Here’s How To Clean Your Golf Clubs

This post contains affiliate links.

Much like anything in life you use, you must understand how to clean your golfing equipment. Keeping your clubs clean can help preserve them and ensure they last much longer. However, players often neglect cleaning golf clubs, as the dirt isn’t always observable. 

If golf clubs are not sufficiently cleaned, dirt and moisture could penetrate some of the small crevices. Not to mention that playing dirty clubs could severely affect performance.

It is important to preserve your clubs correctly, especially during times when you are taking a break to prevent rust or even weakening of the components.

Having lost one or two golf clubs due to laziness, I could easily relate to players seeing a drop in performance and club sustainability when clubs are not cared for.

Fortunately, cleaning your clubs is far less sophisticated than you might think. The following tricks and tips could help you preserve and efficiently clean your clubs.

You might also enjoy reading: What Temperature Is Too Cold For Golf Clubs? (Here’s the truth!)

What Do I Need To Clean My Clubs?

Different people might have different methods of cleaning their golf clubs, and with so many different cleaning agents available, the products often vary from one another.

However, I try to clean my clubs at least once a week. The following are often some of the most common household items that have worked to preserve my clubs for years:

• Bucket or container
• Some water (preferably lukewarm)
• Cleaning agent (soap or dishwashing liquid works well)
• A bristle brush
• Polish for chrome
• Wiping cloth
• Towel

One of the many things people often forget about is that all golf clubs are not similar. Various shaft materials and designs could affect your clubs significantly, while other cleaning agents could harm other materials.

It is important to know the content of materials making up your golf clubs to ensure the right functionality.

How To Clean Golf Clubs – 3 Important Steps

Each golf club is made up of a variety of different materials. You will need to clean the grip before moving down to the shaft and eventually reaching the club head.

Club heads can also vary, with most being made from steel with a chrome coating. However, wood might be made from composite materials or solid wood.

Here is how to clean the golf clubs starting from the top down.

1- Cleaning The Grip

Cleaning the grip of a golf club is one of the easiest parts you could clean. The grip is the most touched part of the club, which means it also tends to get dirty much faster. The buildup of sweat and other dirt could significantly reduce the strength of the grips’ integrity. 

To clean the grip, you can leave it on the club and use basic water and some form of cleaning agent to wipe down most of the dirt. However, you should be careful when it comes to using hot water.

If the water is too hot, it could cause damage to the grip and loosen some of the glue. You want a cooler form of water.

Be sure to dry the grip fully, ensuring that all water often left behind is effectively removed, and some debris particles are also taken care of. The grip can loosen, and the rubber might become weak if left with water for too long.

See also: How Far Do Average Golfers Hit Each Club? Read on to find out!

2- Cleaning The Shaft

One of the most important parts of the golf club is the shaft. The shaft often indicates the flex of the golf club. However, it should always be taken care of when you are cleaning your clubs.

Grime and dirt will build up on the shaft. If you leave the shaft unclean, the moisture contained within the grime particles could lead to rust.

You want to use a clean cloth and wipe down the shaft with some cleaning products and water. You might want to put some elbow grease into your effort to ensure you have it sparkling.

The shaft should look as good as new when you are done, but be sure to use the towel to ensure it has been effectively dried.

Rust might be a big concern for some players, especially if the clubs have been left without cleaning for a few weeks. The buildup of rust could damage the structural integrity of the golf clubs.

You could use a rust removal product to get rid of it. However, we have noticed that leaving it in white vinegar for a while also tends to loosen any rust. 

3- Cleaning The Club Head

One of the most important parts of cleaning your golf clubs is related to the clubheads. The club head is what makes direct contact with not only the golf ball but the surface of the ground more often than not. 

• If you take irons, for example, you will notice that they have small grooves carved into the clubface. Mud and dirt might be lodged within these small grooves, which could significantly affect your overall performance. 
• I often add warm water to a bucket and drop a little bit of dishwashing liquid before giving it a good mix.
• If the water is nice and lukewarm, I will put the clubs into the buck with the head facing down. By leaving it for a few minutes, much of the mud and dirt tends to loosen. You could leave it in for as long as 20-minutes if need be.
• The small brush comes in handy upon removing the clubs from the water. Whilst maybe watching television, you can use the brush to brush through all the crevices and remove most of the dirt and mud from these crevices.
• It is important to ensure that all the dirt is fully removed before sweeping with your cloth to ensure it is clean.
• The final part is easy; you just need to use your towel to dry the clubs. Another technique I often use on a sunny day is to put the clubs on a table outside.
• If you leave them in the sun for about an hour, you often see most of the water and moisture dissipate. 

Watch the video below to learn tips on effectively cleaning your golf clubs and making them last longer.

Wooden Clubs Vs. Metal Clubs – How To Clean Each?

While most woods nowadays are made from composite materials, many of you might have a few retro golf clubs with sentimental value.

It is important to note that you have different methods of cleaning these clubs due to the nature of the materials. Having messed up one or two woods, I have learned a few hard lessons:

Metal Clubs

You would simply follow the guidelines provided in the previous section for metal clubs. The guide is mostly tailored for players that rely on metal clubs, and the water should not do any real harm.

By leaving them in the sun for a few hours after cleaning, they should dry out, and you can store them in a safe location, free of moisture.

Wooden Clubs

Wooden clubs can be very fragile when exposed to various elements. Many of these wooden clubs can be more than one or two decades old, depending on when they were bought. To clean wooden clubs, you need to be careful.

While you could still place them inside a bucket of water, it is often not the best practice to submerge these clubs. You might want to focus more on cleaning them with a solid brush and lukewarm water to remove most of the dirt. 

Unfortunately, you cannot leave them out in the sun to dry, as this might deform the wood due to the elements it is being exposed to.

You want to use a towel or a hairdryer set at a reasonable temperature to dry them out as much as possible. You don’t want to store wooden clubs with traces of moisture either. 

See also: Must-Have Golf Accessories For Hot Weather: 9 Top Options.

How Often Should I Clean My Golf Clubs?

It is often heavily debated how often you should clean your golf clubs. Some people believe they should be cleaned after every playing session. While this could be true, you don’t want to clean your golf clubs with soap and cleaning agents constantly. It is often better to clean them vigorously once a week or so.

You can use a damp cloth and wipe the clubs down after each playing session. This would ensure that the clubs are efficiently protected from the elements, and you can store them without the fear of them being damaged while they are not used. 

We cannot stress the importance of making sure your clubs are dry enough in this tutorial!

See also: Average Cost Of Custom Fit Golf Clubs – How Much And Is It Worth It?

Final Thoughts

The purpose of playing golf is not always to win. Looking good is as much part of the process as playing. You always want your clubs to be in pristine condition.

Not only could this give you a better chance of winning, but you will also feel more confident when you know all your clubs are clean and in the best operational condition.