How To Clean Golf Grips

While cleaning your golf clubs may sound like a tedious task and not necessary, a clean golf grip can be the difference between good and bad shots. 

How To Clean Golf Grips?

If you talk to any professional golfer, they’ll tell you the importance of cleaning your grips along with any other part of your club. 

This is because a well-maintained golf grip ensures a firmer hold on your club, resulting in better accuracy. 

In this article, you’ll learn the benefits of cleaning your golf grips and how to do so. 

Essentially, all you’ll need is a bucket of soapy, warm water, another bucket of soap-free water, a sponge, and a towel. 

With all this in mind, let’s get straight into it! 

When To Clean Your Golf Grips?

The general rule of thumb is to clean your golf grips once or twice a year. Although, if you’re a frequent player, then you may want to clean them as frequently as once a month. 

The temperature changes, the sweat and oils from your hands, dirt, and many other factors can all contribute to the wear of your grips. 

The main difference between worn and clean grips is that they are firmer to play with which is the result of loss of tackiness. This can impact a golfer’s wrist release. 

Grips that are lacking tackiness greatly impact the squaring of the club head, even the slightest slide can affect your performance. 

Therefore, to enhance the life of your grips, they should be cleaned several times during the season to remove dirt or excess oils that are a result of frequent use. 

What To Use When Cleaning Golf Grips?

There are many different methods of cleaning your golf grips. Depending on the state of your grips, some methods are gentler than others. 

If your grips are slightly dirty, then you could get away with just giving them a wipe-over with water to remove any excess debris.

On the other hand, for those dirtier grips – ones without any tackiness – then you may require an in-depth and thorough cleaning. 

However, don’t be alarmed, this can be achieved simply with some soap, warm water, a scrubbing brush, and a dry towel. 

The combination of soap and water will not only clear your grips but will also restore them to their original tackiness state – bringing a new life to your golf clubs!

Warm Water And Soap

This is by far one of the easiest yet most effective ways of cleaning your golf grips. While there are some different methods, this one is the most gentle. 

Further down, you’ll find some more thorough methods, however, for now; let’s get into how to clean your grips using water and soap. 

The beauty of this method is that you probably have all the items readily available to you in your supply cupboards.

All you’ll need is:

  • A bucket containing warm water
  • Mild soap
  • A bucket containing lukewarm water
  • A plastic-bristle brush
  • A dry cloth or old towel

How To Clean Golf Grips Using Water and Soap

Using this method to regularly clean your golf grips will not only enhance your grips’ tackiness but also improve your game.

To clean your grips, all you have to do is:

  1. Pour a few drops of mild dish soap into some warm water. 
  2. Using your brush, start rubbing your grips with soapy water. 
  3. Once done, place your grips into the lukewarm water and remove the soap. 
  4. Then, using an old towel or dry cloth, dry off your grips. 
  5. Enjoy clean golf grips!

This is a great method for all kinds of grips, including driver grips, putter grips, cord grips, rubber grips, and leather golf grips. 

Once you have finished cleaning your grips, you can go one step further and give your dirty clubs some love by cleaning them in the same soapy water while you’re at it!

What Else Can You Use?

If you are looking for some more thorough cleaning methods, below, you will find some different solutions to cleaning your golf grips. 

Can You Clean Golf Grips With Windex?

Windex can be an extremely effective cleaning method, therefore, you may be wondering if you can use it on your golf club grips.

Can You Clean Golf Grips With Windex?

The answer is yes, you can! Windex is a thorough solution if you’re looking to remove tough debris as a result of a build-up of excess oils and dirt from your hands. 

However, there are downsides to using Windex. Most notably, since Windex contains ammonia it is likely to degrade the rubber over time. 

Although, since it evaporates relatively quickly, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, be warned if you are using it regularly. 

Can Vinegar Be Used To Clean Golf Grips?

Typically, vinegar is used to remove rust from the shafts of golf clubs. However, it can also be used to remove oils and dirt from your grips. 

Since vinegar is a natural degreaser, it does a good job of removing any oils. 

However, that being said, water and soap work just as well, plus; without the smell!

Can Alcohol Be Used To Clean Golf Grips?

Rubbing alcohol can be used to clean golf grips, however, this isn’t the best solution in the long run. This is due to the drying effect of the alcohol. 

That being said, it is a good way to remove excess dirt and oil. Just make sure to use a spray bottle when dispersing your alcohol as this will clean your grips while maintaining their durability. 

Final Thoughts

Cleaning your golf grips is usually a task avoided by many golfers. However, you should think twice before skipping this step since it can make the difference between good and bad shots.

The tackiness is important for a well-balanced, accurate swing – cleaning your clubs will maintain this.

Hopefully, this guide has informed you on how to clean your golf grips.

Garratt Shmidt
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