Starting golf? Learning golf can be a bit overwhelming for beginners. Unlike other sports, you cannot get by with a single ball or racket. On the contrary, you will need to buy an entire golf set that has a collection of different clubs, such as irons, drivers, putters, woods, and wedges, to start playing golf at a basic level.
Most beginners spend a lot of time and effort in searching for golfing equipment that best suits them. Furthermore, they need to invest in top quality sets to practice and improve their skills.
For this reason, many beginners are cautious about how long their golfing equipment will last before replacing it again. A typical golf set comprises 14 clubs where the number of golf irons is usually between seven and eleven.
Since golf irons are used in various situations, golfers use them universally. Whether you want to hit the ball at the tee, launch it from the rough or a fairway, and even escape from a hazard at the course, you will turn to your golf iron.
So it is not surprising that these irons have the greatest exposure to external elements. Therefore, there is always the risk of these irons being worn out early. In this article, we will answer the simple question: “How long do golf irons last?”
What Is the Average Lifespan of Most Golf Clubs?
In the past, a large number of golf equipment manufacturers relied on wood for the majority of equipment, including the clubs and balls. As a result, it was extremely expensive to replace worn out equipment. But that changed with technological advancement, which allows golf equipment manufacturers to make sturdier and more durable equipment at economical costs.
Golfing equipment used nowadays is built to last long. If you treat your golf set with proper care, it can last at least ten years, on average. Even if you are not a regular golfer, you can play as much as 300 rounds on the course by buying a golf set once.
With that said, certain clubs such as drivers and woods are not as durable as other golf equipment. Unfortunately, they have a much shorter lifespan and can start to wear out in two years of use; if you are careful, you can stretch it up to seven years.
Life Expectancy of Golf Irons
Since most manufacturers use steel to make golf irons, they are far more durable than their wood counterparts, and thus, last for a long time. In most cases, these irons will last up to ten years, on average.
With that said, if you buy high-quality irons, let’s say, from Callaway or Titleist, then they can easily last as much as twelve years without their grooves wearing out.
When You Should Replace Golf Irons
Nevertheless, regardless of the quality of your golf irons, they will not last for an eternity, and you will eventually have to replace them. However, you must keep in mind that not every golf club deteriorates at the same rate.
The more a golfer plays with a certain club, the faster that club will wear out. This is why you need to be careful about how you use your clubs. If you have a habit of smacking your golf iron into the turf while striking or throwing it away out of anger, then this will speed up the wear and tear process, and you will need to replace it soon.
Furthermore, you also need to consider how skilled you are at playing golf. If you play golf casually, it doesn’t matter how long you use your golf irons. However, if you play competitive golf, then you will need to replace your golf irons a lot sooner.
How to Know It’s Time to Replace Your Golf Irons?
While experienced golfers know it’s time to replace their golf clubs just by the feel, not everyone has the same knack for the game. There are two main ways to identify that it’s time to replace a golf iron.
When Golf Irons Lose Their Pop
If you feel that your golf iron is not performing as well as it used to, then its replacement time has probably come. When a golf iron reaches the end of its lifetime, its accuracy diminishes, and it cannot strike the ball as far as it could before.
Check the Lofts
Many experts recommend getting golf iron lofts checked at least once a year. As golfers practice on mats, they can bend their golf irons with time. It’s not uncommon for professional golfers to have their lofts checked at least once a month.
As you use golf irons, their lofts tend to increase. As a result, your hits may fly higher, but at the same time, they will lose distance. The problem arises when these changes happen unevenly throughout a set.
Worn Out Grooves
If you ask pro golfers how they keep their golf irons durable, they’ll tell you that they keep them clean all the time. Golfers who try to strike the ball with dirty clubs can cause damage to them. If you play with a dirty iron club, the debris or grass will get stuck in the grooves.
Dirty or worn out grooves can affect an iron’s spin, drag, and lift. Therefore, if you see that the golf iron is depositing further and higher, then there might be a problem with the groove. While greater height and distance seems like an advantage, it comes at the cost of your accuracy.
If you want to remove dirt from the groove, we would suggest removing it with the help of a tee or brush. This will help you expose the groove’s edges as much as possible. Alternatively, you can clean the iron by using a damp towel.
With that said, if you notice that the grooves are starting to wear out, then you should replace the club’s head, at least. Replacing the head is much cheaper, but most golfers prefer buying a new golf iron set.
How to Keep Your Clubs in Good Condition
Needless to say, you should always try to keep your equipment in good condition, regardless of which sport you play. Doing simple things such as cleaning the clubs regularly can help you extend the iron’s lifespan and make it last longer.
To detect any problem in your irons, make sure that you pay attention to how the ball behaves after each shot. If you feel that your common shots are not as normal, then it’s a clear sign that you need to replace your golf irons.
Furthermore, make sure to treat your golf irons kindly. If you fail to hit a strike the way you wanted, spilling your rage on your favorite iron will not help the ball reach the hole. Modern golf irons can withstand a lot of damage, but you don’t need to test their strength by hitting it on the ground or throwing it.
With that said, nowadays, the majority of golfers replace their clubs regularly not because they have been damaged, but because they are not able to perform as well as they want to. They are keen to improve their game by using new and updated versions of the irons they are using. However, beginners can still keep using their golf irons, as long as they take good care of them and repair them frequently.
