Have you ever paid your local shop to regrip your golf clubs and thought: “Hmmm, that’s money I’d rather use on something else”? I certainly did back when I started playing, and wore down my first set of grips. I started wondering if it was possible to regrip golf clubs myself.
I’ve also bought used equipment that needed new grips, and some of the savings from buying the equipment used, would be eaten up by the regripping fee to the shop.
At times you might also be in need of a grip change on your putter to try a thicker or thinner grip, and it’s great to be able to do this experimenting yourself.
Consider the amount of money you will save, over a long golf “career” – if you can do this yourself. Manufacturers like Golf Pride recommend that you change your grips every year or 40 rounds. That’ll add up!
Read on to learn more about how to regrip golf clubs yourself – it’s easier than you think.
Table of Contents
What Do I Need To Regrip My Golf Clubs?
So to get started you will only need a few things. You can always go all the way and get every possible tool or gadget. For the golfer on a budget, we will list the “need-to-have” list. For the gear-hungry golfer the “nice-to-have” list 🙂 You can also check out this post about equipping a golf workshop.
Need-to-have
The hooked knife is not essential, but since you need some sort of knife, and it is so cheap, it made it to the list.
Remember to cut away from yourself no matter what knife you’ll be using!
You can choose to get the regripping kit, which will provide you with everything you need, including a handy rubber vice clamp which will prevent your shafts from getting scratched. Otherwise you might opt for rolls of tape and solvent in larger quantities, if you’re certain to do this yourself in the future.
Nice-to-have
If you don’t already have a vice, but you have a workbench, or just a cleared table top in the shed, it is a great investment if you plan on regripping clubs from now on. It is possible to be regripping golf clubs without a vice, though.
The vice will save you the hassle of holding the shaft with one hand, while sliding on the grip with the other hand. With it, you will be able to precisely slide on the grips with both hands. The solvent tray is handy for minimizing solvent spill, as you can also reuse solvent collected from the tray. The utility knife is handy for removing old tape from the shafts, and probably present in most homes anyway.
If you’re really gear hungry it is possible to get a golf club regripping station – but it is totally overkill for someone doing it on a hobby basis. Consider making a diy golf club regripping station, if you’re that much into it. There might be an article on Golfers Hacks about that in the future 🙂 To help you further it is also possible to acquire a golf club regripping kit, which containt solvent, tape and a clamp to protect the shaft.
Choosing the right grips
So, when you’re in the process of changing grips, it is quite imperative to change them to the best ones possible.
There are a few important criteria to look for, since grips have a lot of different characteristics. Read more in this article. To sum it up briefly, here are what to look for:
Size
The size matters (don’t misunderstand this ;-)). Grips come in a variety of different sizes and it all depend on your own physique and preferences. Most golfers will be fine with the standard grip, but if you have large hands, it might be beneficial to go up a thickness or two. Learn more in the above linked article.
Features
A grip is not just a grip. They come in a variety of colors, and shapes. Some are multicolored and with markings to help align your hands. Some are plain with only minor texture, to enhance grip but nothing else. It is even possible to get corded grips which will be handy in humid conditions. Browse around and have a look at what golf grips are available here.
Price
Price and features are often connected. But also brand names can have an influence on price. If you’re on a budget there is no harm in trying out cheaper models. And if you can live with plain grips without cord and colors, you can get some pretty fine grips for around $5 a piece.
When you have acquired the gear to change them, and chosen your next grips, there’s not much left to do, other than get started with the regripping. Read on for the seven steps of how to regrip golf clubs.
Getting Started!
Follow the next easy steps to learn the process yourself. You can also go down to the next section for a video guide.
Step 1 – Removing The Old Grips
First off, you have to remove the old grips. There are several ways to do it, but the most accessible is with a hooked utility knife. Simple hold the club with the grip facing away from yourself. Insert the hooked knife like on the picture and cut away from yourself (very important, so you don’t cut yourself). This way you will be able to flip the grip open and rip it off. Be careful when using a hooked knife on a graphite shaft. With some slight of hand, you will be able to cut off a grip without damaging the graphite, but be careful – if it goes wrong it’ll mean a new shaft.
Alternate method: If you already have an air compressor handy, you’ll be able to remove the old grips using air pressure. Simply insert the nozzle in the hole of the grip end, apply air and retract the grip off the shaft. This step is easiest if you have a shaft vice clamp.
Step 2 – Removing The Old Tape
You should now have a club without grip, and the next step is to prepare the shaft for application of a fresh new grip. Some people install new grip tape on top of the old tape. This is possible, but be aware, that your grip thickness will increase. If you want this, great! Just go to the next step. If you just want your regular size grip or already bought a thicker grip, you have to remove the old tape.
Try peeling off the tape, sometimes it is possible. If not, you can use a straight razor utility knife (the hooked version i not handy for this job). Cut off remaining tape, like shown in the picture. It is best to leave a clean surface and you can use several things to remove adhesive residue; nail polish remover, petroleum jelly, rubbing alcohol, etc.
Step 3 – Measuring And Applying New Tape
With clean and gripless shafts you are ready to proceed with new tape for your fresh new grips. It is important that the new grip tape is as long as the new grip to ensure that the thin end of the grip is not slipping from the shaft. Measure a length of tape equivalent to the grip length. You have to have a little overhang at the end of the shaft when applying the tape, like shown in the picture. The overhanging tape will be tucked away in the end of the shaft. Now you’re ready to apply the grip!
Step 4 – Adding Solvent To Tape and Grip
Be sure to have everything ready before you proceed any further. Solvent, towel, new grip and preferably a solvent tray. It is best to do this next part in a fluent motion without any pauses.
Hold your finger on the small hole in the end of the grip, like on the picture, and fill the grip with solvent. Pour solvent onto the grip tape and make sure that alle the tape is soaked. If it is not, apply extra solvent. When everything is wet from solvent align the grip opening with the shaft end.
Step 5 – Sliding On The New Grip
Now you’re ready for the exiting part. Hold your towel at the grip end to catch solvent shooting out (see picture) and push on the grip in one fluent motion. Don’t stop halfway, you can adjust the grip when it is completely on. Make sure that the grip is all the way on – you can bump it into the ground a few times.
Step 6 – Aligning The Grip Properly
Immediately after sliding on the grip you have to align it properly. If it has any alignment aids or just a logo, make sure it is aligned correctly according to the club face. If you have a vice you can clamp the club and align the club face vertically. You can also put the club down, with the clubface on the ground, looking down to align the grip.
Remember to take a new unmounted grip and compare it to the length of the newly installed grip (see below).
Step 7 – Repeat 13 More Times
Great job! Not that hard, right?
Now you just have to repeat the process for the rest of your clubs. The same process goes into installing a putter grip. Doing this yourself will give you satisfaction and flexibility, and save you some money every time.
A Video Of The Process
The guys at Golf Pride know their way around the grips of golf. Check this video out for an easy to follow guide on how to regrip golf clubs yourself.
How Often Should I Regrip My Clubs?
When on facing the elements, everything will be affected over time – this also applies to golf grips. They are exposed to dirt from the fairway (or rough ;-)), sand from the sandtraps, sweat from your hands, not to mention the sun and rain. This combination and the material of which the grips are manufactured, will eventually result in slippery or hard grips. And then the big question from the headline.
It is easy to set up general rules, but every golfer is different, and uses equipment differently. So in the end it comes down to asking yourself these simple questions:
- How does the grip feel in the palm of your hand? (Is it slippery or tacky?)
- Can you hold on to the club with minimal effort like you’re used to? (When it starts to slip when swinging, a regripping effort is due!)
- Do you feel like your grip could improve in any way? (Consider if you need more stickyness or a slimmer/thicker grip)
Ask yourself this, and we are confident that you will find an answer suited for your game.
Golf Pride suggest changing grips every 40 rounds or every year. And that might be a good guideline. We at Golfers Hacks adhere more or less to that interval – and that is mainly because the feeling of a brand new grip really is great for your game. Soft rubber and a sticky feel when you swing away without effort – that’s just a great feel.
Benefits Of New Grips
As mentioned above, it really is a great feeling with brand new grips. That’s why it’s a good investment to learn how to regrip golf clubs yourself. When your grips become worn, your pressure from holding the club needs to increase. This leads to more tension in your body while performing the golf swing – and most of us know, that is a bad feeling if you’re even aware of it.
You might come to the conclusion that changing your grips will do something noticeable to your game, and we challenge you to try and be conscious about this – a fun little experiment. It is not for fun, that the pros get their clubs regripped very often. Of course this is not an option for the club golfer – but there should be room for the small investment once a year. After all golf is a quite high cost sport and with all the other expenses, it’s just a drop in the ocean 😉
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does It Cost To Put New Grips On Golf Clubs?
If you’re going to the local pro you will normally pay from $1 to $5 depending on your club. Some pros will have seasonal discounts, but most of the time the smaller fees are tied to a purchase of new grips at the local shop. Prices range from $5 to $15 depending on grip quality and brand. Normally the cost is higher at the club than buying online. So for a complete regrip you can look at something between $100 and $200. That’s why it can pay off to learn how to regrip golf clubs yourself.
What Size Golf Grip Do I Need?
It is very individual and several factors are to be considered. There are both male and female grips which differs in what shaft diameter they’ll fit, what diameter the butt end is, and what the overall thickness is. The common standard for all grips are 0.580″ which is standard for M58 shafts and 0.600″ which is standard for M60 shafts. The 0.580″ grip will have a bit more material than the corresponding 0.600″ grip, and therefore a softer feel for the same thickness. Check out this post for more information on grip sizing and how to tweak around.
What Are The Best Golf Grips?
That is a very subjective question. Overall you can’t go wrong with all the major manufacturer’s. Golf Pride claim that they have their grips on 80% of the clubs on The Tour. They are a big company and thus put a lot of money into development and quality. So does Lamkin and Winn, although they’re not as big as Golf Pride. In the end it all comes down to the general rule of life: What you pay is what you get. So don’t save too much on grips 🙂 Buy some lake balls instead of new balls the next few times, and the money is easily compensated for. Take a look at this article, if you want input on what grips to get.
