What to Use When Cleaning Golf Clubs

A clean golf club isn’t just about looking good in your bag, it’s a non-negotiable part of hitting consistent, predictable golf shots. From the spin on your wedges to the roll of your putts, the condition of your clubface has a direct impact on your performance. This guide will walk you through exactly what to use for every club in your bag, providing a clear, step-by-step process for a deep clean at home and quick maintenance on the course.

Why Bother Cleaning Your Clubs? (Hint: It’s Not Just About Looks)

As a coach, one of the simplest things I see separate consistent ball-strikers from inconsistent ones is equipment upkeep. Think of it like this: would you expect a race car to perform with mud-caked tires? The same principle applies to your golf clubs.

Here’s a breakdown of why a quick scrub is one of the best things you can do for your game:

• Grooves on Your Irons and Wedges: The sharp, clean edges of your grooves are designed to do one thing: channel away dirt, grass, and water from the clubface at the moment of impact. This allows the face to make pure contact with the ball, generating the friction needed for backspin. When those grooves are packed with dried mud and grass, your clubface becomes effectively smooth. The result? The ball slides up the face, launching higher with far less spin. This is the difference between a wedge shot that stops on a dime and one that flies over the green uncontrollably.
• The Face of Your driver and Woods: While drivers don't have aggressive grooves like wedges, the face is still engineered for optimal performance. Grass, dirt, or even a water droplet trapped between the face and the ball at impact can significantly alter spin rates and launch direction, leading to shots that you didn’t intend to hit. A clean face gives you the most consistent transfer of energy.
• The Putter Face: The mill marks or grooves on your putter face are designed for one purpose: to get the ball rolling end-over-end as quickly as possible. Even a tiny piece of sand or a remnant from a freshly aerated green can cause the ball to bounce or skid off the face, sending your putt veering offline from the start. A clean putter face is fundamental to a true roll.
• Your Grips: This is the part everyone forgets, yet it’s your only physical connection to the club. Over time, grips accumulate sweat, sunscreen, oil from your hands, and dirt from the ground. This turns a tacky, secure grip into a slick, slippery one. To compensate, you naturally grip the club tighter, which introduces tension into your forearms, shoulders, and swing - a certified swing-killer.

The Ultimate Golf Club Cleaning Toolkit

You don't need a professional workshop to get your clubs back to mint condition. Most of what you need is likely already in your house. Here’s a look at the ideal setups a tour pro and for weekend player use to keep their tools in prime condition.

The ‘At-Home’ Deep Clean Station

Think of this as a a monthly spa day for your clubs. It’s what you’ll do to get them seriously clean after a few rounds.

• A Plastic Bucket: Just big enough to submerge your iron heads. A standard 5-gallon bucket works perfectly.
• Warm Water: Not hot water. Hot water can potentially weaken the epoxy that holds the clubhead to the shaft, risking a loose ferrule (the little black plastic piece at the top of the hosel) or worse. Warm tap water is all you need.
• Mild Dish Soap: A few squirts of a gentle dish soap like Dawn is perfect for breaking down dirt and oils without being harsh on your clubs' finish.
• Soft-Bristle Brush: This is a big one. Avoid hard-wire brushes, especially for your premium wedges and woods. An old toothbrush, a dishwashing brush, or a dedicated golf club brush with plastic or nylon bristles is ideal.
• An Old Microfiber or Cotton Towel: You’ll need one for drying your freshly cleaned clubs and it never hurts to an old one on standby for any particularly messy jobs.
• Groove Tool or Golf Tee: For that stubborn, compressed dirt deep in the grooves, a bamboo golf tee or a specialized groove sharpener can gently pick it out.
• (Optional) Chrome Polish: For traditional forged irons, a touch of chrome or steel polish after they’re clean and dry can give them that "brand new" shine.

The ‘On-the-Course’ Quick Clean Essentials

For in-round upkeep, you just need a few simple tools clipped to your bag.

• A Clip-On Club Brush: The classic dual-sided brush with wire bristles for irons and nylon bristles for woods is a golfer's best friend. Most come with a clip and a retractable "zinger" cord so it's always ready.
• A Wet/Dry Towel: Drench one half of your golf towel in water before the round and leave the other half dry. Use the wet half to wipe down the face before a shot and the dry half right after.

Your Step-by-Step Cleaning Guide for a Perfect Finish

Cleaning your clubs isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. Woods need a different touch than wedges. Follow this process to a tee and for a perfect result every time

1. How to Clean Your Irons and Wedges

These are your workhorses, and they get the dirtiest. They can also handle the most robust cleaning process.

• Step 1: The Soak. Fill your bucket with warm water and a few drops of dish soap. Place your irons and wedges in the bucket with only the heads submerged. It's important to keep the water level below the ferrules. They don't need to soak for hours, 5-10 minutes is plenty to loosen up even the most caked-on mud.
• Step 2: The Scrub. Take one club out at a time. Use your soft-bristle brush to scrub the entire clubface and the sole. Move the brush back and forth along the grooves to clean them out. If you find compacted dirt, use a golf tee to gently pry it loose. Dunk the club back in the soapy water as needed.
• Step 3: Rinse and Dry. Once the head is spotless, rinse it under a gentle stream of clean tap water to remove any soap residue. Finally, dry the head and shaft thoroughly with your towel. This last step is important to prevent any surface rust from forming on carbon steel wedges.

2. How to Clean Your Driver, Woods, and Hybrids

Be much more delicate with these clubs. Their painted finishes and modern composite materials demand a lighter touch.

Never, ever submerge your woods or hybrids in water. This can allow moisture to seep inside the clubhead through tiny seams, potentially leading to internal damage, a strange rattling sound, or a dead-feeling club - and it all could have been avoided.

• Step 1: The Damp Wipe. Wet a section of your towel in the soapy water and wring it out so it's damp, not dripping. Use this to wipe down the entire head - the crown, the face, and the sole.
• Step 2: The Gentle Brush. Use the soft, nylon side of your golf brush (or a toothbrush) to gently scrub any score lines or depressions on the face where dirt collects. Be careful not to scrub harshly on the painted areas of the crown or sole.
• Step 3: The Immediate Dry. Use the dry part of your towel to wipe the clubhead completely dry right away.

3. How to Clean Your Putter

Your putter is often your most expensive club and can have a delicate insert or an intricate milled face. Treat it with care.

• Step 1: Wipe, Don't Soak. Just like your woods, keep your putter away from the bucket of water. A damp cloth is all you need here.
• Step 2: Gentle Cleaning. Wipe down the entire head. If your putter has a milled face or grooves, you can use a very soft brush (a toothbrush is perfect) to lightly clean them out. Be extremely cautious with soft polymer or elastomer inserts, as a stiff brush could scratch or damage them.

4. Don't Forget the Grips!

Reviving your grips can make your old clubs feel brand new. Tackiness creates confidence.

• Step 1: The Formula. You can use the same warm, soapy water you used for your clubheads.
• Step 2: The Scrub Down. Wet a cloth with the soapy water and firmly wipe the grip from top to bottom. For more thorough cleaning, use your soft Nyon brush to gently scrub away the locked-in oils and grime.
• Step 3: The Rinse. This is the most important part. Rinse the grip under a light stream of cool water, holding the club with the head pointing up. This ensures no water runs down the shaft and under the grip, which can loosen the grip tape. Just a quick rinse to get the soap off is enough.
• Step 4: The Dry. Pat the grip dry with a towel, and then let your clubs air dry completely before putting them back in your golf bag.

Common-Sense Cautions: What NOT to Do

Avoiding a few common mistakes is just as important as knowing the right steps.

• Don’t use a wire brush on your woods, hybrids, or putter. The paint, finish, and soft inserts can be scratched easily. Reserve the wire bristles for irons only.
• Don’t soak clubs past the ferrules. Protecting the epoxy is a top priority.
• Don’t boil your cleaning water. Warm is good. Hot is risky.
• Don’t put your clubs away wet. Always dry them thoroughly to prevent rust, especially with forged wedges and older clubs.
• Don’t EVER use harsh household chemicals. Cleaners like Windex, bleach, or acidic solutions can strip the finish off clubs and eat away at the rubber in your grips. Mild dish soap and water are the perfect pair for the job.

Final Thoughts

Taking a few minutes to clean your clubs is one of easiest performance enhancers available to every golfer. Proper upkeep protects you clubs by giving them the spin, control, and consistency they ere ddesigned to provide. At end of the day, having confidence that your equipment will perform as expected is a massive advantage on the course.

We built Caddie AI with the goal of bringing that same level of confidence to the strategic and mental side of your a game. Just ike knowing the right way to clean your grooves, knowing the smart play for a tricky dogleg or getting an expert opinion when you're caught between clubs helps take the guesswork out of golf. By giving you immediate, pro-level advice right on the course, Caddie AI simplifies your decisions so you can focus on swinging with total commitment.