Irons come in all shapes and sizes but why? I remember being told by a buddy of mine that it was because irons used to be all single length when they were made from wood.
Because of this altering the length of shafts was expensive and the majority of golfers couldn’t afford it.
Manufacturers made the sets at different lengths so there would be at least one iron in a set that would fit every golfer.
Now he told me that story after a couple of beers so it’s not a hill I’m willing to die on….
But they are made different for multiple different reasons, which I will go into more detail below, but basically, it’s for more distance and better accuracy.
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Longer Shafts For More Distance
Golf’s worst-kept secret is that the longer your club is, the further you’ll hit the ball. But is this true?
Before I answer that, let’s first look into where this extra distance comes from. Throughout your swing the clubhead has to travel a long way before impact.
It may not seem like this to you but it does and the longer it’s journey the more time it has to pick up speed. Think about it in which scenario would you be able to reach your top speed
In the first scenario, you are running from one side of your bedroom to the other, and in the second, you’re in a gymnasium.
Now, unless your bedroom is insanely big every single time, you will reach your top speed in a gymnasium because you have more room to work. The same applies to your irons.
Clubhead speed is hugely important when trying to hit it the ball further. Which is why it makes sense that your 4-iron is longer than the rest of your irons.
A 4-iron has the least amount of loft, and the less loft you have the more speed you need to get the ball airborne.
Okay great, so why don’t they make every iron the size of a 4-iron so we can hit 200 yard pitching wedges like Bryson?
Let me tell you…
Shorter Shaft For More Control
A sledgehammer serves its purpose, but sometimes you need a smaller handheld hammer for more intricate jobs. Like hitting a nail into the wall so you can hang a picture.
If you used a sledge hammer there wouldn’t be any wall left to hang the picture.
I know you didn’t come here for DIY tips but the same applies to irons. You have long irons to get the ball further down the fairway or onto the green.
And you have shorter irons to get as close as possible to the flag. So distance is not as important to short irons as it is to long irons.
No, accuracy and control are what’s truly important for shorter irons, and a smaller shaft helps achieve this.
The less distance your clubhead has to travel, the smaller the chances of something going wrong becomes.
That’s why most golfers struggle to control their long irons and are okay hitting their shorter irons or wedges.
More Spin + Loft = Shorter Shaft
Another reason you want a shorter shaft for some of your irons is that they have more loft which in turn causes more spin.
This makes them ideal for launching high and landing dead on the greens, but they wouldn’t be great over long distances.
If your 9-iron has the same shaft length of a driving iron and he hit it clean the ball would probably get close to leaving the atmosphere.
The more speed you hit an iron with the higher it will launch, this is why your long irons, woods and drivers need longer shafts, because they have not as much loft or spin.
Imagine you’re on the course on a windy day standing on the teebox and it’s cutting across the fairway from left to right. Ideally you would want to hit a low lofted club that the wind won’t affect too much.
Because the higher up you go the stronger the currents become.
Now imagine you could hit your 9-iron 250 yards because of an extra long shaft. The ball would soar down the fairway but it would be dragged all over the place by the wind.
That’s why some pros will decide to hit a soft 7-iron into the wind as opposed a 9-iron. Too much height and spin over long distances is not a good combo.
So How Do Single Length Irons Work?
Single-length irons have become more popular in the golf world, and Bryson has largely to do with the popularity of this type of iron.
Basically, to get fitted for a single-length iron, you will hit all your irons, and the club fitter will analyze which irons you hit the best/most consistently.
Let’s say it’s a 7-iron, all the rest of your irons from 4 to 9 will then be adjusted to match this length.
The main benefit is that you can focus on perfecting one swing rather than have a swing for short, mid and long irons.
But since the 4-iron is now cut shorter won’t you lose distance? Yes and no.
It’s possible you lose distance if you aren’t swinging it fast enough, but studies have shown that single-length irons can increase distance for these clubs.
This is because if you’re confident swinging at that length, you can swing faster and make better contact more frequently.
Sometimes golfers are afraid of their long irons, so they ease off or swing too fast and make bad connections. Single-length irons solve all these problems and allow you to swing as normal.
Checkout our post on how to stop thinning your iron shots.