The correct way to clean your golf clubs – and improve your game as a result

23/10/2023 14:56

Keeping your golf clubs clean won’t just make you look sharp on the course, it might actually improve your game, depending on how well or often you had been cleaning them before.

You won’t be able to control your golf ball as well as you can if the grooves on your golf club are caked with dirt as opposed to presenting clear grooves. The way the ball bounces off the club face might also be severely impacted by a filthy face outside of the grooves.

Golf clubs are a relatively costly investment for most people who play the game, so it’s important to take good care of them to ensure a longer lifespan and in some cases a greater resale value.

Here we look at the recommended ways to clean your golf clubs and give you a few tips on how to maintain what’s in your bag. This is not an exhaustive or step-by-step guide to cleaning your clubs, but golfers should make sure they aren’t using cleaning materials that will wind up damaging their clubs and should be wary of any products that overpromise when it comes to cleaning.

To clean your irons, all you will need is a soft-bristle brush, a towel, a bucket of warm water and liquid soap or dishwashing liquid.

Mix the soap into the bucket of water and soak the club heads in it for about five minutes.

After that, remove each iron one at a time and clean them with the soft-bristle brush. Get inside the club head grooves and give them a thorough cleaning. To get inside the grooves, you can even use a toothbrush or even a golf tee.

Once all of the clubs have been cleaned, give the irons one more rinse before using a towel to dry them off. This is a crucial step as rust accumulation from keeping your clubs damp might give them an ugly appearance and lower their resale value and ultimately do irreparable damage.

The composition of drivers and fairway woods means that they cannot be cleaned in the same way as irons so submerging the heads in water is a really bad idea.

Dip a towel or soft-bristle brush into a bucket of warm water with some soap or dishwashing liquid, and clean the dirt off the club. Make sure to get in the grooves and wipe the crown and sole as well.

Putters can also be cleaned this way, as they should only need a quick wipe down.

While the grooves of your woods aren't as important as your irons, it is still important to keep them clean to maximize performance and avoid any lasting damage.

Cleaning your grips is also a key element of club maintenance that is often overlooked. This can be done with a damp cloth or soft bristle brush applied lightly to the grip. Don’t get them too wet and make sure they are dried thoroughly.

While you can use chrome or steel polish to shine up your clubs, you should make sure you clear all the residue off the club.

If you get rust spots on your clubs a home remedy is vinegar or WD-40. To remove the spots of rust, add some vinegar or WD-40 to a cloth and rub it on the spot and surrounding area; try to remove all residue.

The post The correct way to clean your golf clubs – and improve your game as a result appeared first on Golf365.