How to Protect Golf Irons (The Complete Guide)

If you’re like me, after you purchase a new set of irons, the last thing you want is for them to get scratched up. Over the years, I’ve learned how to protect golf irons, and in this article, I’ll share some of my best tips and tricks to keeping your irons looking new and how to protect your golf clubs before, during, and after a round.

Club Organizing Is Key

If you really want to learn how to protect golf irons from scratches, then one of the most important things you can do to help protect your irons and prevent “bag chatter” is to make sure they are in the right place in your golf bag, which depends on what type of bag you have—staff bag, stand bag, or a cart bag—and how many dividers the bag has available.

Depending on your bag type, it is usually best to have your longest club towards the top of your bag and work your way down to the shorter clubs at the bottom.

To figure out what part of your bag is the top and which part is the bottom, find the handle of the bag—the piece that you would loop the strap through on a golf cart or carry a non-stand bag—the dividers on this side of the bag are considered the top of the bag.

Organizing your clubs in your golf bag is essential to keeping your irons looking good, and it also makes it easier to find the club you need while practicing or out on the golf course. You can also research golf bags that prevent club chatter.

Golf Iron Covers

Occasionally, you may see a golfer with headcovers on their irons. Although not unheard of, using iron covers is generally not done by most golfers because they add time to grabbing a club out of your bag when preparing to hit a shot. However, it comes down to personal preference, and although I have never used iron covers, I have met other golfers who use them.

Regardless if you decide to put covers on your irons or not, keep in mind that not only will it add time to getting a club out of your bag, but it also means you need to pay more attention to your bag so as not to leave on of the iron covers behind on the course or the driving range. I already have trouble keeping up with my driver head cover, not to mention the headcovers for my other fairway wood and putter cover, so I don’t want to add any more head covers to the list. That said, you may find the benefits of iron covers outweigh any negatives.

Clean Your Irons

Cleaning your clubs may be the most crucial factor in protecting them from long-term damage.
When you leave dirt and mud on your irons, it makes it harder to hit a good golf shot and increases the chance of rust. Not to mention, it is just good practice to keep your irons clean.

Cleaning: When and How

Cleaning your irons is extremely important and is a detail that golfers must not overlook. Generally, I find the best time to clean irons is right after they’re used. For example, after I hit an iron shot, before putting the club back into my bag, I take the time to clean it with water—either a wet towel or a club washer if nearby or on the cart—and a club cleaning brush. However, be careful when using a club brush; most are designed with two different bristle types on either side—a soft side and a harder, wiry side. The wiry side can scratch your irons and woods if not used correctly or if you brush too hard, which is why it’s generally best to use a damp towel on one side and dry on the other.

Preferably, you will be able to find a club cleaner close by or built into the golf cart, which is relatively common for golf carts to have at courses.

Don’t Forget the Grips

Although you should clean the face and grooves of your irons and other clubs after every use, you should clean your grips every couple of rounds. Serious golfers and professionals will generally clean their grips after every round. Professionals or their caddies will clean their grips during the round because it makes a difference.

When you clean your grips at home, use water with soap. Ideally, only around 20 percent of the liquid you use to clean should be soap; the other 80 percent should be water.

After cleaning your grips with soap and water, rub dry with a towel and let dry overnight.

A common mistake people make when caring for their grips is using too much soap and water or even using an abrasive soap.

How to Protect Your Irons: Recap

If you’re going to spend money on expensive golf clubs, it’s important to clean your irons, fairway woods, hybrids, and wedges. Also, organizing your bag to prevent “club chatter” is essential, along with having a good golf towel.

Remember that even if you do everything correctly and protect your irons to the best of your ability, they will still wear out eventually, and you will need to replace them. Additionally, you will likely find that your wedges will wear out faster than the rest of your irons because you will use the wedges more than the rest of your irons.