So how long should your irons last..

[MarkA]

According to Taylormade you will need to change clubs severy 6 months otherwise you will 20 yards behind everyone else!

 

[kid2]

cast - pretty much forever
forged - the groves will eventually close up in the impact area but this is unlikely to happen from course use alone. 5000 poor Q range balls from the same spot will show (not like Gareth's - no sign of any such damage on that club as pointed out)

this forged PW is 25 years old, but has been rested for about 10 of those, and you can see (about 2/3rds up the face towards the toe) the groves being closed up - clearly a huge amount of life left in the club (especially for anyone using the middle )and as someone has already pointed out, for most of us it wouldn't make much difference most of the time anyway.

Duncan...
Have you tried a groove sharpener on that yet...It might reshape and re-cut those grooves with a few runs of one.....Might be worth a go......

 

[kid2]

Assuming you're not wanting to change as you've had a cash injection, fallen out with them or have significantly improved, how long should a set of irons last you?
Obviously it depends how much you play so a number of rounds would seem to be the best measure.
If I remember, in GM a few months ago, it has been suggested a change every 3-5 years is about right.
But what about groove wear?
OK, wedges are usually forged or cast with soft metals, but surely forged irons would take as much battering as a forged wedge and would need changing at much the same time to keep performance levels..?
My irons have played 185 rounds since I got them, plus range sessions. Yeah, they're indestructible Callaways but they're beginning to look their age. Would the grooves have worn that much as to be costing me control and performance?
Don't get me wrong, they still work well - yesterday I hit 2 approaches to within 3 feet for birdies.
But I'm intersted to know how long everyone else has had their irons and how long they reckon they'll keep them before NEEDING to change rather than wanting......

I think that clubs would probably out last most of us Murg....Problem with most , me included is that we get nored of things pretty easily and look for an excuse to change......
I love my Wilsons but after seeing those Ping G25's after my lesson last night as i said im slightly tempted.....Id have to hit em side by side though first to see if they were worth the justification

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Had my TP's about three or four years and they are still going strong. I think as my next set will be a full C/F then it makes sense to try and keep them as long as I can and I've no plans after the change to get rid. I would think wedges might be a different matter with the amount of use they get. Similarly I think as others have said forged may wear quicker but at our level will we notice and will it make that much addition aside from the wedges

 

[jason6r]

On a related point, how long can you reasonably expect grips to last? I've now started playing/practising very regularly (6 times per week) compared with previously (1 full pound per week, plus perhaps 30 minutes of practice) and I've been told that I'll probably need to get new grips every 6 months or even less. I know the answer is "just before they get shiny" but does anyone who plays regularly have experience of the frequency of getting new grips?

Sorry to hijack the original thread!

 

[Imurg]

Grips are wierd - some people are really hard on them and others (like me) can go years between re-grips.
I have a Multi-Compound on my Fli-Hi that is well over 2 years old and barely shows any sign of wear.

 

[Foxholer]

I have a set of 12 year old forged clubs that have had a lot of use - though all over the face!:angry:

No problem with groove wear. I see no problem with them lasting another 12 years or more. Grips might changing though - that hasn't been done for a long while (3 years probably), but they are half cords and I'm traditionally a low grip/glove wear player.