Like any other repair in the workshop, re-gripping is much easier if you have the right equipment; a good quality vice and clamping system is crucial. It is relatively straightforward to install a grip correctly if the club is held horizontally in a vice, rather than pushing a grip on a club that is angled against a wall. The simple rubber vice clamp is a cheap and effective piece of kit, but for higher volume work it is worth investing in a quick-release clamp. These clamps are both quicker to use and can adjust the clamping pressure which minimizes the risk of crushing graphite shafts.
Specialist grip solvent is also a must. Although petrol and white spirit do the job adequately, they both pose significant health and safety risks as their fumes can cause headaches when inhaled, and they are both highly flammable. In addition, the smell of petrol wafting through the pro shop might not be all that appealing to customers. There are solvents on the market that are either odorless or smell of citrus fruits, depending on personal preference!
Here are the common faults with grip installation:
Poor Alignment
Badly aligned grips are a cosmetic disaster, particularly with the more intricate grip designs. The real problem with crooked grips comes when the grip has an alignment aid, and poor re-gripping will thereby encourage a golfer's hands into the wrong position.
Short Gripping
This is a common problem caused by simply not pushing the grip on fully, which results in a spongy end cap and inconsistent length of clubs in a golfer's bag. This problem can be avoided by ensuring the grip is fully pushed home and by ensuring the end cap feels firm. The grip end of the club can also be tapped onto the ground to double-check, but not too hard, as the shaft can cut a plug out of the end cap.
Twisted Grips
Most grips have alignment marks at the tip and cap to make it easier to install them straight, but you can double check by making sure the slash marks down the back of the grips are straight. It is not a good idea to set the marks for grips with a strong left hand and a weak right, or vice versa.
Customising grip sizes
Grip sizing should be straightforward. If you match the core pin size of the grip - which should be stamped on the inside the tip - to the butt diameter of the shaft with one layer of tape, then the grip size will be standard - or .900" diameter and 2" down from the grip cap.
Each extra layer of tape builds up the grip size by .010, so a .600 grip on a .600 shaft with two extra layers of tape makes a .920 grip size.
Grip size can also be altered by putting a different core pin size on the shaft: a .580 grip on a .600 shaft = .920. Deliberately stretching a grip will reduce the grip size: a grip stretched 3/4" will play 1/64" undersize.
A basic grip size chart
Grip Shaft Tapes Size
.580 .600 1 .900 STANDARD
.600 .600 1 .900 STANDARD
.600 .600 4 .930 OVERSIZE
.600 .600 7 .960 MIDSIZE
.600 .600 13 1.020 JUMBO
So perhaps gripping isn't that straightforward after all! It's certainly worth taking that little bit more time and care to make sure the job is done properly.
