In golf, to keep your game sharp, one important thing to do is to take care of your clubs. If you don’t, the game goes from being fun to wanting to throw your wedge into the sand bunker. You don’t need a bunch of special tools or expensive cleaners to get your golf clubs back to the condition they were before your round. Know how to clean your golf clubs from grip to clubhead so every swing you take has the best potential to help your handicap.
How long it should take, and what you need to clean your clubs
Cleaning golf clubs could take up to an hour the first time you do it, especially if you haven’t cleaned them before. Much like the first few times on the golf course, once you find your groove, you could get it down to 15 to 20 minutes. How long it takes to clean the clubs also depends on whether you use every club when you play, had a tough game and spent too much time in hazards, or haven’t cleaned your clubs in a while.
What you need to clean clubs
- Bucket
- Dawn dish soap
- Microfiber cloth
- Soft-bristled brush
What you might need
- Club polish
The basics are soapy water, a soft brush, and a soft cloth to dry the clubs. That’s all you need. Depending on the damage you did on the course, you may need a brush to scrub away the grass and debris. Polishing your clubs is optional, so whatever your vanity needs are, you could skip that.
How to clean golf clubs
Get your bucket of soapy water ready. You only need a teaspoon or so of soap to get a good suds going. We love Dawn, but you can use whatever dish soap you’d like. Have another bucket of clean water for rinsing close by.
For any club, you only want to put the heads in the water. The ferrules — the black piece above the head’s hosel — shouldn’t go in the water. That gives you plenty of room to soak the club heads.
- Put the golf club heads in the soapy water and let them sit for a couple minutes.
- With the soft brush, work around the club head, paying attention to all the nooks and crannies.
- Once you’re done, give them a dunk in the clean water to get the soap off.
- Take your dry cloth and completely wipe down the club head.
- When all the clubs are clean, check them for cracks, splits, or general damage.
How to clean other parts and clubs
Don’t forget the grips
For some reason, the grips tend to get overlooked. The grips need a little elbow grease, so you’ll need the soft brush.
Get a bucket of soapy water ready. For the grips, you don’t want to dunk them in the water to rinse them off, so a small bowl would do.
- Take the soft brush with soapy water and gently brush the grips.
- Once you are done, take a damp, soft cloth and wipe the grips down to get the soapy water off.
- Use a separate, dry towel to wipe the grip down.
The woods don’t need a soak
When you clean your woods, you shouldn’t soak them like the irons. For those, do a shorter dip, then wipe them clean with a dry cloth.
You also want to clean your woods separate from your irons. Woods are more delicate, and you don’t want to risk damaging them, and there shouldn’t be any other clubs in the water.
Golf club cleaning tips
There are a few tidbits to keep in mind when cleaning your clubs.
- Cleaning them more often will cut down on the cleaning time.
- Never put the clubs in the sun to dry.
- Son’t soak the hosel, grip, or any other part of the club but the head.
- Don’t dump all of the clubs together in the bucket to soak.
- Make sure every club is completely dry before you put them away.
- Do not use a harsh brush, wire brush, or anything other than a soft-bristled brush.
It’s tempting to leave your clubs out on a sunny day to dry, but that’s when rust and cracking happen. That’s also why you never want to soak the grip or any other part of the club but the head because of the damage it will cause. Cleaning your clubs one at a time lowers the risk of accidentally denting or chipping them if they bump into each other in the water.
Skip a harsh brush, as it will scratch your clubs all up. You might be tempted to soak your clubs longer after a rough game, but don’t. A few minutes is all that’s needed. You don’t need to make this task more complicated.
You don’t need to do a lot of extra steps with additional hoopla to keep your clubs in top shape. Make it a habit to clean your clubs as soon as you get home, and they’ll get you through any hazards you’ll come up against on the course. Don’t make your game any harder than it has to be. Your swing might need work, but don’t let the condition of your clubs be the reason why.
