You often see club head covers sitting on drivers, woods and putters. They come in all shapes, sizes, colours and even animals. 

The most famous headcover is arguably that of Tiger Woods who’s used a tiger headcover over the years. 

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Tiger made it acceptable to have a big fluffy animal headcover on your driver and this only increased in popularity with players on the PGA tour which has then filtered to the amateur game. 

But headcovers are not as popular on irons. 

There’s even some taboo over headcovers for irons and whether or not you should use them. Even Bubba Watson was ridiculed by fellow golfers when he unveiled some golf iron covers.

Got some new #ironcovers in the #PING bag… what do y’all think? Yes… No… Maybe? Thanks @pinggolfjapan!!@PingTour #PlayYourBest pic.twitter.com/k3rPBdgKdZ

— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) January 14, 2021

So how is it that it’s acceptable to have a huge fluffy parrot on top of your driver, but golfers will make fun of others who put a cover on their 7 iron? 

Why do golf clubs need headcovers?

First and foremost, headcovers are used to protect the head of the club. 

The covers protect the clubs from clanging against each other and becoming damaged while walking, driving in a golf buggy or lugging your golf bag into the car. 

This can also help keep the heads from repairs and major replacement costs as well as increase the potential sell on value when you upgrade. 

Headcovers are especially important for clubs like expensive putters that are made from very soft metals. The manufactures prefer the soft metals to provide better feedback, but they also become damaged very easily. 

The last thing you’d want to do is spend £200 plus on a top putter and chip the clubface a week later.

Why do golfers make fun of iron covers?

The main reason golfers make fun of other golfers that use iron club covers is because they don’t look cool. 

With the amount of money that clubs cost nowadays, you’re spending a small fortune on nice golf clubs and then covering them up with £15 ugly iron covers. So not only does it not look cool, but you are also hiding your pride and joy in the process. 

For comparison, putting iron covers on your clubs is basically like spending £1,000 on the latest phone and leaving the plastic screen protector on – not cool! Or buying a luxury car with nice leather interior seats and covering them with cheap car seat covers.

Besides not looking cool, golfers also hate them as it generally slows down the pace of play for your group. This is simply because of the extra time it takes to take these club covers on and off – for every shot! 

Now you may be starting to understand why people make fun of golfers who use iron covers. 

And going back to the possibility of damage caused by the clubs clattering around, iron covers don’t actually make that big of a difference.

In fact, damage from club clatter on irons is almost non-existent. Whereas they can make a difference with putters and woods, the harder material used in golf irons basically means you’re unlikely to cause any noticeable damage on your set of clubs.

So why even use these iron covers in the first place? 

Personally, I would say that I have fallen victim to this stigma, but everyone has their own opinion! 

If you’re someone that uses iron covers and gets made fun of for it don’t worry, because you are certainly not alone. Even the heavyweight champion of the world can’t get away with it. 

Let’s start by throwing away those iron covers Champ, we can work on the golf after that 🤣 https://t.co/5aLbOaBO7Q

— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) September 20, 2020

Should you put iron covers on your golf irons?

At the end of the day, the decision is yours but there are a couple of reasons why you should consider putting iron covers on your golf irons. 

For starters, although they won’t prevent any damage that will affect the performance of the clubs, they can help prevent scratches. 

If you care about the aesthetics of your irons or if you change your clubs regularly and want the best sell on value then, then investing in some golf iron covers will save you money in the long run.

Another reason you may want to use iron headcovers is to stop the clanging noise while walking. Personally this doesn’t bother me at all, but some golfers despise this noise and it puts them off when a group walks by. 

Using iron covers will stop your clubs making the annoying clanging noise, but it won’t stop that of your playing partners.

Do iron covers cause rust?

The simple and easy answer to this question is yes, golf iron covers can cause rust if the club is put into the headcover with moisture on it. 

Unless you dry and clean your irons every time before putting on the cover it can potentially trap moisture and promote surface deterioration to the face of your irons. 

Moisture in dark places causes bacteria to grow, hence the rust to form. However, this is often rare and is not something you should generally be worried about when purchasing iron covers. 

Best golf iron covers

If you are still reading at this point and are interested in using golf iron covers, below we’ve compiled the best golf iron covers on the market today. 

The IGNPION golf iron head covers offer zippers that prevent the iron from slipping out of the covers. They fit for all brands and sizes of golf clubs and include numbers on the tops of the covers for quick access while playing. They are lightweight so you will barely notice them whilst playing and are washbale too. 

These covers are made with thick synthetic leather material, which alongside being better looking iron covers, also means that the covers are waterproof. In addition to the synthetic leather, the covers are closed with velcro and have golden stitched letters for easy access when a club is needed quickly when playing. 

Lastly, we have the FLTRAD Golf Clubs Iron Head Covers. These covers are machine washable which really helps if and when the covers get dirty after a few rounds in bad weather. Since the covers are machine washable they are made from a soft and durable neoprene material.

Conclusion 

All in all, if you are worried about your clubs and do not want to damage them and save money in repairs you’ll probably have greater piece of mind investing in some golf iron covers. Don’t worry about the aspect of getting made fun of (and don’t get offended by it either).

Just be wary that the covers can cause rust if there is moisture in the covers so take the time to clean and dry the clubs before placing them in the covers if it’s damp, or make sure you clean and dry your clubs after the round.