Regripping Your Golf Clubs Yourself – The Ultimate Tips and Guide

Your grips are the only part of the golf club that you are actually in contact with, because of that you need to give them attention. You may have done it before, you hand your whole set into the club pro and leave them for a few days whilst the grips are repaired. You need to leave your clubs in a strange place and you spend the whole time worried they’re ok.

Seriously though, there could be another way. Nowadays, you can order grips online and fit them yourself. Today on the blog, we will tell you what you need to know to do this yourself. By doing it yourself, you can save a lot of money and you don’t need to part with your clubs. It is a great skill to learn and it gives you more control over your grips. This is something that many top golfers do themselves and it gives you a whole new understanding of your clubs.

Keep your clubs at home and make sure they are in top condition. Read on for some top tips to make sure you do a good job.

How often should you regrip your golf clubs?

For the average golfer, clubs should be regripped every year. If you play excessively then you will maybe need to consider getting the grips done more often. If you damage a grip you will need to get it redone too.

You should also be cleaning your grips with soap and water every couple of weeks. This will ensure that you get the best out of your grips for longer, you can really feel the difference when your grips are clean. You have to treat your grips well, they are so important to your performance.

How much does it cost to put new grips on golf clubs?

There are many different types of grip out there and it all depends how much you want to spend. Grips usually cost somewhere in the region of £10 per grip so if you’re redoing your whole set, you’ll be looking at a bill of around £140. That’s just for the grips though, if you are having someone do it for you then they will charge you too.

All in all, the whole thing will probably cost around £150-200 depending on how friendly you are with your local pro. This means that you could save a fairly big chunk of change by learning this skill yourself. It’s really not that hard either.

Can I regrip my own golf clubs?

Yes you can, you need to have a few tools but once you’ve bought them you are good to go. You could even get really good and start doing it for your friends for a small fee, that way you can make a bit of money on the side whilst you’re at it.

Regripping clubs takes a little bit of practice but it is a skill you will be able to get good at pretty quickly. There are plenty of videos online that will teach you how to do it and you will be up and running in no time if you want to be.

What items will I need to regrip my own clubs?

It may seem like the obvious thing to say but make sure you have the correct grips. You will want to check the size and different models out there to select the one for you. Other than that there are a few items that you will absolutely need and some that will just make your life a little easier.

Double-sided tape is a must, a sharp Stanley knife for removing the old grips, white spirit, a bucket larger than the grips for draining excess spirit, a cloth and a vice with a shaft protector. Now this is something to consider, if you need to buy all of this stuff you may save money by having someone else do your grips.

What are all-in-one DIY regripping kits?

These kits contain all of the consumables you would need to regrip a full set of clubs. They are usually made up of thirteen grips along with the tape and white spirit. With one of these kits, all you need to add are the vice, the knife and the bucket.

This is a great way of getting started if you have everything else that you need. If you are someone who will be doing this kind of thing more often then you will probably benefit from buying more in bulk. You can decide if convenience or value for money is more important.

How long does regripping a golf club take?

Once you get some practice in, you can regrip a club in just a couple of minutes. There are some out there that, with the help of an air gun, can do it in a mind-blowing time. The time isn’t as important as the quality of the finished product though.

Take care on your first attempts and make sure that the club looks great when you are done. No-one likes a misaligned grip so just go carefully at first and you will be all good.

 

How do you remove old grips from golf clubs?

This is where the trusty Stanley knife comes in, you simply cut it off. Care has to be taken not to injure yourself or damage the club though. Once the grip is removed, you need to get the tape under the grip removed so that only the shaft remains.

You can also use an air gun to remove a grip but this is a specialised technique and not one that most people will have the equipment to do at home. Finally, you can roll your grips back starting at the thinnest part of the grip. This is good for graphite shafts as you won’t damage them but it can take longer.

Do you really have to remove the old grip tape?

Whilst grip tape is thin, just one extra layer of it can be noticeable, especially to elite golfers. If you feel that your grip is a little thinner than you would like then you don’t necessarily need to remove it as your extra layer can be the fresh tape on top. This is a lazy option though.

For the little extra time it takes, you are always better going right back to the shaft and keeping your tape fresh. This way you have renewed every part of the grip and can be confident in consistency.

What are the different methods for regripping?

The main two different ways of regripping really centre on how you get the old grip off and the new grip on. For removing the grip you can cut it or roll is, as we’ve discuss or you can use the air gun. To put the new grip on you can use a solvent or the air gun.

If you have the compressor equipment, using air makes changing grips so fast. This is how the tour van technicians tend to work now. Knives and oil are so 1990s, they are the classic way to do it though.

The solvent method

Obviously, we need our grips to be stuck tight to the shaft. The twisting forces that can go through your grip are significant and you need to be confident that it can take it. Solvents need to deactivate the adhesive and evaporate to reactivate and bond your grip.

Many solvents can be used, some of which we have already mentioned. Paint thinner, mineral spirits or anything that dries quickly, will give you the time you need to get the new grip on. There is something special about the smell of grip solvent in the pros workshop!

The compressed air method

If a formula one team were working on a way to regrip golf clubs, this is how they would do it. The player comes in from a round, there’s been a rain delay so he’s playing thiry-six holes that day and he needs his clubs regripped to get back out. Into the tour van he goes and the grips can be changed in seconds.

Seriously though, the beauty of this method is that there’s no need to wait on solvent drying. The air acts as a buffer and as soon as it’s gone the grip starts sticking. The drawback of this method is you need to have your grip in place and line-up quickly.

Can you use double-sided tape for regripping?

If you research this topic online, you will see some people saying masking tape is best and others saying that double-sided grip tape is best. Another questions is should you use a roll of tape or should you use strips? Like many things in this article, it comes down to experience and preference.

Buying dedicated grip tape is a good idea for people trying this for the first time. You are maximising your chances of doing it right. Once you gain experience you can start playing with different techniques and tools.

Should I use a vice?

Not everyone has a vice sitting around at home. For those serious about regripping their own clubs often, they can make life a lot easier and will cost around £150. You can, however, go without.

The vice is there to hold the club in place so you have two hands to sort the grips out. With practice you can certainly get away without using one but you may find the whole process trickier. Remember, if you are going to use a vice, make sure you have a shaft protector.

Quick Guide: Solvent-based regripping

Regripping using solvents is, to me, the classic way to get new grips on your clubs. This is a method that can be done carefully and smoothly with great results. Let’s assume you have measured yourself up and bought the right grips, we’ll go through the steps.

1. To start with, you have to remove the old grip. As I’ve mentioned, this can be by rolling it off the club or by using a knife. Obviously you need to be careful with the knife.
2. Once the grip is off you’re onto probably the most annoying part of the process, removing the old tape. Clean the club back to the shaft taking care not to damage the club. Once the tape is off, wipe the club clean.
3. Place the club in the vice and secure it. At this point, line the club face up so that it pointing straight up, this way you have a guide to line the grip up with.
4. At this point, you are ready for the new tape. Measure a length of tape beside the grip you are about to fit, this way you have the correct size. Add the layers of tape as required, one is standard and anything extra you are likely to feel when the grip is on. Smooth out the tape to ensure no bubbles or creases are there.
5. Cover the small hole at the end of your grip and fill it with solvent. Empty the full grip over the double-sided tape to wet it evenly.
6. Slide the new grip onto the club, it should go on fairly easily.
7. Align the grip however you like.
8. Leave to dry for a couple of hours.

Lining-up your new grips

If you don’t line your grips up correctly, it can be annoying but it can also badly affect your game. Grips have many lines and patterns now to help you grip the club correctly and these should be inspected once the grip is in place to check for proper instalment. Carefully inspect the grip and ensure all patterns are as they should be and any branding is aligned perfectly with the clubface.

Quick Guide: Air-based regripping

This is a newer way of doing things and it has a number of advantages. You don’t need solvents for this and masking tape works well instead of double-sided tape. Also, the club can be used straight away, no drying time is required. Let’s go through the steps needed for air-gun application of a new grip.

1. Steps one to four are identical to the solvent-based method above. A vice is absolutely required for this method as you need two hands for correct installation of the new grip.
2. Place the grip on the newly-taped shaft, you only want to put the grip on by a few centimetres. Then you want to take your air-gun and place the nozzle in the small hole at the butt-end of the grip.
3. Using either a smooth push and a constant air-stream or short sharp movements with bursts of air, push the grip into place. The air provides a cushion which keeps the adhesive out of contact and allows you to move the new grip into place.
4. One of the great advantages of this method is that if you don’t put the grip on in proper alignment, you can give it a burst of air and move it until it’s perfect.
5. You can now literally walk to the first tee and use this club.

This method is clearly far faster than the solvent method. The major drawback here is that you require some specialist equipment in order to be able to do it. If you are serious about regripping your own clubs and willing to invest, this is the way to do it.

FAQs

What size of golf grip do I need?

There are many charts out there to help you work this out and it takes two simple measurements from you. First you need to know the length of your hand from the end of your wrist to the top of your middle finger. Secondly, you need to know the length of your middle finger.

Those two figures are all the data you need to get the correct grip size. I also think that your own feel is important. I like a thicker grip, I use midsize plus two layers, which is too big by textbook measurements but it helps me keep the ball straight. The size of golf glove you use can also help you decide.

Can you remove grips and reuse them?

If your grips are in good condition and you are changing clubs, you can remove them carefully and re-apply them to another club. You should only make this change once though as grips are stretched quite a bit during the process and too much of this could cause early degradation.

This is something you have to take great care to do and is probably one for a highly-skilled technician. If you want this done, I would go to your local pro. The other option is to just put a new grip on them.

Can you use acetone to regrip your clubs?

If you happen to have run out of white spirit but have an abundance of nail polish remover sitting about, good news is that you can use it. The reason we need a solvent to regrip clubs is that we need to deactivate the adhesive that will eventually hold your grip in place.

Acetone can do this but due to its chemical properties, it won’t last long as it evaporates very quickly. So if you’re confident you can have the grip in place nice and quickly, acetone will work fine.

Can you use rubbing alcohol to regrip your clubs?

Yes you can. Rubbing alcohol will deactivate the adhesive on the double-sided tape and allow you to slide that new grip onto the club. This is actually a solvent that is preferred by some technicians.

Commercial grip solvent can be a pricey fluid so some have found other alternatives. You can even use heat or air to create the same effect. As you do this more often, you will learn the products and techniques that work best for you, it’s just a matter of time.

What grip size should I be using?

You can measure your hands to find out what grip you need or you can use your glove size as a rough guide. A men’s small glove or a women’s medium should consider undersized grips. A men’s medium, large or women’s large would use a regular grip. A men’s extra-large would consider midsize or jumbo grips.

Personal preference is important too though. I am a medium-large sized glove but I feel that a midsize grip with an extra bit of tape works best for me. I once caddied for basketball legend Michael Jordan and he had jumbo grips with seventeen layers of tape!

What happens if I use a grip that is too small?

Using a grip that is the wrong size can be a bad thing, unless you prefer it and know it works for you. A grip that is too small can cause you to grip it too tightly and you may not even notice you are doing it. This can lead to increased tension in your arms which will reduce the efficiency of your swing and can restrict your wrists.

What happens if I use a grip that is too big?

I prefer a bigger grip than I should technically use but it helps me control the ball more easily. Using a grip that is too big can have the effect of making it harder to control the club face. This can lead to inconsistency as you struggle to deliver a square face at impact.

Conclusion

Some of the best pros on tour today still insist on regripping clubs themselves and this is a skill that many only trust to certain technicians. Your grips are imperative and something that most golfers should be paying even more attention to. You should be regripping your clubs once a year or around every forty rounds, whatever comes sooner.

Do you get your grips done that often? Let’s be honest, most of us don’t and according to one study, old grips can cost 3-4 shots per round! You wouldn’t want to drive your car on bald tyres and playing old grips is the golfing equivalent of this.

New grips ensure the best contact possible with your clubs and this means better control of the club face at impact. If you want to start regripping your clubs at home for yourself then it is something you can learn fairly quickly and easily. It is a skill that can save you money and time as you can do it on your schedule, not when your pro has the time to do it.

Explore the idea, price it. The more you regrip for yourself the more value you will get out of your equipment and the more you will save on costs. This is a great skill to learn and YouTube can show you all you need to know. Go on, give it a shot, soon all of your friends will be sending their clubs your way!