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All I wanted to do was put new grip ons my SW and LW. Bought 3 (1 extra incase of ***** up) GolfPride Tour Wrap .580 Ribbed from Golfsmith.

Took off the old grips ... cleaned off the old tape ... installed new tape. Wet it down with solvent ... Filled up the grip 1/2 way with solvent .... shook it up to wet down the entire inside of the grip.

Started putting the grip on the shaft and I swear I didn't think I'd EVER get it on there. That thing was so tight on there that I though it was gonna pull/push off the tape as I was sliding it on there. I pushed and pulled and twisted and turned and FINALLY got it on there.

So my question of course is:

Is this normal ????? Am I going to go through this with ALL the clubs I want to re grip ??? Cause if so, I don't have the arm strength for that.

And if this is NOT normal .... what did I do wrong ?????????

Thanks in advance !!!!!!

-Crabio

I've gripped many clubs and have never had a hard time. I'm stumped.

what did you do with the solvent in the grip?
you should also pour it on the grip.

I have never filled my grip half way with solvent.
just about a 1/4 inch in the grip will be plenty.
that being said, more solvent is better than to little.

did you use a tee stuck in the grip?
this serves a dual purpose.
one, it holds the solvent in the grip while you shake the grip.
two, it keeps pressure on the grip (helping to slightly expand the grip) until
the grip is on exactly where you want then you pull out the tee.
when you pull out the tee you will hear the pressure release.

works every time.
hope this helps.

Life is a great big canvas,
and you should throw all
the color on it you can.

Never had that problem??? there are different sizes of grips to match the shaft.

did you get the right one?

had to be the 'so called' solvent, what did you buy so you can save everyone else the pain of your experience.

I agree with above. Might have been the "solvent". I use lighter fluid.

I may be wrong but I bet I know what your problem was. Unless you've re-gripped a few clubs to get the hang of it, doing it by yourself can be tricky. The quicker you get the grip started after wetting the tape, the better. You might have someone help you by holding the clubhead with one hand and halfway up the shaft with the other. Another way is to use a slotted piece of rubber (probably found at most golf shops) to slide the shaft into so you can mount the club in a vise...that way you can use both hands to get the grip started and quickly slide it down and align it. Much easier if you can use both hands without having to secure the shaft by yourself.

Shade

Take it to a pro or sumthing, i dunno, never regripped my own

Well, thanks to all who have replied. To answer a couple of the questions:

The grip solvent I used is the standard stuff that they sell at Golfsmith. I don't know the brand at the moment but it's what they reccomend.

I did use the golf tee in the end trick. I thought that was the trouble ... popped that baby out and proceeded to squirt grip solvent all over the garage. Lesson learned there ... don't leave grip solvent inside the grip when sliding it on !

One thing someone did mention that I never thought about. "Did you get the right size grips". Until I read that, I never knew there were different sizes. I assumed grips were a one size fits all type of thing. I know when I went to slide that first grip on, my first thought was, "Man ... Is this thing supposed to fit on THERE ???" The ones I got had a number on them - .580

Anyone know what that mean ?????

How do you measure for the size installing grips ??? I'm still in the playing season up here in Seattle so I don't want to rip the grip off another club to measure something.

Thanks again for all the help !

-c

Oh and I forgot to anwer this one. I have regripped a long long time ago. I have the grip vise that they reccomend and had it NOT been for that I would not ever have gotten as far as I did. Those things are worth their weight in gold.

I never use a a vise and I have never had one not just slide on. I have used Lamkin .580 Crosslines on .600 shafts with no problem. I know there are some big butt shafts out there like .680 (ala Taylormade bubble) that you would never get .580 grips to fit on.

I've gripped dozens of sets of clubs, and never had a problem using .580 grips even on .600 butt shafts. The only problem I ever had regripping shafts was when I decided to do it after indulging in a few drinks.
Forgot to take the tee out of the grip.

that is strange..the size of the grip is never a problem unless you accidentally put on ladies grips which does not seem to be the case or like someone else said, it is a bubble shaft in which case you need a special tool. i do all the same things everyone else says, except i use paint thinner as my adherent. also, did you use thin tape and candy cane it or did you use 2" tape and cover the hole thing...i find the 2" fat tape works better(it actually might be 1.5", i can't remember. my only thought could be the solvent or that you waited too long and the solvent dried up too much.

The number 580 inside the grip is the core size of the grip. With the exception of the oversize grips, grips are made to standard size. A 580 grip on a .580 shaft would come to a standard grip. If you took a grip with a .600 core and put it on a shaft with a diameter of .600, they would both measure out to a mans standard. A standard grip would fit a mans hand with a 7 1/2" length measured from wrist to end of middle finger. I have a 7 1/4" hand measurement or 1 size under standard. A man with a hand length of 7 3/4 would be 1 size over standard. To fit grips for myself, I could do different things depending on the diameter of my shafts. If my shafts had a diameter of .580, I could put on grips with a core diameter of 600. This oversize grip would shrink down one size to fit my hand, or 1 size under standard. Now if the grips I were using on 580 shafts had a core diameter of 580, then I could stretch the grips down the shaft and extra 3/4". This would also give me 1 size under standard.
As far as the grip being tight, that was because the wet the shaft first and then the grip. Fill the grip with solvent and then pour the solvent from the grip onto the tape and then immediately slip the grip on. It is also helpful to have a spray bottle of solvent. I give the tape and extra spray and slide my hand around the tape to make sure it is completely wet. Haven't lost a grip yet.

Did you use grip tape, or just two sided tape? I use mineral spirits for solvent, I fill the grip completely, place the shaft in a vice, horizontal, slowly pour the solvent over the tape and slide the grip on. Did you extend the tape the full length of the grip, and leave about a half inch hang over the end of the butt? The first time I re-gripped a club, I used some two sided tape I had on hand, and it didn't work very well, quite hard to get the grip on, that's why I asked. It's not a tough job, and it's rather easy to slide a grip on, so unless you waited until the solvent started to dry, I don't understand your problem. Of course, Golfsmith does sell solvent and water actorvated tape, and they sell solvent for the water type tape, why I don't know if it takes water. But they do sell it, so you may have purchased the solvent for water actorvated tape, and that could be the problem. Check it out.