Regripping Your Clubs at Home: Tools, Cost, and Steps

Regripping looks like a job for the shop, but it is one of the easiest pieces of club work to do yourself. Once you have done one club, the rest of the set goes quickly. Here is what you need, what it costs, and how to do it without ruining a shaft.

What you need

• New grips, one per club you are doing.
• Double-sided grip tape (the 2-inch width is the simplest).
• Grip solvent, or mineral spirits as a common substitute.
• A hook blade or a utility knife to cut off the old grip.
• A vise with a rubber shaft clamp, or a sturdy way to hold the club.
• A towel and a tray to catch the solvent.

What it costs

Grips themselves run from about six dollars for a basic rubber to the mid-teens for a cord hybrid. Tape and solvent are a few dollars and cover a whole set. A shop typically charges a few dollars per club in labor on top of the grip, so doing a full set yourself saves the labor and lets you take your time. The tools pay for themselves after a set or two.

The steps

1. Secure the club in the vise using the rubber shaft clamp, near the grip end.
2. Cut the old grip off with the hook blade, running the blade away from you. Peel it off.
3. Strip the old tape and clean any residue off the shaft.
4. Measure the new tape against the grip, cut it, and wrap it smoothly. Add extra build-up wraps here if you want a thicker grip.
5. Pour solvent inside the new grip, cover the ends, and shake to coat.
6. Pour the solvent over the taped shaft, then push the grip on fast.
7. Square the grip to the face before the solvent sets, then let it cure.

The whole thing is a race against the solvent drying, so lay everything out first and work one club at a time. Let the grips cure for a few hours, or overnight to be safe, before you play.

When to let a shop handle it

Two situations are worth the shop's time: if you do not have a vise and clamp, since holding a club by hand risks cracking a shaft, and if you are working on older graphite shafts where an aggressive blade can nick the graphite. Otherwise, regripping at home is a genuinely simple win. While you are at it, check whether your size and material still fit your game rather than replacing like for like.