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.