Best Way To Clean Golf Clubs (Quick & In-Depth Guide)
Golf clubs are an investment so you’ll want to make sure you maintain them if you want them to last a long time. You don’t want to have to replace them because they weren’t properly taken care of. If you ever decide to upgrade, keeping your clubs in good condition will also help with their resale value. This way, you’ll have more money to put towards a new set of clubs.
When thinking about the best way to clean golf clubs, there are a few different approaches you can take. You can buy a golf club cleaner kit or use household items to get the job done. Let’s go over some popular options for cleaning your golf clubs.
What Is The Best Way To Clean Your Golf Clubs?
Start by figuring out what type of golf club you want to clean first. Since irons have deeper grooves and are made out of different kinds of metals or carbon fiber, they wouldn’t be cleaned the same way as a wood or hybrid club.
First, we’ll go over how to clean the different clubheads, then move on to shafts and grips below.
Cleaning Irons
In A Rush?
If you’re in a hurry, grab a golf towel or an old towel and wet half of it with warm water. Use the wet end to wipe your clubs down and the other end to dry them. This will help them look clean but won’t do much to clean out the grooves to maximize performance.
Another option is to use a power washer to spray your clubheads down and wipe them dry with a towel afterward. Doing this frequently may damage your clubs though since the water is pretty powerful coming out of those.
Have Extra Time?
When you have more time, grab these household items to get started:
A bucket
Mild dish soap
A soft-bristled brush (plastic like an old toothbrush, not wire bristles)
Old towels
Step 1. Fill your bucket with a little dish soap and warm water, just high enough to cover the heads of your irons. Don’t run the water too hot since you could risk loosening the ferrules. It will be more convenient to take the bucket outside near a hose for the next steps.
Step 2. Soak each clubhead in the water for a couple of minutes to help loosen any dirt and debris. Try not to let the water go up over the ferrules. You might need to soak them a little longer if there is a lot of dirt built up that has hardened in the grooves.
Step 3. After a minute or two of soaking, use your soft-bristled brush to clean out the grooves of each clubhead, as well as the back and the sole of the iron.
Step 4. Rinse the clubheads off with a hose and make sure all the dirt and debris have been removed.
Step 5. Dry your clubs thoroughly with a towel. Never store them wet since that could lead to rust forming.
Cleaning Drivers/Woods/Hybrids/Putters
You should never soak drivers, woods, hybrids, or putters in water.
You can either dip them quickly in and out of the water or use a damp cloth to wipe them with. Dry thoroughly after.
If the water is soapy that you dip them in, use a damp cloth to wipe them down after and then dry immediately when you’re finished.
These kinds of clubs have grooves that aren’t as deep as on the irons, so they don’t collect as much dirt and debris. You can clean out the metal grooves with a soft-bristled brush if you need to, just don’t brush on a wood head.
Make sure they are completely dry before covering and storing them.
What Is The Best Way To Clean Golf Club Grips And Shafts?
Grips can wear down, crack, and get greasy from handling them so much. Cleaning a golf club grip is easy and similar to the steps listed above. Shafts can get dirty too but they are usually good after a quick cleaning.
Quick cleaning:
Wipe using a damp cloth with warm water.
Dry thoroughly.
Deeper cleaning:
Wipe using a cloth that was dipped in warm soapy water.
Rinse with another cloth using just warm water.
Dry thoroughly.
How Can You Make Golf Grips Sticky Again?
Sometimes you might think you need to replace a golf grip because it feels slick but all it needs is a good cleaning. Follow the steps above to see if you can get a good grip again before spending money to replace them.
Is Cleaning Golf Clubs Necessary?
You don’t want to spend all kinds of time practicing on your golf swing only to have it negatively impacted because of a dirty golf club. It’s important to keep your golf clubs clean so they’ll last, but you also don’t want something so simple to interfere with your performance. Hitting a clean golf ball with a clean club will help ensure the best possible outcome for things like shot distances and accuracy, for any type of golf shot.
How Often Should You Clean Your Golf Clubs?
Consider cleaning them every few rounds if you want to get the most out of how they’ll perform. It’s also a good idea to clean them one last time before storing your golf clubs away in their golf bag for the season.
