In the world of golf, putter grip can really affect your gameplay in both ways. A good grip will ensure that you perform your technique with the best support possible, while a destroyed grip can negatively affect your performance. What happens is that you will grip more tightly since you don’t feel enough traction. That will create tension in your wrists and hands so a bad swing seems to be promised. Not to mention that bad grip can slide from your hand and totally ruin your game.
Often and proper cleanse will ensure longer lasting of your golf grips. You can do that by simply scrubbing the grip with warm water, dish soap, and a fine washcloth or brush. Tenderly brush off the dirt and make sure it is cleaned evenly. Once you wash off all dirt and rinse, just dry your golf grip. You can use a clean cloth to dry it or let it dry naturally.
When is the time to change the putter grip?
It would be good to change the putter grip once every 12-16 months with regular cleaning. You will know that grip is ready to change when you notice it’s cracking, less sticky, discoloured, feels hard, slides your hand and it looks shiny or damaged. If you play more often, the grip will strip sooner. That is fine, you will just have to replace it more often but that is good news since you will perfect your putter grip changing technique.
A hot and humid environment requires more frequent grip replacements. Also, how you store your golf clubs affects how long will they last. Hot, badly ventilated places will just speed up the damage on your grip. Make sure that you don’t keep your equipment in your car. If you store them in the garage, check ventilation, moisture levels, and temperature.
How to change putter grip
- Remove the Old Putter Grip
The first step of the removing old putter grip is cutting it in a straight line from the bottom to the top. Using a steel shard can help with cutting the putter. If you use a graphite shaft make sure that you don’t damage it while cutting with a knife or scalpel.
- Cleaning the Shaft
When you remove the old putter grip, you need to clean it It’s important that you remove the old tape completely on the shaft. Also, you need to remove the glue from the old grip left on the club You can use a golf club cleaning solution to clean it minutely.
You can’t go to the next step until the club is cleaned and dried completely.
- Preparing Putter Shaft for the New Grip
The first step of preparing your shaft is to measure how much tape do you need to put on it. You can measure this by placing the new grip next to your shaft. When measuring is done, gram masking tape and apply it around the shaft forming a spiral shape and following the measurement you have.
The next step is to wrap the double-sided tape around the putter shaft. The regular measurement of the putter grip is .580 in diameter. If you want to build the grip, just add another layer of tape on the top. Be careful that there’s enough space for the tape to not overlap on the shaft and work it downwards. Add some mineral spirits into the shaft and a little bit onto it.
- Putting on the New Grip
Put a new grip on top of the tape and seal the hole so the mineral spirit doesn’t spill. You can pour the rest of the solvent out of the grip once it’s spread throughout the whole inside of the grip.
Try to align the new grip on the shaft closely as possible so there’s not much aligning to do later. You can further adjust by gently twisting the putter grip. You can search for a logo or a straight line that most grips have to help you align and centre your piece. Once adjusted, press to secure your golf grip.
It takes 2-4 hours for the grip to dry. When it’s properly stuck to the shaft you can use it again, but make sure it’s completely dry before you give it a try.
Conclusion
It’s nice to have the knowledge of replacing grips by yourself if you’re playing gold often. How often you exchange them depends on how frequently you play, how sweaty your hands are, how you store your clubs, and what’s the climate in your city.
When it comes to choosing a perfect putter grip there are several options to consider. The first one is size and it depends on your game style. If you don’t want a lot of hand and wrist action, oversize and midsize is good for you. Midsize will have you engaging larger muscles but also hand and wrist, while small one holds an emphasis on your hand.
You also need to match the grip to your gripping style. Some of the most popular styles are left-hand low, Prayer style, Armlock, Pencil, The Claw, etc. Some of those, like Pencil and Claw, allow using any grip size. At the end of the day you know your game and grip style the best so just base your choice on that.
Here you can find a nice comparison of putter grips to help you choose a putter grip for you. This comparison will lay down all info you need on different grips so you can choose wisely. If you’re a beginner, don’t worry, you will get a hold of all this technical stuff. You will develop your own style and preferences and with it, a grip likes and dislikes. Every player is different, feels the grip differently, has preferences and game styles that require a special grip. Make sure that you find the one that suits you best because it can really affect the course of the game. Also, keep in mind, if some grip type is no longer working for you, you can always change it.
