cleaning golf clubs and grips

dball

Do you and what handicap are you
Do you clean them after every round, once a month or once a year.

Club heads & grips?

Does it improve your game noticably?

AGC

Clubs after every shot, just wet the end of a towell before playing.

Can't understand people playing with lumps of dry mud on the club face

link_2007

Apart from cleaning off any visible dirt, how/why would people clean their grips?

big_drive

Clean club after every shot. Then might give the grooves a right good cleaning once a month and get out every bit of dirt in there.

Clean grips maybe once every 2/3 months with soapy water. They feel much better after it

Alrite Chief

Always just give the head a wipe after a shot if its muddy. If the club heads are particularly dirty after a round i sit them in a basin of hot water with a dishwasher tablet for a half an hour. Take them out and leave on side with face facing down to dry naturally. Grips have never got dirty to be honest.

TheDoc

10 Handicapp

Clean the heads lightly after ever shot with the towel on my bag.

Every Friday night I clean the clubs more thorough and scrape the grooves then load them into the car.

Remember to bring a dry towel out aswell when your cleaning at home, the amount of people who clean their clubs then put them in the shed to dry. They will rust like ****, as will the shafts. Make sure to dry them thoroughly.

charlieIRL

clean each club after every shot (if the course is wet) I have a towel and brush on the side of my bag.

Give them a general clean every week or two.

I never ever leave them in the garage though, when i'm not using them they are in the corner of the kids play room - and they know better not to touch them!!

Anatom

I would normally wipe each club after every shot, if needed.

I'd give them a good clean perhaps twice or three times' a year (i.e. completely empty out the bag and give everything a good clean).

Apart from a wipe, I don't think I've ever washed the grips though. They don't really need it though.

slave1

Anatom wrote: »

I would normally wipe each club after every shot, if needed.

I'd give them a good clean perhaps twice or three times' a year (i.e. completely empty out the bag and give everything a good clean).

Apart from a wipe, I don't think I've ever washed the grips though. They don't really need it though.

+1

BigChap1759

slave1 wrote: »

+1

To all those who have never cleaned your grips - just try it and see the difference. You have sweat and oils that get onto the grips reducing the grip and tackiness. A quick scrub with a washing up brush and some fairy liquid brings them back like new

slave1

Yeah, something I must try in fairness, would never have thought of washing the grips until I seen this thread.

GreeBo

Grips are designed to absorb moisture, grease and dirt from your hands.
Take a look at your golf glove...is it clean or dirty?
Where do you reckon that dirt comes from?
The glove, like the grip, is drawing in dirt and grease.

I scrub mine every 2 months or so with a nail brush and some fairy liquid.
The water is not clean afterwards...

Heads are done with a wire brush and a wet towel after each shot.

When I am doing the grips I will also give the clubs a quick wipe allover to restore that shine.

antoobrien

14 handicap, I clean the clubs when the faces look like they need it, so 2/3 times during the summer. Grips once a year.

Also oil the shafts of my irons (steel shafts) once a year.

IITYWYBMAD

GreeBo wrote: »

Grips are designed to absorb moisture, grease and dirt from your hands.
Take a look at your golf glove...is it clean or dirty?
Where do you reckon that dirt comes from?
The glove, like the grip, is drawing in dirt and grease.

I scrub mine every 2 months or so with a nail brush and some fairy liquid.
The water is not clean afterwards...

Heads are done with a wire brush and a wet towel after each shot.

When I am doing the grips I will also give the clubs a quick wipe allover to restore that shine.

Some good points there, but I think you assume that everyone wears a glove. I don't wear a glove.

Cleaning of the grips is essential after a round of golf, in my case. I use warm(ish) water and just a touch of detergent, as too much will definitely affect the grips.

Secondly, I use a wire brush before each shot, and a wet towel after with my irons. Essentially it's more or less the same as your routine, but using the brush before ensures that I have the exact surface I want when striking the ball.

stockdam

BigChap1759 wrote: »

To all those who have never cleaned your grips - just try it and see the difference. You have sweat and oils that get onto the grips reducing the grip and tackiness. A quick scrub with a washing up brush and some fairy liquid brings them back like new

I don't wash my grips that often but when I do I notice the difference.

GreeBo

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

Some good points there, but I think you assume that everyone wears a glove. I don't wear a glove.

Cleaning of the grips is essential after a round of golf, in my case. I use warm(ish) water and just a touch of detergent, as too much will definitely affect the grips.

Secondly, I use a wire brush before each shot, and a wet towel after with my irons. Essentially it's more or less the same as your routine, but using the brush before ensures that I have the exact surface I want when striking the ball.

I was just using the glove to show how dirty grips can get. The glove doesnt make the grip dirty, but it does lift some dirt off it. Basically its a simple way to show people that grips are typically filthy!

I use a wire brush before each shot also, if required. Typically its really only needed on my LW (I use it in bunkers) the wet towel usually takes case of the rest.

staker

IITYWYBMAD

GreeBo wrote: »

I was just using the glove to show how dirty grips can get. The glove doesnt make the grip dirty, but it does lift some dirt off it. Basically its a simple way to show people that grips are typically filthy!

I use a wire brush before each shot also, if required. Typically its really only needed on my LW (I use it in bunkers) the wet towel usually takes case of the rest.

I agree with you, but I think you're totally missing the point. The filthiness of the grip is caused by the hand (be it gloved or not) in all cases. A golf glove is porous and secretes most things from the hand. Hence my comment about not wearing a glove. The contact between the glove and the grip does actually make the grip dirty (unless you're in the habit of dipping your clubs in mud) as there is no other place where grime can come from, unless you can enlighten me?

I use a wire brush before each and every shot, including bunker shots with the LW. I'm far from a McIlroy, but I also like to give myself every opportunity to make a decent connection on every shot.

Given the surface area of a golf ball, and the likelihood of not hitting every shot 100% perfect, I like to narrow the odds tbh. But that's just me.

GreeBo

IITYWYBMAD wrote: »

I agree with you, but I think you're totally missing the point. The filthiness of the grip is caused by the hand (be it gloved or not) in all cases. A golf glove is porous and secretes most things from the hand. Hence my comment about not wearing a glove. The contact between the glove and the grip does actually make the grip dirty (unless you're in the habit of dipping your clubs in mud) as there is no other place where grime can come from, unless you can enlighten me?

I use a wire brush before each and every shot, including bunker shots with the LW. I'm far from a McIlroy, but I also like to give myself every opportunity to make a decent connection on every shot.

Given the surface area of a golf ball, and the likelihood of not hitting every shot 100% perfect, I like to narrow the odds tbh. But that's just me.

I'm not sure what point you think I am missing as I think we are arguing in fierce agreement here tbh.
The very first post I made on this thread was
"Grips are designed to absorb moisture, grease and dirt from your hands."
Gloves also absorb this and its transferred to the outside of the grip but the grips then absorb it from the glove and vice versa.

slave1

Alrite Chief wrote: »

Always just give the head a wipe after a shot if its muddy. If the club heads are particularly dirty after a round i sit them in a basin of hot water with a dishwasher tablet for a half an hour. Take them out and leave on side with face facing down to dry naturally. Grips have never got dirty to be honest.

Just want to pitch in that the dishwater tablet is a fantastic tip, my clubs were manky (simple no other word) with grooves bad and sole just black with dirt. Filled a builders buckets with piping hot water, dropped in the dishwater tablet and then all the irons and wedges, threw in loads of balls too. Came back an hour later and all it took was a quick rub with a wirebrush thingy and then wipe with a towel and they were fantastic, drained most of the water and then "twirled" the bucket and the balls all came out pearly white. Scored 37points in Portarlington yesterday playing ot for the first time so was worth it.
Best tip ever!!!

Alrite Chief

slave1 wrote: »

Just want to pitch in that the dishwater tablet is a fantastic tip, my clubs were manky (simple no other word) with grooves bad and sole just black with dirt. Filled a builders buckets with piping hot water, dropped in the dishwater tablet and then all the irons and wedges, threw in loads of balls too. Came back an hour later and all it took was a quick rub with a wirebrush thingy and then wipe with a towel and they were fantastic, drained most of the water and then "twirled" the bucket and the balls all came out pearly white. Scored 37points in Portarlington yesterday playing ot for the first time so was worth it.
Best tip ever!!!

Good stuff!!!

If you take the clubs out after about half an hour they will be still quite warm and will dry naturally and very quick on a towel face down.

dozer11

If anyone is looking to improve their grips a great tip I got was.... rub sandpaper quite vigorously on them to reveal a new layer of rubber then wash with warm soapy water. Did it with mine and they feel like new!

Alrite Chief

dozer11 wrote: »

If anyone is looking to improve their grips a great tip I got was.... rub sandpaper quite vigorously on them to reveal a new layer of rubber then wash with warm soapy water. Did it with mine and they feel like new!

Id be very careful giving out advice like that. There are some grips that wouldn't suit. Take golfpride grips for example. Sandpaper would wreck the multi compound with the chord type or that tour wrap one.

I wouldn't be touching them with sandpaper unless the were at the stage you are prepared to get them regripped anyway and you are just trying to get an extra few rounds out of them.

GreeBo

Alrite Chief wrote: »

Id be very careful giving out advice like that. There are some grips that wouldn't suit. Take golfpride grips for example. Sandpaper would wreck the multi compound with the chord type or that tour wrap one.

I wouldn't be touching them with sandpaper unless the were at the stage you are prepared to get them regripped anyway and you are just trying to get an extra few rounds out of them.

+1 sandpaper will shred lots of grips leaving them unusable. There will be bits of rubber coming off forever.
A nail brush and some hand washing powder before your grips turn shiny will keep them alive longer. Once they get worn and shiny its kinda too late to save them.

Woodgate

Do you and what handicap are you
Yes, 4 handicap

Do you clean them after every round, once a month or once a year.
After every round

Club heads & grips?
Club heads after every round, grips every couple of weeks

Does it improve your game noticably?
I would have to say, Yes. It makes a big difference for the short game having clean grooves to get check & spin.

Davd

Always clean the heads after each shot with wire brush, especially the wedges. If you want spin, the grooves have to be free from debris. Give the heads a good clean about once every 2 weeks. Never really bothered cleaning the grips but after reading this thread, I gave it a go with a nail brush and soapy water. Grips are not even a year old but really noticed the difference and now have that "like new" tacky feel from the grips. A noticeable improvement.

dball

thanks for all your replies, I suppose i was looking to find out if cleaning the grips was all that beneficial. Thanks Peoples!!

neddynasty

Same as lot of people here. Clean the heads occasionally. Never thought of ever cleaning the grips. Going to do it from now on though!

dozer11

Alrite Chief wrote: »

Id be very careful giving out advice like that. There are some grips that wouldn't suit. Take golfpride grips for example. Sandpaper would wreck the multi compound with the chord type or that tour wrap one.

I wouldn't be touching them with sandpaper unless the were at the stage you are prepared to get them regripped anyway and you are just trying to get an extra few rounds out of them.

Point taken but a low grade sandpaper on most single compound grips can give them a lot longer shelf life! Obviously don't use on cord grips...assumed that was a given I guess not....

mickelson

just use warm water. no suds. not good for grips. break them down

BigChap1759

mickelson wrote: »

just use warm water. no suds. not good for grips. break them down

I use fairly liquid and can happily state that none of my grips have broken down so far

Myksyk

6 handicapper. Clean all clubs with nail brush in warm soapy water after every round. Always make sure they are free of dirt before every shot using a wire brush and towel.

Myksyk

Interesting how we've started getting dishwasher ads since someone mentioned dishwasher tablets!!! Those busy beavers in the interweb machine don't miss a thing!!!!