When should I replace the grip and shafts of my golf club?

Every golfer has that one club in his or her bag that has seen better days. You know, the one with the grips that look more like pieces of an old tire, crumbling away on the top of a warped and worn-out golf club shaft. You may even be considering replacing that old club with a new one, even though the actual club head itself is in great condition. Golfers throw away good golf clubs on a daily basis because they don’t know how to make a few simple repairs to their clubs that can increase their longevity by a long shot.

A good set of golf clubs can last for generations, but golf grips and shafts are another story. Golf grips should be replaced at least once per year for moderate weekend golfers, while golf shafts should only be replaced when they are damaged or when they don’t fit your swing.

Luckily, replacing golf grips and shafts isn’t as difficult as you may think. Let’s take a look at these two methods to getting a longer life and better performance out of your set of golf clubs.

How to Replace Golf Club Grips

You may have noticed your hands slipping during your backswing, the shaft rotating as you were coming down on the ball, or a feeling like your club was about to fly out of your hands during your follow through.

Sometimes it’s easy for a golfer to assume that if their golf grip is having a negative effect on their game, that it must be a problem with their swing or golf ball, when in fact your clubs may have golf grips that need to be replaced.

Learning how to replace golf grips is a pretty easy task, and once you’ve done it the first time, you’ll have no trouble keeping all of your clubs equipped with new grips.

1. Remove the old grip. Because removing a golf grip involves using a sharp knife or razor to cut the old grip, it’s important to have your golf club safely secured by using a vice. Slice the old grip down one side with your knife and you should have no problem sliding your grip right off.
2. Scrape away the old tape. Once the old golf grip is removed, any remaining old tape will need to go next. You can use the same knife or razorblade tool that you used to remove your golf grip to slowly scrape away any old tape and glue that may be remaining, or use a special scraping tool that is available at many golf equipment stores.
3. Add new tape and grip. Once your shaft is free of any old tape and glue, it’s time to apply your new tape. Make sure that your tape is cut a little longer than the length of the grip so that you can twist the end over the golf club shaft. This will help prevent water from making its way in. Using solvent to soak the tape, you’ll then slide the new grip on quickly to make sure that it doesn’t bond with the tape too soon.

Replacing Golf Club Shafts

You may be thinking that grips are one thing, but golf club shaft replacement is a whole other story. Actually, replacing a golf club shaft is just as easy, takes little time, and can save you from throwing away a perfectly good club head for a brand new stick.

1. Remove the old shaft. You’ll be using your vice to keep your golf club secure again for this one. Use a heat gun or a small torch to heat up the part of the shaft that goes into the hosel. It’s important to only use a little heat for graphite shafts, and a lot of heat for steel shafts. The purpose of the heat is to melt the old glue that secures that shaft to the hosel, so take your time applying heat until you feel the club head start to loosen, and then remove it.
2. Clean the club head. Use a solvent to clean and remove any old glue from the inner part of the club head, or hosel, before moving forward.
3. Insert the new shaft. You’ll want to rough up the tip of the shaft, making sure that there is a rough surface for adhesive to bond to before applying glue to both the end of the shaft as well as inside the hosel. Make sure that the shaft is all the way in, then give the adhesive at least a day to dry before using the club.

Replacing golf grips is a skill that will come in handy year after year, ensuring that you’ve always got the best handles on all of your sticks. Golf club shaft replacement is a great way to bring new life to an old, warped club. So before throwing away those old clubs, consider replacing the golf grips and/or shafts first.