Cleaning Your Golf Clubs
by David Lake
Most golfers do not realize the importance of playing with clean golf clubs and that a dirty set of clubs is costing them strokes on the golf course. Grass and dirt stuck in the grooves on the face of a club completely negates the design benefits of a grooved clubface entirely. Also, the oil and sweat that accumulates on the grips forms a hard slippery layer that translates into loss of control during a swing.
Cleaning your golf clubs regularly means the difference between sticking an iron shot on the pin or having it land ten feet away. It also means less time spent in the woods looking for your tee shot. I would be willing to bet that a dirty set of clubs accounts for about 3 or 4 extra stokes per round, and that is probably an understatement.
It only takes twenty minutes or so to completely clean a set of golf clubs and should be a regular part of every golfer’s routine. It is a very simple process and is as follows:
Fill a five gallon bucket halfway with warm soapy water (use regular dish-washing soap). Place your irons in the bucket clubhead down and let them soak for five or ten minutes. Using a soft plastic brush (dish-washing type of brush), go over the entire surface of the clubhead (front, back, and sole) being sure that the grooves of the clubface are completely clean. Next, turn the golf club upside down and use your brush to thoroughly scrub the grip (do not immerse the grip end of the club into the water or the water will get into the shaft through the hole in the butt-end of the grip). Dip the brush into the water as needed to get a good lather on the grip. Then just rinse the golf club off with a hose and dry. Use the same process for the woods but only do one at a time to avoid them banging into each other and causing marks or dings.
How often should you clean your golf clubs? Personally, I clean mine the night before every round. I also clean any club that I have used after every trip to the range. This may seem like overkill to many but believe me you will definitely notice the difference on the course.
