Installing New Grips on Golf Clubs
By Steve Silverman
Golf clubs are an expensive investment. Golfers regularly pay $1,000 or more for their clubs, and many pay a lot more than that. A set of golf clubs should last at least 10 years. However, to make your clubs last that long, you have to maintain them. That includes putting on new grips when you need them, which should be every 12 to 18 months.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Take the utility knife and make four 6-inch cuts down the length of the existing grip. Make sure the cuts go all the way through the grip, and do not worry about damaging the shaft of the club with the knife. Reach into the gaps created by the cuts and pull the grip off the shaft of the club.
Pull off the grip at the top of the club. Use your thumbs to get underneath and provide pressure to get the cap off. Loosen the grip stop at the bottom of the grip and let it slide down the shaft to the face of the club.
Take a wet rag to get all remnants of dirt, glue and the previous grip off your club. Warm water should do this sufficiently. Take a dry rag after this process is complete and get rid of all wet spots.
Start unrolling your double-sided grip tape down the shaft of the club. You should have about 8 inches of grip tape on the shaft before you stop unrolling it.
Put a new grip on the club by sliding it over the top of the shaft. Once the grip is in place, put the cap back on the club and put the grip stop back in place. Knead the grip into place so there are no air bubbles and the grip is even. Let the club sit an hour so that it cures and the grip will not slip.
Tips & Warnings
Change your grips every 12 to 18 months.
Be careful with the utility knife, and don't leave it in the presence of young children.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
