Time to Ditch Iron Numbers? Why Loft Should Be the Only Label on Your Clubs

[GolfSpy_APH]

Okay to add to this - really thinking is trying to solve a non issue. Truly. Yes I get the point of it, but a 33 degree 7 iron PING i230, i525, G730 and blueprint are all going to go different distances. So it's not like you can go hey I used my 33 degree, you should use yours because there is going to be a 15 or more yard gap between those. 

Again I get the appeal but it's going to lead to more confusion from new people to the game and you still have the issues of different designs of clubs go different distances.

[Josh Parker]

7 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Forget about loft strengths.
Does gapping matter to you?

Where did gapping come up in the original post?  It was about loft numbers.

However, if each iron is 4/5* difference then it should gap. Whether it goes 12 yards or 8 yards different it's gapping. 

Does it mean I may have to re organize my bag some to hit the distances.... sure. But I'll cross that path when it happens. 

 

[Erin B]

I know what my irons do, what their loft is, and how far I hit them on average. I don’t care what someone else hits. I don’t care what their loft is. I don’t care what the pros hit. I get a fitting often so I know what my swing is doing and what I need to do for improvement. Jacked lofts??? So be it. If you can hit a 3 iron as a 5 iron, great!!! Enjoy your game! I’m going to enjoy my game too. As far as numbering clubs? Don’t care and if the standard is to do that, ok. If you’re in my group and blast a PW as far as I can hit my 8, I’m gonna say “nice shot” and then I’m gonna get a measurement from my range finder and hit my appropriate club for that distance and whatever shot shape I need to hit it to get the ball as close to the hole as possible. 

[bens197]

6 minutes ago, Erin B said:

I know what my irons do, what their loft is, and how far I hit them on average. I don’t care what someone else hits. I don’t care what their loft is. I don’t care what the pros hit. I get a fitting often so I know what my swing is doing and what I need to do for improvement. Jacked lofts??? So be it. If you can hit a 3 iron as a 5 iron, great!!! Enjoy your game! I’m going to enjoy my game too. As far as numbering clubs? Don’t care and if the standard is to do that, ok. If you’re in my group and blast a PW as far as I can hit my 8, I’m gonna say “nice shot” and then I’m gonna get a measurement from my range finder and hit my appropriate club for that distance and whatever shot shape I need to hit it to get the ball as close to the hole as possible. 

This is nails it. And as Jamie said, it’s creating a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. 
 

Play what makes you play better regardless of what club it is. 

[RetiredBoomer]

1 minute ago, Josh Parker said:

Where did gapping come up in the original post?  It was about loft numbers.

However, if each iron is 4/5* difference then it should gap. Whether it goes 12 yards or 8 yards different it's gapping. 

Does it mean I may have to re organize my bag some to hit the distances.... sure. But I'll cross that path when it happens. 

 

It goes beyond that, though.

You don't have to merely reorganize your bag.
Theoretically, you have to do it with fourteen or fewer clubs.

If the OEMs are not offering differently gapped sets for different swing-speeds,
they're not helping you choose the optimum fourteen for your game.

OEMs like Callaway are offering an absurd number of models in a given rollout year,
and while the loft strengths may vary widely from the biggest game improvement shovel
to the most demanding butter knife blade,
there's no real variation in gapping for swing-speed.

There should be.  It's simple physics. 
I'm surprised that more people aren't talking about this. 

The Titleist T350, for example, is MADE for full 5° gapping from top to bottom.

They could offer 5° gapping from an 18° driving iron to a 63° lob wedge,
and while few would be buying the entire set,
each could configure a bag to suit his/her own game.

 

 

 

[RetiredBoomer]

12 minutes ago, Erin B said:

I know what my irons do, what their loft is, and how far I hit them on average. I don’t care what someone else hits. I don’t care what their loft is. I don’t care what the pros hit. I get a fitting often so I know what my swing is doing and what I need to do for improvement. Jacked lofts??? So be it. If you can hit a 3 iron as a 5 iron, great!!! Enjoy your game! I’m going to enjoy my game too. As far as numbering clubs? Don’t care and if the standard is to do that, ok. If you’re in my group and blast a PW as far as I can hit my 8, I’m gonna say “nice shot” and then I’m gonna get a measurement from my range finder and hit my appropriate club for that distance and whatever shot shape I need to hit it to get the ball as close to the hole as possible. 

Jacked lofts are one part of the issue,
but excessively narrow gapping for slower swing speeds
is the truly overlooked problem.

[Josh Parker]

4 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

It goes beyond that, though.

You don't have to merely reorganize your bag.
Theoretically, you have to do it with fourteen or fewer clubs.

If the OEMs are not offering differently gapped sets for different swing-speeds,
they're not helping you choose the optimum fourteen for your game.

OEMs like Callaway are offering an absurd number of models in a given rollout year,
and while the loft strengths may vary widely from the biggest game improvement shovel
to the most demanding butter knife blade,
there's no real variation in gapping for swing-speed.

There should be.  It's simple physics. 
I'm surprised that more people aren't talking about this. 

The Titleist T350, for example, is MADE for full 5° gapping from top to bottom.

They could offer 5° gapping from an 18° driving iron to a 63° lob wedge,
and while few would be buying the entire set,
each could configure a bag to suit his/her own game.

 

 

 

Their job is to make money and provide a set that works for the masses.  If you want something different there are options. 

I found a place you can have clubs created whichever way you would like to.

Endo Manufacturing

[Erin B]

7 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Jacked lofts are one part of the issue,
but excessively narrow gapping for slower swing speeds
is the truly overlooked problem.

Not if you’re fitted for your bag. Then the only thing that matters is you. 

[RetiredBoomer]

10 minutes ago, Erin B said:

Not if you’re fitted for your bag. Then the only thing that matters is you. 

Disagree in this case.  They can only fit you with the clubs being made.

If they start bending a  3/4° gapped set into 5° gaps with corresponding lengths,
you end up with a mess of mismatched bounce angles and swing weights.
That's simple fact.

The fitters may be doing their jobs
but the OEMs are not in my view.
And not enough of the golf equipment consumers demand more of them.

[Erin B]

7 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Disagree in this case.  They can only fit you with the clubs being made.

If they start bending a  3/4° gapped set into 5° gaps with corresponding lengths,
you end up with a mess of mismatched bounce angles and swing weights.
That's simple fact.

The fitters may be doing their jobs
but the OEMs are not in my view.
And not enough of the golf equipment consumers demand more of them.

Not true, I have to get my clubs fitted. My lie and loft have to be adjusted. I’m 2-3 degrees flat depending on shaft, when the lie changes, the loft changes. New level adjusted to me, titleist did, and so did PXG. All this to get me gapped 10 yards between irons. My vokeys were also adjusted to me. Again, 10 yards difference between.

[Josh Parker]

@RetiredBoomer why is this such a huge issue for you?  Almost every thread you post in, this is what you complain about.  If the clubs don't work for you or they don't make what you want, take that link I added above and have your own clubs built.  That way you can build them exactly the way you want to. 

 

[RetiredBoomer]

6 minutes ago, Erin B said:

Not true, I have to get my clubs fitted. My lie and loft have to be adjusted. I’m 2-3 degrees flat depending on shaft, when the lie changes, the loft changes. New level adjusted to me, titleist did, and so did PXG. All this to get me gapped 10 yards between irons. My vokeys were also adjusted to me. Again, 10 yards difference between.

Adjusting lie angles is never a problem except with the hardest of stainless, rarely still used.

Adjusting lofts changes bounce and affects turf interaction.

Recalibrating shaft-length gapping results in mismatched swing-weights.

When players have substantially different swing speeds,
how does it make sense to, regardless of loft strength,
have virtually the same loft gapping 
on your biggest game improvement shovel
and your least forgiving butter knife blade?

I look at the Titlest T350, for example,
and I see a club that should have been offered in five degree increments,
possibly from an 18° driving iron to a 63° lob wedge.
Cleveland proved that you can make playable GI type clubs even at extreme lofts.

[RetiredBoomer]

2 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

@RetiredBoomer why is this such a huge issue for you?  Almost every thread you post in, this is what you complain about.  If the clubs don't work for you or they don't make what you want, take that link I added above and have your own clubs built.  That way you can build them exactly the way you want to. 

 

It's an issue because I'm offering the forum a perspective not coming from anybody else.
I play the game with what's available, same as everybody else.
I just have serious thoughts about equipment anyway.

The problem with customization should be very obvious to everybody.

They were able to custom lathe the old wooden woods anyway they wanted,
They were able to custom grind the old one-piece blades anyway they wanted.

Modern clubs, however, are made with multiple pieces of multiple materials, woods and irons alike.
The same level of customization available in the past is impossible with modern high tech.
The clubs have to be made to spec in the first place.

Have you looked at the custom irons available?
They're simple one-piece clubs with no modern tech at all.

Premium irons cost over two hundred bucks apiece today.
For that price, OEMs should make a better effort to accommodate the consumer
instead of rolling out six different models, all with similar gapping
as if swing speed differences didn't exist.

 

 

[jaskanski]

1 hour ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Jacked lofts are one part of the issue,
but excessively narrow gapping for slower swing speeds
is the truly overlooked problem.

No it isn't (in my opinion) - it's the golfers problem. Taking it to the extreme, let's say a 9-iron with a loft of 35 degress - logic would dictate at 4 degree increments (again a wide assumption) that the 'lob wedge' would be about 52 degrees. Does that mean you need to add more wedges to fill the gap of the 'on paper' 56 and 60 degree that is 'missing'? Not a bit of it. The fact that a golfer can't hit the yardage gap is not the fault of the club - it's the ability of the golfer. So if you work backwards and fit the wedge to a loft and trajectory you want to hit shots from 30-50 yards in (bearing in mind you could do that with anything from the bag) - and you want to follow a pattern of loft to length for each club - you're essentially stuck with the loft you've got. And by default - with the ability you've got. Loft and length had a smaller part to play than the ability and skill level ever did. And that was the case when 9-irons were 49 degrees and it's still the case now. You can either hit distances and trajectory with control or you can't.

Edited Sunday at 05:08 PM by jaskanski

[Donn lost in San Diego]

No, use both.  2-9 is so basic, is the primary piece of info.  Then a golfer should be aware that degrees of loft can vary from one set to the next.  And club # indicates not just distance but flight angles up and down.  That;s why with modern shafts and heads a 7 iron still has similar ball flight angles with 4 degrees less loft, and more distance. 

[Coulter]

I think the idea is ok just should be left up to the individual. If that’s what you want then fine if not that’s fine too. Someone mentioned beginners seeing what someone else used for their shot to determine what they might need for said shot. The problem here is if you don’t have at least some idea of how far you hit a certain club then it’s just a guess at what you need to hit anyway so knowing the exact degree of loft doesn’t really help you in my opinion. Something like knowing the exact lofts of clubs is much more useful to someone that may be comparing the pros and cons of different clubs for testing or purchasing purposes and you can easily find that information without it being on the club.

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Disagree in this case.  They can only fit you with the clubs being made.

If they start bending a  3/4° gapped set into 5° gaps with corresponding lengths,
you end up with a mess of mismatched bounce angles and swing weights.
That's simple fact.

The fitters may be doing their jobs
but the OEMs are not in my view.
And not enough of the golf equipment consumers demand more of them.

Wait, didn't you just previously say that companies come out with too many sets? So among all the sets out there you can't find ones that are proper?

I don't know why I get sucked into this nonsense. 

You know the answers to your questions - times have moved on and changed (for the better). There are more options now than ever before and companies have more options for more golfers than ever before. If you can't find what you want them you can go super custom. 

That are go back and use all the old equipment you like and are so fond of.

[Shankster]

@RetiredBoomer most of the golfing world relies on 10-12 yard gaps between clubs, where is the gapping problem you are seeing?  My 3 and 4 iron are closer to 7 yards carry.

I will agree that there should be something added to fitting.  You could be fitted into blades 8-PW, but need some ball speed help for the rest of the bag, and there are ways to fix it.  
 

The solution for your issue is already there.  Just take a gander at the bag picks on the other forum.  A good chunk of PRO’s use your idea, they have hot irons at the top of the bag and blend them to blades.  They just don’t care what it says on the bottom of it.  They use their data collected to know that a full whatever goes whatever distance.  Simple. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, RetiredBoomer said:

It's an issue because I'm offering the forum a perspective not coming from anybody else.
I play the game with what's available, same as everybody else.
I just have serious thoughts about equipment anyway.

The problem with customization should be very obvious to everybody.

They were able to custom lathe the old wooden woods anyway they wanted,
They were able to custom grind the old one-piece blades anyway they wanted.

Modern clubs, however, are made with multiple pieces of multiple materials, woods and irons alike.
The same level of customization available in the past is impossible with modern high tech.
The clubs have to be made to spec in the first place.

Have you looked at the custom irons available?
They're simple one-piece clubs with no modern tech at all.

Premium irons cost over two hundred bucks apiece today.
For that price, OEMs should make a better effort to accommodate the consumer
instead of rolling out six different models, all with similar gapping
as if swing speed differences didn't exist.

 

 

Yes, different - but the same one you have been harping on across nearly all threads for years.

You say you prefer the old custom blades with preferred grinds... But complain the custom ones now see single piece forgings? 

Can we move all this to one central thread for you so the proper conversations can happen in the appropriate threads.

[Coulter]

16 hours ago, KJano05 said:

100% agree!  
Companies do it for ego boost sales! You go to buy an new irons and you’re hitting the new 7 iron 185 due to the loft and boom, customer is hooked haha not knowing they’re hitting more like a 6 or 5.5 

I do agree with this perspective to a certain degree. When you go to test a new club and compare them to your current set, hit the new club further and without any more information conclude that these clubs must be capable of hitting much further. If you don’t find out that they are 2-4 degrees stronger lofted then you will always believe that the new clubs are just far superior to the old when it comes to distance. For me this would create a gap problem between my wedges and irons and cause me to reevaluate the top end of my bag most likely resulting in having to buy new wedges to close that gap. 
I've heard it mentioned that the reason for “jacking lofts” is also due to better technology resulting in still being able to get the ball in the air to a desirable height, which I’m guessing means was a problem for the less than scratch golfers of the past.

[zengineer]

So get a scriber or sharpie and write your lofts on your clubs. It still doesn't tell, you how far it goes for you and still doesn't tell you the yardage gaps between clubs. Loft specs on any set made since the Kennedy administration are available online. The only one that has any value to me is the shortest set iron loft to have a starting point for selecting the next wedge below it. My AW is 48, that's al, I care about who it comes to loft.

It isn't about sticking with what ma you or not be an outdated tradition, it's about not trying to fix what isn't broken.

And isn't getting advice by asking an opponent what he hit or rummaging through his bag to see what isn't there a rules violation ?

[RetiredBoomer]

3 hours ago, jaskanski said:

No it isn't (in my opinion) - it's the golfers problem. Taking it to the extreme, let's say a 9-iron with a loft of 35 degress - logic would dictate at 4 degree increments (again a wide assumption) that the 'lob wedge' would be about 52 degrees. Does that mean you need to add more wedges to fill the gap of the 'on paper' 56 and 60 degree that is 'missing'? Not a bit of it. The fact that a golfer can't hit the yardage gap is not the fault of the club - it's the ability of the golfer. So if you work backwards and fit the wedge to a loft and trajectory you want to hit shots from 30-50 yards in (bearing in mind you could do that with anything from the bag) - and you want to follow a pattern of loft to length for each club - you're essentially stuck with the loft you've got. And by default - with the ability you've got. Loft and length had a smaller part to play than the ability and skill level ever did. And that was the case when 9-irons were 49 degrees and it's still the case now. You can either hit distances and trajectory with control or you can't.

Just an example of opinions not coinciding.

It's not complicated.

Higher swing speed players hit 4° increments at least 12-15 yards apart.
Slower swing speed players might hit it those same 4° increments 7 or 8 yards apart.

Simply put, beyond any reasonable argument,
the 4° gaps are inappropriate for the slower swing speed players, such as seniors or women,
no matter how forgiving the clubs are for launch or moi.

They make big game improvement clubs for higher handicap players...
they don't just  tell them to be a better ball striker. 

But when it comes to gapping, tell them to learn distance and trajectory control?
I guess that makes sense to some.
It makes no sense to me.  
I sincerely think it makes no sense, period.

However, my view is known.
I'll try to stop harping on it.

 

 

 

 

[cnosil]

my experience and opinions:

1.  As part of a test I have hit multiple iron designs with the same shaft and loft.   They go different distances due to things like launch and spin differences.

2.  Slower swing speed players probably play too many clubs and as a result have closers gaps between clubs.  Simply buy every other club and you get better gapping and you can then have room for more specialty clubs.

3. manufactured clubs have tolerances and most likely the stated loft doesn't match the actual loft unless you get them bent to spec after purchase.  

4.  People do not consistently deliver clubs with the same shaft lean so the bounce and will always be different.   Bending a clubs a couple of degrees will not significantly impact turf interaction.  

5.  Someone giving you the number or loft of the club they hit is as meaningless as the numbers or lofts are themselves.   They have to communicate how they hit the ball....full, partial, played it up or back in my stance a little,  hit a fade or draw, how was the lie, etc.  

6.  If you don't like how your club is labeled simply do what Theegala did and grind down the number and make it something else.   

 

Edited Sunday at 11:23 PM by cnosil

[Erin B]

5 hours ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Adjusting lie angles is never a problem except with the hardest of stainless, rarely still used.

Adjusting lofts changes bounce and affects turf interaction.

Recalibrating shaft-length gapping results in mismatched swing-weights.

When players have substantially different swing speeds,
how does it make sense to, regardless of loft strength,
have virtually the same loft gapping 
on your biggest game improvement shovel
and your least forgiving butter knife blade?

I look at the Titlest T350, for example,
and I see a club that should have been offered in five degree increments,
possibly from an 18° driving iron to a 63° lob wedge.
Cleveland proved that you can make playable GI type clubs even at extreme lofts.

Don’t disagree with bounce, but when you can change the grind then you can change the bounce. Sorry it took so long to comment back, just got off the course where, again I could depend on my loft, lie, and gapping because my clubs were built for my swing. Shot my handicap, again. Could have putted better and could have hit some better chips, but my loft, lie, bounce, and gapping were spot on as per the usual. What I’m saying is if you get your clubs fitted for you, who cares? You do. Not me.

[GolfSpy_BNG]

6 hours ago, RetiredBoomer said:

It goes beyond that, though.

You don't have to merely reorganize your bag.
Theoretically, you have to do it with fourteen or fewer clubs.

If the OEMs are not offering differently gapped sets for different swing-speeds,
they're not helping you choose the optimum fourteen for your game.

OEMs like Callaway are offering an absurd number of models in a given rollout year,
and while the loft strengths may vary widely from the biggest game improvement shovel
to the most demanding butter knife blade,
there's no real variation in gapping for swing-speed.

There should be.  It's simple physics. 
I'm surprised that more people aren't talking about this. 

The Titleist T350, for example, is MADE for full 5° gapping from top to bottom.

They could offer 5° gapping from an 18° driving iron to a 63° lob wedge,
and while few would be buying the entire set,
each could configure a bag to suit his/her own game.

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Obviously true,
but just knowing that the clubs aren't hitting at the distances you want
doesn't help you much at all.

Faster swing-speed hitters hit 4° gapped irons 12-15 yards apart from one another.

Slower swing-speed hitters hit 4° gapped irons 8 or 9 yards apart from each other,
and get less variation on long irons gapped only 3° apart.

The major OEMs have VERY COMPETENT engineers.
They KNOW this.
They knew it long before I figured it out.

Thus failing to make 5° gapped GI models for slower swing-speed players
has to be a deliberate marketing consideration that benefits them
but not their customers.

I am always disappointed by how much slack
the general golf community is willing to cut them.
Is it excessive tolerance or lack of understanding?

 

 

 

 

 

44 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Just an example of opinions not coinciding.

It's not complicated.

Higher swing speed players hit 4° increments at least 12-15 yards apart.
Slower swing speed players might hit it those same 4° increments 7 or 8 yards apart.

Simply put, beyond any reasonable argument,
the 4° gaps are inappropriate for the slower swing speed players, such as seniors or women,
no matter how forgiving the clubs are for launch or moi.

They make big game improvement clubs for higher handicap players...
they don't just  tell them to be a better ball striker. 

But when it comes to gapping, tell them to learn distance and trajectory control?
I guess that makes sense to some.
It makes no sense to me.  
I sincerely think it makes no sense, period.

However, my view is known.
I'll try to stop harping on it.

 

 

 

 

I’m quoting all these as we go from jacked lofts to lofts instead of numbers to gapping.  It’s the same thing everytime slightly changed so it sounds new to anyone that hasn’t read all of the other posts. 
 

Your gapping issue is flawed worse than your loft jacking issue. You cannot expect the same gapppng for slower swing speed players because they don’t have the longer yardages to make it up.  A 63 degree wedge isn’t gonna be that different than a 58*. Nobody is gonna take a full swing from 40 yards every time. Gapping works down to maybe 90-100 yards. Maybe you only want that covered in 6 clubs for your gapping from 175-100 yardages so you can carry your specialty clubs. Great but that will not sell and the OEM’s know it.  
 

 

[RetiredBoomer]

36 minutes ago, GolfSpy_BNG said:

 

 

I’m quoting all these as we go from jacked lofts to lofts instead of numbers to gapping.  It’s the same thing everytime slightly changed so it sounds new to anyone that hasn’t read all of the other posts. 
 

Your gapping issue is flawed worse than your loft jacking issue. You cannot expect the same gapppng for slower swing speed players because they don’t have the longer yardages to make it up.  A 63 degree wedge isn’t gonna be that different than a 58*. Nobody is gonna take a full swing from 40 yards every time. Gapping works down to maybe 90-100 yards. Maybe you only want that covered in 6 clubs for your gapping from 175-100 yardages so you can carry your specialty clubs. Great but that will not sell and the OEM’s know it.  
 

 

If you looking at the optional 63, which is an after thought at most,  you're completely missing the point.
Just mentioning a 63 was probably aa poor choice.

"Same gapping for lower swing -speed players" is the exact opposite of what I've been talking about--which is wider than standard gapping. Same gapping with different strength lofts is what we're getting now.

[Bossfan]

20 hours ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Some players are very particular about little details while others are strictly practical. 

Titleist T-400 6-iron loft,  23°.
Louisville Golf Tom Stewart 6-iron, 40°.

No big deal?
Some say no,
but all of us don't agree.

 

I would guess I fall into the practical group.

[GolfSpy_BNG]

1 hour ago, RetiredBoomer said:

If you looking at the optional 63, which is an after thought at most,  you're completely missing the point.
Just mentioning a 63 was probably aa poor choice.

"Same gapping for lower swing -speed players" is the exact opposite of what I've been talking about--which is wider than standard gapping. Same gapping with different strength lofts is what we're getting now.

What you seem to talk about is faster swingers get 12-15 yard gaps and slower swing speed get 6-8 or whatever numbers you used. You can not have the same gapping as faster swingers because you do not have the yardages needed for those gaps.   OEMs attempt to get you some of that back by “jacking” lofts but you complain about that too.
 

 You say one thing then when someone calls you on it you move the goal posts and say it’s something else.  It’s very clear you dislike just about everything about modern golf today. 
 

And with that I my time in this conversation and thread are over.  I’m tagging whoever is next in line with this

[The TXBexar]

23 hours ago, KJano05 said:

Let’s Debate: Tradition vs. Clarity

Is it time to ditch the iron numbers? Would loft-only labels make the game more transparent, or would it complicate things further? Let’s hear your thoughts—does tradition still have a place in modern golf, or is it time for a change?

I'll debate, and start with a question of my own; Why stop at loft degrees? Why not include lie angle? And also include head weight? Those numbers also significantly impact the playability of the club depending on player, the lie of the ball, and the course you're playing on. 

Having the Loft, Lie, & Head Weight would give you the best info available to know if you have the right iron for that ball buried in the rough, or if you can let'er rip tater chip because it's sitting pretty in the middle of the fairway. And why stop at irons? Hell, with hybrids, woods, and drivers having different MOIs and CGs, you could have multiple options of the same loft & lie angle that would play differently for different ball lies.

At the end of the day, the answer is because if you care about this info, you can get this for every club you have in your bag and your back up bag just by doing a simple Internet search and heading to your friendly neighborhood fitter and having them double check everything to make sure you actually got what you're supposed to have (FYI, highly recommend doing this anyway for any club you buy, new or used, as even OEMs have clubs they sell that are out of spec but pass QA/QC). Then, you can note that info on to a club list that you either keep attached to your bag or noted in an app on your phone, where it's easily available to you anytime you need it. 

Adding it directly onto the club is superfluous, because if you're dedicated to your game then what's on the club doesn't matter; whether it's 1, 2, 3, or A, B, C, it's the same thing, just a way to quickly identify which iron your grabbing for your bag.

[Donn lost in San Diego]

And the wheels of the bus go round and round.  Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces wants a sandwich that's not a sandwich.