Headcovers (Covers) For Irons

[imsys0042]

1 minute ago, Davie81 said:

Lol, fair point. How come? 

Personally I don't care, but you'll find people who think that they are the golf equivalent of a nerd's pocket protector.  I rarely see them these days, although I saw them more 20-30 years ago.

Where I currently play we have gas carts which are loud. so I don't hear the clubs rattle.  My carry bag for when I get to walk doesn't have a ton of room, so things tend to stay in place and not jostle around.  And the dings and scratches on my irons are signs of a lot of play and even with covers, they will get dinged up from shots on the course.  I hope that one day I will start top wear away the sweet spot on my irons, so I enjoy how they weather over time.

That said, I can see going crazy constantly hearing the clubs ding around and if you like to try and keep them in a newer looking state then go for it.   WRT rust I would say that if you leave the clubs after playing and water gets under the cover then potentially it might rust.   I know shafts can rust, but I don't know if current irons will.   I would wipe the clubs down when you are done and don't put the covers back on until they are dry.

Neoprane should be flexible.  Years ago they were a lot more rigid and could be a pain to get on and off.  Don't get anything rigid and maybe something other than black (my preference) to jazz up the bag a little bit?   Failing neoprane then something with a nice leather look.

[Valleygolfer]

New to golfing? I suggest you get past this quick. Almost everyone goes through this protect my irons phase. Iron covers are annoying to deal with. Yeah I know you will say "not a problem for me because I just take them off and put them right back on. It only takes a second..." They get lost and you are chasing them around. Other regular golfers will have a hard time taking you seriously... All bad.

[newtogolf]

Take a look at Ogio Silencer and some of the Bag Boy golf bags that hold the clubs in place and eliminate clatter while in a cart.  It's a more expensive option than iron covers but your golfing partners will thank you.  

[ScouseJohnny]

If you walk with a push cart, all you hear is a pleasant, gentle clinking of the irons in the bag - there will be no discernible damage.

If you ride, and your playing partner has a habit of driving over tree roots with his foot flat to the floor, loop a towel around the top of your bag, in between the club heads.

[David in FL]

If you do a quick search, you'll find a bunch of threads on the subject.

Bottom line, most (not quite all) consider iron covers to be the trademark of the hack golfer and a complete waste of time and money.  FWIW, while there may be one or two out there, in nearly 50 years of playing this silly game, I've never seen a single good golfer use them on the course.  I have known one or two that use them if they check their clubs when traveling.

 

[70sSanO]

I have been using clear iron covers for quite a number of years.  For a while I was even using Top Flite covers on my Cobra woods and I have a plain green bag.  I guarantee no one will mess with a bag that looks like that.  I have since picked up some Motora wood covers, go figure.

I have thought it is better to look like a hack and exceed expectations than to look like you should be playing on Sunday and stink.

When I ride, I take off a cover as I need an iron and toss it in the bin and don't put it back on until the end of the round.  I get some chatter, but the clubs would get more unnecessary abuse going in and out of the trunk of the car without them.

John

[Liko81]

10 hours ago, Davie81 said:

Thinking about getting iron covers purely to avoid the clatter noise which drives me nuts and also to try and minimise dings etc. I've read mixed reviews and read that they can cause rust etc. What people's thoughts on this? Apparently neoprane covers are best to get?

Neoprene, being a closed-cell foam, will prevent transmission of water through the foam (water, of course, being a chemical catalyst for rust). This means if your bag's getting drizzled on, your clubheads will stay dry in the covers, but it also means if you put the club in the cover wet, it'll stay wet longer. IME the latter is much more likely than the former in any conditions where a wet clubhead is even a possibility. So, I would recommend an open-cell foam for the covers, which will allow the clubheads to breathe and thus allow water to evaporate from the clubheads.

In any case, you should be wiping every club down after each round and letting them air-dry with covers off; most rust accumulates on your clubs when you just throw them back in the bag, and the bag in your trunk, where they're forgotten until next round.

Personally, I only put covers on my putter (to prevent chatter damage), 4-hybrid (similar) and driver (because it's the longest club and so "shelters" all the others when the rain fly is on). My 3-wood ends up nicely nestled between the driver and 4h covers and so gets a decent amount of protection, while my cast-head duffhammer iron set can chatter all they like.

[Brian W]

10 hours ago, newtogolf said:

Take a look at Ogio Silencer and some of the Bag Boy golf bags that hold the clubs in place and eliminate clatter while in a cart.  It's a more expensive option than iron covers but your golfing partners will thank you.  

have you had any experience with or seen in person the Ogio Silencer?  I saw it at the golf store the other day for the first time and thought it looked interesting.

I dont think I would ever buy one as I am addicted to my C130 cart bag

[deadon500]

I use 3 covers my wife made for me  ----- use them for the irons next to my woods only

 

Edited September 13, 2016 by deadon500
word change

[Buckeyebowman]

15 hours ago, imsys0042 said:

I say this mostly tongue in cheek....but No.  Just No.   Back away from them in the store and just run the other way....

 

I have to agree. I've seen guys out there with iron covers, and they all look like friggiin' dweebs! Ain't no way I'm putting iron covers on my clubs!

[newtogolf]

3 hours ago, Brian W said:

have you had any experience with or seen in person the Ogio Silencer?  I saw it at the golf store the other day for the first time and thought it looked interesting.

I dont think I would ever buy one as I am addicted to my C130 cart bag

I own the Silencer bag currently and have used the Chamber bag for years.  They hold your clubs in position and complete avoid any club chatter.  The Silencer made some changes from the Chamber bag which are good and bad.  

1. The Chamber has a small putter slot, so some of the larger putter grips did not fit well in it.  The Silencer is a larger well but it doesn't lock the clubs in, so you have to keep your putter head cover on to avoid chatter. between putter and irons.  
2. The Chamber had a ball compartment that was springy but wouldn't close completely if you had to many balls in it or over time it would sag.  Ogio eliminated the spring compartment and replaced it with a zipper.  

Overall I think the Silencer is a better bag but I'd prefer a compromise between the two on the putter slot.  

[gregsandiego]

I guess the same "no" applies to wedges? My favorite club is the Cleveland 56. I was worried the messing up those fancy grooves my affect the club.

[pganapathy]

I have a set of iron covers and because I make it a point to wash and dry my clubs after a round, I find that using the covers is very helpful.  Whenever I am driving there is less noise and the iron heads are well protected.  When I am playing a round I keep them on if the iron has not been used.  Once I use the club I prefer to keep it without the cover just to prevent rust and scratches from the dirt and moisture.

Always keep a set of iron covers on once you have cleaned the irons properly.  It protects the irons and gives you a better life for the heads

[Valleygolfer]

1 hour ago, pganapathy said:

I have a set of iron covers and because I make it a point to wash and dry my clubs after a round, I find that using the covers is very helpful.  Whenever I am driving there is less noise and the iron heads are well protected.  When I am playing a round I keep them on if the iron has not been used.  Once I use the club I prefer to keep it without the cover just to prevent rust and scratches from the dirt and moisture.

Always keep a set of iron covers on once you have cleaned the irons properly.  It protects the irons and gives you a better life for the heads

This sounds like something you might have to do to maintain sanity or something. Do you live on really crappy roads? I never heard my clubs in my car unless I hit a major pot hole.

You swing these things into dirt, sand and rocks. A little bag clatter isn't going to matter. I agree that you should keep them clean however.

[WUTiger]

I met a former Division II college golfer who worked at Golf Galaxy.

He said he used iron covers only when his bag would get checked onto the airplane, or put into the team van for transport. He liked the added protection.

He would remove the iron covers at the tournament site, and not put them back on until he did his final iron cleaning after the event.

An added warning: If you fiddle around with iron covers on course, this could be damning evidence against you if you get put "on the clock" for slow play.

Clubs rattle when you walk: make sure your bag strap is adjusted to the proper length.

[Groucho Valentine]

Ive never used covers on any set of irons I've ever owned. If you use forged clubs, I think they actually do more harm than good. Unless you travel with your clubs often, id just stay away from them. It never really made much sense to me why some folks want to go to the length of trying give extra protection to something they beat into the ground repeatedly.  

[No Mulligans]

Even Kevin Na doesn't use them... enough said.  

Spoiler

Kevin Na, perhaps the most detailed and meticulous of all pga golfers.. at least it seems that way to me.

 

[shanksalot]

If I were carrying and had a set of new forged irons I might consider them. I bought a set of used clubs sight unseen and when they arrived they had iron covers on them. Though I might as well try them as I haven't ever used them in all the years I have played this game. Not for me though and I gave them to a friend who wanted some. Too much hassle for the reward they bring. 

Edited September 14, 2016 by shanksalot