With all the money we spend on our equipment, the most overlooked piece is undoubtedly the grips on our clubs. Because I’ve been an equipment junkie for over 40 years now, I pay close attention to what I see in other golfers’ bags. I’m also known to lurk about in the bag rooms to just pull clubs from random bags and make note of what I observe.

It never ceases to amaze me how little attention most golfers pay to the only part of the club that provides the connection of your swing to all that technology in the head and shaft.

Of course, I’m talking about that simple — and relatively cheap, compared to the cost of the shaft and head technology — component that lives down in the dark confines of the bottom of your bag. Your grips need and deserve better than that!

They are so easy to take for granted, because we rarely even look at them very closely. And we typically give them even less care and attention.

In your routine playing of a round of golf, my bet is that you often or always wipe down your iron and wedge clubheads before or after you take a shot, but I’ll bet very few of you pay that much attention to your grips.

But here are two simple facts about golf grips

• They get dirty
• They wear out

Let’s take #1 first. My bet is that almost 100 percent of you wear a glove when you play . . . and since almost 100% of gloves are white in color, you have a great indicator of how dirty your grips might be. It doesn’t take too many rounds before that nice, new white golf glove starts looking like the picture above, right?

Well, where do you think that dirt came from? About the only thing it touches are your grips, so . . .
I was taught as a very young golfer that cleaning your grips was imperative to playing your best, so we made that a regular ritual every few rounds of golf. It’s really very easy to do. All you need is a soft bristle brush and some warm water and soap. Rinse the grip, brush it down with a bit of soap, and rinse clean. Dry with a terry-cloth towel and let air dry for a few hours. Voila! Nice clean and remarkably tacky “new” grips. And you didn’t take up the space in front of the kitchen sink for more than 10-15 minutes.

Now, let’s take on #2, the simple fact that grips wear out.

Almost all new clubs are sold with some kind of rubber compound grip. In spite of all the new materials and styles of grips that have come along, the golf club industry has had a hard time improving on the qualities of pure rubber or rubber blend for golf club grips.

But your $4-600 driver, those $2-300 fairways and hybrids, and those $150-200 new irons and wedges all have a “handle” that only costs a few dollars, and it will wear out with use.

I strongly suggest you pay close attention to the grips on all your clubs, but you are mostly likely to see a wear pattern on your driver and wedges . . . those clubs you use the most. When you do, it’s time to visit your golf shop and have them regripped. Or do it yourself which is not that difficult and can save you some money.

Oh, and there’s a third thing about grips to which you should pay close attention . . . and that is that all your clubs should have the same grip make and model on them. With few exceptions, all your clubs should feel the same in your hands when you play.

Treat yourself to a fresh re-gripping of your clubs and you’ll feel like you have a whole new set in play . . . for only $150 or so.