Golf Tips – Look After Your Golf Clubs And They Will Look After You

It’s very important to look after your golf clubs – they will last longer and help you perform better on the golf course if you take just a little care of them.

You need to clean all parts of your golf clubs, and I recommend you clean them at least once a month – probably more in the winter months.

How to clean your golf clubs

For all parts of your golf clubs you can simply use warm water with a household detergent – washing up liquid is ideal.

1. The golf club head.

This is the most important part of the club to clean since any dirt in the grooves will affect the strike – even with a putter. Also if you keep playing with dirt in the grooves it could start damaging them.

Use a soft scrubbing brush with the warm soapy water and gently scrub the club head paying particular attention to those grooves. Rinse the club head with clean water and then dry the head with a soft cloth. This is important otherwise you may start seeing rust spots – especially if you’ve owned your clubs for a while.

2. The shaft.

The most important thing with the metal shafts is to dry them if they’ve got wet. Otherwise you may find rust spots developing. The other important thing (including graphite shafts) is to wipe them down to remove any grit that may have got on them as you’ve put clubs back into your golf bag. This is to ensure they don’t get scratched.

3. The grip.

A good condition (and clean) grip should feel slightly ‘tacky’, especially when you are wearing a good glove. It’s very important to keep your grips in good condition otherwise you will have to grip the club too tightly and this will mean you cannot release the club since your muscles will be too tense.

Again use warm soapy water but use a scouring pad or stiff brush and really give it a proper scrub. Rinse it afterwards with clean water and then dry or leave to air dry.

On a final note about the golf club grips, depending upon how much you play your grips should be replaced regularly, including your putter grip. I replace mine every 3-6 months depending on how much I’m playing. I recommend that you replace your grips at least once a year…

Other Golf Tips For Looking After Your Golf Clubs

1. Use a cover for your putter.

Your ‘woods’ (driver / 3-wood) will come with covers to protect them, and perhaps your putter will. If it doesn’t then see if you can buy one – you use your putter more than any other club and you need to protect the club head.

2. Ensure your golf bag doesn’t stretch the shafts.

Good golf bags should have separate sections (four is quite common) to keep clubs apart. The sections should have soft material at the top to ensure the shafts don’t get scratched as you put them back in the bag.

3. Dry your clubs when they get wet.

If you’ve been playing in wet conditions make sure you take your clubs out of the bag and wipe them down. Leave them (and the bag) to dry properly before putting them back in. This will help stop the shafts going rusty.

Looking After Your Clubs On The Golf Course

You should always have a towel in your golf bag so you can wipe the club head after you’ve used it. The golf pro caddies usually dampen one half with water to make wiping the heads easier, and then use the other end of the towel to dry them.

Make sure the grooves of the clubs are nice and clean to avoid any mis-hits and also to ensure you generate plenty of back-spin. You can buy little brushes to keep in your bag or use the end of a tee peg to clean them.

Taking care of your clubs will ensure they perform for longer at their best and you will perform at your best.

How To Approximate The Age Of A Vintage Golf Club

Even though it is seldom easy to precisely distinguish an antique golf club from one that is merely an old golf club, there are several hints that can at least help us as collectors of golf memorabilia, to date a vintage club with relative accuracy, helping us to determine, ultimately, a golf clubs value.

The following 5 point test, which is really a preliminary golf club appraisal, can offer some quick insight on the approximate age of golf golf collectibles. Determing the age, as you would imagine, is the natural first step in establishing vintage golf club values.

The Grip – The texture of the grip can offer a meaningful hint about the age of an old golf club. Older clubs were generally equipped wit flocked suede grips. Generally speaking, clubs made after the early 1920’s were manufactured with leather grips. It is also important to spend the time and energy to effectively determine whether the grip of a vintage golf club under evaluation is original or whether perhaps it could be a once or twice removed replacement. An accurate assessment here is critical as you begin your analysis.

The Club Face – The club face on antique golf irons is often smooth. Although many players manually scored their club faces, the marking of faces on vintage iron clubs was not introduced until the first few years of the 20th century. Again, even though this would certainly not rank as an exact method of dating old golf clubs, a smooth face would certainly indicate that you are in possession of a club that dates prior to 1905.

The Wooden Shaft Test – Whether or not the shaft is made of wood is a primary indicator of age. There were clubs manufactured after 1930 where preowned golf clubs with metal shafts were overlaid with plastic covers. Even though these are often represented as authentic wooden golf clubs, the old reliable magnet test can always uncover whether the original shaft is wood. If it not, this is a post 1930 age factor.

The Metal Club Head – Simple test. Prior to 1920, a different grade of steel was used to manufacture clubheads. This inferior grade of steel, as you would expect, results in clubs which today look more dated; dark colored, sometimes even rusty. An old golf club that still exhibits a shiny clubhead would point to a piece dated post 1920.

Markings or Stamps – If there is a marking or shop stamp, an Antique Gold Club Reference Guide , like our recommended resource could be used to date the club pretty precisely.

As with many antiques, often times the best way to preserve golf club value is to do nothing at all in the way of polishing, or painting, or shaft repair that would compromise the original integrity of the piece. Any reputable antique dealer, and particularly those in the golf collectibles arena, would be well equipped to help you understand those things that would enhance value vs those things which would compromise value.

Also, remember when acquiring a vintage golf club, especially through a commercial channel, to ensure that you receive a certificate of authenticity, and if possible, a golf club appraisal with your purchase.

Visit My Vintage Golf Clubs Site

K Harrigan

Three Powerful Golf Grip Techniques

A great golf grip is essential to playing a fantastic game of golf. If you are gripping the club incorrectly or way too hard, you will end up with golf shots that go places you don’t want them to go. There is no exact science to the golf grip, but there are 3 fundamental golf grips that golfers make use of today: i0j2l3iajx

The baseball grip is most commonly utilized by younger golfers, females, seniors, and those with weaker wrists along with arms. The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand meet but do not overlap or interlock.

The overlapping grip is the most commonly used golf grip. Its widely used mostly by male golfers and individuals with strong wrists and forearms. The little finger of the right hand lies together with or overlaps the pointer finger within the left hand.

An interlocking grip is commonly used by golfers with shorter hands and fingers, those with thicker or perhaps chunkier palms, and golfers who is having a hard time with the overlapping grip. The forefinger finger of the left hand and the to the finger of the right hand overlap each other and interlock.

Here is the basic method to grip a golf club no matter which grip you utilize. First by gripping the club directly in front of you with your right hand with the club head pointing away from you at about a 45 degree angle.

Next hold the club with your left hand. The club will be mainly within the palm across the pads at the base of the fingers. However, the club will lie over the first section of the pointer finger. The thumb will be placed directly over the golf club shaft. Relative to the golf club, the thumb will be in the twelve o’clock position.

Now, with your right hand, grip the golf club just over your left hand with the fingers, not the palm, of your right hand. The thumb will be positioned slightly off towards the left. Relative to the golf club, the thumb will be in an eleven o’clock position.

If you have gripped the golf club correctly, only the first two knuckles of your left hand will be visible. As well, your left thumb must be completely hidden under your right hand. The pointer finger position of your right hand will look like a gun trigger finger.

If your golf grip pressure is exact, the club could almost be pulled from the hands, but not quite. A right golf grip will make you feel as should you be holding the club mostly in your palm and last three fingers of one’s left hand. Regardless, both hands must support the club with equal pressure. A correct golf grip doesn’t guarantee a successful golf swing; however, a defective golf grip will almost always result in a disastrous golf swing.

How To Grip Your Golf Club

The grip of the club is one of the most important parts of getting a great shot. This is the only part of your body connected to the club. A good grip gives you a better golf swing and the best chance of finding your target. The amount of pressure you apply by holding your club will affect the flight and height of your shot. The perfect grip allows you to comfortably keep control of the club and helps you feel the connection of your hands and the club head.

Ten-finger / Baseball Golf Grip
Your right hand rests next to the side of your index finger of your left hand. All your fingers should be resting on the club. This is a great grip for golfers with hands that are not that strong. The grip will become firmer with the support of all your ten fingers on the handle. You will be able to lock your wrist in the swing to give your more force in the shot. However you will have less control over your shot and club head.

Interlock Golf Grip
In this type of golf grip the pinky of your right hand is inter locked with the index finger of your left hand. This keeps your hands connected during the swing. The fact that this grip requires less strength than the overlapping golf grip makes it ideal for women golfers and those with small hands or short fingers.

For the interlocking golf grip, hold your club with your left hand – three of your knuckles should be visible and your left thumb should be slightly at the right of the center of the Grip. Then place your right hand. The index finger middle finger and ring finger should touch the end of the club handle and the pinkie of your right hand should interlock with the left index finger.

Overlap Golf Grip
This grip is also called the Vardon grip and was popularized by Harry Vardon. In this golf grip the pinky of your right hand rests on the top of the index finger of your left hand. The ring finger of your right hand will also touch the index finger of your left hand. This kind of grip gives you the feeling that your hands are connected and are working together during the swing. This grip is mostly used by professional golfers and requires strong hands since you will be using fewer fingers to control your club.

The overlap golf grip is almost the same as the interlock golf grip. The main difference is that for the overlap golf grip the pinkie of your right hand should be under the index finger of your left hand.

Effective Grip Pressure
Holding your club too tight may cause you to slice the ball leaving you with a difficult shot from the rough or woods. You will not get the desired distance. A lighter grip will give more chance of hitting your ball squarely. Let the club rest on your finger and not in the palms of your hand. Most people will tell you on a scale of 1 to 10 the best pressure will be a 4 to 5.

Recommendations For The Perfect Left Handed Golf Grip

It’s often considered a right-hander’s environment since a great number of elements are usually made or developed for right-handed individuals and thus minimal concern is offered to left-handers. The same is true somewhat to golf because it will be tougher to locate equipment meant for left-handed players. There is also a bias on numerous golf courses because there are a lot more holes which go right to left in comparison with holes which are left to right. Figuring out the proper golf club grip is definitely the initial step to dealing with a golf course.

Step 1 Grasp your club using your right hand and put it near the top of your golf grip. Use the tiny finger of the left hand and put it atop the area between the forefinger on your right hand along with the center finger. This is the overlapping grip and it’s also the most famous golf grip, meant for right handers and left handed golfers, in the game.

Step 2 Grab your club and put it in the right palm. The small finger of your remaining hand needs to go under the forefinger of your right hand. Arrange the hands so they will work collectively to hold on to the particular club. This is known as an interlocking golf grip.

Step 3 Try out the baseball grip. After putting the right hand towards the top of your golf club, take the remaining palm and put it immediately directly below just like you happen to be striking with a softball bat. Even though this grip isn’t as fashionable as the overlapping or interlocking versions, it could be useful. The hands come together jointly when it comes to the first couple of grips, while the softball grip truly does not provide the equivalent degree of control. This shoudl prove useful for driving with your left handed golf driver.

Step 4 Grip lower down on the left handed club whenever you’re just about to strike a short pitch shot of 70 yards or less. As opposed to holding the golf iron on the end, grab your pitching wedge and set the right hand (top hand) approximately seven in . lower down the club with ones left hand underneath. Doing this should provide a person additional control in addition to a greater “feel” for the ball.

Step 5 Carry ones left handed golf putter onto the training green and use the exact same type of golf grip you happen to be employing on drives and fairway shots. The only thing different will be the pressure of your grip. Pro players recommend individuals that his or her grasp really should be a “5 or even 6” (on a range of 1 to 10) any time they are about to strike a golf ball. Even so, the grip on the putter should always be a “3 or perhaps 4” on the green.

Keep in mind fellow left handed golf players generally there is absolutely no correct or incorrect approach to hold your club. It really is whichever seems most comfy to you.