How to Regrip a Golf Club – Step by Step
Have you ever driven a car with worn-out steering? Or, maybe you drive with one currently. It doesn’t feel good, does it? It hampers confidence while driving as well. And it couldn’t be truer for golf clubs. And that’s why we’re here with a guide on how to regrip golf clubs!
Stop putting off changing out your golf grips. If they’re slick and have lost their “grip” so to speak, then it’s time for new ones.
Why Should You Regrip Your Golf Club?
Depending on how often you go to the course, your golf iron may need more maintenance than others. And knowing how to regrip your golf club will come in handy more often than you would think. Some players switch out grips annually.
When a club grip is in good shape, you get a firm feeling when you swing or approach your ball. It feels right within your hands and in tune with your golfer aura. But over time, grips tend to wear out. And it’s completely normal.
If the wear and tear goes over the threshold, it will cost you performance. The club might slip when you swing it. Your flight path might get affected. The bottom line is, you need your golf club’s grip in the best shape possible.
You can either regrip your golf club by yourself or pay a professional to do it. Whichever path you take, you should know about a few basic characteristics of a grip.
Read: Your Guide to Strong, Neutral, and Weak Grip Hand Positions
Things to Consider When Regripping Your Golf Club
Just like the shaft or the clubface, the grip of a golf club plays a major role in your performance. And the fitment must be just right to lower your handicap.
Here are some things that you need to consider when learning how to regrip your golf club.
Texture
The grip you go for should land between club security and feel. You should always select a texture that plays well with your shaft material. Whether you play bare-handed or use gloves on your lead hand, the texture must feel right when you get the grip.
You can go with rubber grips, corded grips, putter grips, wrapped grips, and so on. The rubber could be dotted or plain depending on what you prefer. Just make sure that you are confident with your purchase.
You may want to keep a set of clubs with corded grips handy if you play in the rain or you live in a humid area. Because plain textures may cause the club to fly out of your hands. And it’s surely something you don’t want!
Also, if you have sweaty golf hands, then corded grips could be beneficial.
Firmness
How firm the grip feels is also important to maximize your performance.
A rule of thumb is to go with firmer grips on your drivers and softer grips on your putters and wedges. It all comes down to torsion control. The more control you want, the firmer you should go.
You may not immediately notice the difference in your performance. But the wrong firmness will take its toll on your hands over time.
Size
Might seem like an obvious one, but it’s no wonder the golfers go with the wrong grip sizes all the time. When learning how to regrip your golf clubs, you must have a good understanding of how different sizes play out.
You can select the grip size by your hand. There are oversized ones, standard ones, undersized ones, and midsized ones.
In general, you should be able to touch the base of your thumb when you grip the club. If you can’t, you should take the grip one size down. If your fingers are digging too much, you need to increase the size. Make sure that your try before finalizing your purchase.
Read: Guide to Buying Golf Club Grips
How to Regrip your Golf Clubs
Before you go out and pay someone to change the worn-out grip on your club, you may want to try it yourself. It’s quite an easy task. It might take a little longer if you’re doing it for the first time. But the satisfaction and enjoyment you will get will be worth it.
The Supplies You Need to Regrip Your Golf Club
To start your own little pet project of swapping the golf club grip, you need to get the tools below. You may have to make errands to the nearest hardware store and a golf store.
- A Hook Blade: The hook blade is used to cut the old grip safely. These are specialized utility knives that have a sharp hook attached to them.
- A Utility Knife: Any regular utility knife will do. You will use it to scrape the grip tape after you’re done removing your old grip.
- A Regripping Kit: Certain things go into a regripping kit. Grip tape, solvent, vice clamp made from rubber, etc. You can either buy the kit directly from Amazon or buy the parts separately.
- A proper Grip: This is the most important part. You should use the knowledge you gathered about how to regrip your golf clubs so far and apply them to select the right one for you.
How to Regrip Your Golf Clubs- A Step by Step Guide
The longer you spend on this project of yours, the better outcome you can expect. The task itself might be simple, but it needs fineness. And the fineness of regripping may make you connect more with your club and make you a better player over time.
Step 1: Securing the Club
From the regripping kit you bought, bring out the rubber vice. Or, if you already have a vice lying around somewhere, you can use it too. Just make sure that you cover the rough edges with a cloth or other padding to prevent your shiny shaft from scratching. Secure the club horizontally.
If you’re confident enough, you can skip this stage. You don’t really need a vice until the final step. You’ll see why.
Step 2: Removal of old grip
Use your hook blade to cut the old grip. You may also use a paper cutter as your cutting tool. Start at the bottom of the old grip and cut a straight line to the top. Be careful not to put your fingers anywhere near the blade.
Once your old grip is sliced in the middle, just grab one corner from the bottom and peel it off. If the previous grip tape was good quality, it might take a little effort to get it off. And don’t worry if you rip the grip. You are going to scrape everything off eventually.
Step 3: Scraping the Tape
When you get the old grip off of your club, you’ll notice that the old tape is still there. No matter how sticky or clean it looks, never reuse old grip tape. It can compromise the club’s security when you’re at the course.
Use a utility knife to slowly scape the tape off. Take your time. And don’t worry if you put a few scratches here and there. It will all be covered in brand new tape again.
Step 4: Applying the New Tape
It’s time to get your new tape installed. Take your grip and put it right beside the club to get a rough idea about how much tape you will need. Grip tape is not mandatory on the bottom half of the grip. So, going with 1/3 of the grip length from the top is a good practice.
Cut the tape and apply it to the shaft. Start with one side and work your way around by keeping even pressure. Peel off any excess from the top end. Once you’re satisfied with the application, remove the top layer of the grip tape which will expose the sticky surface.
Step 5: Prepping the Grip
It’s a very important step when you’re learning how to regrip your golf clubs. The grip that comes from the factory may have dust and other particles inside. It will react with the grip over time and weaken the bond. You don’t want that.
So, take the bottle of solvent you got in the regripping kit. You can use mineral spirit as well if you have some lying around.
Cover the vent hole on top of the grip with your finger and pour the solvent into the grip. Close the open end with another hand and shake it for 1-2 minutes. It helps any dust particles to break loose.
Lastly, just pour the solvent on the grip tape you already applied on the shaft. Use the vent hole to control the flow of the spirit.
Step 6: Inserting the Grip
This is the last step of how to regrip your golf clubs process and it’s the trickiest one. You get a narrow window to properly apply the grip on the shaft. All of the previous steps can be performed without a vice. But we highly recommend using a vice for this step.
Don’t be frugal on how much solvent you use on the tape. It’s all that better if you have a spray bottle. Spray the solvent generously on the tape. The sole purpose of using the solvent is to make the insertion process easier, strong, and painless.
Secure the shaft on the vice. Or, grab it firmly in between your legs. Apply another layer of solvent on the tape. And quickly apply the grip. It may take some force. But if you play your cards right, the grip should be in place in no time.
All there is left for you to do is relax for a few hours and let the grip dry out completely. And don’t forget to wipe off any extra solvent from the shaft.
Final Words
It might look like a lot of work. But honestly, it’s not. And if you’re a fan of picking up new skills and hobbies, you’ll surely like the process of regripping your club. Also, did we mention that you save the labor fee that you had to pay for a professional?
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