Single length golf clubs have been gaining popularity through the success of PGA professional – Bryson DeChambeau. For doing single length right I credit Tom Wishon and his Sterling Single Length designs.
Traditional sets can have up to 4″ of length variation vs no length change in the Single Length sets. Not everyone can handle nor adjust to 4 inches of length variation. Similarly not everyone can mentally adjust to longer ‘short irons’ and shorter ‘long irons’.
True Length Technology vs Single Length
True Length Technology® addresses the Single Length concerns by incorporating a small lie angle change in each iron. This promotes a minimal length change between clubs. Concerns about the ‘long irons’ being too short has been a stickler with players looking into the new concept.
Single length golf clubs have become popular in the last couple years and there are benefits. True Length Technology® golf clubs have also found a solid place in the world of Profession golf club fitting. However, as a Professional golf clubmaker I get asked about the short ‘long’ irons. Single length 4 and 5 irons being built to 36 1/2 inches just does not sit well with some. A combination of both True Length Technology® and the Single Length concept may well prove out to be the perfect combination.
As the developer of the Award Winning Fitting System True Length Technology® I approached this from a scientific approach. I recently built a personal set of the Tom Wishon designed Sterling irons. I did however take liberties and used the True Length Technology math model to do some small tweaks. The set was not built as a single length set, but rather applied a third of a degree of lie angle change per club. This allowed me to build slightly longer long irons. The combination of True Length Technology® and Single Length now has the set’s total length variation near 1″ from the longest club to the shortest. So the long iron is 37.45 and the shortest iron is 36.45, allowing the constant address position to remain fully in tact. However, this did allow me the opportunity to play with a little bit of additional length with the longer irons.
Tom Wishon’s Sterling irons and True Length Technology
Both True Length Technology® and Single Length golf clubs allow the player to remain in their strongest athletic address position with every club. This reduced length concept allowed a bit of tradition in the set. The advantage in using the Wishon designed Sterling’s as a True Length Technology set is the additional weight port at the bottom of the hosel. These ports allow the builder to alter the head weight keeping the swing weight or MOI profile in place.
Traditional sets cannot be converted to Single Length without head weight issues. True Length Technology® can handle all club head designs for True Length Technology® builds. To some degree, reduced length builds, can get down to only 1″ of total length difference.
My initial round proved out the concept as potentially sound. Overall I am very confident that this approach will satisfy the traditionalist as there still remains some club length variation.
I present this just as an option to those that like the idea of Single Length golf clubs, but have a hard time convincing themselves that a 36 1/2 inch 4 iron will work for them. The singular athletic address position remains fully in place and all the benefits still exist.
True Length Technology® is a proven build procedure with golf clubmaker’s in 18 Countries now building to the math model. Single Length golf club builds continue to grow in popularity. Now the combination of the 2 methods may well prove out to be very successful as we move forward.
Dan Connelly is the developer of both True Length Technology® and True Frequency Technology® and can be contacted at https://danscustomgolfshop.com/contact-us/
True Length Technology® was Awarded ‘Best New Fitting Idea’ by the Association of Golf Clubfitting Professionals (AGCP) – Georgia.
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