How to Clean Golf Grips

Your connection to the golf club is everything, and that connection starts and ends with your grips. A slick, dirty grip can cost you quiet confidence and, more importantly, control over your shots. Instead of feeling like a chore, cleaning your grips should be seen as a fundamental part of maintaining your equipment and your performance. This guide will walk you through a simple, effective process to make your old grips feel tacky and new again, regardless of the material.

Why Clean Grips are a Game-Changer

Before we get into the "how," let's talk about the "why." You might be surprised at how much of an impact a 15-minute cleaning session can have on your game. It’s not just about aesthetics, it’s about performance.

• Restored Tackiness and Feel: Golf grips are designed with specific textures and patterns to provide tack. Over time, the dirt, sweat, sunscreen, and oils from your hands clog up these patterns, making the surface smooth and slick. A proper cleaning removes this buildup and revives the original tackiness, giving you that fresh-out-of-the-box feel.
• Lighter, More Consistent Grip Pressure: When a grip is slick, your subconscious reaction is to squeeze it tighter to prevent the club from slipping or twisting during the swing. This added tension is a real performance killer. It tightens the muscles in your hands, wrists, and forearms, robbing you of swing speed and the subtle feel needed for touch shots. A clean, tacky grip allows you to hold the club with light, relaxed pressure, promoting a fluid, tension-free swing.
• Increased Grip Longevity: The oils and sweat that accumulate on your grips don't just reduce tackiness, they also degrade the rubber or polymer material over time. They can cause the material to harden, crack, or become permanently slick. Regular cleaning washes away these damaging substances, extending the playable life of your grips and saving you the cost and hassle of re-gripping your entire set as frequently.
• Confidence in All Conditions: There’s nothing worse than standing over a critical shot and feeling like the club might slip from your hands. This is especially true on hot, humid days or during a drizzly round. When your grips are clean and tacky, you can swing with the assurance that your connection to the club is secure. That mental freedom allows you to commit to the shot and focus on your target.

Your Grip Cleaning Toolkit

You don't need any expensive or specialized gadgets to get professional-level results. In fact, you probably already have everything you need right under your kitchen sink. This simple setup is perfect for the majority of standard rubber and cord grips.

• A bucket or access to a sink
• Warm water (avoid using very hot water as it can damage some grip materials and adhesives)
• Mild dish soap (a grease-cutting one like Dawn works great)
• A soft-bristled brush (a T-shirt, a dishcloth, a nail brush or even an old toothbrush works well)
• A clean, dry towel (microfiber is excellent, but a standard cotton towel is fine)

The Go-To Method: Step-by-Step for Standard Rubber Grips

This method is your bread and butter. It's perfect for the most common grips on the market, like the Golf Pride Tour Velvet, Lamkin Crossline, or similar rubber and cord variations. The whole process for a full set of clubs should only take about 15-20 minutes.

Step 1: Prep Your Workspace

First, find a good spot to work. A utility sink is ideal, but working outside with a bucket is just as easy. Lay down an old towel to catch any water drips. Fill your sink or bucket with warm water and add a few drops of mild dish soap. Give it a quick stir to create some suds.

Step 2: Wet and Soap the Grip

This is a small but important detail: do not submerge the grip end of the club in the water. You want to avoid getting water down inside the shaft, where it can cause rust over time. The best way to prevent this is to hold the club with the clubhead pointed down toward the ground.

Dipt your brush or cloth into the soapy water, then apply it directly to the grip. This gives you total control over the amount of water and keeps it away from the shaft's opening.

Step 3: Scrub Gently and Thoroughly

Using your soft-bristled brush, scrub the entire surface of the grip. Work in sections, rotating the club as you go. You should see a nice soapy lather start to form, which is lifting the dirt and oils out of the grip's texture. For standard rubber or corded grips, you can be firm enough to get into the crevices, but you don’t need to be overly aggressive. The goal is to clean in, not wear out.

Step 4: Rinse with Care

Once you’ve scrubbed the entire grip, it's time to rinse. Again, hold the club head-down. You can either use a gentle stream of warm water from your sink faucet or dip a clean section of your towel in clear water and wipe the suds away. Make sure you rinse thoroughly, any leftover soap residue will feel slick once it dries.

Step 5: Dry Completely for Maximum Tack

Drying is perhaps the most satisfying part of the process because it’s when the tackiness returns. Use a clean, dry towel to vigorously wipe all the moisture from the grip. Give it a good, firm rub-down. You should immediately feel a noticeable difference. The surface will go from wet and slick to grabby and tacky.

After the initial towel dry, stand the clubs up against a wall in a well-ventilated area to air dry for a few hours before putting them back in your golf bag. This gives any remaining moisture a chance to evaporate completely.

How to Clean Different Types of Grips

While the soap and water method works for most, some grip materials require a slightly different approach. Using the wrong technique could damage softer or more delicate grips.

Cleaning Winn, SuperStroke, or Polymer Grips

Grips like Winn Dri-Tac or many of the foam-based SuperStroke putter grips are made from softer, more absorbent polymer materials. They are fantastic for feel and shock absorption but require a gentler touch when cleaning.

• Use a Cloth, Not a Brush: A brush, even a soft one, can be too abrasive and may tear or create pilling on the surface of these grips. Use a microfiber cloth instead.
-

Use a minimal amount of soap and just enough water to make the cloth damp. Too much soap and water can saturate these grips. -

After rinsing with a damp, clean cloth, pat the grip dry with a towel. You can give it a gentle squeeze to remove any excess water that might have been absorbed before letting it air dry.

Cleaning Cord Grips

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have corded grips, like the Golf Pride Tour Cord. These are designed for maximum traction, especially in the wet, thanks to the cotton cord woven into the rubber.

You can follow the standard method shown above, but feel free to be a bit more aggressive with your scrubbing. Using a stiffer brush is fine here, as it will help you get deep into the fibrous texture of the cord to remove embedded dirt. These grips are built to be durable and can handle a robust cleaning.

Final Cleaning Leather or Leather-Wrap Grips

Genuine leather grips are quite rare these days, but if you have a vintage set or classic putter, knowing how to care for them is important. Water is not their friend. Using soap and running water will dry out the leather, causing it to crack and lose its supple feel.

For leather, you should use products designed specifically for cleaning and conditioning leather goods. Start by wiping the grip with a slightly damp cloth to remove any surface dirt, then apply a leather cleaner and conditioner as directed by the product's manufacturer. This will clean the grip while also restoring the essential oils that keep the leather soft and tacky.

How Often Should You Clean Your Grips?

The ideal frequency depends on how often you play and the conditions you play in. Here’s a simple guideline:

- If you play 2-3 times a week or frequently use sunscreen, give your grips a deep clean at least once a month. A quick wipe-down with a towel after each round also helps prevent significant buildup.

- If you play a couple of times a month, a thorough cleaning every 2-3 months is generally enough to keep them in top shape.

The best rule is to just pay attention to the feel. When your grips start to look shiny or feel even slightly slick to the touch, it's time for a cleaning. A little proactive maintenance goes a long way.

Final Thoughts

Cleaning your golf grips is a simple but really effective way to renew the performance of your clubs. You restore feel, promote lighter grip pressure for a better swing, and keep your equipment in prime condition. A few moments with soap, water, and a towel can make your entire set of clubs feel trusted and dependable again.

Taking care of your equipment is one of the many small details that adds up to better golf. When you're constantly looking for ways to improve, having a coach on call can make all the difference. That's why we created Caddie AI. If you're wondering about course strategy, what a specific lie calls for, or just have a question about your swing technique late at night, we provide instant, expert-level feedback. Our goal is to take the guesswork out of golf, so you can stand over every shot - with your clean, tacky grips - and swing with total commitment.