nothing is unreachable any longer, including a 22-under par total for a six-shot win. Chris Gotterup, a former Rutgers and Oklahoma golfer, played sizzling golf all week and won by a sextet of shots. Gotterup opened with 66, then improved to 64 on Friday. His Saturday 65 sounded a beacon of “come get me,” and his closing 67 ensured that second place was the only thing up for grabs.
Chasing the podium’s second level were a bunch of young Americans. In the end, Alastair Docherty and Davis Thompson reached 16-deep, thanks to rounds of 64 and 68 on Sunday. They held off six golfers at 15-under par. The victory was Gotterup’s first on tour and should be enough to get him a Wikipedia page, among other plaudits.
Leader by SIX!
@ChrisGotterup | @MyrtleBeachC pic.twitter.com/TVdA6ZPYc4— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 12, 2024
PGA Tour Champions @ Regions Traditions: Vindication for Dougie
Doug Barron, if I recall correctly, was suspended by the Powers That Be, way back in 2009, for testosterone. He was naturally low in the hormone, so he took supplements. This did not sit well with certain admins, so he was put on the shelf for 18 months. Not cool.
In 2019, Barron came out on the Tour Champions. He won in August. The next year, despite the craziness of Covid, he won again. Barron hit a dry spell for a few years. He kept his card, but accrued no additional victories. In late April, Barron showed serious signs of life, with a t2 at Mitsubishi. This week in Birmingham, he jumped out to a lead, lost it, then gained it back on Saturday. With major championship glory on the line, Barron brought the train into the station with 68 on Sunday.
Stephen Alker, the man who could not lose just two years ago, gave serious chase with a closing 63. He moved up 11 slots, into solo 2nd on Sunday. He finished two shots back of the champion. Two shots ain’t much. Cough once and you drop a pair. Third place saw a three-way tie, including last year’s winner (Steve Stricker) and runner-up (Ernie Els.) Despite the intimidating presence of the game’s greats, however, Doug Barron had more than enough of everything this week, and he has a third Tour Champions title to show off.
At the @RegionsTrad, all champions receive a green bike.
Doug Barron decided to take a victory lap ? pic.twitter.com/bEzENMjZwv
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 13, 2024
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
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 timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter
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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Why Wesley Bryan is playing two 4-irons this week
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