Having clean golf grips is essential for maintaining proper control and feel with your clubs. Dirty, slippery grips can lead to inconsistent swing mechanics, reduced accuracy, and lack of touch around the greens.
While it may not be the most glamorous part of your equipment maintenance routine, regularly cleaning your grips is vital for optimizing performance.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover when and how often to clean golf grips, the necessary materials based on grip type, effective cleaning techniques for rubber and cord, signs that grips need replacement, and how to clean golf grips.
Whether you play once a week or every day, following these grip cleaning tips will help tackle dirt, restore tackiness, and elevate your game.
Why Proper Golf Grip Cleaning Matters
Golf grips constantly come into contact with dirt, body oils, sweat, and debris during normal use. As grime builds up in the pores and textures of the material, it reduces the tackiness and friction that allows your hands to stick to the grip. A dirty grip forces you to grip tighter to avoid slippage, which leads to tension and inconsistent swing mechanics.
Beyond affecting performance, dirty grips just feel nasty when your hands get coated in grime every time you play. Cleaning removes this unwanted residue and brings back that nice, tacky feel to optimize grip comfort and light control pressure.
Making golf grip cleaning a regular habit allows you to maintain the quality, responsiveness, and playability of your grips over their lifespan. Consistent cleaning adds longevity so you can avoid regripping your clubs as often. Keep reading to learn the recommended frequency and best practices for cleaning based on your golf grip material.
How Often Should You Clean Golf Grips?
Golf grip cleaning frequency depends on how often you play:
Play 1-2 times per week: Clean grips every 2-4 weeks.
Play 3-5 times per week: Clean grips every week to two weeks.
Play daily: Clean grips at minimum every 2-3 times you play.
For most golfers, a monthly deep cleaning is sufficient to remove residue and restore tackiness. Those who play more regularly may need to clean grips biweekly or even after every round to prevent heavy soiling.
In addition to routine deep cleaning, you should also perform quick cleaning after every round by wiping grips down with a towel to remove excess dirt and oils. Deep cleanings provide a more thorough restoration when grips become too soiled for just surface cleaning.
Knowing your golf grip materials makes it easy to identify when more intensive cleaning is needed. Next we’ll cover the necessary supplies for cleaning rubber and cord grips.
Golf Grip Cleaning Materials
Having the right golf grip cleaning tools on hand makes the process quick and effective. Here are the basic materials needed:
For rubber grips:
Old rag, towel, or sponge
Warm water
Mild dish soap
Old toothbrush or nailbrush
Golf grip solvent/cleaner (optional)
For cord grips:
Stiff nylon brush
Grip cleaning solution
Terry cloth rag
Rubber cement (for regripping cords)
For both grip types:
Golf glove (for handling wet grips)
Non-abrasive drying cloth
Grip tape (for regripping clubs)
Avoid using very hot water, strong cleaners, or abrasive brushes that could damage the grip material. Now let’s get into the specific processes for cleaning rubber and cord.
How to Clean Golf Grips
Rubber grips with their patterned, perforated textures tend to get dirty easily. Here are the steps to clean them effectively:
Rinse the grip under warm water while wearing a glove to prevent slippage. This washes away loose dirt and debris.
Apply a small amount of mild dish soap to a rag, sponge, or toothbrush. Scrub the grip surface, getting into the perforations.
Rinse away all soap residue under warm running water. Be sure to remove any soap from inside the grip texture.
Dry the grip thoroughly using a clean terry cloth or non-abrasive drying towel. Make sure no moisture remains inside the grip.
Hit the grip with a quick burst of grip solvent spray like Golf Pride Clean and Degrease or Lamkin Grip Cleaner. This pulls out any remaining oils and restores tackiness.
Wipe down once more with a dry towel and allow to fully air dry before regripping on the club.
This soap and water cleaning should be done monthly, while solvent sprays can be used more frequently for quick cleaning after rounds. The bristle brush scrubs out embedded dirt, while the solvent removes oily residue.
Effective Cleaning Process for Cord Grips
Cord grips require some extra care to avoid fraying or loosening the cords. Follow this method:
Mix a grip cleaning solution like Golf Pride’s New Decade Multi-Clean or Lamkin’s Grips & More Cleaner with water in a spray bottle based on label instructions.
Spray down the full length of the cord grip, letting the solution soak in for 2-3 minutes.
Use a nylon bristle brush to gently scrub the grip to lift dirt from the crevices. Avoid excessive scrubbing to prevent cord damage.
Rinse clean with water and squeeze any excess liquid from the cords.
Thoroughly dry with a terry cloth rag. Make sure no moisture remains between cords.
Apply a thin layer of rubber cement along the entire grip and let dry for improved tackiness.
Once fully dry, wrap the upper portion of the grip with new grip tape to bind cords together and prevent unraveling.
Cleaning solutions dissolve oils and lift dirt while protecting cord fibers. The rubber cement and grip tape help keep cords bonded together for a responsive feel.
Now that we’ve covered process, let’s discuss signs that grips need a replacement.
Determining When Grips Need Replacement
With regular cleaning, golf grips can last multiple seasons. But deterioration over time will necessitate replacement. Watch for these signs:
Appearance
Torn, frayed, or excessively worn grip texture
Visible cracks or peeling rubber
Discoloration and fading
Damage or loose cord threads
Performance
Slipperiness, even after cleaning
Hardening or loss of tackiness
Lack of responsiveness and shock absorption
Need to grip tighter to avoid club turning on shots
Replacement is the only fix once grips get too worn. If your grips show any of the above issues, it’s time to regrip your clubs and restore quality feel.
Best Practices for Golf Grip Care
Protect your investment in new grips by following these care tips:
Keep grips dry and clean – never store clubs wet.
Don’t use grips as a club stand or lean clubs on the ground.
Avoid exposing grips to direct sunlight or extreme heat.
Minimize grip wear by taking practice swings away from course surfaces.
Replace deteriorated grips – don’t wait until they fail.
Consider semi-annual regripping to keep gloves fresh.
With proper maintenance and cleaning, you can double or triple a quality grip’s lifespan.
Key Takeaways
We’ve covered a lot of ground on how to clean golf grips. Here are the key takeaways:
Clean grips regularly to maintain tackiness – monthly for casual play, biweekly for frequent play.
Rubber grips can be cleaned with dish soap, water, and a brush. Use solvents to restore tackiness.
Clean cord grips with specialized solutions. Re-cement and re-tape to protect cords.
Replace grips that become too worn, slippery, or hardened.
Practice good grip care like drying thoroughly and minimizing wear.
Simply adding golf grip cleaning to your regular equipment maintenance routine will keep your gear performing its best. Give your grips some TLC and enjoy the improved feel, traction, and confidence throughout your season.
