Connect with us

Equipment

Today from the Forums: “When did the 1-iron phase-out on the PGA Tour?”

Published

on

@shistorians

Today from the Forums shines a light on a discussion between members over when the 1-iron began to phase out on the PGA Tour. Our members have been having their say on the topic, with some believing the club has simply evolved.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • llamont: “My own opinion is that the 1-iron is alive and well in the evolved form of the modern-day driving iron/utility club (not hybrid). TaylorMade, Callaway, Srixon, Titleist, etc. all make driving irons used by professionals and amateurs alike. The number used to identify a club and the loft of the club are completely subjective when comparing equipment from different eras, but the intended purposes remain the same.”
  • dalehead: “The 1 iron was never in the bags of most tour pros even back to the Hogan era. The most common bag set up was 3 woods, 2-PW, SW and putter. There was a big surge in 1 irons with the introduction of the Ping Eye 2’s which featured a 1 iron that even the less skilled could use (ask me how I know). It usually replaced the third wood in the bag. Several factors lead to the demise of the 1 iron. The lob wedge. Room had to be made in the bag for it. 2 and even 3 irons with the loft of older 1 irons. The hybrid. As others have said we have the modern driving irons, but they’ve come a long way from say a Wilson Staff button back 1 iron which was my unicorn when I was a kid.”
  • Dr. Block :”I have a Wilson staff 1 iron from the early ’80s. I checked the specs, and its loft is equivalent to a modern 3 iron or 3 hybrid. So maybe the 1 iron died when club companies starting strengthening the lofts of irons to create extra distance.”
  • 3jacker: “The most correct answer thus far is the ones stating that 2 and 3 irons are the same club as the old 1 irons. It is easy to compare today’s lofts/lengths with the clubs from the 90s and before. Second-biggest cause is the changes to the ball. Third is that hybrids replaced them, but at the professional level hybrids do not perform the same way as a low-lofted iron (utility or 2 iron today). Easier to hit but harder to keep down when desired. I had a full set of those Hogan PCs shown above back in the late 80s. Loved them, that 1-iron was a joy to hit well (when things were working). Still have them stashed away somewhere…”

Entire Thread: “When did the 1-iron phase-out on the PGA Tour?”

Your Reaction?
  • 19
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW1
  • LOL1
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP1
  • OB0
  • SHANK3

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Rich Douglas

    Feb 7, 2020 at 11:15 am

    The 1-iron died when people kept repeating a Lee Trevino joke about it.

  2. juststeve

    Feb 7, 2020 at 9:01 am

    The modern golf ball doesn’t spin enough to make a one iron playable.

    Steve

  3. Gurn

    Feb 7, 2020 at 7:53 am

    I remember when Long John Daly had a zero iron… seriously, 10,000,000 smokes ago

  4. Gman

    Feb 7, 2020 at 6:42 am

    In the 70s and up to the mid 80s a PW had ca. 50 degrees of Loft and a 1 iron ca. 17 degrees
    A PW now has maximum 46 degrees and normally a lot less. A corresponding 1 iron would now need to have about 13 degrees ????

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

Published

on

Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

Published

on

Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

Your Reaction?
  • 3
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW2
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

Published

on

As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

Your Reaction?
  • 24
  • LEGIT4
  • WOW1
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB1
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending