Regripping golf clubs

Have the grips on your clubs become worn and damaged after years of heat and water from playing in the rain or being left in the car trunk. Or maybe you have recently gotten your old clubs out to play golf again and find the grip need replacing.

Caution: if the grips on your golf clubs have a special "flat side" or raised ridge for hand position, you may want a professional to change the grips to meet your individual swing/grip specifications.

Before regripping golf clubs you will need to buy new grips at a golf supply centers. Installing the grips on your clubs is a simple job. Preformed golf grips eliminate the process of stretching and winding grips to fit the handle of a golf club. There are several styles and colors available.

Tools needed for regripping golf clubs: A sharp craft knife and a padded vise

Materials needed for repripping golf clubs: Fine steel wool, double- faced adhesive tape, your new grips, mineral spirits, mild detergent, and some golf club resin.

With a sharp craft knife split the old grip lengthwise down the handle of the club. Then peel off the old grip and the tape to expose the bare metal shaft. The old grip will probably be stuck to adhesive tape. The shaft may have a wooden pin stuck in the top of the handle. Do not remove this pin; it may be used to properly weight the club. Remove any excessive residue that may be left on the shaft from the adhesive with fine steel wool and mineral spirits.

Carefully spiral-wrap double-faced tape around the shaft, from the top of the shaft to within about 1/8 inch of the end of the new grip. Make sure the edges of the tape are slightly separated not overlapped. If you want to build up the grip, add one or two more layers of tape to the first layer. When the grip is the proper size, the tips of your fingers should just touch the palm of your hand. If there's a gap here, the grip is too large, if your fingers overlap into the palm of your hand, the grip is too small. Your fingers should just comfortably touch the palm of your hand.

Lock the shaft in a vise, padding the jaws of the vise so the jaws don't damage the metal. Then coat the tape with mineral spirits to make it slick. Slide the new grip over the tape, being careful not to rip the tape or the grip. If the tape catches and holds the grip, reslick the tape with more mineral spirits. Grasp the grip by the open end and pull it down over the shaft. On most grips, the top of the grip has a straight line or design embossed in the material. Work the grip around the club so that the line is centered on top of the shaft. Finally, after installing the grip, squeeze the grip with your hand several times so the tape adheres to the inside surface of the grip.

Store your clubs in a cool, dry area. Wash the grips occasionally with mild detergent and water; rinse and dry them thoroughly. After playing golf in wet weather, be sure to dry the grips -- and other parts of the clubs -- before you store the clubs. You can often restore the "tacky" touch to grips by covering them with special golf club resin, sold at many golf outlets.

If you are looking to get those new clubs and improve your game then think about getting custom clubfitting. Free information is available at Hirekogolf.com!