I’ve always been suspicious of the advice a place like Jiffy Lube offers to change your oil every 3000 miles. They have a vested interest in getting you to change your oil as often as possible, and they aren’t really offering unbiased advice. My Oldsmobile Alero has an indicator light that shows when the oil should be changed, and the manual says it may only need to be changed after 12,000 miles. However, I don’t think even I am so cheap that I would wait that long.
The same problem applies with re-gripping your golf clubs. How often does that need to be done? Do you really need to listen to the company that makes the grips and says they should be changed every 4-6 months?
Grips are the only point of contact between you and the golf club, and when the grips have the proper tackiness, it will help you have a proper grip on the club. Anyone who has ever read a golf instruction book, or taken even a single golf lesson knows that the grip you have on the club is important to your golf swing. If you grip the club too hard, that can do harm to your swing. New grips are made to give you every advantage in having as light a grip on the club as possible, while still being able to hang on to the club. As grips wear out, you’ll have to grip the club harder to be able to hang on.
Oil from your hand and dirt are not helpful to preserving the tackiness of the grips. You should make sure the grips are clean, which may require you to clean them every few rounds. Washing them with dish soap and warm water is a good way.
When the grips are just worn out, it is good to replace them, and it is fairly easy to do it yourself. You should be able to tell by looking at them, or maybe comparing your grips with new grips. The vast majority of golfers don’t need to re-grip their clubs more than once every year or two. But, if you think you need new grips, and cleaning them doesn’t help, don’t hesitate to re-grip them.
