Cleaning, regripping and storage
Golf equipment care
In short
Clean clubs and fresh grips do more for your game than most gadgets. Clean iron and wedge faces after every round: a bucket of warm water with a little dish soap, a soft nylon brush, a towel. Clean grips every few rounds with mild soap and water so they stay tacky. Replace grips when they look shiny, feel hard or show worn spots; Golf Pride's rule of thumb is about once a year or every 40 rounds. Regripping is a home job with a hook blade, grip tape and solvent. Store clubs indoors at room temperature, not in a car trunk, and dry them before you put them away. This hub links a step-by-step guide for each job.
Cleaning clubs and grooves
Dirt in the grooves reduces spin, especially from the rough and around the green. Our guide to cleaning golf clubs covers the soak-brush-dry method, groove tools, and what not to do with woods and graphite shafts.
Grips: clean them, then replace them
Skin oil, sunscreen and dirt make grips slick long before they wear out. Washing restores some tack. When a grip is glazed, cracked or worn flat where your thumbs sit, replace it. The regripping guide takes you through cutting off the old grip, taping, and sliding on the new one, including putter grips.
Storage and travel
Heat can soften the epoxy that holds a club head on its shaft, so a hot car trunk is the worst place for clubs. A dry room at normal temperature is best. Dry the clubs, the headcovers and the bag before winter storage to avoid rust and mildew.
Frequently asked questions
How often should you regrip golf clubs?
Golf Pride's guideline is about once a year or every 40 rounds, sooner if grips feel hard or slick, or look shiny or worn.
Can you clean golf clubs with dish soap?
Yes. A few drops of mild dish soap in warm water, a soft brush and a towel to dry is the standard method. Keep wooden-look finishes and ferrules out of long soaks.
All gear care guides
Coming to this guide
Being written and checked against the Rules and other primary sources now.
- How to clean rusty golf clubs
- How much it costs to regrip clubs
- When to regrip golf clubs
- How to clean golf grips
- How to clean golf balls
- Cleaning golf gloves, shoes and hats
- Storing golf clubs in winter