Do you look after your equipment?

[Pretzel]

I clean my clubs before each round on the range by dipping them in the water bucket and scrubbing with a Frogger brush I've got in my bag. Before each shot, I wipe off the face with my damp towel and scrub if needed (it almost never is), and then I'll wipe the club off again with my towel once again after I hit my shot. I also take my towel with me onto the putting green and wipe my ball off after marking, which is nice since it gives me a minor distraction while I'm reading my putt. 

Just gives me a little bit of peace of mind, since I know that a dirty club or ball won't affect any of my shots. Between rounds, though, I generally don't clean my clubs since they're kept pretty clean throughout the round and I know I'll give them a final once-over after hitting the range the next time I play. 

It's honestly just a part of my routine at this point. As an added bonus, the damp towel feels really nice to drape over your shoulder or around your neck on a hot day when you bring it onto the putting green (though I toss it aside once I'm done using it). 

[Buckeyebowman]

3 hours ago, Blackjack Don said:

Have any of you used a groove tool to sharpen the grooves?

I actually used a Dremel tool with a diamond encrusted "pencil point" bit to clean a particular set. Didn't really notice any difference. Maybe it was me!

3 hours ago, saevel25 said:

I'm really bad at cleaning my clubs. I try to clean them after every shot. If they are really dirty after a round I will clean them with some dial soap and my brush. 

I would not recommend that. If you change the grooves too much they can become non-comforming. Unless you have old school blades, with really soft metal, you'll probably not wear the grooves out before you replace your cubs. 

I've never played anywhere, in any event, where there was someone checking grooves!

As far as being bad at cleaning clubs, that brought back a memory. Have played a ton of golf with my lifelong buddy and his Son, particularly after the kid got out of high school. The kid could hit the ball a country mile, but he never cleaned his clubs while his Dad was very conscientious about his. One day a single joined us to make a foursome. He, too, marveled at the kid's length and then opined, "I know why he can hit it so far. All that gunk on his club faces has turned into Flubber!"

Nowadays the situation has reversed. The old man doesn't clean his clubs very often. His TM RBZ 3 metal is a shade of dirty yellow, green while the kid keeps his equipment spotless!

I'm also interested in the origins of some the rituals I've read above. For instance, what is the advantage to blowing the water off your clubs with compressed air rather than simply drying them with a towel? Also, while I understand that garage temps might not be ideal depending upon where you live, I'm at a loss to account for the "fumes". Just how long are you running your vehicle in the garage with the door closed? And, considering that oxygen is a corrosive gas and sunlight has been known to degrade rubber compounds, your clubs might suffer more being out in the "fresh air and sunshine" than in the garage!

[AbsoluteTruths]

12 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

I'm also interested in the origins of some the rituals I've read above. For instance, what is the advantage to blowing the water off your clubs with compressed air rather than simply drying them with a towel? Also, while I understand that garage temps might not be ideal depending upon where you live, I'm at a loss to account for the "fumes". Just how long are you running your vehicle in the garage with the door closed? And, considering that oxygen is a corrosive gas and sunlight has been known to degrade rubber compounds, your clubs might suffer more being out in the "fresh air and sunshine" than in the garage!

I have cavity back clubs so quite a bit of water is in the back of the club after washing and rinsing. I still wipe with a towel and put a fan on the set and shoes afterwards. I live in Central Florida so the garage can get quit hot. I do not park my car in the garage because I made it into my gym. The fumes I speak of come from the gasoline and other chemicals that are stored in the garage. Though they might not be noticeable they are still present.

As to the folks that just wipe their clubs while out on the course. There are still chemical residue that the course puts on the grass on your clubs.

My clubs were a hand me down gift from a good friend and I cannot afford to replace a nice set like this so I want them to last me a long time.

 Oh and Merry Christmas to all!

 

[Pretzel]

3 hours ago, AbsoluteTruths said:

As to the folks that just wipe their clubs while out on the course. There are still chemical residue that the course puts on the grass on your clubs.

My clubs were a hand me down gift from a good friend and I cannot afford to replace a nice set like this so I want them to last me a long time.

2

Yes, there is a small amount of chemical residue. I had a set of old PING Eye 2's (and still have them in my closet) that were manufactured in the 80's, so around 30 years ago or so, and the only type of significant wear on them that led me to replace was that I "mushed" some of the grooves and ended up flattening them out a bit. These were clubs that I abused quite a bit, not really cleaning them for a month or more at a time, so you can be certain they were absolutely loaded with all the chemicals you're concerned about. There were no ill effects to the clubs as a result of that, no rust or other corrosion damage to be found.

The chemicals that the course applies are nowhere near what would be necessary to actually corrode your clubs beyond maybe a microscopic level. You should worry more about leaving non-stainless clubs wet and covered or hitting from sandy soil than you should worry about pesticides damaging the clubs.

Hopefully that eases your mind so that you don't have to worry about needing to replace irons due to chemical damage since you can rest assured that what the courses apply won't damage your clubs to any noticeable extent.

[Buckeyebowman]

Oh I agree, the price of new clubs has gotten out of hand! While I don't wash my clubs after every round, it's probably every half dozen and I try not to let my clubs get really dirty. Up to the point of carrying a small spray bottle of water in my bag for stubborn dirt or mud, and for cleaning the ball if you're playing at an odd time of year when the course has pulled the ball washers. 

I may need it tomorrow. It's supposed to be 60 and we're going to try to play. Late December golf in NE Ohio. Oh, what joy!

EDIT: And yes, Merry Christmas to all!

Edited December 26, 2016 by Buckeyebowman

[shanksalot]

I wipe my club after each hit. The next day I clean the heads with water and a soft brush. In the warm months I clean the grips with warm soapy water and I use a stiff brush and scrub the grip then wash it with cold water then dry them. This gets the dirt and any sweat off, plus it keeps the grips tacky. I do this any time the grips start to get a little slick. When I was playing 200 rounds a year I also changed grips a couple of times a year. The grips today are so much better and last a lot longer now. 

[AbsoluteTruths]

8 hours ago, shanksalot said:

I wipe my club after each hit. The next day I clean the heads with water and a soft brush. In the warm months I clean the grips with warm soapy water and I use a stiff brush and scrub the grip then wash it with cold water then dry them. This gets the dirt and any sweat off, plus it keeps the grips tacky. I do this any time the grips start to get a little slick. When I was playing 200 rounds a year I also changed grips a couple of times a year. The grips today are so much better and last a lot longer now. 

I cleaned my grips last month with a mild soap and water and scrubbed with a cloth. I did bring the tackiness back.

[Vinny Cap]

I spent some $$$ on my gear so I like to keep it clean.

I wipe down all clubs after every shot and clean them after the round while enjoying a nice cold one.  Clean and dry the heads, wipe down the shafts and grips, go through the bag and refresh balls, tees and anything else to be ready for the next round.

I clean the grips with a scrub brush at the beginning of the year and sometime during the middle of the season. 

I wipe my bag down when it looks dusty. 

I wipe my shoes when it is damp or wet out to keep them looking good.

I would guess that most of us have about $1500 into our setups so why wouldn't you keep it clean?  I get it all done while tilting one back after the round at home. 

[Shooting29]

I keep a wire brush on a retractable clip on my bag and give my club face a scrub prior to a shot. For stubborn dirt in the grooves I'll spit on the face then scrub, if necessary. If it is wet I will scrape post shot mud with my shoe. I will scrub the grips with a nylon brush and hot soapy water when the tackiness is lost. If I have played in the rain I will set everything out to dry in the mudroom otherwise the sticks stay in my truck. As for balls they will get wiped off if conditions are wet but in dry I doubt it ever sees a towel. I have different shoes for wet vs dry. the mud shoes stay dirty while the dry shoes stay clean. The only thing that resembles a cleaning my bag might receive is when a club or ball falls down inside and I have to turn it upside down to get it out. When that happens the accumulated grass and dirt falls out too.

[shortstop20]

Nope, if you look at my clubs during the middle of the season, you're likely to see baked on grass/dirt on the sole. Heel and toe of the grooves might have some dirt but I'm good about keeping the middle of the face clean. 

[kwjewell67]

Clean clubs before and after every shot, Good cleaning once a week. And make sure I replace my emergency snacks if I use them since I'm a bad hypoglycemic.

Found  this out as I collapsed when I collapsed unconscious after a round of golf and ended up in the hospital. When I got to the E.R. And woke up I was told my blood sugar was 45 when THE brought me in!!!

[65ross]

With cost of gear these days, you can have $2k+ invested in clubs. Bag etc. so you be bit slack not to clean and maintain you gear after each game I reckon, clubs get cleaned before the beer comes out when I get home, it like checking under the hood of your vehicle, no maintance it will break.

[Patch]

I just did a good cleaning, and oil job on my Clicgear trolley. Some of the spots where it would fold/unfold had become sluggish. Wiped those areas down with an oily rag.  Tires were a little low, so they recieved some extra air. (Mine is one of the first one's sold, and came with pneumatic tires) Found my parking break cable had become stuck due to corrosion. Replaced the cable and sleeve, which actually turned out to be a chore. 

After that, I gave my clubheads, and grips their normal monthly maintenance check/ cleaning. 

Next week, I might give my bag a thorough going over. Especially the zippers. Check for any restocking issues. 

[inthehole]

During a round, I spit on my irons/wedges regularly & wire brush them off to keep them clean (I hate dirtly clubs), thats about it

[Braivo]

Before I had kids I was meticulous like the OP, anal really. Now, I toss everything in the garage and it goes back in the trunk for the next round, usually my spikes are too dirty to bring in the house, they stay in the trunk. As my kids get a little older now I do find myself taking a bit more time than I used to, once they are out of the house I'll likely get back to my old anal ways. 

 

[Piz]

Ship shape and Bristol fashion for me.  Started very young and have never lost the habit.

[Denny Bang Bang]

On 12/19/2016 at 7:57 AM, cutchemist42 said:

So whats the best way to clean grroves?

 

On 12/19/2016 at 8:12 AM, JGus said:

Clean clubs when playing, usually after every shot, if needed, and after each range session, I use a wet towel, but most of the time this little awesome tool...

Yep, my buddy gave me a groove tube last season.  It's awesome!

[1badbadger]

When I was in my teens and 20's I was really into keeping my clubs pristine.  If I took a few practice swings in the backyard, the club would get washed!  And holy crap they better not get scratched. I never had iron headcovers, so I tried to walk real careful so they wouldn't get bag chatter.  As a kid, I knew exactly how many balls and tees I had, and everything was kept neat and orderly.  

Now, I'm not nearly as anal.  I don't baby my clubs like that anymore.  Dings and scratches don't bother me unless it's on the crown of my driver or fairway wood.  They are tools to help me shoot a low score. I still keep the heads and grooves clean, and my grips fresh.  I wash my golf towel about 3 times a year whether it needs it or not.  I used to play 5-6 times a week, so I've got a lot of stuff in my bag like band-aids, nu skin, extra gloves, swiss army knife, lead tape, lip balm...stuff like that which I don't want to be stuck without if I need it.  If I'm playing a tournament or serious round, I usually carry 9 balls.  Otherwise I would stuff a bunch of 2-ball packs to give away as samples while I was at the course.  I usually don't know I'm running low on tees until I run out.

If I get caught in the rain, I always make sure I remove all the clubs from my bag, take the headcovers off my woods/hybrids, dry them off with a towel, and lean them against a wall to let the grips air dry over night. This allows the inside of the bag to dry out as well.  I hang my rain suit up to dry for a day before folding it up and storing it in the apparel pocket.

Of course I take my putter to bed with me every night and spoon with it, but everybody does that.  Right?