A Guide to Looking after your Golf Clubs

Taking care of your clubs is important, both because you want them to last and because you do not want poorly maintained clubs causing any problems with your game. It is important to spend a little more time and effort in caring for your clubs since they are an expensive purchase. A well maintained set of clubs can last a lifetime and hold a decent resale value if you are looking to trade in for some new clubs. Here are some general tips on how to maintain your clubs.

1) Storage
Clubs should be stored in a cool, dry place. Try to avoid keeping your clubs in the garage as they can often be damp, which will promote rust on steel shafts. In addition, try not to keep your clubs where they are exposed to humid conditions as this could cause the glues and resin under the grip to weaken.

2) Use your head overs
Make sure to use the head covers on your clubs. It sounds simple enough but many golfers even fail to do this. It is important to use head covers as they will provide a necessary cushion to prevent dinging or scratching of the clubs, even in the bag.

3) Clean your clubs
Ideally, you should inspect your clubs prior to and after every few rounds, and every time following playing in the rain.

Start with a bucket of warm soapy water and let the clubs soak heads down for a few minutes. This will loosen the dirt that got worked into the grooves of the clubface. After they have finished soaking, take each club and use a toothbrush to clean out the grooves on the clubface. Once you have got rid of any dirt or debris on the golf club, rinse off the club head and dry using a towel.

4) Use clean golf balls
Try to use clean golf balls as much as possible. A quick wipe with a towel before you hit off the tee will save the faces of your club being damaged by sand, stones and mud that may have gathered on the ball.

5) Shaft care
Check the shaft for nicks, cracks and dents. Golfers should avoid slamming their clubs, leaning on them or putting any unnecessary strain on them, since this can damage the shaft.

Graphite shafts are considerably less durable than steel shafts and require special care. Each graphite shaft is covered by a layer of paint and another layer of polyurethane. If these layers get scratched away, the graphite itself becomes exposed which can lead to damage. Longneck head covers are useful to protect graphite shafts from nicks and scratches in the bag.

6) Stay calm
It might sound ridiculous, but an awful lot of club damage is caused by players who lose their temper on the course. Next time you want to smash your club against the tree, DON’T!

7) Grips
Grips are very important and should be checked regularly for wear. If there is fading or it becomes slippery then the grip should be replaced. At Golfbidder, we stock a great selection of grips from Golfpride and Lamkin in various colours.

It is easy to keep your golf clubs well maintained. All that is required are head covers, a towel and club cleaning materials. If you look after your clubs, your clubs will look after you!