If you are a regular golfer, you must know how important the role golf grips play in your entire performance, be it in the practice session or during a match.
However, golf grips are meant to wear and tear over time. So, you must re-grip them using a grip solvent, new tape, etc.
But how long for golf grips to dry when you try to regrip golf clubs? Well, specialists recommend waiting for several hours before you play again.
Many golfers wait for 30 minutes to dry the grip. But we strongly recommend waiting overnight or at least 8 hours for a better result before using the new grip.
However, let’s look forward to further details in this regard.
How Often Should I Regrip My Golf Clubs?
Based on the intensity of use, you need to get your golf clubs regripped every two months or once a year.
Then again, it all depends on how often you use the golf club. If you are a PGA professional, it’s better to re-grip it every six weeks. But for the recreational golfers, regripping golf clubs annually is enough.
How to Regrip Golf Clubs
If you stick to the traditional method of regripping golf clubs, you need to do it using double-sided tape and grip solvent. Let’s go through the basic steps of installing a new grip while replacing an old grip.
Step 1
First, get rid of the old grip. Use a hook blade or knife and slice through it and then take it off easily.
Please make sure you cut safely far away from you not to get injured.
Step 2
Now remove the old tape. Although some golfers tend to put the new tape on top of the old one, we don’t recommend it.
Keeping the old tape on would only increase the overall diameter of the grip. That could affect your performance while playing with such an oversized golf grip. So, why take the risk of getting all your hard work wasted?
Therefore, take off the old tape entirely.
Step 3
Now that the shaft is completely free of the old grip and tape, it’s time to apply the new one. Measure the grip tape equal to the length of the grip by the end of the shaft and cut it accordingly.
Also, you can use pre-cut tape to avoid this hassle.
Step 4
Well, moving forward to the most important step of regripping golf clubs, you must not forget that it’s a double-sided tape. Resultantly, there would be wax backing on both sides. So, make sure to remove them all.
Once you remove the wax backing, place the grip tape along the club’s shaft. What’s more, you need to leave at least ¼” to ½” sticking off the but end.
One common mistake usually golfers make is applying the new tape without getting rid of the wax backing. If you do so, please don’t use that golf club while playing. It’s actually unusable and might result in serious injuries by sliding off the shaft.
However, here comes another crucial part- twisting and tucking the extra tape into the butt end of the shaft. Once you wrap the tape around the shaft, make sure you tuck the hanging part into the shaft butt of the golf club.
Step 5
At this point, gently spray the solvent on the shaft that can cover all the tape. Please make sure that the solvent coats the entire surface of the grip. Also, you should uncover the golf grip cap so that excess solvent can recoat the grip tape.
Final Step
Finally, you are in the trickiest step. You need to be quick enough so that the solvent doesn’t get dried. Open the gripping mouth fast, keep it straight, and push it to the shaft butt end.
One important thing to remember is that you must apply enough solvent to easily slide the grip onto the shaft. Otherwise, the golf grip wouldn’t be moistened enough and would get stuck midway. Therefore, make sure it reaches the end of the shaft.
Finally, all you need to do is to wait patiently. Don’t rush to use the club. Rather, wait for a while for a more secure grip to keep the club steady. If the new grips are not completely dried, you will not get the expected support when you start playing.
Although some solvents do dry within 30 minutes to 2 hours, other solvents may take time. So, experts strongly recommend waiting for at least 6 hours.
Alternative Methods of Golf Club Regripping
Aside from the solvent-based approach, there is another straightforward process to regrip golf clubs. If you use different substances, the drying time would be different to re-grip the golf club.
For example, you can use soapy water and compressed air to reduce the drying period to a significant extent. Cleaning golf grips with soapy water and then using compressed air to evaporate the water needs no drying time to use the club again.
Thus the water base approach requires no drying time at all in association with the compressed air such as using a hairdryer.
How Long for Golf Grips to Dry Before Playing
Before you start playing, you need to wait for several hours based on the solvent you use. After a new grip is installed, wait for a minimum of 30 minutes so that the golf grip dries thoroughly.
Things to remember are that you can control the drying time by using alternative methods other than traditional ones. For example, the water-based approach requires at least 24 hours to dry the golf club grip.
On the contrary, a solvent-based approach will make it happen within two hours.
How Long Do Golf Grips Last?
It totally depends on usage, actually. Suppose, you play golf on a regular basis. Then the golf grips would accompany you up to a year maximum.
But playing golf once in a while would expand the lifespan of the grips. Usually, a set of grips last for 40 rounds whereas one round is synonymous with one practice session.
Although it lasts for one year, you need to replace it twice a year for better results.
How to Dry Golf Grip Faster
To dry the golf grip faster, you need to coat the solvent using a rag onto the double-sided tape. Next, using air to evaporate the solvent would quicken the process and make you wait lesser than expected to start playing with the club again.
Final Words
As golf grips are the only point that connects the golf player and the club, you must take care of it properly. That’s why you should be careful of noticing its wear and tear session and know when to replace it with new grips.
Most importantly, you need to know exactly how long for golf grips to dry. In traditional DIY methods, waiting for at least 6-8 hours is required. Although the solvent gets dried within 30 minutes. But it needs to be utterly evaporated, right?
And make sure not to move the club while the solvent is still being cured. You can take the help of a dry towel or wipe to remove the remaining residue from the system.
Hopefully, this guide would help you regrip golf clubs at home efficiently.