One proud 4-iron
Often a later reshaft. The new ring was shoved on after the epoxy skinned. We open that joint; we do not sand the others to match a mistake.
Iron collar
Eight rings that have to agree in daylight
A 5-iron that looks older than the 9 is almost never “patina.” It is a mixed dye lot, a different sit, or a collar that swelled while the others lived in the hallway. We match irons as a family, not as eight unrelated repairs.
Length is a set number
Iron ferrules are short on purpose. If one ring is longer, the hosel paint line jumps as you look down the bag. We measure sit on every iron against the same square, under the same lamp. Outliers get recut even if they “still look fine” in a garage. Garage light is how mismatched sets survive until the first tee at Ottawa Park.
Color is a drawer number
Tess will not finish a set from two lots because one tray is low. If we cannot kit eight from one undertone, we say so and wait for stock, or we do four now and four when the lot arrives. Mixing is how you get a 6-iron that photographs colder than the 7.
What usually walks in
White bloom on the scoring irons
Those live in the front of the bag, closer to wet towels. Nylon on 8–PW drinks first. Humidity re-seat, then a talk about the towel.
Three blacks
Replacement collars from three seasons. We kit one lot. Dye is not the shortcut.
A set that lived in a trunk
July Erie air, then January heater vents. Expect swell and a crack. Cabinet stock, not pegboard.