Changing Your Golf Club Grips

Whether it is a used set of golf clubs that you just picked up at a garage sale or a set that you purchased brand new and have been playing for years, re-gripping your golf clubs is a terrific idea. After all, your grip is the only direct contact that you physically have with your golf clubs. Just a very minor twisting of the grip will be magnified many times over in the inaccuracy of the shot result.

If you play many times a week you should re-grip your golf clubs more frequently than if you play twice a month. The re-gripping of your golf clubs must be done correctly or the problem could actually get worse.

Core Size

Proper re-gripping of your golf clubs requires you to know the core size of the grip that you require and the size of the grip that best fits your hand. Grips come in standard core sizes of; .520", .560", .580", .600", and .620". To determine the core size, simply measure the diameter of the butt of the shaft that you are going to re-grip.

It is critical that the diameter of the shaft match the core diameter of the grip. The next step in the re-gripping process is to determine what size grip best fits your hands. Grips come in a variety of sizes; small, medium, large, and jumbo.

Grip Sizing Your Golf Clubs

To accurately determine what grip size fits your hands, measure from your wrist (base of hand) to the end of your longest finger. If the result is less than 6.5 inches you should use a small grip. Use a .560" if the distance is 6.5 to 7.0 inches, .560" if 7.0 to 7.5 inches, and .580" if 7.5 to 8.0 inches. For anything over 8.0 inches, select a jumbo grip.

Materials Required to Re-Grip Your Golf Clubs

You will need grip solvent, two sided, two inch wide grip tape, a container to catch the unused solvent in, a vise and a special rubber shaft holder. Many of the golf club re-gripping experts use Coleman camp fuel because they claim no residue is left over and it does a great job. These same experts caution against using WD40 because it leaves an oily residue and as a result the grips could come loose.

Re-Gripping Steps

Put the shaft holder over your club shaft and tighten the vise. Cut a piece of tape 8.0 inches long. Place it along the butt of the shaft leaving a half-inch over the end of the shaft. Wrap the tape around the shaft and push it slightly into the shaft to seal the end of the club. Squeeze solvent along the tape, fill the grip about three quarters full of solvent, put your finger over the hole in the end of the grip and then squeeze the grip opening closed.

Now shake the grip so that solvent covers the entire inside and pour the solvent along the tape. Push the grip up and over the shaft butt then hold the grip by the front and back and push applying equal pressure with both hands. Clean up any excess solvent from the grip and let it set for an hour. Good Luck re-gripping your golf clubs!