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Is it really important? If so, how often? Are there significant advantages in certain styles/grips? How does an individual select the correct diameter/thickness of a grip for a specific club?

It is really important, if you don't want your clubs to turn in your hands and cause a poor shot. As the material in the grips ages it hardens and gets slick, and a proper grip makes a quality golf shot much easier. I play 3-4 times a week and regrip every 9 months or so...and probably could more often.

If you don't play often, you obviously wouldn't have to regrip as often. You can also lengthen the life of your grips by regularly wiping them down with a damp towel to get the oils from your hands out of them.

I personally still use the Tour Wrap grips because I enjoy the way they feel, but most of the companies have new age grips that are soft and tacky. I may have to go to some of those. I'm leaning toward smoe of the new Winn grips.

I just recently re-gripped all of my clubs. They had all original TM grips which I thought were still pretty good. Wrong! I could not believe the difference. I put on Golf Pride Tour Velvets because I like the rubber grips better than wraps. If your grips are old then you will be amazed at how good new grips feel.

I plan on re-gripping once a year. I play 3 to 4 times a week on average and clean my grips every week. I am sure that others re-grip more often than that. But I think once a year is enough.

There advantages to each type of grip. I prefer rubber grips that are tacky but firm so I can still feel the club head at impact. If you live in a humid environment or play in the rain Winn grips are not for you. They tend to be slippery when wet. Corded grips would probably be the best option in wet conditions. I can't comment on wraps. I really don't like the feel of them so I have not tried them.

As for sizing, you have to know the butt size of the shaft you are putting the grips on. But even at that there are tricks to build up or reduce the overall size of the grip. I will let one of the club builders on GR explain that to you because it is over my head. I am lucky, I am as standard as it gets. If any of the clubs you plan on re-gripping are Taylor Made graphite shaft make sure to check the butt size before you remove the grip. I have a TM R580 3-wood that has a butt size of .700. It's hard to find a .700 grip to fit it.

Absolutely is. Depending on how much you play, once a year. I clean my grips pretty regularly, and at one point last year they would feel dirty or slick again even shortly after I cleaned them. Then I realized, DUH, change your grips :)

You cannot over emphasize the importance of regularly regripping your clubs. I regrip every spring and clean them every couple weeks. I play two to three times a week. I like a soft grip and have used Winn grips for several years but that's a personal preference. All of the newer grips are good.

My favorite grips are Golf Pride Tour Velvet which is what you get on most new clubs just with the name brand logos on them. They are also the #1 grip that tour pros use.

Just think about it! If the grip on a club is slick, how hard or tight do you have to grip it to ensure that it does't turn on you or fly out of your hands? If you are gripping a club too tight, that tightness is transfered to the rest of your body. Good luck with that shot! Need I say more.

I can't wait for my Golf Pride Tour Wrap's to come on my new irons. My old grips on my irons that I'm replacing were horrible, but seeing as how I knew I was getting irons soon, I opted to just save the money and get the new clubs.

You have figured out that replacing the grip is way important. the fit is important too!

When you grip the handle make sure the middle finger is just touching the pad of the hand for the back hand and that the middle finger of the other hand is just touching the thumb or pad of that hand.

Now this is not set is stone but a great starting point. If it "FEELS" small go a bit bigger and visa versa is true.

It could be that you can build up either the back or top hand only.

I change my grips about every year or two. Depending on how much I play that season. In New York we don't have the pleasure of playing year round so my grips don't wear as quickly.

How often you may need to re-grip your clubs will depend on what type of grip you have, and if you ever clean them. Me, I like to clean my grips with warm soapy water when ever they start to feel a little slick, or the color of the grip gets darker from the oil from my skin. Clean grips feel like new grips, at least for a time. If you use cord grips, they will last a real long time, as they are rougher to start with. If you use the Lambkin Classic grips, which are a black and white checker pattern, you can see when the grips are dirty just by the color. They start looking gray and black, it's time to clean them. That's pretty simple, and one reason to not go with all black grips. Also, my experience with OEM grips is that they don't last very long, and the same grip from the after market company will last a lot longer. It seems the OEM's are buying a cheaper version to save some money, you it shows in how long the grip last before it gets slick.

I re-grip every year, usually prior to the start of the golf season, and I clean them off every couple of weeks. As prior posters have pointed out, if your grips are worn you end up clutching them too tightly, and they'll still slip in your hands.

This year I switched to Golf Pride Decade mid-size. I had Golf Pride dual durometer grips, they were great, but the decades seem to provide more grip. I've also had good luck with the Golf Pride tour velvets.

Its also fun to do your own grips, and not difficult at all. Once you decide the grip you want, and know the size, you can buy them from any golf shop, along with the materials you will need - Golfsmith, Golfworks, etc... I thiink there are plenty of threads on GR explaining how its done.