Let’s face it: golf is messy. Between the dirt, sand, grass, mud, brush, and foliage, there’s a lot to rough up your gear.
Knowing how to clean your golf clubs and grips is an essential element of your off-course preparation; soiled grips might slip uncomfortably in your hands, and clubs heads covered in dirt will send the ball on unpredictable flight paths that’ll leave you hanging your head as you search meagerly for your ball in the tall grass out-of-bounds.
Don’t get stuck on the fairway with an iron that doesn’t shine; clean your golf clubs and grips after every round to keep them looking and playing at their finest.
There are all sorts of fancy products out there that’ll claim they can beat the tough stains and dirt on your club heads, but in most cases, all you’ll really need are some readily-available household cleaning products.
What You Need to Get Started
Find yourself a big plastic bucket; if you can’t get your hands on one, you can clean your golf clubs in the bathtub or sink, though then you’re going to clean out your sink after cleaning your gear.
Grab a good plastic scrubbing brush, a toothbrush, a rag that you don’t mind getting dirty, and fill up your bucket with warm soapy water.
It’s important not to use water that’s too hot, or you’ll weaken the ferrule; the piece that hold your club head onto the shaft. You don’t want to damage your clubs while cleaning them!
It’s Time To Start Cleaning
Once you’ve set up your soapy water, submerge the heads of all of your irons into the water. Try here not to submerge more of the ferrule than you have to. For now, you can leave your drivers and putters out.
Let the irons bathe for several minutes, and then, one at a time, use the nylon brush to remove the dirt and debris that you’ve now loosened from the metal.
You can use the toothbrush to help clean dirt out of the fine grooves along the face of the club, which are what help maintain both the control over your shot, spin, and give you a bigger contact surface area.
Clean off any dirt and grass from the other sides of the club head, and then rinse away what’s left. Wipe the club down with your rag and you’re good to go.
Now for those drivers and putters. You’ll want to avoid dipping these directly into the water; instead, dampen a towel and wipe them down thoroughly.
If they have any dirt on them that you can’t remove, you can gently scrub with the toothbrush, and then wipe again.
Wipe down with a clean towel once the dirt is remove, and then dry completely.
To clean the grips, you simply need to wipe them off with a damp rag, and then towel them off. This should take care of any dirt or oils on the grips.
If they’re excessively dirty, just add some soapy water into the mix. But again, don’t overheat the water, or you might damage the adhesives keeping the grips in place.
Got any other great tips on how to clean your golf clubs and grips? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
