Golf club head covers have become ubiquitous on golf courses around the world. From amateur golfers to touring professionals, most players use head covers for their woods, hybrids, and even putters. But why exactly do golfers use these accessories? There are several practical and personal reasons golfers choose covers to protect and customize their clubs.
Protecting Clubs from Damage
The primary function of head covers is to prevent damage to club heads during play, transport, and storage. Modern woods, hybrids, and putters often contain graphite shafts and club faces made from lightweight titanium or carbon composite materials. These materials allow larger club heads that maximize distance, but the tradeoff is that they dent, scratch and chip more easily. A small ding on the club face can negatively impact ball striking and performance.
Club head covers form a protective barrier that shields the club from contacting other hard surfaces. They prevent the heads from colliding into each other in the bag which can lead to nicks and dents over time. Covers also reduce damage from the club rattling around inside golf carts or in the back of vehicles during transit. For those who travel frequently for golf, head covers are a necessity to keep woods and hybrids in pristine condition.
Many golfers also use head covers when storing clubs at home, especially in hazardous places like the garage or basement. Accidental drops or impacts with other objects can damage club faces and hurt their playability. Using covers minimizes this risk so golfers don’t have to incur the expense of repairing or replacing clubs damaged during storage.
Keeping Clubs Quiet
Another benefit of club head covers is reducing noise, specifically the clanging and clacking of club heads banging together. While music to some ears on the course, most golfers don’t like to hear the racket of their clubs rattling around. Covers muffle this sound whether walking while carrying your bag or riding in a golf cart. They create a quieter playing experience and demonstrate golf etiquette.
The soft inner lining of covers absorbs vibration and shock to suppress noise. Materials like fleece or faux fur work best for maximum sound reduction. This allows golfers to play their shots with less distraction and not disturb other golfers they are paired with. Covering clubs is part of proper golf course etiquette.
Ease of Identifying Clubs
Golfers must select the right club for each shot on the course. That means accurately identifying woods, hybrids, and putters before taking them out of the bag. Covers aid in quickly distinguishing clubs visually so golfers can grab the one they intend to use.
Different colors, patterns, logos, or model names on the covers help differentiate the clubs. Golfers can coordinate covers and color code them by club type. For example, driver covers may be red, fairway woods black, hybrids green, and putters blue for easy visual sorting. This system speeds up club selection so golfers spend less time searching in their bag and more time playing.
Some covers incorporate large numbers or initials that clearly identify the specific wood or hybrid number. This assists golfers who organize their bags starting with the lowest lofted woods progressing to the highest. Covers allow quickly grabbing the proper club without having to memorize the entire sequence.
Adding Style and Personality
Beyond function, golfers use club covers to express personal style, team allegiances, and even patriotism. Using covers provides an avenue to customize bags and add some flashy personality on the course.
It’s common to see pro and college team logo covers from schools where golfers attended or those of their favorite sports teams. Camouflage, plaid, and other patterned covers are options for golfers wanting to show off their unique sense of style.
Covers can also display national pride with flag-themed designs for home countries or localities. Golfers with Scottish, Irish, British, American, Canadian or other nationality roots often feature covers celebrating their background.
Some golfers prefer simple covers with minimal branding. While others go all out with bold prints and colors to differentiate their bag from the crowd. Whatever your taste, there are endless cover options for customization and making a statement.
When Golfers Use Covers
Given the benefits, when do most golfers actually utilize club head covers during play? Usage situations generally fall into a few scenarios:
All the Time Covers
Golfers who have invested in custom fitted clubs with high-end graphite shafts often use covers each and every time they play to maximize protection. Custom built clubs come at a premium price. For golfers who have paid $1000+ for a single driver, they want to protect their investment and extend its usable life. Keeping them constantly covered prevents any errant impacts or damage when parked.
Low handicap and scratch golfers also tend to use covers more frequently because any loss of club face performance affects their scoring ability. A small dent that negatively alters spin or launch angle can impact competitive play so covers help maintain optimal face conditions.
Traveling Protectors
Many golfers use covers primarily for transport and storage versus keeping them on all round. While covers stay on during vehicle transit, some players remove them once arriving at the course if they don’t ride in a cart. If carrying a bag or using a push cart on the course, they opt for no covers to save weight and hassle. But they still utilize them for storage at home or travel to safeguard clubs.
Occasional and Putter Users
Sundry recreational and high handicap players may just use a putter cover and leave woods uncovered. Since putters have the most delicate face milling, a cover protects those refinements. And putters slots in bags often have less padding. But casual players are less concerned about occasional dings or scratches on woods from course use. They’ll only use wood covers for airplane travel or other transportation needs.
Conclusion
There are clear tangible and intangible benefits to using golf club head covers. Covers protect investments in clubs by preventing dings, dents and cracks that can happen without them. They reduce noise while providing quick visual identification of each club. Covers also allow personal customization and self-expression. For these reasons, most golfers employ covers to protect woods, hybrids and putters both on and off the course. Proper use improves performance by keeping club faces in top playing shape for as long as possible.