Can i just regrip myself

[sobo]

Regripping is so easy. Once you get the hang of it you will never take the clubs in again to have someone do it.

[RaLos18]

If you have right tools and supplies, do it yourself! If not, tho cost of the tools and supplies might be higher than re-gripping the clubs by pro shop.
You will definitely need a Bench Vise and a rubber vise clamp for holding shaft. Then you will need a double sided grip tape and grip solvent solution. I hope you have garage or other isolated (from the living area) work space because the gripping solution smells!
The vise clamp, double sided tape and the grip solvent solution will cost you around $20. The grips, depends of what kind of grips you like, between $1.50 and $9.
Also, check YouTube for some instructional re-gripping videos.
If you've decided to regrip yourself, please inform us how it went! Post some pictures!
Good Luck!

[srjorion]

I just moved into a new house that has a nice work bench in the garage. My first thought when I saw it was to set up a regripping station. I'm wondering where I can buy the required materials. Does anyone know of a good place to buy/order solvent, grip tape, hook blade, rubber vice adapter for clubs, maybe one of those trays that catch the solvent? I was going to buy a vice from one of the major hardware stores unless someone has a better idea.

I really want to give this a shot and want to get some good gear to work with. I even have a spare set of clubs to practice on so I'm eager to get working!

[Harry Longshanks]

  srjorion said:

I just moved into a new house that has a nice work bench in the garage. My first thought when I saw it was to set up a regripping station. I'm wondering where I can buy the required materials. Does anyone know of a good place to buy/order solvent, grip tape, hook blade, rubber vice adapter for clubs, maybe one of those trays that catch the solvent? I was going to buy a vice from one of the major hardware stores unless someone has a better idea.

Golfsmith or GolfWorks if you want to order it. They both have the rubber shaft protectors for the vice, and the grip tape, and solvent pan.

Otherwise, the local Home Depot or Lowes should have the other items that you need (box cutter, hook blades, mineral spirits [instead of "grip solvent" - same thing]), but if you are going to place an order with Golfsmith, you might as well save the gas because they have flat fee shipping. Golfsmith links:

• Grip Solvent
• Solvent Pan
• Rubber Vise Clamps
• Supply Kit (with some solvent, some tape, rubber vice)
• Grip Tape
• Ergonomic Knife
• Hook Blades
• Regular Utility Knife
• Tape Remover Tool (very handy with Acushnet tape)
• Regripping Supply Kit (this is what I bought when I started - along with the solvent pan, rubber vise clamps, and the hook blades)

Or, if you some extra money, and you want the fancy set up:

• Regripping Tool Kit

[Cheez-It]

You sir, Mr. Longshanks, are a valuable asset to da Sand Trap.

[Righty to Lefty]

[Does anybody know the size of standard grips and how big midsize grips are in comparison. I have big hands and they feel crowded on the standard grips.

If you go to Lampkin's website they give you can print their sizing guide to find out what size hands you have. It makes a big deal and is often overlooked. I used to think that I needed jumbo grips when I really needed midsize grips. I was wondering why I had started to hit a fade when before I changed the grips I was hitting a draw. The grips were the only thing that changed and that was the culprit. That little bit of width in the grip makes a big difference in squaring the clubface at impact. Also FYI you can use simple masking tape also as griptape and it works fine. It doesn't have to be double sided tape and masking tape actually cleans off easier when you go to regrip and if you cut off the grip carefully it can be reused again. And simple unleaded gasoline is an excellent solvent also. I play in Kuwait and it takes a minute for supplies to get shipped here so we came up with ways that are just as effective. And from dealing with all the dust out here we have also found that if you clean your grips with simple green it makes them fell brand new again because it really eats the dirt off of them. Hope this helps

[Righty to Lefty]

You also don't need a vise to take off or put on a grip. If you saturate the tape and be sure to coat the inside of the grip throughly the grip will slide on quite easily. If it needs a little coaxing then all you do is turn the club around and hold it from the club end and pull the grip on that way. It takes longer to set the club in the vise than to put the grip on!!

[nevets88]

If it costs $1 to regrip and they do a good job, I'd have someone do it. If you live in a high COL (Cost of Living) area, where some folks charge up to $5, then do it yourself.

I noticed some places don't take off the old tape. Also, some places don't put on the tape correctly and the grip feels uneven, squarish. I do it myself, but when there's someone who does it well and cheaply, then save yourself the effort.

My recommendation if you do it yourself is that the proper tools (props to Mr. Longshanks) and a solid platform, ie, a good vise grip on a solid base, is key to doing a good and quick job. Yes, you can do it without, but based on my own experience, it's alot easier otherwise.

[srjorion]

Thanks Harry Longshanks! Just what I was looking for.

[CosmosMpower]

My local golf galaxy doesn't charge anything for grip install if you buy it from them. And if it's just a club or two they can do it on the spot. My local PGA superstore says they charge 1 dollar a grip to install but they never charge me.

[Harry Longshanks]

  nevets88 said:

If it costs $1 to regrip and they do a good job, I'd have someone do it. If you live in a high COL (Cost of Living) area, where some folks charge up to $5, then do it yourself.

Nev-

My local shop doesn't charge to regrip if you buy the grips from them (and their grip prices are standard). The bigger issues for me are:

1. Losing my clubs while they do it (I can do the entire set at home, in the evening, so I never have a day without my clubs. And while 1 or 2 days isn't that big of a deal, I usually realize that my clubs need regripping the night before I need them.)
2. When I do it, I know it will be done correctly. (Sure, the odds are very high that the shop kid will do a good job too, but much of golf is about confidence, so why let that doubt creep in?)
3. I like doing it.

But I have let the shop do it on occasion (a random club here and there) and have never experienced a problem. Plus, technically, it's cheaper for them to do it because I don't incur the cost of tape, solvent, etc.

[chingali]

I prefer to do it myself because I can do it whenever I need to or just feel like doing it. Whenever I regrip my clubs I always buy about 20 or so grips so that if the grips on the clubs I practice with a lot (wedges/short irons) become worn I can match them exactly or if I buy something new that has an odd grip. Mind you, I used to be one of the guys in a very busy repair shop that did them for people anyway and have probably done upwards of 10000 regrips in my time! A lot of the guys I play with bring their clubs over to my place to have them regripped and I never charge them for the labour, most of them are there when I do it and I show them how it's done and they do it themselves after that.

About the only difficult bit for most people is lining up grips that have reminder ribs or hand placement markings on them. If you have this type of grip and are replacing them with the same, secure an iron in the vice with the club head in a square position and take a photo with a digital camera along the shaft from the butt end (before cutting the old grip off!) and print it out as a reference when putting your new grips on. Another nice thing about doing your own grips is if you use grips with a reminder on them and you like your hands in a weak, neutral or strong position you can easily set your grips up exactly the way you prefer.

Regripping clubs is very easy to do, once you have done a couple you'll wonder why you haven't tried it before.

[AlCzervik]

I just did my first regrip. A putter and it was simple. Use alot of solvent and it goes on with ease. The hardest part was using a level to make sure the grip was aligned properly.

[srjorion]

I finally had the time to get everything I needed and set it up this morning. Like everyone says, it is quite easy. I regripped a few of my old clubs for practice and will be regripping my normal set here in a couple of months when they need it.

The hardest part for me is cleaning all of the tape residue off after removing the old grip. The Tape Remover Tool that Harry recommended is definitely worth getting. I used it to scrape off all of the tape that would not just peel off, and then I used a rag with grip solvent (just mineral spirits) to wipe off the tape residue. After a few wipes with the rag I then used the tool to scrape up more of the gunk while it was soft from the solvent. Once the shaft is clean it is easy going from there.

Thanks for all of the great info and help!

[Grndslmhttr3]

Although gripping is a pain at first, I've regripped a few of my clubs. It might take some getting used to, but it's not exactly the most difficult task in the world!

[srjorion]

I just finished regripping my old set for practice. It was overall quite easy. Again, the hardest part for me was getting all of the old tape residue off. I did notice that whoever regripped these before definitely did not take the time to do that. They got the tape off but left the goo behind.

Here are a couple of pics of my work area and some clubs. I need to reinstall the drip pan because the screws didn't quite take the first time into the side of the workbench. I'll be installing longer screws soon.

[Doctorfro]

After watching some guy in a pro shop do a half-assed job on a wedge of mine one time, I decided I would start doing my own. I bought a kit from Golfworks and bought a small vise with a suction bottom so I could set up and work on any flat surface. I've been doing all my own ever since. You have to be careful with the graphite shafts when removing old grips and you have to be careful in getting the grips on straight (especially the putter) but after you've done a few it's a piece of cake. There's plenty of video online to teach you how it's done. You can also learn how to build up your grips to get a better fit than just using the standards, midsize or jumbos. I am in between standard and midsize. I use two wraps of buildup tape to make them "just right".