How to Play Your New 1 Irons

Getting the most out of your Single Length golf clubs

​The best golfers in the world will agree that the two major factors contributing to their ability to play championship golf are: 1) Equipment; and, 2) practice/effort. You have already addressed #1 by purchasing a set of 1 Irons which are of the highest quality and specification standards in the entire golf industry. However, you cannot purchase #2 which is key to golfing success. If you are willing to devote some spare time and effort to developing your swing per our Playing Tips then I assure you that, over time, you will achieve a level of ball striking ability that you never thought possible.  

The vast majority of golfers are used to playing standard length “off the rack” golf clubs that have never fit them properly. Consequently, they have been forced to make their swing fit these clubs resulting in poor and weak address/swing postures and swing planes. Your new 1 Iron single length irons and woods have been custom made for you based upon the ideal lie angles that we incorporate in relation to your wrist-to-floor measurement. This custom fitting results in golf clubs that will force you into the ideal address/swing posture and swing plane for maximum power and accuracy. Therefore it is normal to experience a learning curve where your body is adjusting to this new ideal posture and swing. It is not necessary for you to consciously try to make any swing changes as your body will adapt on it’s own through practice and repetition. For some golfers this learning curve will be very short, perhaps one or two trips to the range, while others may require more time. However, by adhering to these Playing Tips every golfer can develop, over time, a fluid and powerful swing.

Initially you will experience a loss in distance which is to be expected. The reason is simply that you need to develop your feel and timing (let alone getting used to playing all shots from the center of your stance and using the same swing with every club) which takes repetition and trips to the range. It would be presumptuous to expect anyone to unlearn all of the ingrained swings, ball positions, poor posture, and poor swing planes they have developed over many years of playing conventional golf clubs plus ingraining their new efficient and powerful swing and swing posture in just a few trips to the range and a few rounds of golf.

You should study these Playing Tips thoroughly and concentrate on the section devoted to eliminating any lateral sway from your swing. I guarantee that swaying during the golf swing, which is necessary in order to play conventional varying length sets of golf clubs, is the major reason that the average golfer never realizes his/her true power potential. Swaying not only robs you of power, but due to the perfect timing required drastically reduces your control. You must remember that you are not playing conventional irons or woods, but rather, irons and woods that were designed for single-length play.

Initially you will want to go to the range and hit your #9 iron concentrating on swinging the club around your body and eliminating any lateral swaying motion from your swing. Do not be discouraged if you hit a few poor shots at first as your unconscious mind/body will be making thousands of minute adjustments after every shot. This is the key to developing your feel and timing and will lead to a deep ingraining of your new fluid and powerful iron swing. Once you begin to groove your swing with the #9 iron move on to your #8, #7, #6 and up to your #3 iron if you purchased the iron set. Make sure that you are using the same swing and center of stance ball position with these irons as you did with the #9 iron. If you are having trouble with the lower lofted irons simply alternate hitting five shots each with your #9 iron and #3 or #5 iron concentrating on using exactly the same swing and the same degree of power – do not swing harder with the lower lofted irons, but keep everything the same. It may take a number of trips to the range for everything to click but once it does you will be pleasantly surprised at your new level of ball striking and distance. 

A few pointers: 

  • You should never hit more than 50 or 60 balls at any one range session and you should pause after every shot to evaluate your swing (you are not at the range for physical exercise).
  • You should not play a round of golf until you have become fully acclimated and comfortable with your new single length iron and wood swing.
  • One of the benefits of the One Iron Golf System is that your swing, power, and control will continue to improve over time. Whenever you swing a golf club your single-swing will become more and more deeply ingrained and repeatable.
  • Do not try and intermingle conventional wedges within your set of 1 Irons since they will have a completely different weight, length, and flex which will require a different swing, timing and feel from the rest of the irons within your set.
  • Do not make the mistake of going back and forth between your new single length golf clubsand your old set of clubs. Your 1 Irons have been custom fit to your individual specifications and will require a breaking in period so that your body can unconsciously make the neuro-muscular adjustments necessary to produce your new and ideal address/swing posture and swing plane. Going back and forth between your old set of golf clubs and your new 1 Ironsingle length set will completely undermine this process and drastically hinder your improvement.
  • Single length irons and fairway woods are designed to be played using a center of stance ball position. This is in contrast to the varying ball positions recommended with conventional irons and woods so it will take a few trips to the range in order to acclimate yourself mentally to this single ball position. The only exception is with the driver which should be played using a slightly forward ball position (approx. one or two balls left of center) due to the fact that the ball is teed up.
  • When hitting the fairway woods bear in mind that in order for the ball to go up you must hit down. Obviously you do not want to hit down with fairway woods using as steep an angle as an iron, but you do have to hit the ball with a slightly descending blow. If you simply try to sweep a fairway wood you will tend to hit fat shots or top the ball frequently. Concentrate on hitting the ball first with your woods as opposed to sweeping the clubhead across the ground through impact.
  • 1 Irons are designed to place you into an upright swing posture. This means that you will be standing closer to the ball at address than you are used to with conventional clubs. It is very important that you use this same ball position and upright posture with all of your 1 Irons and you should never feel as if you are bending over or reaching for the ball. Also, do not choke down on any club for a normal fairway shot (this includes pitch and chip shots).
  • Do not sway laterally during the backswing or during the downswing. Try to keep your shoulders and hips in approximately the same position throughout the swing by imagining that you have a pole stuck into the base of your skull that runs straight down your spine and is embedded in the ground. What you want to do is to rotate your torso around this pole on the back-swing and down-swing. Remember that you are trying to swing the club around your body, not out to the side. By keeping your trailing elbow close to your hip during the backswing you will find it easier to bring the club behind you. Make sure that you do not sway laterally in front of the ball through impact.  You should be looking at the back of the ball at the point of impact (stay behind the ball).
  • Do not over-swing. A comfortable and controlled swing will produce much better ball striking, distance, and accuracy than trying to overpower the shot. Try to pause momentarily at the top of your backswing before starting your downswing and do not hit with your arms, but rather, keep them relaxed and just let them go along for the ride.
  • Try to only nick the ground through impact when hitting the irons as opposed to taking a big divot. This does not mean “scooping” or “sweeping” the ball as you want to hit down and through the ball leaving a very slight divot or small burn mark on the turf just past where the ball was sitting. This is especially true with the #3, #4, and #5 irons since you are used to playing conventional irons and have been taught to place the ball forward in your stance and use more of a “sweeping” swing with these irons. With 1 Irons you want a slightly descending blow into the ball with every iron in the bag.

Congratulations! You have joined thousands of golfers worldwide who have discovered “The Best kept Secret in Golf”.

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