The longevity of your golf clubs is something that many amateur golfers are concerned about. Unfortunately, clubs aren’t provided to us on a sponsorship deal like they are golf professionals, so most people try to make their clubs last as long as they can, and keep them well maintained until they’re just technologically obsolete. One of the ways in which golfers keep their clubs up to date is to change out their grips whenever the club gets worn down and loses its tact. There are a wide variety of golf grips on the market to choose from, but most are similar in their basic portions and are changed out the same way.

Grips are mostly universal, with the exception of putter grips. When searching for replacement grips, it is important to distinguish what size grips you’re purchasing. Standard grips are the most common, but you should base your grip size on your glove size, as it is important to match the ideal grip size for you. There are plenty of charts available to do this. Here is one that you can reference.

Necessary Tools:

In order to change out your grips, you will need a few different tools: 1. Vice: The first major requirement is some type of vice. A vice will keep your club aligned correctly during the process. It will also provide stability for you as you put the new grip on your golf club. 2. Utility Knife: You also will need to get a utility knife with a hook blade on it to cut off your old grip. These can be easily bought online. 3. Tape and Mineral Spirits: Finally, you’ll need some masking tape and mineral spirits to complete your grip removal kit. I also recommend having a clean towel handy because changing grips on your golf clubs can get a little messy, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience with the process.

The Steps:

1. Secure the Club in your Vice

The first step is to secure the club in the vice with the grip pointed towards you. You want to put the clamp on the vice right below the clubhead, just on the bottom side of the club feral. This seems simple, but it’s important to make sure that the clubhead is aligned as straight as possible when put into the vice. You will be lining up the grip with your club as it lies within the vice, so putting it into the vice with a square clubface is going to save you time and effort later in the process. You can eyeball this, or put a straight edge next to the clubface to make sure that it’s laying square within the vice.

2. Remove the Old Grip

Next, you’re going to cut the old grip off of your club. Use the utility knife and start at the top of the grip (the portion closest to the clubhead). You’re going to need to use your non-dominant hand to stabilize the club as you cut off the old grip, and it’s important that you grab the club between the vice and the club grip. This avoids the danger of accidentally cutting through the grip too swiftly and putting the utility knife into the palm of your non-dominant hand, which this author is unfortunately familiar with doing.

Cut slowly down the grip, trying to cut just deep enough to get all the way through the old grip, but not so deep that you’re removing all of the old masking tape under your grip. If this does happen, it’s not the end of the world, but not cutting the old tape can save you a little time later by not having to replace it.

3. Apply Masking Tape

Once the old grip is removed, you need to make sure that there is enough masking tape on the metal of the club shaft to build up the circumference of the club shaft. The metal shaft of the club by itself is not thick enough to keep most grips on the club. Putting a few layers of tape on the shaft tightens the circumference of the club within the grip and helps to secure the grip when you’re swinging with it. Nobody wants to be hitting an important shot and have the club slip out of the grip on their downswing!

Generally, two or three layers will suffice, but you’ll be able to tell how secure the grip is on the club as you put on the new grip. Also, do not put masking tape further down the club shaft than the grip will cover. Usually, a couple of inches will suffice.

4. Apply Mineral Spirits

In order to slide your new grip over the top of the layered masking tape, you’ll need to use the mineral spirits. One trick that I have learned is to put the mineral spirits into a spray bottle. This will allow you to easily control the output of mineral spirits so that the new grip can slide on, but then be secured in its location once it is in place.

Put the thumb of your dominant hand on the bottom of the grip to cover the small hole that’s located at the bottom of the grip. Once this is covered so mineral spirits won’t spill out the bottom of the grip, spray or pour a small amount (generally 3 or 4 sprays from your spray bottle) into the open end of the grip. Cover the other end of the grip with your other hand and shake the mineral spirits back and forth within the grip. This will distribute the liquid and make it less likely that it will get stuck partway up your club shaft.

After distributing the mineral spirits, use your non-dominant hand to pinch the open end of the golf grip nearly closed so the mineral spirits will slowly pour out if you tip the grip upside down. Take the new grip with the mineral spirits and slowly pour the mineral spirits up and down the new masking tape that you’ve put on the club shaft. It’s very important to move quickly after doing this so that the mineral spirits do not dry out before putting the new grip all the way on the club.

5. Slide on your New Grip

Once the masking tape is damp from the mineral spirits, take the new grip and, at a 45-degree angle, slide the end of the grip onto the club shaft. Make sure that the front of the grip, generally containing the lettering or print of the manufacturer, is facing directly down the club shaft. This goes back to why it’s important to align the club squarely into the vice at the beginning of the process.

Swiftly slide the grip up the club shaft until the butt of the grip hits the end of the club shaft. It will be easy to tell when that occurs because the grip won’t slide up any further. After this, make sure that the grip is fully extended and isn’t bunched up. Push the grip down the club shaft with your thumbs.

6. Check the Alignment

Quickly remove the club from the vice and set it down on the ground square to check the alignment of your new grip. If you need to adjust the grip, it is very important to put it on and check the new grip quickly before the mineral spirits dry and the grip cannot be moved. Very small adjustments can be made without removing the entire grip, but if you haven’t aligned the grip properly, you’ll need to slide the grip back off the club quickly before the mineral spirits dry. In the event that the grip does dry, you’ll have to cut the grip off and start all over with a brand new grip.

Once you’re sure the grip is aligned, you should take a towel and clean the butt end of the grip because it’s likely that mineral spirits spilled out the bottom as the new grip was placed on the club. With practice, this will become a less frequent issue. Generally, a club should be left for at least a day to dry and secure on the shaft. If you need the club before that, use a hairdryer to speed up the process.

You have now secured a new grip and can go forward swinging with confidence! If you need new grips or anything else, please feel free to reach out to me through Curated and I’ll be happy to assist you!