Golf irons were usually the better players’ clubs that had distinctive deformations and markings in the centre of the clubface. But irons only wear out after years and years of hitting the club at the same spot. For amateur golfers who usually play on the weekends, it takes a long time for their irons to become dead and to actually start to lose distance. If at any time an iron feels dead, it’s simply because your swings need little adjustments or that the new irons in the market are a tad bit better.
You will also notice that the irons that are usually used and thus hit the most, such as the 3,7 and 9 iron, are also the most commonly worn out ones.
How Long Do Golf Irons Last?
To get it straight, golf irons should technically last for over hundreds and hundreds of rounds of golf. In actuality, there is no exact number to tell how many rounds one can get with a set of irons.
An average golfer can get a good seven to 10 years with a set. But for the golfers who play every single day of the year, it may only take 3-4 years before a set of irons finally start to lose their effectiveness
How to Make Golf Irons Last Longer?
It’s a fact of life when people say everything in the world lasts a great deal longer with a bit of tender love and affection. Just like your relationships, if you show some care to your irons, they will serve you for a few more years than the clubs left untreated after a game, covered in mud or sand.
Signs your irons are wearing out
There are some tell-tale signs of your irons losing their game. But this could also be caused by issues with your swing. So, it’s best to talk to a professional before bidding your irons goodbye.
- A fall in distance: you will feel this happening gradually. On one round, you will feel like you’re hitting your ball perfectly, but uh-oh, it doesn’t travel as far. Next, you will feel as if you’re getting short on the shots that you never felt like you had any trouble dealing with at all.
- A decrease in the feel: you know how you get a buttery feeling when you hit an iron shot perfectly? If it does fade away despite your swing remaining the same, it could be the club that’s causing this problem.
- Issues with the groove: whenever you feel like, your golf irons can be re-grooved. Just look at the grooves on your iron club and if you see them deteriorating, you know you have the most prominent sign of your iron wearing away.
Signs to look for while replacing
Let’s have a look at the signs that will tell you that it’s the right time to replace your irons:
- The grooves will appear worn-out
- The iron may bend down and bring about a negative impact on your overall performance.
- Whenever your club begins to twist within your hand, you must understand that a grip replacement is now essential.
How Often Should You Change Your Irons?
Ideally, irons should be changed over seven years. Not only will this keep you close enough to the current technology, but it will also give you a great value for golf irons. An iron set costing $700 will be about $100 a year for your clubs.
To keep their golf game the same, most golfers don’t mind spending about $100 a year. But, if you wait more than seven years, the differences in technology will rather be extreme and it won’t be something surprising when you realize that you have to make some major adjustments when it’s time to switch.
If you’re lucky enough to be able to replace your irons every three to four years, it’s awesome! But most golfers won’t be able to do it.
How often do pros change their irons?
Every season, the majority of the pros will change their irons. But this is generally because they are on equipment contracts with the manufacturers. When the latest irons come out, they may be invited to try them out. Some pros will use the same irons for a couple of years. Although their model may be the same, the actual club head is probably refurbished or replaced a number of times each year.
Should You Replace All Your Clubs or Just the Irons?
There is no need to replace all the golf clubs at one go. As a matter of fact, your wallet would thank you for not doing so. Just try to invest a small amount of money in your golf bag per season. This is an awesome way to stay up to date with the technology without breaking the bank every time a new club is released.
What Factors Affect the Lifespan of Golf Irons?
Golf irons on the other hand are expected to last for a long period of eight to 12 years, but of course this average can fluctuate depending on how frequently you play with them. Over the lifespan of an iron, it will let you play for more than 300 rounds. A variety of factors can influence this number.
The irons with graphite shafts won’t really last as long as the steel shafts. Since graphite shafts get splintered over time, they tend to break away. Iron heads on the contrary are incredibly durable.
Apart from the worn out grooves, a damaged head is fairly difficult to find. Getting the same spin on the ball can be overly tough when the grooves on your iron have worn out. As a result, your irons may feel a little dead while striking. By observing something like a six-year-old iron that has been used to play over 20 rounds, you will be able to identify these differences far clearly. So, while estimating the lifespan of an iron, factors such as it’s age, the number of rounds played and the all over conditions must be taken into consideration.
Tips to Make the Irons Last Longer
To keep your iron clubs shining and to provide you with an amazing golfing performance just like day one over the years, try following these small but useful tips on a daily basis, or from time to time. Remember, you only reap as you sow.
- Clean the iron after every shot with the help of a dry or wet towel. If it’s not possible after each shot, try doing so at the end of every round.
- To keep any dirt off the grooves in your iron, a metallic brush will do the miracle.
- For cleaning the irons, a plastic brush should suffice
- Try to change the club grips every year.
- When the iron isn’t being used, use head covers to protect them from any unwanted dust and dirt.
Apart from taking all this care personally, there still might be the necessity to change your irons in order to complement your game. The club fitting changes over time, so when you think your game has improved significantly, book yourself a club fitting. Moreover, to get the most out of your game, when your swing speed has increased, you can next look forward to changing your shaft for a further increased fitness.
Replacing or repairing: the choice to make
It’s not really a big deal to understand when to replace a golf club. That’s because no matter what you do to repair it, it won’t really get any better. The performance lag will be evident and you will repeatedly keep missing the shots.
There’s no doubt that replacing a club that we were once so attached to is not an easy task. Due to the years we pass together with it, to a certain extent it feels as if our precious iron could read our mind, hence our moves and later convey that in our shots. It can be fairly difficult to detach yourself from that comfort level. So, at first, rather than completely replacing it, giving a shot towards repair would be the better option. The professionals can fix a number of things like the lie angle and the wedges, repairing the club to almost perfection.
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