The Importance of Replacing Golf Grips: Improve Your Swing with Upgrades

This is a necessary and inexpensive step that will actually help your game. I, and some others, call it regripping. Most average golfers are unaware when their grips need to be changed. Their grips either wear or become slippery due to body oils from the hands or just flat-out dirty. We never think about it while playing a round or the rest of the time, when our clubs are in the trunk of our car. You'd be amazed at the difference new grips can add. When grips are worn or slippery, you have to grip the club tighter, resulting in tension, the killer of average golfers' swings.

First see if yours appear to be worn. If not, just wash them in warm, soapy water, (dish liquid is ideal), and dry. That usually restores the tackiness and saves you a few bucks. If they're worn you have two options. Pay to have them replaced by a competent replacer person or do it yourself. Most golf supply companies will sell you everything needed in kit form. I'd stay away from the discount walk-in stores with generic rubber grips for sale. They're most likely cheap rubber grips that won't last very long. The online suppliers offer virtually every grip made. Winn, Golf Pride, Lamkin, to name a few. The only thing you'll need to provide is a vise to hold the clubs steady and a utility knife to remove the old grips. Here's a link to step-by-step instructions on how to regrip your clubs. Golfsmith Clubmaker. Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can. I regrip about once a year which equals about fifty rounds. About every ten or so rounds I wash my grips.

Before you order a kit make sure you are using the correct size grip. If a grip is too small your swing will be "wristy" and too "handsy" making control difficult. If they're too large it will be less "wristy" and make it difficult to fully release the clubhead through impact. Here's a Grip Selection Guide to help you find the correct size. I've fitted people that were using the wrong size grip and when they played with the correct size they were amazed at the difference in their game. Same with regripping. I had one fellow who was ready to sell his entire set of clubs. After I regripped them he was ecstatic with them and his results.

So, boring post? Yes. Necessary? Yes. Do it now. When your local course opens, you'll be focused on playing.