How do golfers keep their irons so new?

[iacas]

two words iron covers

If used the way most people use them, iron covers can actually lead to faster breakdown of clubs. They trap moisture and can speed up rusting - pretty much the opposite of what you want.

Unless you thoroughly clean and dry each iron - and the inside of each iron cover - before storing them, you're asking for trouble. To answer the question, I clean mine after each shot and store them in a cool, dry place. I also am careful when hitting balls at the range not to hit a ball that's especially sandy or to hit off a sandy area - sand will scratch up a face really quickly.

[Fourputt]

The worst thing you can do to your irons is ride in a power cart. Hey, why not drag them behind your car on the way to the course?!?!?

Bull!! I ride almost exclusively and carrying my forged AP2's in the cart does no damage to them at all. That is one of the biggest fallacies I know of. Maybe if you drive the cart like you're running the Baja 1000... but if you do that you've got no business driving a cart in the first place.

I clean my clubs after every shot. I use a wire club brush to clean the grooves. That is the second fallacy I've read in this thread. The brass bristles on a brush designed for club cleaning don't damage the grooves or the face of an iron. Steel, even forged 1025, is still harder than brass. The bristles will wear down before you do any damage to the club.

[i-Guy]

Former college player who works for golf store says

That is how I use iron covers and my irons look great!!!

[Golf_Gal]

I use iron headcovers when I play, and when I don't :) But they're easy to slip in your pocket when you are using your club then after I hit, I'll clean the club and put the cover back on in time for another!!

[walk18]

Does a carpenter put a headcover on his hammer when he's done for the day? Is the house he built any worse or less safe because he didn't cover his hammer at night?

[B Keller]

I don't have real good ranges around me, so the combo of range balls and toe shots make even new clubs look worn.....

[sean_miller]

Does a carpenter put a headcover on his hammer when he's done for the day? Is the house he built any worse or less safe because he didn't cover his hammer at night?

Is that a Tiger Woods metaphor?

Anyway, since you have "walk" in your username, what's your experience of walking v. riding? Personally I'v found that I have more control of my clubs and their interaction while walking. Whenever I'm forced to ride, my irons click together non-stop and are a jumbled mess by the time we reach my ball. Should I get a cart bag? Should I hit more fairways?

[Big_M]

Haven't looked at this thread in a bit because I thought just about everything got said in the first two pages... I was wrong.

How would Walking keep your irons in better shape?

When I walk, I use a push cart, and I will pretty much guarantee that does the least amount of so called "damage" to clubs. Otherwise, it just depends how people walk and/or drive golf carts.

In one of the previous posts, it talked about placing your bag towel through the last row or so of your iron in your "traditional carry bags." The towe will prevent the clubs from rattling every other step.

That's a good idea if you carry!

i cant understand why everyone doesnt use iron covers... my last 3 sets of irons have all looked essentially new after a year or more of use.. and as such brought more trade in value when I changed irons. I live in HI and there is tons of moisture here.. simply dry the head before you put it in the cover.. no rust. Gets rid of bag chatter and all the dings that come with it.

So you basically get an extra $100, but you replace your irons every year or two... I save that $100 just by keeping my irons a little longer. Also, it is my opinion that iron covers are WAY more trouble than they are worth, and I like to actually see my irons.

I use a wire club brush to clean the grooves. That is the second fallacy I've read in this thread. The brass bristles on a brush designed for club cleaning don't damage the grooves or the face of an iron. Steel, even forged 1025, is still harder than brass. The bristles will wear down before you do any damage to the club.

I agree... and even if they wear the grooves down a small bit... grooves can be refinished pretty easily. A small price to pay for actually having clean ones that work. I try to use the nylon side, but when they are extra gunky I don't hesitate to use the brass.

[pandp]

I keep mine clean by hitting the ball exactly where I want every time. I also take all my clubs into the shower with me, golf bag and all. It helps if you sing to them while you're in the shower too. Mine like boys II men.

[zeg]

Regarding iron covers, they are not recommended by Mizuno for use with their forged irons. From their FAQ (

http://www.mizunousa.com/faqs.nsf/get?openform÷=golf ) which I quoted in another thread once upon a time:

Forged heads are made of mild carbon steel that is chrome plated. Once you start hitting golf balls, you scratch the surface of the chrome and eventually expose the raw steel to moisture, and chemicals that can cause rust to form. The best way to minimize rust is to keep the irons dry at all times, wipe them after every shot and at the end of the round with a dry cloth. When cleaning, use only a NYLON brush (no metal) and dry them with a dry towel. If you get some rust forming, spray the surface with WD-40, clean with a soft nylon brush or Scotchbrite pad and wipe them clean with a dry cloth. Some high nitrogen fertilizers, sandy soil conditions and water with high iron content can accelerate the production of rust. The use of iron head covers is not recommended as they trap moisture and accelerate the production of rust.

They seem to agree with some of the points here. Also, while it may be true that brass is softer than club head metals (I'm no expert), that doesn't mean no damage will occur. If the bristle gets wedged into the end of a groove or somewhere that it's not just sliding against the surface, it can still gouge the harder metal. I don't worry about it, I just use a towel (and bucket of water at the end of the round), but I'd probably use a nylon brush because that ought to be stiff enough to get mud off so no sense messing with metal.

[Fourputt]

Particularly with the new grooves, the nylon brush is quite adequate for cleaning. With some of the older, deeper grooves, it takes a more aggressive approach to completely clean the grooves. I know that the soil on my home course has a high clay content, and it sticks like glue in the grooves of my Vokey wedges. The nylon brush has a lot of trouble digging it out, so I use the brass side. For the new grooves on my AP-2's, the nylon works just fine.

[B Keller]

Just picked up my first forged clubs and was told to not use brass and only use nylon. What the nylon doesn't get out a toothpick or tee will.

[BlackBeltGolfCoach]

I wash mine as I go - keep a damp towel on me, but they get banged up pretty good. I try to have a set just for practice, but I'm talking my wife into letting me spend the few thousand a new set will cost (we're going to do a trade, she wants new living room furnature! lol) and let my now-playing-clubs be practice clubs. I think if you practice every day at the range (which I do) and play as often as possible, you're going to get dinged up irons. It just happens.