Asking a golfer how often they clean their clubs or any other piece of their equipment is a bit like asking someone how old they are. We’ve found out the answer, and it might just shock you …
Whilst we might think our golf clubs are our pride and joy, a recent poll by Golfsupport.com revealed that in reality, we’re downright lazy when it comes to actually taking care of those precious metal sticks, and we're pretty sure laziness extends to cleaning accessories too.
Less than half of the golfers surveyed said they cleaned their clubs after hitting each shot, and 6% admitted to only cleaning their full set once a year.
Don’t get me wrong, the thought of getting a bucket of soapy water and meticulously cleaning my clubs after every round (especially after I’ve lugged them in and out of the car) doesn’t exactly fill me with excitement, but not even wiping the clubface when you’ve hit your shot? That’s just beyond laziness. If nothing else, I need all the help I can get in making sure that ball goes where I want it to go, and I’m fairly sure that the errant blade of grass and yesterday’s dried up mud won’t be much assistance.
There’s actually hard science behind it – golf clubs have grooves for a reason. In layman’s terms, grooves create spin, speed and control over the ball flight. The more loft on the club, the more important the grooves are, and if they’re full of fairway or mud from the rough, they’re not doing their job properly. In fact, you could lose up to 1,300 RPM of spin simply by not keeping your grooves clean, according to experts at Callaway.
My advice? Keep a towel clipped to your golf bag and a tee peg in your pocket. Every time you hit a shot, give your club a quick wipe and run a tee peg through the grooves. That way, you’ll keep your clubs performing as they should, and when you finish your round, there shouldn’t be too much to clean.
But then of course, you need to make sure you clean your towel too. How often have you noticed a dirty towel on someone's golf bag, especially during winter months? And how often do you strike a dirty golf ball off the tee because you're too lazy to walk back to the dispenser and clean it?
As you're reading this you might even have an eye on a dirty pair of golf shoes, so come on, clean up your golf act ...
How often do you clean your golf equipment? Perhaps you clean clubs, shoes and accessories during the winter but make the most of the dry summer and give yourself a break? Let us know by emailing [email protected].