how long should a set of irons last

[rolltide4life]

I have had my MP-32's for about 4 1/2 years now and I play every day that its sunny (which is quite a bit in alabama) probably 6 times a week for 8 months out of the year and 2 times a week during the winter. I have noticed that the sweet spots are brown now. is this affecting anything. My short irons I can really tell that they have been worn down. my question is, when should I replace these?

[dlygrisse]

I would worry that the face of your irons is starting to wear and may no longer be flat, which could cause some funny shots. You can always send them to The Golf Works or the Iron Factory and have them rechromed, but this usually takes a month or two.

 

Sounds like you got some good life out of them, place the edge of a credit card on the face, when it is no longer flat it is time to replace

[mat562]

If the irons are worn down to the underlying steel, they're pretty worn by definition. That said, it's possible to extend the life of the clubs, even in this state, by re-cutting the groove edges with a re-grooving tool. Because the chrome will have already worn away in the sweet spots, there's little negative effect upon the appearance of the clubs if you re-cut the grooves in that area only.

 

Sooner or later though, you'll notice that the grooves are so shallow that it proves difficult or impossible to spruce them up further and at that point you'll start to see a tangible drop off in performance; particularly in wet conditions or from grassy lies.

 

I've always strung out my clubs for a long time and have played decent golf in the past with clubs that the average person would describe as being worn out to a laughable degree. The fact is, a bit of sweet spot browning - or even a sweet spot that's worn right through - isn't necessarily the end for a set of irons. It is a good indication that they're well on their way to the autumn of their career though. Playing a similar amount of golf to you in my younger days, I used to reckon on around five years of use out of a set of forged irons at the very maximum. By that time, the sweet spots were raw and getting concave and the chrome on the sole was just about worn off most of the irons. Despite looking a a bit tatty well before they were finally sidelined, they still played reasonably well and with some attention to the grooves they performed pretty well.

 

Only you know if your set are getting to the point of no return, based upon the performance you're getting - but in the case pof an old faithful set, if you're anything like I am, you may want to eke them out for as long as possible. A groove tool can perhaps get another season or more out of them and make a meaningful difference to the performance you're seeing in the meantime whilst allowing you to stick with the set you're happy and confident about.

 

As an aside, I'm very envious of the amount of free time you've seemingly got - or at least the effort you make to play so much golf!

[rolltide4life]

thanks I appreciate the advice. I have also noticed that the leading edge is worn down. I think Im gonna go another season and then look at getting some new sticks.