Inside the Workshop: A Regrip, Step by Step

Step 1: Inspect before cutting

The grip comes off last in the diagnostic order, not first. Before anything is cut, we check the shaft butt for rust or cracks, note the current grip model and size, count any build-up wraps underneath, and record the club's swingweight. That record is what makes the next regrip reproducible — and it is the only chance to see internal rust on a steel butt.

Step 2: Remove the old grip and tape

A hook blade run away from the shaft opens the old grip without scoring the shaft — critical on graphite, where a knife line becomes a stress riser and eventually a crack. The old tape is then removed completely. Leaving old tape on and building over it is the single most common shortcut, and it produces an inconsistent diameter and a grip that never seats evenly.

Residual adhesive comes off with solvent and a rag. The butt section must be clean and dry before new tape goes on, or the tape releases under the first humid round.

Step 3: Tape, sized deliberately

• One wrap of double-sided tape is standard, run the length of the grip area
• Extra build-up wraps are added here if the golfer wants a size between standard and midsize
• Lower-hand-only build-up goes on now, if the fitting called for it
• Tape overhangs the butt end and is tucked in to seal the shaft opening

Tucking the overhang matters for a reason golfers never see: it seals the butt so water cannot run down inside the shaft when a club is washed or air-dried grip-up.

Step 4: Solvent and slide

Grip solvent activates the tape adhesive and lubricates the slide. Too little and the grip stops halfway on, which almost always means cutting a new grip off and starting again. We pour solvent into the grip, seal both ends, shake to coat the interior, then pour it over the tape so the entire surface is wet, and slide the grip on in one motion.

Step 5: Align to a reference, not by eye

The grip must be square to the clubface, and for ribbed grips the rib must sit exactly along the shaft axis. We seat the club in a vice with the face set square using a gauge, then align the grip's logo and rib to that reference while the solvent is still wet. A grip that is two degrees rotated will quietly encourage a rotated hand position for as long as it is on the club.

Step 6: Cure, then verify

The swingweight re-check is where a good shop earns its keep on a full-set regrip. Switching an entire set from 50-gram grips to 66-gram midsize grips takes roughly three points of swingweight out of every club. If the set felt right before, it will feel light now, and the honest fix is adding head weight — which is a conversation we have before starting, not after.

Signs of a bad install

• The grip twists under hand pressure — insufficient tape coverage or solvent that never activated
• A visible bulge or wrinkle — old tape left underneath, or the grip hung up during the slide
• The logo or rib is off-square — aligned by eye rather than to a squared face
• A hollow tap at the butt — the grip is not seated fully home
• A knife score visible on a graphite shaft under the grip edge — a future failure point

Any of those is worth redoing. A grip costs a few dollars; a season of fighting a twisted grip costs strokes.