What is the life time of a shaft/club..

[vkurup]

At the end of the day, clubs are pieces of metal, graphites etc. Do they have a shelf life? I am not talking about me falling out of love with a club or suddenly losing the ability to hit it. I am looking for the mechanical aspect of its life.

Wedges – they can lose their grooves so need sharpening/replacing
Irons – Are the grooves on irons important?
Hybrids/Woods/Drivers – Do the graphite shafts on these ‘die out’.

Common mechanical aspects:
Grips are another thing that cut across all the clubs and need regripping.
Loft & Lies

 

[john0]

Homer's clubs have a lifetime of about 6 months

 

[Alex1975]

Essentially yes, things will give way... but its not going to happen before you/we get board of the kit or it looks too shabby.

Iron grooves are important as they help move debris away from the club face but you would have to work very very very hard to kill an iron groove.

Iron shafts will lose there spring but again, only once years and years old and very well worked.

So essentially yes, but no not really.

 

[garyinderry]

Some pros believe a ball only has one birdie in it.

Pretty sure I've got a dozen here that don't have birdies in them.

 

[jamielaing]

Manufacturers say replace your wedges every year, I would say every 3-4 years. But if it is still working......

 

[Alex1975]

Manufacturers say replace your wedges every year, I would say every 3-4 years. But if it is still working......

icy wedges can be refurbished 3 times in the first year as part of the purchase and then again after for a small fee. Older U groove wedges last much longer as they do not rely on the knurling that post 2010 wedges have.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would guess the shafts will get usurped by better models over time. I still have a persimmon three wood from my 18th and with a new grip it's still playable but the steel shaft feels so heavy and difficult to tame compared to the easier to hit graphites of today

 

[ScienceBoy]

Take good care of them, i.e. Keep them clean and replace grips depending on use, some people need them once a year, others every other... Also get the loft/lie checked each season for irons. You should then get a good cycle out of them which is about 5-7 years.

The only other main reason to change or to keep them is mental, either they are tried and trusted or you need to break a bad cycle.

Aside from that a physical change could drive a need to change clubs, but that is to be expected and not feared!

Exceptions are that putters can be for life and wedges can be worn out with incessant practice, like I used to do (5 times a week in the summer months).

 

[Scotty Cameron]

TMag would have you believe that all clubs have a 6 month shelf life :whoo:

 

[chrisd]

Clubs can last a lifetime ............. sorry I mean lunch time!

 

[Alex1975]

Clubs can last a lifetime ............. sorry I mean lunch time!

:clap:

 

[delc]

Essentially yes, things will give way... but its not going to happen before you/we get board of the kit or it looks too shabby.

Iron grooves are important as they help move debris away from the club face but you would have to work very very very hard to kill an iron groove.

Iron shafts will lose there spring but again, only once years and years old and very well worked.

So essentially yes, but no not really.

The usual long term problem with steel shafts is rusting, which is generally either inside the shaft, or at spots where the plating has worn through on the outside. A certain amount of age hardening and embrittlement may also occur. So eventually the shaft may snap. However a lot depends on how the clubs are stored. Keep them in a warm dry environment and they should last for many years, but in a damp environment they may not last more than 10 years.

 

[Alex1975]

The usual long term problem with steel shafts is rusting, which is generally either inside the shaft, or at spots where the plating has worn through on the outside. A certain amount of age hardening and embrittlement may also occur. So eventually the shaft may snap. However a lot depends on how the clubs are stored. Keep them in a warm dry environment and they should last for many years, but in a damp environment they may not last more than 10 years.

Nice one, thats about my understanding of it. All my stuff lives inside.

 

[User62651]

I saw a fellow competitor break 2 irons in one round during normal golf shots (not in anger). They were Cally x12's or 14's. Both broke at the hosel which would be the weak point in the shaft I suppose. Clearly had metal fatigue or rust or something. Quite comical really. Guessing they were 6 or 7 yo at the time.

Cast clubs obviously tend to wear much better than forged too. Ping Eye heads are still good today sometimes 20+ yo.