Forged irons. Their life span.

[hypergolf]

People keep saying that forged irons don't last long. But I have seen a few golfers who have bagged their forged clubs for more than 4-5 years.

I just wanted to find out, how long have you played with your forged irons if you are not a frequent equipment changer.

Do you keep good care of them? Or you don't really take good care of your irons?

Thanks.

[Dub]

Interesting post....looking forward to hearing the resonses.

Never owned any forgings but can see where they get dinged up pretty good with bag chatter....don't know if this happens on the grooves as well.

[hamletsdead]

I just bought my first set of forged irons -- Mizuno MP-57s -- so I cannot directly respond to your question, but last Friday I played with a guy who was hitting a Ping 2-iron that he had been using for the last 15 years. It was the oldest club in his bag, and he only plays a handful of times a year these days, but it saw 4-5 years of heavy use and is still going strong -- he was smacking it 230-240 off the fairways. I think how often you swap out to new irons depends primarily on how much you play (i.e., wear and tear), and don't know that forged are really going to wear out any faster than cast.

[Dub]

My goodness.....it's gotta be nice getting that kind of distance with an iron!!!

Sure would make the course play shorter.

[golf_junkie27]

I purchased mine, MP32s, used, almost a year ago. I have not noticed any difference in appearance. Also, the previous owner had them for about three seasons and took good care of them.

I'm constantly cleaning them and made sure that I had enough pockets in my bag so they would not bang against each other. FWIW, I walk 95% of the time so some bag clatter is unavoidable.

Ogio makes a 14 top bag where each club will have its own slot. This is something you may want to think about if you're worried about what may happen to the clubs.

[mikelaw]

I have Wilson Staffs from the mid 80s and they are killer still to today. I have my friends hit them on the course and they can't believe how soft they are when you strike them flush.

Older forged irons are MUCH softer IMHO.

[scooterguitar]

  mikelaw said:

I have Wilson Staffs from the mid 80s and they are killer still to today. I have my friends hit them on the course and they can't believe how soft they are when you strike them flush.

Are you saying they get better with age, or that older made clubs were softer compared to how the new ones are?

[chingali]

Basically it'll depend on a couple of different things, how thick the chroming on them is (it varies from manfacturer to manufacturer and also model to model from the same manufacturer) and how much you practice. To give you an idea, back in the late 80's I was using Ram Tour Grinds and I wore out 3 sets of them in about 4 years (generally 7-8-9-PW were buggered and the others weren't so bad), but I was playing a lot and practicing for at least a few hours every day. I then went to a set of Wilson Staff's and played and practiced just as much and they lasted me for 3 years.

My current set of irons are forged and after 3 years of playing and practicing (not as much as in the old days) they are just starting to show some serious wear spots in the middle of the faces of the short irons and will need replacing qithin the next year. It's no problem though, I have an identical set in the garage that I bought as backups.

[anchorgolf]

Still have a set of Nicklaus Murfields that still work very well.

The chrome will wear on the face, but it offers more spin on the short irons and a nice feel..

[marpr]

It all depends on three things:
- How often someone plays.
- How often someone likes changing their clubs (for example, i changed my forged clubs every 2 season, because a > im an equipment nut, and b > i can still get a good trade-in price when i buy my new set)
- How well they look after their clubs.

My brother has had the same Cobra Tour II blades for almost 10 years!

[M2R]

Playing in the "Granite State" (NH) a lot where rocks/stones are constantly floating to the surface takes it's toll. Sounds weird but I guess it's true because new ones do keep popping up every year. Tagging one when the divot is taken usually cuts right thru the chrome and into the base metal. Mostly on the sole but sometimes on the face too.

Also practicing on a typical grass range can really damage the face chrome if the clubs and balls aren't kept really clean. The worst is if there is dew in the mornings or the balls are freshly washed and a fine layer of sand sticks to them when you put a new ball down.

Bottom line about three seasons before oops and oh no incidents move a set from playing to practice status.

[deronsizemore]

I've got the MP 32's and this is the third season I've played with them. I hit A LOT of balls too and they are still going strong and I'll probably keep them for another 3 - 5 years before looking into having them refinished. I don't have any intention of buying new as I love the irons but after a while of use the chrome does wear down.

The clubs I tend to use more than others are a little more worn looking, but majority of the clubs still look almost new. I think it really comes down to how you take care of your clubs. I have OCD with making sure they are clean, so that's probably why they've lasted and will continue to last.

[Ben]

I play with a guy on the Golden State Tour that plays Founders Club blades that have to be from 1992 at the most. And he wins with them. I played with him last year and this year, still the same clubs through an extensive pro career.

Last year I was toying around with a set of Hogan blades from 1972. I only stopped playing with them because that shafts weren't right for me and I don't want to change the makeup of the set.

[ks8829]

If you keep your iron face clean before hitting the ball the forged irons should last more than 3-4 years.

I was practicing with my 60 degree wedge and notice that the grooves showed signs of wearing, then I realized that some dirt got on the face and I hit balls with the club without cleaning the face.

[DJYoshi]

don't forget you can always have your club stripped, re-chromed and with a forged iron, they suggest that you have the loft and lie checked and the end of every season...especially if you're hitting from a mat a lot or the grass at the places you play is hard

[mikelaw]

I think forged irons from 20-30 years ago were MUCH softer then today. Some current forged irons I play feel like cast metal to me.

Its probably in my head but when you hit a mid 80s Wilson staff there is not much like it. SO buttery.

[WilsonsRBest]

  mikelaw said:

I have Wilson Staffs from the mid 80s and they are killer still to today. I have my friends hit them on the course and they can't believe how soft they are when you strike them flush.

  scooterguitar said:

Are you saying they get better with age, or that older made clubs were softer compared to how the new ones are?

Actually, the process for older forged clubs was a little different than todays forging. Older clubs were 'triple forged and triple chromed' with a layer of copper, nickel and chrome. The game back then had a softer ball (wound balata). Today's trend is just the opposite, harder ball (even though you have a softer cover) and a milder steel to give the same 'softer feel'. Production of older forged clubs was more labor intensive with more hand operations which have now been eliminated in favor of lower costs and production. All you have to do is look at some of the Macgregors, Wilsons, Hogans and Hagens from the early 60s to the 80s and you can see the difference. I have sets from the 60s, 70s and 80s and my regular gamers are 83 and 87 Wilsons that aren't even close to needing replacement.

On the other hand, I had a set of Cleveland TA3 Form Forged irons that were considerably worn after 4 seasons. They showed noticeably more wear than my 60's Wilson! I will agree with some of the other posts though. Clean your irons regularly, particularly after each shot and during practice. If you are hitting balls with dirt and sand on the face, you are abrading the face of the club with each strike. You might as well take a sander to your clubs. There is a reason why caddies clean your clubs!

[KeleFantti]

Seems everyone's talking about chrome. Here's another thing:
Check your lie angles and lofts.

They can change with time. At least my set of old Founders Club irons needed some tweaking. Nothing drastic, though; a degree or so here and there. You know one can bend forged irons at will so I suppose it can also happen in play. Probably depends on how strong hitter you are or more likely, how often you get angry with your clubs :)