Why Don't Pros Use Iron Covers?

[cubdog]

I don't use them. I'd just loose them anyway. I do use a putter cover with certain putters. I don't hear anyone objecting to that. Well, I haven't read the entire thread so maybe I missed it.

[George254]

I hate the noise so I use 3 iron covers & 1 wood cover - plus the putter cover always

[Patch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaijinGolfer

Pros have no reasons to use iron covers or tubes because they can get new clubs any time they want for free.  If all you had to do was stop at the tour truck and could get custom fitted for a set of whatever you wanted, would YOU use covers/tubes?

For some reason people continue to perpetuate this myth that irons, particularly forged irons will somehow be damaged through normal use if not protected by covers.  Nonsense.

This is what a set of forged irons looks like after 4 years, 500+ rounds, and countless range sessions.  It's worth noting that I'm a bit of a digger too.  As you can see, they're nearly ready for the trash heap.  Barely playable.......

If someone wants to use iron covers, they should knock themselves out and do so.  But understand that your clubs will not suffer ANY damage if you don't, and if you do, you will be viewed as a hack by the vast majority of better golfers.

So I am viewed as a hack by the vast majority. This even when I was playing well enough to beat most of that vast majority on a daily basis.....lol Love this thread. 9+ pages.

[dkolo]

So I am viewed as a hack by the vast majority. This even when I was playing well enough to beat most of that vast majority on a daily basis.....lol Love this thread. 9+ pages.

I do what I can with bag setup to get away with keeping the headcovers I do have off my clubs as often as possible when I play. I'll usually take the cover off of my main driving wood at the first tee and I've kept the putter cover off when I play speed golf to try to finish before dark, but it's too big of a mallet to do that regularly. I can't imagine having 14 throughout the whole set. God bless, dude, haha.

[newtogolf]

Ogio and BagBoy incorporate features into their bags (Silencer) so that you don't have to worry about iron covers because your clubs won't move around and bang against each other in the bag.

I often ride in a cart and at the beginning of a round take off all the head covers from my woods and putter and don't put them back on until the round is over and the clubs are cleaned.  I like to keep my clubs in nice condition but would never use iron covers and prefer not to have to worry about losing wood covers so having a bag that secures the club is the best solution I've found.  Plus it's a lot quieter without all the clubs bouncing around in the cart.

[Lastpick]

What does the face look like after four years and 500 rounds of golf?  Question is for Dave in FL

[tlester3672]

For the folks that use iron covers and are worried about losing them - I can vouch for the Face Saver brand.  They are currently on my clubs and I can't see why I would ever need to change them.  They have a small lanyard that connects two clubs together.  When I get an iron out, first I pop the cover off, and let it go.  It hangs onto the other cover that is on another iron in the bag.  I am more likely to lose a club than a cover, and have done so.

[Natural Patrick]

For the folks that use iron covers and are worried about losing them - I can vouch for the Face Saver brand.  They are currently on my clubs and I can't see why I would ever need to change them.  They have a small lanyard that connects two clubs together.  When I get an iron out, first I pop the cover off, and let it go.  It hangs onto the other cover that is on another iron in the bag.  I am more likely to lose a club than a cover, and have done so.

Those are Awesome. Where did you get them at?

[Ferguson]

I’m somewhat of an expert on metallurgy having worked on certain projects including modern delta wing technology for two aeronautical firms. Anyway, some of this may sound like voodoo because even the top engineers have not completely figured it out. So please bear with me. First a little metallurgy. Steel is an admixture not an element. It is made up of ferric iron and carbon. Stainless steel also has chromium in it. Carbon steel suggests that it has a high or dominant amount of carbon. The chemistry looks like this -- carbon has only 4 electrons and positrons -- it bonds in 4 directions to create various tetrahedrons, like a 4 sided pyramid. This versatile structure allows life on earth because it is so attachable in 4 directions, thus allowing complex proteins to be formed like so many tinker toys. However, carbon's use in making steel is different. Iron atoms are much larger. Say if an iron atom is a cannon ball, then a carbon is a pellet. When you stack the cannon balls like oranges in a supermarket, the cannon balls can roll off each other. But carbon in the form of graphite gets inside the spaces between the cannon balls and gums up the works. Graphite or coal or charcoal is not a tetrahedron but a complex sheet of carbon rings. As industrial grade coal dust it's really looks like ragged bits and pieces of sheets of carbon. Why is this important? Well, the more you gum up iron with carbon bits, the less the iron atoms can roll around or shear away. Yes, you can increase the tensile strength of steel this way. The more tensile strength something has the harder it is to pull it apart. When the irons clink around in your bag, there is no harm to the steel whatsoever. Any harm to the club is done mostly to the face and sole when granules of sand or dirt abrade the machined surfaces upon impact. Believe or not multiple impacts with golf balls (thousands) do very little to affect iron performance. Now if you were to heat them to 1200 degrees For cool them to minus 250 F, you could do some real damage. The thing to look out for, and pardon me if it’s been mentioned, is the steel heads of your irons impacting the graphite shaft on your driver, or woods. A longer shaft cover would be beneficial in preventing damage here. Whoever said – keep your irons clean and dry – that’s good advice if you like clean things; it does nothing to preserve your irons. The SW is a different story. The face will become more polished with age, but again the wear does very little to change performance for the amateur. When it comes to iron covers folks, they are purely cosmetic.

[Natural Patrick]

I’m somewhat of an expert on metallurgy having worked on certain projects including modern delta wing technology for two aeronautical firms. Anyway, some of this may sound like voodoo because even the top engineers have not completely figured it out. So please bear with me.

First a little metallurgy. Steel is an admixture not an element. It is made up of ferric iron and carbon. Stainless steel also has chromium in it. Carbon steel suggests that it has a high or dominant amount of carbon. The chemistry looks like this -- carbon has only 4 electrons and positrons -- it bonds in 4 directions to create various tetrahedrons, like a 4 sided pyramid. This versatile structure allows life on earth because it is so attachable in 4 directions, thus allowing complex proteins to be formed like so many tinker toys. However, carbon's use in making steel is different. Iron atoms are much larger. Say if an iron atom is a cannon ball, then a carbon is a pellet. When you stack the cannon balls like oranges in a supermarket, the cannon balls can roll off each other. But carbon in the form of graphite gets inside the spaces between the cannon balls and gums up the works. Graphite or coal or charcoal is not a tetrahedron but a complex sheet of carbon rings. As industrial grade coal dust it's really looks like ragged bits and pieces of sheets of carbon. Why is this important? Well, the more you gum up iron with carbon bits, the less the iron atoms can roll around or shear away. Yes, you can increase the tensile strength of steel this way. The more tensile strength something has the harder it is to pull it apart. When the irons clink around in your bag, there is no harm to the steel whatsoever. Any harm to the club is done mostly to the face and sole when granules of sand or dirt abrade the machined surfaces upon impact. Believe or not multiple impacts with golf balls (thousands) do very little to affect iron performance. Now if you were to heat them to 1200 degrees For cool them to minus 250 F, you could do some real damage.

The thing to look out for, and pardon me if it’s been mentioned, is the steel heads of your irons impacting the graphite shaft on your driver, or woods. A longer shaft cover would be beneficial in preventing damage here. Whoever said – keep your irons clean and dry – that’s good advice if you like clean things; it does nothing to preserve your irons. The SW is a different story. The face will become more polished with age, but again the wear does very little to change performance for the amateur.

When it comes to iron covers folks, they are purely cosmetic.

True, but I don't recall anyone saying using iron cover will make your irons play better. What is trying to be said is, they will keep them from getting non playing dings and nicks. So yes, I use them to keep my irons looking as good as they can. It has Nothing to do with performance.

[GolfLug]

I would never consider putting covers on the most lethal weapons known to mankind....especially on the battlefield. A bare and gleaming iron is a true connection to our cavemen origin.

Ok, so seriously, an overkill for what I care about in my irons and a really a distraction taking them off and putting them back on multiple times during a round.

[Ferguson]

True, but I don't recall anyone saying using iron cover will make your irons play better. What is trying to be said is, they will keep them from getting non playing dings and nicks. So yes, I use them to keep my irons looking as good as they can. It has Nothing to do with performance.

agreed. Sorry for any confusion. I was trying to answer the original question which was, why do pros not use iron covers?

[Natural Patrick]

agreed.

Sorry for any confusion. I was trying to answer the original question which was, why do pros not use iron covers?

No problem, that was an interesting read anyway, Thanks

[Ferguson]

I would never consider putting covers on the most lethal weapons known to mankind....especially on the battlefield. A bare and gleaming iron is a true connection to our cavemen origin. Ok, so seriously, an overkill for what I care about in my irons and a really a distraction taking them off and putting them back on multiple times during a round.

I would estimate we'd lose 7 more minutes of 60 Minutes on Sunday Evenings if caddies had to remove and install covers for pro golfers. Mr. Turtleback will have to check my math.

[GolfLug]

I would estimate we'd lose 7 more minutes of 60 Minutes on Sunday Evenings if caddies had to remove and install covers for pro golfers.

Mr. Turtleback will have to check my math.

Oh, the thread seems to have evolved to everybody's personal preference not just pros so I was commenting on my personal pref. Anyway, that would be 7 minutes of unnecessary distraction. Not sure I understand what the 60 minutes duration is. Surely not the duration of the round, yes?

[dkolo]

Oh, the thread seems to have evolved to everybody's personal preference not just pros so I was commenting on my personal pref. Anyway, that would be 7 minutes of unnecessary distraction. Not sure I understand what the 60 minutes duration is. Surely not the duration of the round, yes?

He meant 60 Minutes the show, which gets cut into by golf running long when the tournament is on CBS.

[Natural Patrick]

I would estimate we'd lose 7 more minutes of 60 Minutes on Sunday Evenings if caddies had to remove and install covers for pro golfers.

Mr. Turtleback will have to check my math.

I would estimate it take me less than 5 seconds to take an iron cover off or put one back on.

[Ferguson]

He meant 60 Minutes the show, which gets cut into by golf running long when the tournament is on CBS.

Si.