Grip tape, masking tape, no tape

[1badbadger]

I have been strictly a tape and solvent guy since I've been working on clubs, so let me ask you air guys a question...

When installing putter grips or grips with a rib, it's often necessary to make little tweaks to the grip after it has been slid on to align it perfectly.  With solvent there is plenty of time to make adjustments if needed.  When using air, do is it difficult to make little adjustments once the grip is on the shaft? 

[iacas]

7 hours ago, 1badbadger said:

I have been strictly a tape and solvent guy since I've been working on clubs, so let me ask you air guys a question...

When installing putter grips or grips with a rib, it's often necessary to make little tweaks to the grip after it has been slid on to align it perfectly.  With solvent there is plenty of time to make adjustments if needed.  When using air, do is it difficult to make little adjustments once the grip is on the shaft? 

You have all the time you need. Give it a puff or a short stream and twist as little or as much as you want.

I’ve adjusted grips weeks later.

[Mr. Desmond]

Don't know if this was mentioned earlier, but having blown on grips for a couple of years (thanks to everyone's advice here), sometimes I must spray a little bit of solvent on the mouth of the grip to start the install (but not on Pure Grips); Lamkins and Leather Grips (Gripmaster, Best Grips) go on fine with air with a bit of care, BUT not Golf Pride Grips - they tend to blow and offer more issues than other grips I've used - be careful with GP Grips. Even their website advises not to use air. But what I've done with GP is use solvent and the old shove down the shaft, and then I gently use air to adjust. Just my experience - yours may differ.

[colin007]

I love my PURE grips, I'm still on the same set after maybe 4-5 years, however I did get the twisting at the butt end, about 20° or so. I don't really care since once they twist, they don't move after that, so it's purely cosmetic

[billchao]

3 hours ago, colin007 said:

I love my PURE grips, I'm still on the same set after maybe 4-5 years, however I did get the twisting at the butt end, about 20° or so. I don't really care since once they twist, they don't move after that, so it's purely cosmetic

Yea that happened with mine, too. You can just blow some air back through it and adjust it again.

[colin007]

19 hours ago, billchao said:

Yea that happened with mine, too. You can just blow some air back through it and adjust it again.

I've done that, but they creep back around. If I just leave them, I have the peace of mind that they're not moving past a certain point

[1badbadger]

A couple of suggestions for anyone who is about to take the plunge and try re-gripping yourself, or even for guys who have dabbled in this before that might help:

• It's always best to remove all old tape on the shaft after removing the grips.  One thing that will make your life 100x better is a heat gun.  You don't have to heat the shaft so hot it glows and the old tape melts off...about 30 seconds or until it's warm to the touch.  Tape will peel off like magic.  (except for the tape Titleist uses at the factory.  Just leave that stuff on there and tape over it).  If you don't have a heat gun, a hair dryer may work.
• Sometimes the tape on older sets of clubs will be gooey.  It peels off ok, but will leave a sticky film on the shaft. Use some solvent and a rag or paper towel and clean the residue off.  Let the clubs sit for about an hour to make sure the solvent has evaporated before installing the new grips.
• Speaking of solvent, by far the best product I have found for re-gripping is odorless mineral spirits.  There are some golf companies that market grip solvent, and any of these work well too, they are just more expensive.  A quart will cost between $7-15, mineral spirits under $5.  There are no fumes, it won't harm your skin even with prolonged contact, it can be found at any hardware, home improvement or department store, it won't stain your clothes, and it's cheap.  Yes, there are other things that will work...many people use gasoline or lighter fluid because often times they already have some in the garage, but seriously, don't do it.  The gasoline smell never goes away, strong fumes...there just isn't a good reason to use something like that.
• For building up grips to a larger size, I preferred 2" masking tape.  It wraps completely around almost all shafts without too much overlap.  One time I actually installed a Golf Pride Green Victory Jumbo + 10 extra wraps of tape for a gentleman with extremely large hands named Ed "Too Tall" Jones.  Legend has it that he can pretty much wrap his hand around a rocks glass.
• For double-sided grip tape, the two most common options are 2" and 3/4".  I have used both, but far-and-away I prefer the 3/4".  Remember, 2" tape will wrap around the shaft with a slight overlap.  This isn't an issue with masking tape, but with double-sided, if you apply the tape completely you'll have issues removing the backing from the grip tape because of the overlap.  To avoid this, you can install the grip tape about 1/2 way around, remove the backing, then finish applying the rest of it.  It's cumbersome to do it this way and not very efficient, which isn't as big of a deal if you are only working on your own clubs, but when gripping hundreds of clubs per day, efficiency is necessary.
• With the 3/4" grip tape, I typically used one strip that runs along the top of the shaft, around the end of the butt and along the underside of the shaft.  It's way faster than using 2" tape or spiral wrapping.  Speaking of spiral wrapping, there are times when this method is needed, so keep a few things in mind....it's possible to spiral wrap with 2" tape, but it's harder to get it even because the shaft tapers, so I recommend using 3/4" tape. Always start at the top of the butt and work down. Keep the spirals pretty tight.  If there is too much gap between the spirals, certain types of grips (like a Golf Pride Tour Velvet for example) will feel lumpy.

I didn't intend for this to be so long, but I have to address this:  FYI guys...most pictures on "how to" articles online regarding removing the old grips (we always referred to cutting the grips off as "ripping the grips") show this method in the pic below, which I was shocked to see.  This is actually a great pic on how not to do it. 

Rule #1...never pull the utility knife towards you.  Most examples show the club clamped in a vice with the tech cutting the grip by pulling the blade towards his body.  Rule #2...don't let the tip of the blade cut into the shaft. In the pic, the tip is directly on top and making contact with the shaft the entire length of the grip.  This isn't an issue with steel shafts, but when using this method with graphite shafts the blade will actually cut into the fibers of the graphite and create a nasty scratch.

This is the best way to cut off old grips:

Ripping grips like this is not only safer, it's faster and will help avoid damage to graphite shafts.  The main thing to remember when cutting grips off like this is the position of my cutting hand.  Notice how I'm  holding the "utility knife" with my palm facing up. Most people will tend to hold the knife over-hand, with the palm facing down.  So although you'd still be cutting away from your body, you don't have as much control over the tip of the blade which results in damaged graphite shafts.

I couldn't find my utility knife to take pics, so I'm actually holding a pocket knife, but you get the idea.  Place the side of the hook blade on the shaft, so the tip of the blade can slide between the shaft and the mouth of the grip.  Keeping your palm up, and the tip of the blade off the shaft, cut away from your body.  Remember, you are not using the tip of the blade to slice the grip...you are using the inside of the "hook" to cut the grip:

I hope this makes sense.  If anyone needs clarification or has a question, let me know.

[Club Rat]

6 hours ago, 1badbadger said:

let me know

I'll add one suggestion when cutting grips off.
During our tour at Pure Grips, they would make two cuts through the grips.
They then will peel off easier than only making one cut.

[1badbadger]

1 hour ago, Club Rat said:

I'll add one suggestion when cutting grips off.
During our tour at Pure Grips, they would make two cuts through the grips.
They then will peel off easier than only making one cut.

Yes, this is a great tip.  It is especially helpful when cutting off old grips that are pretty dried out and crunchy.

[NHpro]

Yes, I use the Blue Painter's tape, but no tape is fine as long as the grip is secure.

My preference is using the .580 grip on a .600 shaft.

[RamblinRoyce]

I've used grips without tape for half a year now with no problems. I have golf pride +4 tour velvet midsize grips.

I used to put blue masking tape under the grips and I noticed the twisting at the ends as others have mentioned. But now, I use no tape and just stick the grips right on to the steel bare shafts. If ya think about it, as long as the grips aren't way bigger than the shaft and are made of decent rubber with some tack, they're not going to slip. There's a lot of surface area between the grip and the shaft to provide enough friction as long as you have a decent quality grip and it's the proper size for the shaft.

A good test is to install the grip and then see if ya can pull the grip off. When I first put grips on, there's a little slippage because air is still between the grip and the shaft but if ya give it some time,  the air escapes and the grip will stick securely.

If you grip the club tightly and/or there's lots of twisting action in your swing, the no tape method may not work for you. I recently started gripping lighter (as many instructors advise you to do and I gained 5-10% in yardage and increased height in my ball fight) so no tape works just fine. Plus, changing grips is really easy. No tape, no solvent, no muss, no fuss. I air compress the grip off using a needle, and then pop a new one on. Set the preferred alignment, let the air settle & escape and it's ready to go!

An additional note, I do not use tape on my woods & driver which are graphite shafts and I have no issues with slippage or twisting. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by RamblinRoyce