One often overlooked aspect of club maintenance is the grip. It’s very important to keep the grips clean to maintain the tackiness needed to keep hands secure on the club.
If your grips still feel smooth or you notice some cracks in them, then clearly, it’s time to replace the grips. As a general rule of thumb, avid golfers that play every week should replace their grips about every year to year and a half. Grips will last longer for those that don’t often play with proper maintenance.
You can pay a professional club fitter to regrip your clubs, but with a little time and effort, you can regrip your clubs at home and save some money in the process. Let’s take a look at the supplies you’ll need and the method for properly regripping your clubs.
You will need a shortlist, which you can buy conveniently on Amazon.
In addition, you will need some towels for cleaning the clubs and something to catch excessive grip solvent that is bound to drip off the clubs. A vise is important, but you can also grip clubs without access to one.
Last and most important are the grips. There are many types you can choose from. Check out our golf grip reviews here:
There are three main factors to consider: grip size, material, and texture. As for grip size, old-schoolers tend to think that small grips could result in a hook, while larger grips keep the hands quiet and produce a fade. Determining what diameter club grip is best for your game comes down to trial and error. Also, be sure to keep in mind that the more weight in the club’s handle, the more it will change the feel for the clubhead. Another thing to consider is tapered or non-tapered grips. Whether or not they affect performance is up for debate.
When considering the material, you can choose rubber or polyurethane, also known as performance versus comfort. Users of rubber grips note their stability, control, and feedback. Polyurethane users enjoy the softness, tackiness, and better shock absorption.
Finally, consider the texture of the grips. There are multiple choices that can be made, such as patterns, cord, wraps, tackiness level, alignment ridges, and more. The best way to determine is to simply feel the grips in your hands with your regular grip and see what feels best.
Use the hook blade instead of the utility knife because the shafts are more easily damaged with the utility knife. This is particularly the case if you have graphite shafts.
With the hook blade, simply put the hook under the club and pull down, making a cut far down the grip. The grip should come off relatively easily. It’s very important to cut away from your body to avoid the possibility of injury.
The process of removing the old tape is the most tedious part, so don’t try to rush through it.
With your utility knife, scratch into the surface of the old tape all the way up the shaft until it’s completely removed.
Don’t be afraid of damaging the shafts if they are made of steel. However, certain materials can damage graphite shafts easily. If your shafts are graphite, it’s best to use heat from a hairdryer or heat gun. The warmer the tape, the easier it will be to remove by hand.
During this process, be careful not to put tape below the bottom of the grip. The best way to do this is to measure how far down the shaft the grip will go and mark it with your thumb or use a tape measure or make a little line on the shaft with a marker.
The grip will stay on the club even if the tape is not all the way down to the bottom of the grip, so it’s fine to leave up to a half-inch on that side underneath the grip without tape.
Apply the tape to the shaft lengthwise with the excess tape extending from the butt of the shaft. Smooth the tape around the shaft but don’t wrap all the way around. Just peel off the protective top layer and finish wrapping the tape around the shaft. There are videos on YouTube that will illustrate this process for you.
There are two ways to apply the grip, with or without a vise. It’s advisable to use a vise, but not necessary. If you choose to use a vise, buying the grip kit will be helpful.
The first step to applying the grip is to add the solvent to the inside of the grip. Don’t be hesitant to use a large amount of the solvent, but first, plug the hole at the butt end of the grip to keep the excess solvent from leaking. Cover the opening of the grip with your other hand and shake vigorously to be sure to coat the entire inside of the grip. Make sure to pour the excess solvent from the inside of the grip over the tape on the shaft. If you desire to use the solvent again, use a paint liner under the grip to catch the extra that drips.
One very important thing to note is that you MUST get the grip on quickly, if not, you risk it not getting the grip all the way on, and you’ll have to throw it away. It’s likely that novices will not get every grip on correctly, so be sure to purchase a few more grips than needed.
For those that want to tackle gripping clubs without a vise, you need to keep the club very steady by wedging it between your feet on the ground. One problem can occur if you put too much pressure on the shaft, causing it to bend and even crack or completely snap in two.
Using the vise provides the added leverage needed to make it easier to get the grip on the shaft properly. Put a rubber insert from the grip kit in the vise. Next, be sure to tighten it sufficiently, so the club remains rigid when putting the grip on.
After the grip is sufficiently in place, you can make adjustments such as aligning the logo. To be certain that the end of the grip is at the butt end of the club, tap the butt end on the ground. There should be no space between the end of the shaft and the end of the grip.
Wipe any excess solvent or compound that remains on the grip and let the clubs dry completely. This should occur within a few hours.
Check out this helpful youtube video to get additional help!
From start to finish, the whole method of regripping a set of golf clubs will take between an hour or two. For a beginner, the time it takes to regrip your clubs could be longer. However, once you regrip your clubs one time, you probably want to do it every time.
Can you really save money regripping your clubs over having a pro shop do it for you? There will likely be upward of 60 dollars in savings due to upwards of 4 dollars surcharge on each grip for labor. Of course, if you incorrectly put a few grips on your clubs and need to buy extras, you will all but remove any savings.
Another thing to consider is your time, which is also worth something. In the end, the amount you save is negligible. If you like projects and feel more in control of your own golf game by regripping your clubs, then you should take on the task. If you are not much for projects, take your clubs to the shop and find something else to do when it takes them to regrip your clubs.
Either way, regripping clubs is an important part of getting the most out of your game. Be sure to inspect your grips regularly for signs of smoothness and cracks. You may be surprised how new grips will positively affect your game. If you notice this, it’s time to regrip.
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