Damn!!! My golf clubs just picked up a dent! I’ll change it!
That line never gets old. And I totally understand that feeling from a golfer’s standpoint. Your golf clubs are your best buddy on the course. You interact with them during tee time. It gives you feedback after each swing. And it is your duty to keep them in tip-top shape.
So nothing hurts us more than unintentionally inflicting damage on our precious clubs.
But it will happen anyways! So long as you put them to the test, they will pick up a few dents either on an errant shot or simply by happenstance. But do dents affect golf clubs?
Not really. If it is a tiny dent, your club will still perform perfectly well as an unscratched one.
But in adverse cases…well let’s find out.
Do Dents Affect Golf Clubs?
Yes, it hurt playing with dented clubs. But you don’t necessarily have to beat yourself up for that. The most adverse effect is that it hurts the club’s aesthetics, which can dampen one’s spirit.
Even though your guilt is dragging you to Hades, have it in your mind that you can still play with it. And it won’t hamper performance —except in extreme cases.
I can attest to that. Many of my golf clubs are dented, though not too severely. But scars are visible. And I have managed to live with that since they are still of good service.
Watch even Mark Crossfield, a golf coach, back the claim that clubhead dents DO NOT have a bearing on your performance.
When I was still a teen, I would admit, I was a disorganized golfer. I couldn’t care for my clubs, so they were chipped or dented. If it gets worse, I always burst my ass to get a new set.
Because I have come to realize a nasty dent will change the aerodynamic properties of your golf club and the center of gravity (CG), affecting each swing’s stability and power.
And that is a fact!
A deep indentation is the culprit of a lousy shot. And there is no recovery from that. (more on that soon)
Can You Fix A Dented Golf Driver?
Unfortunately, no, you can’t. Your Frankenstein driver isn’t recovering from those deep scars.
You can ONLY do one of three things:
- Keep Using Them
- Send it to the manufacturers
- Get A New Club
Good luck to those hoping for DIY fixes. And if there are any, it won’t come from your local golf repair shop.
Why these three options, though?
It is all you have left.
1. Keep Using The Dented Driver
Most golfers won’t let go too soon. This is especially typical of lower handicappers and professionals because they will only notice a slight difference in the club head speed, accuracy, and coefficient of restitution.
This is why they continue to use the battered driver —particularly those on budget.
ONLY pros!!!
Players with high handicaps will suffer a significant setback.
2. Send It To The Manufacturer
However, if you are concerned, the best you can do is give the manufacturer a bell for a repair. This works if the driver is from a prominent brand. They could have a local rep to reach out to.
But the producers are the ONLY ones that can bring the head whole again. They designed it so they know every inch of the complex piece and that it requires meticulous care.
After a depth assessment of the dent, they will charge you for the repair. In some cases, if the head is irreparable, they may send you a new one for pocket money.
3. Buy A New Club
But you can get a new driver if you can’t go through with the calling, waiting, and paying extra.
It is that simple, as long as you have the money.
There are many affordable drivers on the market.
This makes it pointless trying to manage while it hampers your performance. And it is time-consuming going on a mission to fix it, either.
How Can You Tell The Driver Is Too Dented To Continue Using?
These are tell-tale signs you should toss the dented driver into the trash can:
1. Appearance
The terrifying Frankenstein appearance will be the first to jog your memory. If it is too dented deeply –especially with a cavity on the clubhead— the driver could be fatally damaged.
This is just you running your fingers across while inspecting with the naked eye. Not too serious.
2. Get The Take Of A Club Fitter
A step further is to get an expert recommendation if you are reluctant to get a new one. The easiest way to do this is to visit a local club fitter.
Ask them about their take on the dented driver. Who knows? They could save you hundreds of dollars. But if repair is imminent, they have the correct contact for that.
3. Sound
A badly injured club makes strange noises, although not the most assuring.
But we all recognized how the sweet spot sounds after a normal strikeout. Anything odd can indicate a severely battered driver, mainly if it produces a clicking sound.
4. Clubhead Speed
To do this accurately, you need a launch monitor to help dictate and provide the precise date on the elements of your launch, velocity, and yardage.
Launch monitors can be expensive. If this is out of the question, I recommend pleading with your local club fitter to use theirs.
Set it up and try five to ten drives. You should be able to receive tangible insight into your clubhead speed.
Should there be a decrease, the dent must have hurt the drive’s aerodynamics, which impedes your performance.
5. Ball Speed
If you still have the launch monitor handy, employ it for a ball speed check. Warm up with a few shots before initiating the monitor. Swing as you were before the club was damaged.
When you have a consistent swing, switch on the launch monitor. On the odd chance your ball speed has declined, stop using the driver.
But if the reverse were the case, love and care for that club despite its scars.
6. Launch, Distance, And Accuracy
If you notice anything odd of these three factors, the dented driver has gone rogue. Investigate if your launching is lower, the same as before, or higher. Running a velocity test for distance with the monitor is also vital.
Test a few swings before analyzing. If it is shorter than before, the drive is hurting your distance game. You should change it.
The last is accuracy. And without it, there is no game.
A badly dented driver will often result in a hooking or slicing shot. I’m not pinning the blame on the damage, but what other evidence do you have?
Conclusion
Bottom line: your dents won’t go away, and you certainly cannot push them out.
If the indentation is severe, it stays married to your golf clubs, only the manufacturers can rescue them, or you get a new one.
In mild cases, you can make do with them.
Throughout my years in this sport, I have encountered snapped driver’s heads, but NEVER one that is minorly dented beyond playability.
So the choice is yours.
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