# How Much Work Do You Do On Your Clubs?



## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

How much work do you do on your own clubs?

Other than cleaning my clubs, the two things I do are to regrip them a couple times a year and hand grind the grooves on my wedges about once a year.

Back when woods were really wood, I would refinish mine occasionally. (I have a furniture background and actually know what I'm doing.) I've changed shafts once in a while, but I prefer not to mess with graphite shafts if I don't have to. I bought a fancy shaft one time and splintered the butt cutting it down.

Does anyone do any work themselves on loft or lie adjustments?


----------



## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

All I do is claen my clubs I was looking through the threads about regripping the other day so when it comes to for a regrip I might give it a shot. any tips?


----------



## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

I keep them clean and them most of the time I regrip them. At times when the pro shop is running a special, I'll just let them do it, but it isn't that hard to do yourself. I use the Golf Pride Tour Wraps. 

I used to build clubs, but I found that I really suck at fitting them, so I gave that up. :dunno::laugh:


----------



## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I like the Tour Wrap too, but I use the midsize. My woods came with a different grip I can't recall the name of, a Golf Pride grip that is red and black. You see a lot of professionals using them. They aren't bad either, but for no reason I can see, they are expensive as all get out. When my new Tour Wraps arrive, I'm going to change them.

As for tips on changing grips, I think the key is partly in the tools. Putting grips on is ridiculously easy, but taking grips off, with the subsequent scraping off of the old tape is what's hard. I have known many a person to get blisters on their thumb and fingers from trying to rub old tape off a shaft so they could peel it back.

Golfworks sells a couple tools, one a hook shaped blade at the end of a handle that cuts the grip so you can peel it off. The hook faces away from you for safety sake and a blade lasts through 4-5 sets of clubs before it dulls enough to consider changing.

The other tool is a tube with a ball on one end and a cut away section of the tube on the other end. The cut away section is sharpened and the partial diameter goes over the shaft to scrape away old tape. Holding the ball on the end, you just shove it around until there is nothing left, then clean the shaft with a solvent. You have to be more careful scraping graphite shafts than steel shafts, but it sure saves your hands from messing with the old tape.

Both tools might cost $10 each, but they are indispensible as far as I'm concerned. Around here, a shop will charge about $5 per club labor, so these tools pay for themselves the first time you change grips.

The cheapest double side tape comes on a roll, but the easiest to use comes in strips that can be easily peeled and are sized so nicely there isn't a miscalculation that leaves tape below the grip to be cut off later.

Lighter fluid can be used as solvent in an emergency, but it takes longer to evaporate than the orange smelling nonflammable liquid sold by Golfworks.

What I do is get the club clean of any old grip or tape remnant first. Then I put on the new tape and lean the club against the wall outside by the garden bed. I squeeze some solvent into the grip, holding my finger over the little hole in the top of the grip. I pinch the bottom of the grip and keeping the little hole in the top plugged, shake the solvent inside so the whole interior of the grip is covered with it.

Next, I drain the solvent out of the grip through the little hole, letting it drip all over the tape. Sometimes I'll catch it in a paint roller pan because the same solvent can be used over and over. Sometimes I'll just let it drain over the tape and into the garden bed. SHHHHHH !!! My wife doesn't know why nothing will grow there!

At this point you have to pay a bit of attention. On any grip I've seen, there will be a couple of little marks on the grip at the top and bottom to help you line it up. Using the orange smelling solvent, once you slide the grip on, you have about a minute of working time to twist it straight. Slide the grip on, get it straight either by holding the club up to see the lineup or by setting the club on the ground to do it, whatever you are comfortable with. Once you have it how you want it, turn the club upside down and gently tap the butt of the grip on the ground to make sure it is seated all the way down on the shaft.

Remember to only handle the club by the shaft at this point so you don't loosen the grip by holding onto it, and set it aside to rest for about an hour.

Many grips have a ridge in the back of them to help you take a better grip in the fingers. If you are using something like this, or if you are putting a grip on a putter for instance, lining up the grip can be a bit of a challenge. You might want someone to hold the clubhead still while you maneuver the grip to your liking. I have one putter with a crooked grip, but it suits how I hold the club. If my head isn't screwed on straight, why should my arms be either, right?

If you really want to get seriously into changing grips, there is an incredible gadget that has to be seen to be believed, but it works. Golfworks figured out a device you can bolt to a table and that you stick the club into when you want to put on grips. No matter whether it's a 2 iron to a lob wedge, offset or not, large head or not, somehow this device holds the leading edge of the face on a perfectly vertical line. With a couple clamps to hold the shaft so it doesn't come loose, you can put the club in there and just concentrate on getting the grip aligned correctly using the two little marks on the grip. Get those two marks right on top of the shaft and you are perfectly in line. I bought one of these gadgets a million years ago, but I also have a pack rat wife with so much stuff in the way, I couldn't get to my work bench if my life depended on it. Besides, I like torturing her garden bed too much!


----------



## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Thanks for that dennis that was well explain I just had a good idea maybe why should start up a techincal thread with topics explain thing like how to regrip your clubs. How to regroove your wedges and so on. It could be done step be step with some pictures and stuff what do you think?

And we'll all keep it our little secert about your wifes garden


----------



## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Funny you should mention regrooving wedges. I have a 2002 Callaway Bertha sand wedge I really love, but it's not the greatest at putting action on the ball. I was thinking about buying a little tool from StewMac that you hold in your hand and simply pull along the grooves. I need to talk to them and see whether anything happens to the edges or whether it just deepens the grooves.


----------



## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

DennisM said:


> Funny you should mention regrooving wedges. I have a 2002 Callaway Bertha sand wedge I really love, but it's not the greatest at putting action on the ball. I was thinking about buying a little tool from StewMac that you hold in your hand and simply pull along the grooves. I need to talk to them and see whether anything happens to the edges or whether it just deepens the grooves.


From reading perivous post on here the regrooving tool deepens/clean the grooves but also squares of the edges of the grooves if you do a search you should be able to find the thread I'm on about.


----------



## ess32 (Oct 21, 2006)

There is a company named golfworks (golfworks.com) that refubishes wedges. I called vokey works and they refered them to do my 60m special grind wedge. They quoted me around $40-$50 to refubish and put u grooves in for me, shipping and all. For a club that is so expensive to replace that is a steal, but for a $100 wedge I'm not so sure.


----------



## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I got the groove tool and it works very easily and very well. Highly recommended!


----------



## tidenumber1 (Aug 11, 2008)

*A little guide video*

YouTube - Regripping your golf clubs


----------



## mulligan (Aug 8, 2008)

I regrip all my clubs. I too use the Golf Pride Tour Wrap Midsize. I have built some clubs in the past, but dont do much building anymore, just repair clubs. I did build my driver and 3-wood myself, building them to the specs that I want them at.


----------

