Normal Mavrik Iron Wear?

[NativeTxn]

So, I played my first round with the Mavriks today (actually only able to get in 16 holes before I had to meet the wife for dinner). Hit some god awful shots (mostly with the non-Mavrik clubs in my bag) and some excellent shots, including the one in the picture that was my tee shot on a 144 yard par 3 that stopped about 3 feet from the hole (made the birdie putt, BTW). No complaints about the performance of the clubs.

What I'm not so jazzed about is the apparent durability (or possible lack thereof) of the irons. Other than the 5, 7, and 9-iron, none of the other irons had been hit until today (and the 5, 7, and 9 had only been hit indoors off of mats - though I had already noticed some "swirly" type marks on them after hitting on the mats, so what I'm about to type maybe shouldn't have come as a huge surprise?).

In any event, I was riding, had my cart bag strapped in like usual, and I noticed after about 3 holes what appeared to be heavy amounts of bag chatter.

I hit maybe 2-3 shots the whole round with the Gap, all from grassy lies either fairway or some rough, but no sand, no rocks, nothing that would seem to suggest scuffing, scraping, etc. and it looks like that now.

I hit one shot the entire round with the PW - it was from a dry, packed dirt lie, but there were no rocks or other debris (I checked before hand to make sure), and it's got these scrapes on it...

The AW literally never left the bag, hasn't been hit once in any capacity, and it looks like this...

Maybe I'm overreacting here, but I just don't think an iron should look this banged up having literally never hit a ball on any surface, and having spent one round in the cart bag.

I've cleaned all of them with soap and water and scrubbed as much as possible with a washcloth, but they pretty much all look like the GW pictured above, it seems mostly from bouncing around in the cart and banging into each other. And I certainly wouldn't expect scuffs like on the PW simply from a packed, dry dirt lie - I've hit irons before that hit small rocks and didn't have gouges or any dings from the rocks, let alone scuffs like on the PW that only hit the dry dirt.

Now look, I realize that golf clubs are tools and we hit them at high(ish) speeds into the ground and things like that and they're going to get marks and nicks and dings, but my expectation would be that that would happen over time. I honestly wasn't expecting a brand new set of irons to show this much wear after one round in the cart bag.

The faces of the clubs cleaned up just fine, and are no worse for the wear. But, I have a 15-year old set of Mizuno MX-19s that don't have this level of bag chatter and scuffs on them, and those things have been played much more, with no inhibition about hitting from bad lies with small rocks and debris likely in the way, etc. The Cobra F9s that I had for a couple of months, had played outdoors with on the range and the course on multiple occasions, hit off of mats, etc. looked nearly brand new, especially compared to these. I definitely didn't expect such wear from one round in the cart and them bumping into each other like they have exhibited.

Has anyone else experienced that with their Mavrik irons? Or am I just the (un)lucky one here?

Should I show my fitter these pics (or bring the clubs in for him to take a look at in person) to see if this is normal in his experience - because I certainly haven't seen or played as many clubs as probably most on here, but comparing to my old Mizuno MX-19s and the Cobra F9s, this just doesn't seem like it should happen. Again, maybe I'm overreacting, but any thoughts would be appreciated.

Edited September 16, 2020 by NativeTxn
Corrected pics

[NativeTxn]

And just for comparison, here are pics of the Cobras I just sold, which had banged around in the same bag on the same course that the Mavriks did tonight, and had actually been to the outdoor range on multiple occasions (the line on the 8 iron was mat residue, that I wiped off after the picture was taken). So, there are some lines, but nothing to the level of the Mavriks IMO.

 

And I've also included a picture of the my old Mizunos. Obviously, some wear on them, but they're 15 years old and have been played many times more than the Callaway.

 

All of this is why I am pretty surprised to see the wear on the Callaway.

 

[Genostarrr]

Not sure if same but I had the Mavrik pros for a few rounds and they looked just as new as the day I got them. Shouldn’t be that much heavy chatter marks immediately given that they’re cast not forged? By the way your first posts’ images are not showing up so can’t tell you if it’s normal or not.

[NativeTxn]

59 minutes ago, Genostarrr said:

Not sure if same but I had the Mavrik pros for a few rounds and they looked just as new as the day I got them. Shouldn’t be that much heavy chatter marks immediately given that they’re cast not forged? By the way your first posts’ images are not showing up so can’t tell you if it’s normal or not.

 

Updated so I think pics should show now. Though they're at the bottom and not in line.

[Ize]

I had a similar problem with a set of TM sim max irons the finish durability on them was terrible after 2 9 hole rounds they looked like they were 2 seasons old i couldn't believe it.

[Warrick]

I have a full season on a set of the Mavrik Pro, look almost new still

[iNeedMoreGolf]

Dont feel bad... i have a set of mizuno mp 20 mmc that granted i played 5 6 rounds with... but look like im playing on a courses full of gravel. Not sure why or how when o take really great care of irons and not hearing much clicking together during cart rides and i usally take the ball out of any sketchy rocky or tree stumpy lies... i even take the ball out of some bunkers i feel are tooooo rocky and there are some that are just dumbfoundingly full of rocks big and small. Is this a sand trap or gravel pit? The wierd part is the scratchyness is not so much on the faces or soles but the backing area?

[tmax77]

I would reach out to the fitter and or Callaway...perhaps a bad batch of heads due to COVID-19...Callaway customer service one of the best in industry (if not the best)

[bigfishbk]

This unfortunately is normal, and started with the rogue irons. My rogues were the same way after a couple rounds. After owning them 2 years now I don't even notice it, as it hasn't really gotten much worse.

[NativeTxn]

19 minutes ago, bigfishbk said:

This unfortunately is normal, and started with the rogue irons. My rogues were the same way after a couple rounds. After owning them 2 years now I don't even notice it, as it hasn't really gotten much worse.

 

Interesting. If that is the case, it makes me wonder how CPO could sell any sets of these irons as like new (unless they're actually new, or maybe floor or demo models only) and especially "very good" condition. If I ordered a set from CPO in "very good" condition and got these, I'd be sending them back immediately.

[NativeTxn]

3 hours ago, tmax77 said:

I would reach out to the fitter and or Callaway...perhaps a bad batch of heads due to COVID-19...Callaway customer service one of the best in industry (if not the best)

 

I've emailed him to see if he's seen this issue before. They're from PGA SS, so in theory, I could return them under the 90-day playability/performance guarantee and essentially exchange them for the HMP that I was hitting very similarly at my fitting.

[cn34]

My Mavrik irons aren't showing anything near the wear you're seeing on yours. I generally walk when I'm playing so maybe not getting as much chatter from bouncing around on back of a cart, but overall mine still look new

 

 

[NativeTxn]

5 minutes ago, cn34 said:

My Mavrik irons aren't showing anything near the wear you're seeing on yours. I generally walk when I'm playing so maybe not getting as much chatter from bouncing around on back of a cart, but overall mine still look new

This is definitely not what I expected. The Cobras I had and played for 2-3 months looked far better than these after one round. In all honesty, I don't think my Mizunos even look like bad after years of playing them.

 

It just seems unacceptable, IMO, that they'd look this beat up after one round, but maybe I set my expectations too high.

 

I'll see what the fitter/PGA SS and/or Callaway say.

[Nessism]

The photos show normal wear to me.  Those clubs look like raw polished stainless steel, which is prone to marking easily.  Many people confuse polished stainless to chrome but it's not the same.  Chrome is a coating which is hard, but polished stainless is not a coating and it's softer.

[iNeedMoreGolf]

I think the poster above may be right. I dont see any other way why one set is fine after a whole lot of rounds but another set is very scratchy after 1 or 2 rounds... i had a set of honma 747p irons i played 6 7 rounds with and looked so good it was unbelievable. They actually passed the 90 day trade in policy after that many rounds without question.

[Hougz79]

I had the "factory combo" set of the Apex/Apex Pro '16 for 3 rounds.  They came factory with the "matte" finish throughout the set (to include the Apex Pro which was usually chrome).  After one round they looked awful.  Sold them the next week.  Unfortunately it seems as though Cally Iron finish quality might be slipping (gamed X Forged '07 for 2 years and they looked awesome).  Tools not jewels I guess the saying is.

 

I will agree with above posters.... Cally customer service is absolutely top notch.  Give them a call, they'll make it right I bet.  

[HateTheHighDraw]

Par for the course for Callaway cast irons unfortunately. 

[NativeTxn]

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Edited September 16, 2020 by NativeTxn
Duplicate

[NativeTxn]

2 hours ago, Nessism said:

The photos show normal wear to me.  Those clubs look like raw polished stainless steel, which is prone to marking easily.  Many people confuse polished stainless to chrome but it's not the same.  Chrome is a coating which is hard, but polished stainless is not a coating and it's softer.

 

2 minutes ago, HateTheHighDraw said:

Par for the course for Callaway cast irons unfortunately. 

Not disagreeing with either of you in any way, but if this is the case, it just seems insane to me. As I said, I know these are tools that we slam toward the ground and they're going to get marks and what not on them.

 

I was just extremely surprised (and frankly pretty disappointed) given my prior experience with various clubs that there is this much wear and tear after one round. I can't imagine that Callaway would want there clubs looking like this after such little use.

[cn34]

4 hours ago, NativeTxn said:

This is definitely not what I expected. The Cobras I had and played for 2-3 months looked far better than these after one round. In all honesty, I don't think my Mizunos even look like bad after years of playing them.

 

It just seems unacceptable, IMO, that they'd look this beat up after one round, but maybe I set my expectations too high.

 

I'll see what the fitter/PGA SS and/or Callaway say.

I think that's the right route to go. I'm with you that those look excessive on wear. My concern is what is causing that? Maybe it was a bad batch on the finish. Really tough to say.

 

I would speculate and say PGA SS or Callaway will step up and make it right. PGA SS in my experience is usually very good and has a respectable amount of autonomy at the store level to make it right. 

 

Definitely looking at mine closely to watch and see if I get any similar wear on mine. I'm about 1 month shy of my 90 day return window closing so hopefully if I get wear like what you're experiencing, it happens before then

[NativeTxn]

1 hour ago, cn34 said:

I think that's the right route to go. I'm with you that those look excessive on wear. My concern is what is causing that? Maybe it was a bad batch on the finish. Really tough to say.

 

I would speculate and say PGA SS or Callaway will step up and make it right. PGA SS in my experience is usually very good and has a respectable amount of autonomy at the store level to make it right. 

 

Definitely looking at mine closely to watch and see if I get any similar wear on mine. I'm about 1 month shy of my 90 day return window closing so hopefully if I get wear like what you're experiencing, it happens before then

 

As I said, this started appearing after just a few holes riding in the cart yesterday. So, I suspect that if you've had them in a cart without head covers even once since you got them, you'd see the same kind of wear if you were going to have the same issue.

 

I've done lessons at the PGA store near me, my daughter does lessons there, I'm up there fairly often to get in a short session on the practice bays (enough that the guys at the service desk assume I'm in for a practice bay when I come to the counter), and I've done a putter, iron, and driver fitting there as well and get along with the fitter pretty well. So, I'm hopeful that PGA will take care of the situation in some form or fashion, whatever that looks like.

 

As of now, it seems entirely cosmetic (as ridiculous as it seems to me, personally, that there would be so much in the way of cosmetic blemishes after such a short period), but it's enough that I would have no issue exercising the 90-day guarantee and moving over to a set of the JPX921 HMPs, since I was hitting them nearly identically.

Edited September 16, 2020 by NativeTxn

[HateTheHighDraw]

The cynic in me says it’s a lot more enticing to shell out for next years latest and greatest when your current set isn’t looking so nice in the bag anymore 

[NativeTxn]

5 minutes ago, HateTheHighDraw said:

The cynic in me says it’s a lot more enticing to shell out for next years latest and greatest when your current set isn’t looking so nice in the bag anymore 

Fair point. Though it would be hard to justify that since I've had them less than 2 weeks, even if they now arguably look like I've had them 2 years.

[Tax77]

Briefly had a set Steelhead XRs and they looked like crap, I wont purchase Callaway until they start chroming or find some finish that holds up. 

[NativeTxn]

8 minutes ago, Tax77 said:

Briefly had a set Steelhead XRs and they looked like crap, I wont purchase Callaway until they start chroming or find some finish that holds up. 

If this is their SOP for cast clubs, I am in the same boat. Seriously considering returning them under the 90-day playability guarantee and getting the Hot Metal Pros at this point.

[BogeyParBogey]

37 minutes ago, Tax77 said:

Briefly had a set Steelhead XRs and they looked like crap, I wont purchase Callaway until they start chroming or find some finish that holds up. 

Same story here, the Steelhead XRs worked worse after a short period of time than old tank G15s!

 

Dave

[Nessism]

This is a polished stainless irons thing, not a Callaway thing.  Every polished stainless iron ever made will be the same.  It's just that Callaway has gone for showroom bling instead of applying a brushed finish which holds up better but some people won't like quite as much when the clubs are new.

[NoTalentLefty]

I don’t hit mine off mats because of the possibility of that but I’m one of the dreaded people who use head covers on my irons so no chatter. 

[NativeTxn]

UPDATE: Talked to my fitter today after sending him these pics and asking if this was normal. He said that he forwarded the picture of the PW to the Callaway rep because that shouldn't happen even if you did hit a rock, a stick, or other piece of debris. He confirmed that the other marks are bag chatter, and said that Callaway and TaylorMade have a history of looking like that.

 

He said it's not really a "fair" to compare to Mizuno irons because they use the hardest metal in the industry, which is at least part of the reason that the MX-19s still look as "good" as they do for being 15 years old.

 

I asked him, basically, if I decided I really couldn't live with all the chatter on there if there would be any issue with switching them out for the Hot Metal Pros and he said absolutely no issues, and I've got the 90 days to make a decision. He did say to spend at least a month hitting them and playing them to gauge performance so before we made a switch (if I do) he'd know how they performed. But he said that if I do decide to switch them out, it'd definitely be to the HMP because I was hitting them virtually the same as the Mavriks (a couple of the Mavrik numbers like spin and descent angle were slightly better) and the bag chatter/wear shouldn't be an issue with them.

 

So, we'll see what happens, and I'll keep playing them for the next 4-6 weeks and go from there. But it's good to know that I can basically switch them out for the HMPs if I decide to do that and that this wouldn't be considered "excessive wear and tear" even though I certainly haven't abused them in any way.

 

And I'll be interested to see what the Callaway rep says about the PW.

[Nessism]

Get the Mizuno's.  They are chrome plated so the finish will hold up nicely.  No comparison with those polished stainless Callaways in terms of finish durability.