Golf grips play a significant role in our golf game.
The grip is the only physical contact you have with the club, and having healthy grips on your clubs can really help your game.
But it’s something that we don’t always pay attention to, and our grips can end up looking very sorry for themselves.
Re-gripping your golf clubs and how frequently you do this comes down to a few factors, such as:
- How often do you play golf?
- What are the general weather conditions you most frequently play in?
In this guide dedicated to everything related to golf grips, we’ll share with you:
- Why Is Regripping Golf Clubs Important?
- How Often Should I Re-Grip My Golf Clubs?
- Different Types Of Grips Available
- How Much Does Regripping Golf Clubs Cost?
- How To Grip a Golf Club: a Step By Step Guide
Why is regripping golf clubs important?
If we practice and play a lot of golf, our grips get worn down over time which makes them less effective.
Things like dirt and sweat can build up over time, and if you live in very hot places where you’re applying a lot of suntan lotion, any residue is also left on the grip.
The telltale signs your grips are getting tired are:
- The grip feels hard to the touch – there is no give in the rubber
- Grip logos and colors are badly faded
- The grip starts to fragment – every time you grip the club, some rubber residue is left on your hands
- In extreme circumstances, the grip is so worn you can see the steel or graphite shaft underneath
If you look at your clubs now and you see any of the above, it’s time to consider re-gripping your golf clubs.
If you don’t regrip your golf clubs and they become worn, you will start to notice that to gain any purchase, you have to grip the club tighter.
You should never have tight grip pressure on the club under any circumstances.
Tight grip pressure tenses up the muscles through your wrists, arms, and shoulders, leading to an ineffective swing that is robbed of power and fluidity.
Regripping your golf clubs instantly eliminates the requirement to grip the club tightly.
New grips can also benefit the feel shots you need around the greens, which can be a major boost to your scoring if you can make more up and downs.
How often should I consider re-gripping my golf clubs?
There is no hard and fast rule on this.
Some tour pros have their grips changed every month, which is easy for them as they don’t have to pay for new grips!
But there is a clue in respect of how much they practice as well as play which means they will go through grips quicker.
For amateurs, the principle is similar – the more you play and practice, the more likely you will go through your grips quicker.
If you fall into this bracket, replacing your grips after 40 rounds would be a good target to aim for.
You can treat each practice session as the equivalent of one round.
Taking this as a guide, this means that you could be looking at re-gripping your golf clubs once every year.
If you don’t play a lot of golf, you could lengthen the requirement to regripping your clubs to between every 18-24 months.
Different types of grips available
There are plenty of options available out there once you’ve decided that regripping your golf clubs is the way to go.
Personal preference does play a part in the process, so if you can, get a feel for different types of grips before committing to getting them fitted.
Modern grips can be defined into three categories:
- Rubber
- Half-cord or full cord
- Leather or synthetic leather
Rubber
Rubber grips are used by both professionals and amateurs.
They can come in a variety of thicknesses, colors and can also feature visual aids to help golfers grip the club correctly.
These grips are also relatively soft to the touch, so if your hands suffer from blisters or cuts, these grips are a good option.
Half-cord or full cord
The basis for these grips is the standard rubber grip, but there will be small cotton fibres weaved through the length of the grip if you are looking at full cord grips.
Half cord grips will either cover one side of the grip or half the length of the grip.
Golfers who play in wet conditions frequently, who don’t wear a glove or perspire during their rounds, would find the half-cord or full-cord grips to be beneficial.
Leather or synthetic leather
Some golfers still prefer the feel and comfort of proper leather grips.
There are modern synthetic alternatives that offer similar levels of feel and comfort but will perform better in wet conditions than actual leather grips.
There are other types of grips available such as training grips which help you get your hands into the correct positions on the grip, but these can’t be used in normal play or competition.
You can also get grips in different sizes.
Everybody’s hands are different; therefore standard grips might be too big or too small depending on the golfer.
To give the feeling of making the grip thicker, extra layers of tape can be added when fitting new grips, which we’ll come on to later.
How much does regripping golf clubs Cost?
Grips do vary in price depending on the type you select.
As a rough rule of thumb, if you are looking at re-gripping your golf clubs from the driver down to your most lofted wedge, the current going rates tend to be:
| Material | Cost Per Grip | Full Set (13 clubs, minus putter) |
| Rubber | $10 (£8) | $130 (£104) |
| Full Cord | $17 (£13) | $170 (£169) |
| Leather | $30 (£23) | $390 (£299) |
Regripping golf clubs can be performed by your local professional or at some of the bigger retail outlets, but you might have to pay a little extra for this.
But golf grips can be changed by yourself if you want to take on the challenge.
How to grip a golf club: a step by step guide
The first thing to note here is that you need to be extremely careful when using a sharp knife to remove your old grips.
You are regripping golf clubs, not trying to lose fingers along the way!
#1 Removing the old grip
If you can’t secure the club in a vice, hold the club towards the bottom of the shaft or head and start to cut from the tip of the grip towards the butt end, thus cutting away from yourself.
If you are removing an old grip from a graphite shafted club, use a hooked knife to ensure you don’t damage the shaft.
#2 remove Old Double-Sided Tape
The next step is to remove the existing double-sided tape that secured the old grip.
- Use your knife or even your nails to remove the old tape
Old double-sided tape can take a little time to remove, so be patient!
Make sure you get everything off, as any residue, either from the old grip or tape, will cause problems in applying the new tape and grip.
#3 Adding new tape
If you are purchasing grips from a specialist, they will likely have options to buy, or they will provide the tape needed for the grips you purchase.
This is really useful as the tape will already be cut to the length of the grip.
Assuming tape has been provided:
- Place the new grip at the side of the shaft, and with a marker pen, make a mark on the shaft where the grip will end.
- Apply the new tape, ensuring you smooth out any creases
- Make sure there is a small amount of tape that will cover the butt end of the shaft.
- If necessary, add additional layers of tape if you want to thicken the grip up
The butt end of the shaft can be a little sharp – especially on steel shafts so having a little excess tape to cover the rim will help to protect the new grip when you apply it.
#4 Grip solution
Once the tape has been provided, it’s time to prime the new grip.
In previous times, white spirit was used, but there are specialist solutions now available that are better.
The grip solution helps to clean out the inside of the grip and also helps with the adhesion process when you apply the grip.
- Pour a good amount of solution into the grip.
- There is a small hole in the bottom of the grip, so ensure the solution doesn’t flow out of this by blocking it with a tee or your finger.
- Cover the mouth end of the grip with your other hand and give it a good shake for 30 seconds
- Pour the solution over the exposed double-sided tape on the shaft
#5 Apply the new grip
Before you start to apply the grip, make sure it is lined up properly with the leading edge of the golf club.
You can check this as some manufacturers will place their logo towards the bottom of the grip, or there are normally two small alignment aids at the bottom and top of the grip.
Once you have done this:
- Squeeze the bottom of the grip about an inch from its end
- Apply the mouth of the grip over the top of the shaft at one edge allowing it to get purchase
- Slide the grip down the shaft keeping the alignment aids as straight as possible with the club’s leading edge
- Ensure the new grip has covered the length of the shaft
Once this is done, make slight alterations to the alignment aids to get them straight and remove any excess fluid with a towel.
You can also give the butt end of the club a tap on the floor to ensure the grip is fully fitted, and will also remove any additional fluid within the grip.
In conclusion, regripping your golf clubs can make a bigger difference to your golf than you might think.
They are our only connection to the golf club, so ensuring your grips are healthy is important.
When changing grips, take the necessary precautions, especially in removing the old grips, and give yourself a reasonable amount of time, as it is a big task.
Go and have a look now at the state of your grips and ask yourself, is it time for a change?
