Grips Frequently Asked Questions
How to grip a golf club
There are some basic steps to follow when gripping a golf club. It can come down to personal preference and no doubt you’ll find your own quirks and tweaks that feel more comfortable for you, but first you need the foundations. When you take the club grip in your hand, make sure you’re aligning it with fingers more than the center of your palm. Cradle your fingers and let the club rest there, and let your thumb rest on the trail side of your grip. For a neutral golf grip, check that the space between your thumb and finger on your trail hand, the ‘V’ space, is aligning with either your chin or your shoulder. At this point, double check the placement of your trail hand. You don’t want gaps appearing between your little finger on your trail hand and the first finger on your lead hand. You want an overlapping grip for great control. Keep a tight grip, but don’t let that tightness ride up your body into your wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Keep these firm but fluid, so your swing can be powerful yet move gracefully.
How to change golf grips
Your golf grips need to be changed every 6 months if you play semi-regularly, by which we mean around 3 times a week. However, we don’t recommend you change your golf grips at home as you need specialist tools that not every garden garage will have. Find a golf shop near to you that will change your grips for you so you don’t run the risk of damaging your clubs.
How to clean golf grips
Your golf grips will quickly accumulate dirt and grime, this is only natural. Even if you wear golf gloves on one or both hands, there’s still going to be some transfer of dirt onto the grips. Between replacing your golf grips every 6 months, you should still clean your grips after every few rounds if not after every round anyway. Sun cream, sweat, dust, and your skin’s oils will reduce the traction on the grip, so it could start to affect your game. Fill a bucket or basin with warm water and a drop of gentle soap, like washing up liquid, and lather this up into a nice soapy warm bath for your grips. Then, take a clean cloth and dip it into the water. Rub the wetted and soapy cloth over the grips until you’re happy with their clarity. To finish, run the grips into warm water to rinse out the suds. Don’t use a harsher soap or hot water, as this could weaken the glue underneath the grips and cause them to loosen prematurely. Towel dry the grips and mop up any residual water or droplets that may have made their way down the clubs.
Does a thicker golf grip help?
The short answer: not necessarily. It depends on the club you’re using and the size of your hand or glove. If you find that you swing too vigorously in your hands and wrist and this is making you hook, a thicker golf grip can help stabilise this. However, it does come down to personal preference and your own play technique.
How do you know what size golf grips to use?
A simple rule of thumb to start with is if you’re wearing a small golf glove, then a smaller or thinner golf grip will be better suited to you than a bigger one. If you wear a medium, then opt for a medium-thickness grip, and so on. Some players opt for different grip sizes on different clubs, and some find that a thicker or thinner grip improves their shots regardless of their hand size or glove size. What you need to measure is your own comfort in your hands and wrists when playing, record how successful and accurate your shots are, and whether or not this could come down to the grip you’re using. Compare your personal approach to your golf game with your clubs and gear, and then you’ll be able to make a better decision with regards to your golf club grips.