Changing your own golf grips is one of the most satisfying and affordable ways to have a direct impact on your game. Fresh grips give you better traction, reduce tension in your hands, and can make even an old set of clubs feel brand new. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step by step, so you can do a professional-level job right from your own garage or workshop.
Before we get into the details, let's talk about why this is a skill worth learning. Your connection to the golf club is through your hands. If your grips are worn, slippery, or the wrong size, your subconscious reaction is to squeeze harder. This extra tension creeps into your forearms, shoulders, and ultimately kills the fluid motion we're all looking for in our swing. A new set of grips can have a profound effect on your feel and confidence.
Think of it this way: you wouldn't drive a car with bald tires and expect it to handle well, right? Worn grips are the bald tires of your golf game. By learning to change them yourself, you not only save a few bucks but also gain a deeper understanding of your own equipment. It puts you in control, and that's a powerful feeling to take to the first tee.
Doing the job right means having the proper setup. You can buy complete regripping kits online, or you can piece together the components yourself. Here’s what you absolutely need:
Once you have all your tools laid out, it's time to get started. Don't rush the process, especially on your first time. If you’re doing a full set, try one club from start to finish to get the hang of it before moving on to an assembly-line method.
Place the rubber clamp around the shaft about 5-6 inches below where the old grip ends. Position the club in the vise so that the face is pointing straight up to the ceiling (for irons) or perfectly square to your imaginary target line. This will give you a good visual reference for aligning the new grip later on. Tighten the vise just enough to hold the club securely without it torquing or spinning. Do not overtighten, especially on graphite shafts.
This is where safety comes first. Take your hook blade or utility knife. Position the blade at the base of the old grip (the end closest to the club head). Always cut away from your body. Insert the hook and pull it up toward the butt end of the club in a single, smooth cut. The grip should peel open easily. Once cut, you can peel the old rubber or leather wrap away from the shaft.
This is often the most time-consuming part of the job, but it is super important for a good result. You must remove every last bit of the old double-sided tape. Leaving patches of old tape will create lumps and ridges under your new grip. You can start by peeling it off with your fingers. For stubborn tape, lightly apply some solvent or a little bit of heat from a heat gun (use caution) to loosen the adhesive, then scrape it off with an old credit card or a scraper that won't scratch the shaft. Once all the tape is gone, give the shaft a final wipe-down with a solvent-soaked rag to remove any residue. The goal is a perfectly clean, smooth surface.
Take a strip of your double-sided grip tape. You want the tape to be about a half-inch shorter than the length of your new grip. A good rule of thumb is to lay the new grip alongside the shaft and see where it ends, then make your tape just a bit shorter.
Center the tape along the top of the shaft, leaving about a half-inch of tape overhanging the butt end. Press the tape down firmly along the top, then carefully wrap the sides around the shaft, smoothing it out as you go to avoid wrinkles or air bubbles. Peel the waxy backing off the tape. Finally, take the half-inch of tape hanging off the end, twist it tightly, and tuck it into the little hole at the end of the shaft. This creates a seal so solvent won't get inside.
Now the action starts. Grab your drip pan and place it under the club shaft. Take your new grip and cover the small hole on the end cap with your finger. Pour a generous amount of solvent into the open end of the grip - fill it about one-third of the way up. Now, cover the large opening with your other thumb and shake the grip vigorously for a few seconds to coat the entire inside surface.
With the drip pan in position, pour the solvent from inside the grip directly over the entire length of the double-sided tape you just applied. Be liberal with it! The solvent is your lubricant. Not using enough is the number one mistake beginners make.
You need to move quickly but deliberately here. Immediately after wetting the tape, take the grip with both hands and align the opening with the butt end of the shaft. Start pushing it on. You will feel some resistance, but it should slide. Push it on in one continuous, smooth motion until the butt end of the grip is snug against the end of the shaft. Don't be timid here, push it all the way on until it stops.
You have a short window - usually a minute or two - before the solvent starts to evaporate and the tape begins to stick. During this time, you can fine-tune the alignment. If the grip has a logo or alignment pattern, stand back and look down the club as you would at address. Rotate the grip slightly until it looks perfectly square to the clubface.
Once you are happy with the alignment, wipe off any excess solvent with your rag and set the club aside to dry. It's best to wait at least a few hours, but ideally overnight, before you go use it. Don't get tempted to go hit balls right away!
Once you’ve done one club, the rest get much easier. Here are a few extra tips from experience:
As you can see, installing your own golf grips is a straightforward skill that any golfer can learn. With just a few tools and a little bit of patience, you can give your clubs a new lease on life, improve your feel and control, and gain a real sense of accomplishment knowing you did it yourself.
Doing a job like this yourself fosters a deeper connection to your equipment and your game. We want to bring that same confidence and clarity to your decisions on the course, which is why we created Caddie AI. When you're standing over a tricky shot or just have a a question about strategy or equipment - like whether you need larger grips - you can get a quick, smart recommendation. My goal is to remove the guesswork so you can step up to every shot with confidence and commit to your swing.
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