The process of regripping clubs involves ripping off the old grip before sliding on the new one. Hence the first part of the title. So you might be wondering, “Why does regripping my clubs matter to hit it farther?”
Golf grips are designed where the taper from wide at the end to narrow at the bottom to provide sufficient friction between your hands and the club so that it doesn’t come sliding out of your hands when it exerts a force equal to a 75-100lb dumbbell flying off the ends of your arms at impact. As you play over time your grips get dirt and oil on them along with the normal loss of material from repeated use which causes you to lose friction. This loss in friction naturally leads to a tightening of your grip pressure to maintain the same amount of friction as a brand new set of grips on your clubs.
When your grip pressure tightens you develop tension further up in the chain. Your forearms, biceps, triceps, shoulders, and traps all tighten up. When a muscle gets tighter…it moves slower. In addition, this tension also can also result in difficulty returning the face consistently to the ball. So, where am I going with all of this?
I want you to take an audit on your grips. Your grips will wear at different rates depending on how much you play, how old your set of clubs are, or how fast you swing the club. Here are a couple of things to look for to considering getting new grips:
- Do your grips have any wear spots on them? Time to have them regripped.
- Do your grips feel stiff or show any signs of cracking or splitting? Time to have them regripped.
- Do your grips feel oily, or slippery? Wipe them down with a wet cloth with dish soap and wipe dry. Continue playing them until this no longer works.
- Do you play a lot (3-5 times a month) and haven’t regripped them in several months? Come see me and let me evaluate where you’re at. You are likely in a position to consider regripping them.
- Have you been measured for the right grip size? If not, you may want to consider giving me a call, or having me take a look at your next lesson. If you have the wrong size grips you may want to consider getting new ones.
As you can see there are several different scenarios you may fall into. At the very least ALL OF YOU need to wash your grips. This will go a long way to caring for your investment that is your clubs. You can make a set of grips last a long time by washing them periodically (and more so in the summer). The slicker and more worn they get, the tighter you grip it the faster they wear down and the faster this cycle accelerates. So take care of your investment and give us a call so we can take a look at replacing them if needed! (I personally promise to have them turned around in less than 24 hours or your entire set of grips and regripping fees are on me!). Let’s keep that swing speed up, and keep you swinging free and smooth thus leading you to shooting lower scores! GIve me a ring! 205.200.4686
Next week’s topic? Why you should play longer wedges (you may need to add an extension in your wedges so if you’re interested in this we can hold off on regripping those till next week!!).
