All things will deteriorate with time. Often, the deterioration will be so slow that it will take a considerable amount of time for you to notice the damage. But if you look closely, you will realize that all things deteriorate with age. Including your golf clubs.
Golf clubs are not cheap, and for this reason, it is very easy to assume that they will hold their quality for the rest of their shelf life. However, this isn’t the case. Just like golf balls, golf clubs will lose their distance with age, even if you cannot notice any visible damage on the body of your golf club.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at why golf clubs lose their distance with age, signs that your golf clubs may need to be replaced, and lots more. So, if you want to find out more about this, keep on reading!
What Are Golf Clubs?
First things first, let’s quickly establish exactly what we are referring to when we say “golf clubs”. Well, as you know, a golf club is a club that is used to hit golf balls. Golf clubs are designed in a way which allows them to exert huge force onto the golf ball, and this can make them travel for large distances. Their design is made up of a shaft, grip, and a club head.
There are a couple of different types of golf clubs. In fact, there are 5 different recognized types that you might be familiar with. They are putters, wedges, irons, hybrids, and woods. Also included in the “woods” category is the driver, which is easily one of the most famous types of golf clubs.
Depending on the style of golf that you are playing, you may choose to use a different type of golf club. But no matter what type you are using, over time, the golf clubs will deteriorate and become damaged. This will impact their performance and could cause them to lose distance.
Do Golf Clubs Lose Their Distance With Age?
Well, as we have established, yes, golf clubs do lose distance with age. Like all things, your golf clubs will become damaged from prolonged use, and eventually this will cause their performance to deteriorate. Often, you will not notice this deterioration as it will occur slowly over a prolonged period of time.
If you have a large range of golf clubs, then you may notice that this deterioration happens over a much greater period of time. However, if you have a favorite out of the different clubs that you are using, then you are much more likely to notice the deterioration. The more you use your golf club, the more it will deteriorate, and then the performance will begin to decline too.
There are lots of different things that will influence how long your golf clubs will last, from the conditions that they are stored in, to the number of times that they are used. But, it is possible to generate an average amount of time for which your golf clubs should last before their performance starts to deteriorate. Let’s take a look at what this average is.
How Long Should Your Golf Clubs Last?
Golf clubs are by no means cheap. So, when you purchase them, it is likely that you want to make sure you will get plenty of use out of them. So, how long should your golf clubs last? Well, ultimately that depends on the specific type of golf club, and the frequency in which you use that golf club.
That being said, generally speaking, a standard set of golf clubs will last for anywhere between 3 and 10 years. The exact figure will be impacted by things such as the amount of rounds you play each year, how well you take care of your clubs, which clubs you use most frequently, and whether you bought your golf clubs new or used.
It goes without saying that if you use your golf clubs a couple of times a month, they will deteriorate much quicker than if you are somebody who uses their golf clubs only a handful of times a year.
So, if you are somebody who plays golf frequently, you should be prepared for your golf clubs to require replacing much closer to the 3-year mark than the 10-year mark. Although, if you take good care of your golf clubs, then you may be able to extend their lifespan.
How Much Distance Will I Lose With Worn Out Golf Clubs?
As we said earlier, golf clubs are designed to help you play golf well. Different clubs are designed with different purposes in mind, but ultimately quite a lot of golf clubs are designed to give you distance. So, when the golf clubs begin to deteriorate, the distance that they are able to hit will deteriorate too.
It is very rare for golf clubs to become “truly worn out” now-a-days, and this is because it has become a lot more normal to purchase new golf clubs, even when your old ones are working fine. Back in the day, this wouldn’t happen, and you would instead play with the same clubs until they became truly worn out. Truly worn out golf clubs could lose between 7 and 10 yards in distance.
While your golf clubs are unlikely to become truly worn out now-a-days, it is still fairly common for golf clubs to begin to lose distance after a number of years. Instead of noticing this across all your golf clubs, it is much more likely for you to lose distance in your favorite, or “lucky” club.
While it is not likely that you will lose 7 to 10 yards on your golf clubs, it is possible for you to lose a couple of yards. So if your golf clubs are getting on in age, and you notice that they aren’t performing as well as they once were, you should consider purchasing new ones.
Signs Your Golf Clubs Have Worn Out
Thankfully, there are some other signs that you can watch out for to see if your golf clubs are beginning to wear out. Here are some of the key signs to keep an eye out for:
They Feel Off
If you have been using your golf clubs for a long time, then you will be accustomed to how they feel in your hands. If nothing has changed in your swing, but that good feeling has gone, there is a good chance your clubs have worn out.
They Look Damaged
If your golf clubs begin to look discolored, scratched, or chipped, then there is a good chance that they will need to be replaced. Damage to the clubs is a clear sign that your golf clubs have worn out.
Groove Deterioration
A clear sign of wear and tear in your golf clubs is groove deterioration. Thankfully, you can get your golf clubs re-grooved, rather than having to replace them.
Summary
In short, yes, golf clubs do lose their distance with age. Typically, it will take anywhere between 3 and 10 years for your golf clubs to wear out. Thankfully, there are signs that your golf clubs have worn out that you can keep an eye out for. We have discussed these in this guide. Thanks for reading!
Hi, my name is Garratt Shmidt and I have been playing golf in my spare time for almost a decade.
Before I found a passion for golf, I didn’t see the appeal. I thought it was slow, repetitive, and quite frankly boring.
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