Why Are Iron Covers Bad?

Iron covers are the pocket protectors of the golf world. They’re as frowned upon as a fully grown man playing bowling with the rails up.

But are they actually that bad?

The short answer is yes, and for more reason than one. But the real question should be, does the good they do outweigh the bad?

Well, that’s exactly what you will find out below to make your mind up for yourself. 

Iron Covers Cause Clubs To Rust Faster

All irons have the potential to rust if not taken care of properly. Ideally, irons should be cleaned and dried after every shot or, at the very least, every round.

I’m not talking about a deep scrub, but cleaning dirt or sand from your grooves and drying them off after playing in wet conditions will help keep rust away.

Also some irons will rust more than others, for example forged irons will be more prone to rusting than cast irons/cavity back irons.

It’s due to how they’re made, and there’s nothing you can do about it, unfortunately.

Now if you don’t clean your grooves, or dry of your clubs, adding iron covers will speed up the rusting process. Iron covers will soak up moisture, but they hold onto it.

Meaning if you don’t clean your clubs, or remove your headcovers to dry after playing in the rain they will soak the clubface until they eventually dry out. 

Without the iron covers your clubfaces won’t be exposed to moisture for as long as they would if they were on. The longer they’re exposed the faster rust will build up.

Iron Covers Adds Time To Your Round

Okay, so do iron covers add time to your round? Yes. Is it enough that you’ll get complaints sent to the clubhouse? No. (Well you never know there could be Karens on the course that  day!)

Let’s do the maths.

I will say it takes roughly 3 seconds to take off and put on an iron head cover. If all goes well in your round you’ll hit your driver 14 times. 

Let’s be conservative and say you 2 putt most greens with a few 1 putts. Meaning you had 30 putts. 

Together, you have 44 shots that don’t require an iron or wedge, for most golfers and average score will be around 90 – 95 shots. I’ll use a 95 shot round for this example.

95 – 44 = 51.

That’s 51 times you take your covers on and off which adds up to 153 seconds. So you the extra time needed for iron covers is just 2 minutes 33 seconds.

Now, that’s a rough estimate as you may take longer to put iron covers on at times, but overall, it’s nothing major. But they do mean you spend longer on the course.

They Make You Look Like A Nerd

Lastly, the real reason iron covers are considered bad is that they make you look like you eat sandwiches without crusts, that you love a good pocket protector, or that you’re the kind of guy to remind the teacher about homework…

It sounds shallow or childish, but that’s the truth. 

I’ll even admit I’ve played with randoms at my local club, and if I see they use iron covers, I automatically judge them. I’m just being honest.

Maybe I’m wrong but that’s why I wouldn’t use them personally, I like the way my irons look in my golf bag and feel like the covers would take away the little joy I get when looking at my clubs…

Let me know if you disagree!

But they are actually useful which I’ll fill you in on below.

Okay But What Are Iron Covers Used For?

Increase The Longevity Of Your Irons

The purpose of iron covers is to prevent your clubs from getting damaged when knocking off each other on the golf course.

But do they extend the lifespan of your irons in any significant way? I’m afraid the answer is no.

Your irons barely knocking off each other in your bag isn’t going to cause any serious damage. As a matter of fact the majority of the damage will be caused by the actual shots themselves.

Hitting of driving range mats, off tiny stones in bunkers or even cart paths will cause your irons to wear down after a while.

And although covers might help extend this lifespan even by .01% it won’t be anything of significance.

The real reason for using them is below.

Keep Your Irons Looking Brand New

Iron covers can help when it comes to keeping your irons looking fresher. Worth noting they cannot prevent the usual wear and tear caused by using them on the course.

But over time your irons will pick up some micro scratches from knocking about on the course or in the car’s trunk.

Do these tiny scratches affect performance or longevity? No, but they can make them look newer for longer.

And while it doesn’t make a difference on the course, it can from a mental perspective.

If your clubs fill you with joy when you look at them you may play better golf. Well, until you realise fresher clubs can’t stop a shank… then it’s time for a lesson!

Do Any Tour Pros Use Iron Covers?

Pros do not use iron covers, well almost all the pros don’t which I’ll get to shortly.

But the pros are always looking for ways to improve their game, and extending the lifespan of their irons would fall into that category.

Meaning if iron covers really made a difference then they would all be using them and being paid big sums of money from their sponsors to do so.

And of the pros that do, they don’t do so to improve performance. Aaron Rai, for example, is a big fan of iron covers, but only for this reason.

When he was younger to support his golfing dreams his father invested money into a set of golf clubs. To make sure his investment lasted a long time he got some iron head covers too.

So Aaron uses iron covers, which he has always done and probably always will.