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anybody a garage club maker/ tinkerer?

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bogey_russ

bogey_russ

outside operations
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i am really curious and very interested in reshafting and regripping my old clubs myself...

is there anyone in here that does this?

is it difficult? is it expensive?(compared to letting a shop do it)
do you need alot of equipment? did you learn it on your own?
 
bogey_russ said:
i am really curious and very interested in reshafting and regripping my old clubs myself...

is there anyone in here that does this?

is it difficult? is it expensive?(compared to letting a shop do it)
do you need alot of equipment? did you learn it on your own?
Click to expand...

russ, i've done it before a few times but honestly it's more of a pain than it's worth. the only way it's really cheaper is if you find a killer deal on some grips on ebay. most places that you buy grips from will grip your clubs for free.

you need some double sided tape, solvent and a good vice. it's not all that difficult and there are some cool instructional videos on youtube, but my time is more precious to me than spending it writst deep in old grips, solvent and tape.
 
tcalloway1 said:
russ, i've done it before a few times but honestly it's more of a pain than it's worth. the only way it's really cheaper is if you find a killer deal on some grips on ebay. most places that you buy grips from will grip your clubs for free.

you need some double sided tape, solvent and a good vice. it's not all that difficult and there are some cool instructional videos on youtube, but my time is more precious to me than spending it writst deep in old grips, solvent and tape.
Click to expand...

lol... i was afraid someone would say that... thanks bro...

what about reshafting?
 
bogey_russ said:
lol... i was afraid someone would say that... thanks bro...

what about reshafting?
Click to expand...

no reshafting experience for me. i wouldn't trust myself. it's something that i wouldn't mind doing, just need the space and the tools.
 
bogey_russ said:
i am really curious and very interested in reshafting and regripping my old clubs myself...

is there anyone in here that does this?

is it difficult? is it expensive?(compared to letting a shop do it)
do you need alot of equipment? did you learn it on your own?
Click to expand...

I regrip my own clubs. I use easy-to-find Golf Pride Tour Wraps on all my clubs (except my putter) and sometimes find great deals on eBay. I've also bought the grips onesy-twosy when I have a Golf Galaxy gift certificate and need to spend just a few more bucks to use up the whole card's value.

Regripping is easy, but a little messy. I have a vise on my workbench, a rubber shaft holder and a utility knife with a regular blade and a hooked one for graphite shafts. I buy solvent when I'm ready to regrip, or in a pinch I've used WD-40.

tcalloway1 said:
russ, i've done it before a few times but honestly it's more of a pain than it's worth. the only way it's really cheaper is if you find a killer deal on some grips on ebay. most places that you buy grips from will grip your clubs for free.

you need some double sided tape, solvent and a good vice. it's not all that difficult and there are some cool instructional videos on youtube, but my time is more precious to me than spending it writst deep in old grips, solvent and tape.
Click to expand...

All the golf shops here charge $2/club to regrip. Not a lot, but it's such an easy DIY job that I'll do it myself and save a few bucks.

I've never reshafted a club myself, but I've cut down a few.
 
I think re-gripping is quite an easy process. I use the individual strips to make things extra easy. For a solvent, you don't need to buy their stuff if you have lighter fluid sitting around. Also, if you have to build up the grip, you can use regular masking tape. I knew nothing about it until I started asking questions here and a few other friends. I was able to change the grips on a couple sets of clubs quickly and easily.

As for re-shafting, that's a beast I haven't dared to tackle yet. Mainly because of space and available tools.
 
Re-gripping is easy, I've been trying different grips looking for something I like. Right now on my driver and 3 Wood I am using Golf Pride Mid size cords. They feel a tad big, so I am thinking of next trying the regular cords with 1-2 extra tape wraps.

I'm considering adding extensions and grips to my new wedges based on a fitting recommendation.
 
+1 on the easy re-gripping. I've built clubs myself half a dozen time only because I'm cheap and need +1". Gripping is the easiest part of that process, if you ask me. I'm guessing the hardest part for you will be getting the old one off.

Then, as long as you have the solvent, some double-sided tape, and your grip you are good to go. Put on your tape, wet it and the grip with solvent, and twist on. tThen make sure you haven't twisted the grip too much or stretched it or shortened it, just let it dry.

Eph
 
I have been re-gripping for over 10 years and it is a piece of cake to do. Re-shafting is another thing tough. I am retired so I have time on my hands and I have been building golf clubs for about 7 years. In order to do it right you need special equipment and patience. I would just take it to a clubfitter to get it re-shafted but to put on new grips is an easy task. If you enjoy working with your hands you will find it a fun and enjoyable thing.
 
I regrip and reshaft all the time, both are pretty easy.

As for regripping, if you happen to have access to an air compressor, it's absolutely a piece of cake and much cleaner. Otherwise, it's pretty simple, just cut off the old grip, throw a piece of double sided tape, pour solvent on the tape and down the new grip and slide it on.

Reshafting is pretty easy as well but obviously more involved. I use a crowbar with a little bit ground out of the "foot" to help pop the clubheads off. I use a heat gun or propane torch that I had around to heat the heads, depending on whether the shaft is steel or I want to keep the shaft. I use the cheapie $2 vice inserts from Golfsmith to hold the shaft. Heat it up, pop the head off. I use a pistol cleaning kit to clean out the hosel, very easy. From there, if you have a Dremel tool, you can use it to cut the shafts. Other then that there are no special tools, just mix up some epoxy, install the ferrule, it's a simple process. I find it's MUCH better then blowing $20-30 and all the turnaround time having them reshafted by a shop.
 
almost everything in my bag are components. my buddy (birdsboro on here) and I built them for practically nothing. he is always building something it seems. After the initial trial and error it all seems rather simple. there is a certain amount of pride to know you put something together yourself and its
a inexpensive way to try out new stuff.
 
I've been doing my own clubs for decades and I love it.

Regripping, reshafting, lofts, lies, swingweights - the whole nine yards.

I prefer to do this myself because I can experiment with all kinds of different things and it just "costs" some time. Not only that, but if something I do doesn't quite live up to expectations, it's real simple to just put everything back to where it was and maybe try something else. For example, if I set my clubs to a certain length, but then decide that I'd like to go a bit shorter or longer, it's something I can generally do in a few minutes as opposed to taking the clubs back to a golf shop and waiting a week for them to get done.

I use components in my irons exclusively (Snake Eyes) and I've built several drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and even some putters over the years as well. I also grind my own wedges so that I can set them up just the way I like them too. In terms of gripping, unlike many golf shops which simply use a piece of 2-inch wide tape to get it done quickly, I use 1/2-inch wide tape and spiral wrap the shaft. I prefer round grips and the 2-inch tape overlaps itself and makes it feel as if the grip has a rib in it while spiral wrapping ensures a perfectly round grip every time. Spiral wrapping is something that most golf shops won't do unless you insist on it.

The point of it all is that I can truly customize my gear and I can make very fine adjustments to my clubs in ways that would be almost impossible to convey to someone else. Plus I can change my mind anytime I wish and not have to keep bringing my clubs back to someone else and trying to explain what I'm looking to do.

The payoff is knowing that I have what I really want along with the pride of having done it myself and in addition to all of that, it's just plain fun to do!



-JP
 
I regrip my clubs myself,it's fairly easy with the right equipment.I'll also reshaft which is fairly easy with the right equipment too.If you have the right tools both are easy.
 
A couple suggestions on regripping:

First, use a utility knife with a hooked blade to cut away the old grip. It protects graphite shafts AND your fingers. Plus its easier and faster.

Second, get Golfsmith's manual grip tape scraper (or find someplace selling the same tool for less). The rounded shape makes removing old tape a snap. For really stubborn tape on some OEM clubs, saturate the tape with solvent before scraping. Golfsmith's rubber vice clamp works well, too. Just don't overtighten or you'll damage the shaft.

Finally, check out the newer grip solvents. They're non-toxic and nonflammable and, if you use a cheap plastic paint tray to catch the excess, you can reuse it.
 
after reading a few posts im starting to get that itch to wanna try reshafting...
im gonna do alot of research of course and use my old crappy clubs as guinea pigs
 
I currently re-grip my clubs. I want to experiment with re-shafting but dont really know where to start or what equipment I will need.

re-gripping is not hard at all
 
Fildini said:
I currently re-grip my clubs. I want to experiment with re-shafting but dont really know where to start or what equipment I will need.

re-gripping is not hard at all
Click to expand...

this is what i wanna do alot of research on... so i dont dive in blind... lol
 
I've never done much myself, although it appeals greatly to my cheap DIY nature.

Closest I've came, is building my own "Heavy Putter". I had a cheap Wal Mart special mallet style putter. I got to liking the Bocceri Heavy Putters in the store and I wanted a short putter 33" or there abouts. So I cut the shaft on my cheapie, made the head heavier, drove something to stop-up the shaft, and then filled the handle part with with lead. Stuck on a new grip and then I had myself my monstrosity of a DIY Heavy putter. Its not nearly as heavy as the real deal I have now though. I didn't like the cheap plastic insert on the face of the putter. I went in Dicks a few weeks ago and they had the real Heavy Putters for $80. I also had a $10 off coupon, so that put them at only a few dollars over what I saw them on Ebay shipped for, so I bought one, and really like it!

I have another Ram putter I got at sports authority for $8 a couple years ago. It has a metal face. I've been meaning to tinker with it for awhile now, just never got around to doing it.
 
Don't let the idea of reshafting scare ya.It's not that hard to do.There are quite a few cheap extractors out there and plenty of info on how to do it.If you're a DIY'er you'll love the options it gives you.
As far as metal heads and shafts all you need is something to lock the shaft in a vise without damaging it,a torch and some gloves.
 
jefffann said:
Don't let the idea of reshafting scare ya.It's not that hard to do.There are quite a few cheap extractors out there and plenty of info on how to do it.If you're a DIY'er you'll love the options it gives you.
As far as metal heads and shafts all you need is something to lock the shaft in a vise without damaging it,a torch and some gloves.
Click to expand...

nice! im getting more and more excited the more i read and research... awesome... thanks
 
this weekend... im gonna experiment on an old driver... 3w... and 8i
 
bogey_russ said:
after reading a few posts im starting to get that itch to wanna try reshafting...
im gonna do alot of research of course and use my old crappy clubs as guinea pigs
Click to expand...

Bogey, take pictures.
A friend and I did the whole golfsmith/component thing bout 12 years ago when we were in high school. It was a lot of fun, ended up making complete sets for me, him, our fathers and a friend of my fathers. My experiance is a little out of date though, back then (late 90's) I felt that component companies were merely copying technology they were seeing in the big companies, not actually testing or trying to make their own advancements. (basically a lot of the component back then were merely a step up from knock offs) I could be COMPLETLY wrong now however. Anyways its a lot of fun, and it's kind of cool to be the fix it guy that all your friends come to instead of their local mega sports store. We did a lot of fun (aka stupid?) stuff back then experimenting in my dad's garage. We once tried to solder a bolt onto the back base of a three iron to try and get the CG lower and therefore make it hit higher. The first swing, that bolt flew off and imbedded itself into a nearby tree. It defintly would have killed somone had it hit them......
 
SNAP HOOK said:
Bogey, take pictures.

We did a lot of fun (aka stupid?) stuff back then experimenting in my dad's garage. We once tried to solder a bolt onto the back base of a three iron to try and get the CG lower and therefore make it hit higher. The first swing, that bolt flew off and imbedded itself into a nearby tree. It defintly would have killed somone had it hit them......
Click to expand...

you coulda started your own company called deadly clubs... hahaha...

ill take pics but it wont be that exciting... ill just be tinkering with regripping and pulling off the heads in an attempt to not damage anything worse than what it is...
basically get the 'feel' of actually doing this stuff with crappy clubs before i even attempt to do it on one of the clubs i actually want to play with
 
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