Iron Head Covers—Where’s the Love?

[DB Golf]

I carry my bag and use head covers on my irons to stop the chatter. I catch a lot of sh*t for using covers. 
 

What’s with the stigma around iron head covers?

[Tree Levino]

To each their own. In fairness people don’t like things that are out of the norm and you are a very rare breed. Only seen a couple of you out in the wild. We tend to look at what we see on tour and there is only one single guy there that uses them. The ones I have encountered in the wild were not good players at all and thought I will happily play with anyone, if I’m going to watch you take 96 strokes I sure as heck don’t want to watch you taking off an iron cover as you hit duffs. I wouldn’t blink at it if the guy was a stick. 

[philly2kuk]

1 hour ago, DB Golf said:

I carry my bag and use head covers on my irons to stop the chatter. I catch a lot of sh*t for using covers. 
 

What’s with the stigma around iron head covers?

The stigma only seems to be online. Nobody at my club gets sh*t for iron covers, tour bags, matching gear, etc.

 

You do you, who cares what others think.

[Pleasedwith3putts]

I'm happy to say I'm a "user" 😁 Can't stand listening to them clattering around. The only problem is the cover-upz I've had for years are getting a bit tatty now and I haven't seen anything yet that I'm as keen on the look.

[Naptime]

Tried them 30 years ago and for me they were a PITA.  But some guys like them.  To each their own.

[slolane]

Just wondering if you guys that don't use iron covers and make fun of the guys that do, do you use covers on your woods? If you do use covers on your woods could it be for the same reason some use them on irons? Just asking for a friend.

[Bye]

Erm, yeah, no love. Sorry!

[jordan2240]

I enjoy the silence my simple neoprene ones provide.

[puttingmatt]

I never had an issue using covers,

Also assists in not accidentally leaving 

clubs around the course.

[Jmccas]

My father used them for his Ping Eye 2 irons (lol cast club) back in the day. He taught me to play the game at a brisk pace and to play ready golf. Part of that was taking multiple clubs to your ball so you never had to go back to the cart to get another club, especially if the cart was away from your location. 
 

Iron covers seemed to negate the underlying principle of quick play. I’d watch him struggle to get the iron covers on and off in between shots and fiddling with them throughout the round. Sometimes he’d put the wrong cover on a club and have to switch them back and forth. Occasionally one would drop into the bottom of his golf bag which would push him over the edge.
 

My father was a man with very little patience and a quick temper. Iron covers just seemed like a needless distraction and caused more chaos than anything else. Toss in a poor shot and him storming back to the cart having to wrestle with those effing iron covers and his round would go south quick. 
 

I see the value of iron covers but I despise them because they scarred me as a kid. 
 

I think this thread is causing flashbacks.  Anyone got a psychologist they’d recommend in the Tampa Bay Area?

[Milfordlefty]

I use them for to stop the chatter. I like to drive if using a cart. Drive near ball, pull club(s) and walk over to ball, pull head cover of weapon of choice, put in pocket, hit ball, walk back to cart, club in hand, if partners ball is 30 yds past mine, club still in hand, drive cart to their ball. While they are hitting, pull head cover from pocket, put on club, put club in bag, watch their shot, head to next shot. I know, how can you hold a club in one hand, drive the cart with another and drink an adult beverage of ones choice?? Oh, no, put a head cover in your pocket, won't that throw off your swing balance and cause a major hook/slice/thin/fat!!!! Amazingly, iron head covers slow you down, but wood head covers don't? Don't men learn to put a tight cover over a small item in the teenage to early twenties anymore??? And finally, stop the comparison to pros, who one, use a caddy and walk far enough away to not hear the chatter and two, if their club gets a nick or scratch, they just get another free one, built to their specs from the Tour Van. I chuckle when a pro stares at the club face after a poor shot. As a hacker, I should do that after every poor shot, like it is always the clubs fault!

[ronnbee]

WHAT CHATTER ?

[bellken]

I use them on my irons, when, I am transporting them around. On the course, I have one on my gap wedge - T200 to protect the polymer back.  My Club Glove neoprene iron covers are getting pretty ratty, but, I still use them, even though I have lost a couple. 

 

[dekez]

5 hours ago, DB Golf said:

I carry my bag and use head covers on my irons to stop the chatter. I catch a lot of sh*t for using covers. 
 

What’s with the stigma around iron head covers?

Part of it is the perception that it slows down play when someone is fidgeting with iron covers.

[1s1k]

I use an Ogio Silencer cart bag so need for iron covers. 

[Albatross Dreamer]

I too use iron covers. I spent a lot of time and money getting clubs I really like, so spending $20 to keep them looking nice seems like a no brainer to me. It also helps reduce the banging around when in a car or traveling. Once someone starts giving me free clubs, or I suppose down the road when my current ones are older, I'll gladly not use them.

 

In order to avoid the hassle of taking them on and off when playing I usually leave them off the irons I use most consistently and have them set up so that there's ones with covers in between. So I avoid the clatter while also not getting slowed down.

[njmack]

I bought a set of irons from the BST long ago & the seller shipped them with a cheapo set of neoprene covers--I thought that was a good idea & now I do the same when I fly with them.

 

Never cared much if anyone else used them--it's no skin off my nose--but in my experience people who use them tend to be newer players. Or control freaks lol

 

As others have said, you gotta do you with confidence! That's what this game is all about

Edited April 1, 2023 by njmack

[BeanFrog]

I’m a little surprised at the pushback here as well. I think there are many of us who frequently switch iron sets. When it comes time to sell your current set, iron head covers used on a set really reduces the wear. I think you sell them for more money than if your clubs are banged up. 

[greenomics]

Minimizing chatter marks helps resale value. I use them on some of my forged chrome finish irons. Never slowed me down on the course. 

[philly2kuk]

It’s a misconception they slow you down, just as rangefinders “slow you down”. Everyone I’ve played with that has used iron covers or range finders hasn’t taken any longer than necessary. Some of the slowest players I know don’t use either, they just mess about before and after shots.

[NPSpar4]

I love iron covers……on my wife’s clubs. 😎

jokes jokes.    But they always end up being a hassle.  imo.  And the look of the irons is part of the fun.  Hate to cover em up. But to each his own. They would certainly help with resale value.  @toastinato

[ZipinZ]

They're similar to condoms .... protection !

 

D.

[toastinato]

1. Who cares what other people think? And 2. When your clubs look better than 99% of the people out there, you know why! 
 

I think it's a great idea to use iron covers while you are not using the clubs. I've started to keep iron covers on my clubs while at my house and in my trunk and once arriving where I'm playing I remove them. That is my own personal choice as I love looking at my irons in my bag while playing. To each their own. @NPSpar4

[kwcsports]

7 hours ago, DB Golf said:

I carry my bag and use head covers on my irons to stop the chatter. I catch a lot of sh*t for using covers. 
 

What’s with the stigma around iron head covers?

I don't understand the hate at all. I'd personally never use them because I'm lazy but if someone spends 2K on nice forged irons and wants to protect them, I say go for it. I honestly hardly ever look in anyones bag to even notice iron covers haha.

[PEI_Golfer]

3 minutes ago, kwcsports said:

I honestly hardly ever look in anyones bag

 

Membership revoked...

[ALIF]

I use them to impress the cart girl. 😂😂😂

[nichho]

1 hour ago, BeanFrog said:

I’m a little surprised at the pushback here as well. I think there are many of us who frequently switch iron sets. When it comes time to sell your current set, iron head covers used on a set really reduces the wear. I think you sell them for more money than if your clubs are banged up. 

This is exactly my mind set also.

It's an extreme example, but I bought a set of Mizuno Pro 223 in February, played 3 rounds with them, and they are currently on eBay.

At the other end of the scale are my MP 20s which I've owned from Feb 22. I never for one moment thought I would still have them in the bag over a year later, and knowing that they would be sold they have been kept in pristine condition.

It's not as if I haven't attempted to replace them over this past year, the 3 or 4 sets I have bought to replace them just didn't cut it.

I gravitate towards forged irons so the only clubs I have owned which went into the bag without covers were Ping. If the fitter takes a hammer to them to adjust them then they can live naked in my bag.

[TiScape]

6 hours ago, philly2kuk said:

The stigma only seems to be online. Nobody at my club gets sh*t for iron covers, tour bags, matching gear, etc.

 

You do you, who cares what others think.

I’m one of the 1st to defend someone’s freedom of choice. A guy having super nice new clubs that can’t break 100 etc. But even I look sideways at some guy w/a tour staff and matching clubs strapped to the back of a cart that can’t sniff 100. That’s just a bit much for even me to take. 😆 

When I was fairly new to playing and had new forged irons I used the neoprene HCs. That stopped fairly early on and I now go “raw dog”! 

[klebs01]

5 hours ago, Pleasedwith3putts said:

I'm happy to say I'm a "user" 😁 Can't stand listening to them clattering around. The only problem is the cover-upz I've had for years are getting a bit tatty now and I haven't seen anything yet that I'm as keen on the look.

The rhythmic clattering with each step is one of the best sounds in the world. I could listen to that for the rest of my life. Always brings a smile. 

[philly2kuk]

3 minutes ago, TiScape said:

I’m one of the 1st to defend someone’s freedom of choice. A guy having super nice new clubs that can’t break 100 etc. But even I look sideways at some guy w/a tour staff and matching clubs strapped to the back of a cart that can’t sniff 100. That’s just a bit much for even me to take. 😆 

When I was fairly new to playing and had new forged irons I used the neoprene HCs. That stopped fairly early on and I now go “raw dog”! 

Oh I don’t use iron covers but my irons are 4 year old cast pings. However there’s an online stereotype with some gear and I’ve never met them in reality in over twenty years of golf. I’d love to meet someone with a tour bag and matching clubs that shoots over 100 to tick it off my bucket list 🤣