Have you ever noticed that almost every golf bag has a head cover or two in it?
This could make you wonder whether a head cover for a golf driver is really necessary.
Covering a golf driver is something which has been happening for many years now.
The head cover market is strong, so let’s investigate why.
Why Do Golfers Cover Their Drivers?
Golfers cover their golf drivers so they do not get damaged.
The head of a driver is more fragile than some of the other golf clubs in the bag.
The driver is made with titanium, and it is painted.
When it hits against other golf clubs in the bag, it can get severely damaged.
When your driver gets chipped or dinged by another club, it could affect the performance of the club.
Since the price of drivers is not getting any cheaper, it really makes sense to protect the one you have.
Can Drivers Break Easily?
If a driver is not taken care of properly, it can break relatively easily.
It’s essential to take good care of these clubs because you will want them to last a very long time.
When a driver’s shaft breaks, which rarely happens, it is easy to fix.
You can put a new shaft in the driver, and you won’t notice any issues with the performance of your club.
If you end up damaging your driver’s club head, it is most likely unusable and will have to be replaced.
You have to remember that the golf driver is mostly hollow to try and help golfers gain extra speed as they travel through the ball.
How Do Golf Drivers Get Damaged?
Here are the most common ways golf drivers get damaged.
1. Golf Cart Damage
When your clubs are on a golf cart, they can actually be subject to quite a bit of damage.
Golf carts bump around and go over quite a few uneven surfaces.
As they are moving, your golf clubs will bounce around.
When golf clubs move all around, they will knock into each other.
If this happens continually, the driver could weaken and eventually break.
One way to avoid this is to purchase a golf bag that has individual compartments for clubs.
When clubs are kept in their own individual spot, the chances of banging into other clubs are much lower.
Some of these types of bags also have a built-in club grip that sort of grabs the clubs as you put them in the compartment.
It will hold the clubs in place and keep them from bouncing as the cart moves over bumps.
Sometimes golf clubs will fall off a golf cart.
This is a rarer occurrence, but it can do some severe damage to your clubs.
Next time you pull away after loading your golf clubs on, make sure the belt is securely fit around the clubs.
2. Carrying Your Golf Clubs
When you walk the golf course, the clubs will often be strapped across your back.
Each time you take a step, you can hear the golf clubs hitting each other in the bag.
This usually doesn’t cause too much damage, but it could, over time, without a head cover on the driver.
In between holes, the driver’s head cover should go back on.
3. Storage Problems
Another way a driver can get damaged is in storage.
Some people store their clubs in a bag room at a country club.
To accommodate more golf bags, there are usually two levels of golf clubs.
If your clubs fall off the top level or if someone drops your clubs as they are bringing them to your cart, it can break a driver.
Most of the time, if this happens, the country club will cover the expense of the driver repair.
A head cover will not protect a club completely from breaking, but it could keep it from getting scratched up if this were to happen.
If you store your golf clubs in your home, make sure they are in a location where the bag can’t tip over.
Sometimes people put their clubs in their garage, but things can fall off shelves and land on the driver.
Just think about where you place the clubs before you store them there.
4. Intentional Breaking
Unfortunately, some golf drivers break because people hit a bad shot and get angry with their club.
Sometimes all it takes is a hard tap on the ground, and your driver shaft can snap.
It does not take much force at all for this to happen.
Usually, these types of issues result in a driver shaft breaking and not the club head getting damaged.
Can You Clean a Golf Driver?
Even if you are using your driver head cover and taking great care of your club, sometimes the driver gets dirty.
Chances are there are some marks on it or some grass and dirt stains on the bottom of the club.
You can take a bucket of soapy water and place your golf driver in the bucket.
When you take it out, use a microfiber cleaning cloth to scrub off any of the spots you may see on the club.
Do not use a typical cleaning brush you would use on an iron as this could damage the golf club.
Are All Head covers the Same Size?
Not all head covers are the same size.
In fact, if you are ordering a new head cover, you should pay attention to the size of the club head cover you are purchasing.
For many years, golf drivers were not made as large as they are today.
During that time, golf manufacturers made smaller scale head covers.
Some of these are still made to accommodate the older golf clubs.
If you have a new TaylorMade or Cobra Driver, make sure the head cover you are purchasing says it will fit your club.
Some golf drivers have a unique shape to them, and that prevents the head cover from fitting as well.
Do Woods and Hybrids Need Head covers?
Golf drivers are not the only clubs in the bag that are subject to occasional breakage.
It is important to have head covers on fairway woods and hybrids as well.
These clubs usually have some kind of titanium in the clubhead, so the head can get dented or damaged without a head cover on.
When it comes to your irons and wedges, you don’t need to worry about protecting them quite as much.
Some companies do sell iron head covers, but they are not entirely necessary.
Your putter should be protected with a head cover.
Any type of mark on the putter could cause a shot to go off course.
This is a situation you will want to avoid.
Conclusion
Golfers cover their drivers because they spend a lot of money on them!
They don’t want to deal with purchasing another driver because of a problem that could have been avoided.
Golfers should keep the head cover on their driver at all times and not limit it to when the clubs are in storage.
Even though a golf cart has a basket to store club head covers, it is best to keep yours on your driver as you travel from one hole to the next.
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