Bowning on Iron faces

[iammpspeer]

What does this mean? Are the grooves still in good condition? Does it effect playability? I ask this because I see many irons that brown on the face rather easily, sometimes just after one season? Should this be a concern when buying a used yet? I see this mostly in forged or high end irons. Thoughts?

[Shanks A Million]

It's rust, and it's totally normal. The club gets scratched by the ball, and these tiny fissures in the chrome allow rust to form. Many players like the feel (and even look) of this. Some believe the rust aids in imparting more spin.

[iacas]

It's rust, and it's totally normal. The club gets scratched by the ball, and these tiny fissures in the chrome allow rust to form. Many players like the feel (and even look) of this. Some believe the rust aids in imparting more spin.

Some people are wrong.

Browning is just that: little bits of rust and/or "dirtiness." Once chrome wears away it's generally not good. If it becomes so bad that the integrity of the grooves is affected more than a little, it's time to get new clubs. You can stave this off a little by taking good care of your clubs, but it gets you eventually.

[Bump-n-MI]

Simple precautionary measures you can take to maximize your clubs life:
*Wipe your clubs off after each shot
*Dry your clubs after each round
*Store your clubs properly

[sean_miller]

Clean with a "gentle" rust remover (rinse that sh** off as soon as you can) a few times (over time) and the browning may go away. I salvaged a set of Titleist tour blades that had browning on the club faces and "stains" from lead tape on the back of each iron. Over the years, little by little they've come perfectly clean. Okay, I need to redo the paintfill, but those irons were money at indoor golf last night!

[shaank0]

about storing them. its cold out here in michigan and i keep them in the garage. Think that could be bad? should i bring them inside?

[Doctorfro]

And don't use wire brushes to clean the grooves.

[iammpspeer]

Well the reason for this thread is that I am highly interested in a set on eBay and there is a little browning on some of the clubs. I don't know if it is a substantial amount though because I have never experienced it on my clubs. The description says they were played with for about a season, is that enough time for the browning to take place?

[Leftygolfer]

IMO they are full of it. Good clubs take years to get browning. I played around 40 rounds on my mizunos and there isn't a hint of browning.

[Grahaman]

I agree with Leftygolfer. Browning? What the hell are people doing to their clubs. I have owned 3 sets of clubs in my lifetime and play 3-5 x per week and have never had browning or rust. Clean your clubs periodically, store them inside, don't clean them with a strong wire brush, no problems.

[Shanks A Million]

I agree with Leftygolfer. Browning? What the hell are people doing to their clubs. I have owned 3 sets of clubs in my lifetime and play 3-5 x per week and have never had browning or rust. Clean your clubs periodically, store them inside, don't clean them with a strong wire brush, no problems.

Did you own forged clubs or stainless? Forged clubs are the ones that brown.