Do you clean your gear?

Listening to a conversation in the clubhouse Monday,regarding,cleaning gear.
I have to say,I do.
It may be a throwback to my army days,but i actualy enjoy cleaning clubs,shoes and electric trolley.
Some may find it,i'm told the expression is,anal,but i just prefer clean gear.
I find it a bit therapeutic too.
My golfing son doesn't clean his gear,and,as a conequence,neither does his son.
Both say they haven't the time.
It takes me about 30 minute's for the lot,which doesn't seem long to me
Anyway,how about you?

Nowhere near as often as I should. Though as my current pair of shoes are black with white panels, I feel obliged to keep them cleaner than I would if they were all dark

I do sometimes... but I prefer to pay others to do it for me. Not got a garden or a shed so it would have to be the kitchen sink or the bath tub. Better off leaving it to the starter or the greenkeeper at three or four quid for the job.

Yep I'm the same as you wolfrunna. There's always time to clean your clubs, I wait until late when no-one is around. I find I can't relax if my stuff's not cleaned up and sorted for the next round.

My view is that the equipment is expensive so may as well look after it.

There's no excuse for not doing it, just pure lazyness.

not fussed about shoes or trolley, but like to maximise the volume of my grooves, so clean the clubs before any match or medal. can probably do the lot in 15 mins, but i like to admire them as i go, so probably closer to half an hour!!
i'm with you too goldie, clubs are expensive and looking after them is a no brainer.

I was always taught by the local pro that if you want to play like a tour pro then you have to think and act like one. A tour pro wouldn't turn up with muddy shoes and unclean grooves and so neither do I...

I do not think of anything nicer to do, but to sit on the patio, in the sun, with a bowl of water cleaning my golf clubs will sipping a beer.

I don't clean my stuff half as often as i should. Shoes yes, clubs not so much.
I wish i did it more but, contrary to the opinion of some, 30 mins each time you play (say 3 times a week) is not easy to find.

"There's no excuse for not doing it, just pure lazyness" is at best a naive statement

I don't do it enough. I do clean them as I go round, but one of the advantages of most Ping clubs is they are quite hard wearing... which makes you a little lazy. If they were forged I am sure I'd have them cleaned after each round but as it stands I probably clean them once a month.

Quite enjoy cleaning my clubs after each round. I line 'em up (a bit like a teacher lining up his pupils in the playground) and as I am scrupulously cleaning each and every club's grooves (after every round) and grips (after every fourth round) I reflect on how well that individual club has performed during the course of the round. It's not considered mad if you talk to them but slightly worrying if they answer back! I give my shoes a quick wipe (we have a thingy at the course that cleans the spikes and the trolley wheels) It's probably all in the but I just don't feel right if I play with dirty clubs. With my game I need all the help I can get :pirate:

NST - and not just on the golf course I suspect.

Lining up your clubs waiting to be washed! Honestly, I bet they were in height order as well!

Erm..........just a minute...........Bu&&er.....I've done that as well.

However, I absolutely have never talked to them while pondering on how well they performed while last out. Sounds a bit like a weekly assessment. You is crazy. :drink: You will be talking to the trees next!

Oh wait a minute....yup guilty.

goldwolf wrote:Yep I'm the same as you wolfrunna. There's always time to clean your clubs, I wait until late when no-one is around. I find I can't relax if my stuff's not cleaned up and sorted for the next round.

My view is that the equipment is expensive so may as well look after it.

There's no excuse for not doing it, just pure lazyness.

I clean my clubs after every round when I get or the next day with water and a tooth brush dry them then use a lightly oiled rag to finish them off

MustPuttBetter wrote:"There's no excuse for not doing it, just pure lazyness" is at best a naive statement

How is that a naive statement?

As I said, golf equipment is expensive, I don't know how not looking after them could be described as anything but lazy.

I'll accept the "lazy" tag. That's all it is in my case

Having thought about it I suppose if you are loaded and can afford to replace clubs at will, then I can see why cleaning them would be seen as an avoidable chore!

Unfortunately, I''ll be cleaning mine after every round for the considerable future!!.............

LondonJonnyO wrote:I do sometimes... but I prefer to pay others to do it for me. Not got a garden or a shed so it would have to be the kitchen sink or the bath tub. Better off leaving it to the starter or the greenkeeper at three or four quid for the job.

Three or four quid, why am I thinking patronising git?

I also do not have a garden or shed but somehow may kitchen sink does the job just fine. I tend to clean my clubs once a week in the summer and shoe's not nearly often enough. I have noticed that when you play links course your gear stays a lot cleaner due to the dry conditions. Why pay what must be the best part of £1000 for a full set and not bother to look after them.

I don't clean my clubs on a regular basis but I always have a towel on my bag and I give each club a good wipe after each shot as I walk down the fairway. I wash the grips with warm soapy water and a little brush about once a month.
I can't play with grooves full of mud

Mac. The other half goes mental when I clean my golf gear in the kitchen.. usually because I use the kitchen teatowels to dry it off afterwards I think... but maybe because I use the best vinyl brush things to get in the grooves.

As for the cost. The starter sets the price. 2 quid for shoes, 3 quid for clubs or 4 for the both at the same time.

He's got all the stuff in his little hut that he needs and as he's doing it as a retirement job it's more cash for him.

Besides... It's hardly as if it's a problem. Sits on his little bench seeing people off and just enjoying the sun. Then out on the course nicking all the lost balls when it's quiet. I wouldn't mind a sideline like that when I'm 60 odd.

I always give my grooves a clean with a wire brush after every shot, so there's not really any need to give them a clean in the basin. The only time I give them any special attention away from the course is when I have played in the rain (rare) and give them a wipe down to prevent rusting.

Shoes... meh. Attack the cleats for a minute or two with a tee and they're good to go.


I remember in my junior days, a pal who had a set of irons that were so dirty that you couldn't differentiate the grooves from the face... and he wondered why he never played well...

i carry 2 towels and a specific little brush for the grooves. wipe of worst of the mud with one towel, then do the grooves, then buff with the other towel - after every shot.

and as mac says, playing on links, it's a lot less of a problem generally. bit of an oiling when i remember.

i cleaned my shoes after playing an inland course the other week and realised that was the first time ever for them!

I do my own shoes, occasionally. Caddie takes care of everything else.

Clean my clubs after every round, warm soapy water and a tooth brush, feels much better knowing when I go out to the course for the day everything is primed and ready to go, give them an oil every other week, its a habit bred into me both by my dad as a youngster and from my military days can't stand dirty things! Shoes wiped down after every round.

Also carry couple towels, 2 for dry weather, 1 is to remove the cr@p off the clubs the other to shine. In the wet take 2 extra, one for under the brolley and 1 spare in a waterproof bag.

The amount of money clubs cost these days I think its the only sensible thing to do, that and using forged clubs they get ruined otherwise.

I think its great LJ that old boy at the club does that for members! When my brother and I were juniors we used to offer a cleaning service at our club, 50p for shoes and 2quid for clubs. Then we used to in summer evenings hunt the course for lost balls and sell them on for 20p a pop, we used to make a killing especially in winter when no-one wanted to clean their own gear

Marcus/Graeme I'm glad I'm not following you 2 around must be a 6-hour round

I carry a big towel and wipe the club after each shot.

oldshanker wrote: You is crazy. :drink: You will be talking to the trees next!

.

Fraid that's what 19 years working at 'The Q' does to you Shanker. :Alien: I'm just glad I escaped before the full ravages of OCD and mental infirmity completely overwhelmed me [shankingruminateswhilstsatindarkcornerstrokingdriverheadcover]

P.S. what's the 'Scores on the doors' on the eclectic?

goldwolf wrote:

MustPuttBetter wrote:"There's no excuse for not doing it, just pure lazyness" is at best a naive statement

How is that a naive statement?

As I said, golf equipment is expensive, I don't know how not looking after them could be described as anything but lazy.

Goldwolf - come on, surely you can't believe that the only reason for not doing something is laziness??
How about time? As i've said i would like to clean my clubs more. I do so occasionally but not enough. Although the reason most likely is sometimes laziness, it is also sometimes time. If i play 3 times a week that's approx 1.5 hours cleaning clubs. Whilst cleaning clubs is important it's not as important as spending time with the Mrs, eating, sleeping or fitting in another 9 holes.
Just my opinion.
I wish i had so much money it didn't matter!!

We'll have to agree to disagree!

30 mins is not a given, I can do mine well within 15. I have a very busy life and often can't clean them as soon as I get home, so I just wait until everyone is in bed and give them a good clean.

Maybe I'm in the sad line, but I also enjoy it, nearly as much as regripping and repairing!

Mustputt:
A bowl of warm soapy water, an old towel and a soft nail brush will get your clubs clean in 15 minutes absolute tops. It's just a case of getting into the habit of doing it really

I'm just glad I escaped before the full ravages of OCD

What exactly is wrong with OCD?

<twitch>

Fact is that at a certain level, some people just don't notice any difference. I borrowed a friends set of clubs last year for another friend who was visiting. They were pretty grimy when i got them so I gave them a thorough clean before the game. Took me ages as the dirt had pretty much set in the grooves. After our game i gave them another quick clean and polish up before dropping them back to him with a bottle as thanks. Next day we were out for a round and he was really confused to why he was getting so much response from his irons. Took him a while before noticing how shiny they were!

We've actually got a machine which cleans the irons, and believe it strips any rust as well. A token from the pro shop and away you go.

In honesty, to me, there just always seems to be something more important to do, be that with 45 mins a week or 1.5 hrs.
I do wipe the club after each shot and keep the grooves clean so i don't see any difference to my game (that would be different). Cleaning the grips etc just seems like a luxury i rarely have time to do. Unfortuantely.

Maybe i'll give it a squirt once everyone's gone to bed and test out the theraputic theory!

Doc wrote:Marcus/Graeme I'm glad I'm not following you 2 around must be a 6-hour round

I carry a big towel and wipe the club after each shot.

Fortunately I am able to multitask by walking and being able to clean my grooves at the same time!

Marcus wrote:

Doc wrote:Marcus/Graeme I'm glad I'm not following you 2 around must be a 6-hour round

I carry a big towel and wipe the club after each shot.

Fortunately I am able to multitask by walking and being able to clean my grooves at the same time!

ditto. always ready and waiting for my shot as i should be 8)

I am definitely in the camp who enjoy things like cleaning an regripping clubs.

Goldie, thought you and others might like this.

http://www.twitvid.com/LG2UA

It is Poulter regripping his own clubs, has anyone tried as many layers of tape as he uses. How many layers do most people go for?

Cheers mac, will have a look when I get home as can't access at work.

I have 2 layers under standard sized grips. Just about to do mine again with lamkin crossline blue grips (blue to go with my mizuno bag!)

One layer of tape under .580" ribbed grips for me 8)

drive4show wrote:One layer of tape under .580" ribbed grips for me 8)

I usually have round grips so they can be put on reverse, with the logo can be "hidden" on the under side. Anyone else prefer no logo showing when you grip?

I too enjoy cleaning my clubs, especially when I've finished.
- just use hot soapy water, with a tooth brush to get into the grooves (...and a cocktail stick in the case of "won't budge dirt"), theres something very satisfying with restoring the white line up grooves on my X14 Irons
- I then dry them off and wipe them with a lightly oiled cloth
- I probably do it on average every 2nd round, though I carry two towels on the bag, 1 which is damp to clean down the heads and a 2nd to dry them off

I also enjoy re-gripping my clubs, use two layers of tape, currently using: Sharpro Dual Compound Cord grips .580", couldn't recommend the grip more, at £2.80 each against the Golf Pride Multi-Compound its an utter bargain.

Gareth

I ordered 3 new multi compound grips yesterday at £6 a pop yesterday, Sharpro don't do a ribbed version so had to get the Golfpride ones instead

Never liked those multi-compound things. They are bloody uncomfortable in my hands.

Can't beat a nice soft grip that is as sticky as a sticky thing covered in a very sticky glue.

How do those Sharpro grips stack up? Are they as good as the other major brands?

Gareth/Goldie

Not sure what Gareth thinks of his Sharpro but having hit some clubs with them on I would say they are a decent alternate to the pro compound if you want to save a little cash. They feel quite good and almost as good.

Drive4show, in the past sharpro definitely did a versio. check this site recommended by GW.

http://www.gamolagolf.co.uk/acatalog/Sharpro_Golf_Grips.html

LJ

I like the multicompound grips, for one you know when your grip is not spot on as they have a habbit of shredding your hand should you get it wrong.

I guess it is all personal but I get quite sweaty hands in the heat and normal grips end up feeling very sticky, which I hate. The pro combo grips keep the grips feeling a lot dryer for me.

I really like the multi-compound grips, the contrasting feeling you get from the upper cord and lower rubber is quite nice. I've had them around 3-4 months and so far so good, probably played 10/12 rounds and theres no noticeable wear in them thus far. A few forums online have stated that they can wear rather quickly especially around the thumbs area(s).

Apparently Sharpro own the patent for the make up/technology of the grip and Golf Pride have to pay them a licencing type fee for the usage and branding. There are numerous threads on the web stating that the grips are even made out of the same factory in Asia. My local shop sells the GP version and I swear you cannot tell the difference (other than name).

Mac

I get all my grips from Gamola, unfortunately they don't appear to a ribbed version of the Sharpro :-(

Thanks for the link though, for anyone else seeing this, they are a really good company to deal with. Very cheap and quick despatch

McLaren wrote:LJ

I like the multicompound grips, for one you know when your grip is not spot on as they have a habbit of shredding your hand should you get it wrong.

that's the problem for me right there. I don't always grip the club in the same place. I'll grip down on one shot and then choke up on another. I much prefer to hit a choked down full short iron trying to keep the flight aggressive but sometimes I'll choke up on one and attempt to throw it up as high as I can in order to stop it, get a bit more yardage whilst stopping it rapidly or whatever else.

I find that the different feel under my hands is a bit offputting when i move my hand position so much from one swing to the next. I prefer a consistent feeling across the entire grip.

LJ

I did not mean changing where you grip the club rather if you are gripping it technically incorrectly.

But I'll change the way I put my hands on the club as well sometimes.

I might want to have a very strong grip in one case and a weak one in others...

I just find them uncomfortable.

But then I've always hated any sort of cord on a grip anyway.

NST - re eclectic.

As there are now 4 weekends to the end of the 606 eclectic, I will be posting results on a weekly basis, probably starting next wednesday, giving people time to get that weekends cards to me.

Are you all listening out there? You know who you are.

drive4show wrote:Mac

I get all my grips from Gamola, unfortunately they don't appear to a ribbed version of the Sharpro :-(

Thanks for the link though, for anyone else seeing this, they are a really good company to deal with. Very cheap and quick despatch

totally agree - gamolagolf are really excellent for grips. Top site and even by these cool steel brush tools for groove cleaning that are so much betetr than the rudey poo my pro pushes out for 3 quid. Putter grips at Gamola are good value as well - i have a bit of OCD about changing putter grips all the time. its a bit odd.