DIY underlistings for leather wrap grips.

The following video outlines the process of creating your own underlistings for vintage leather wrap grips. Sometimes when you need to reshaft vintage irons the original grips are still usable while the underlistings are not. They either are glued to the old shafts or are disintegrating due to age. Since I could not find any underlistings on eBay I decided to create my own. 

This method allows for more than just the standard tapered shape of the grip. If you want you can even do a reverse tapering. Or maybe you just want to have the part under the right hand built up a bit.

For these old Hogan grips from the 1950’s I managed to reuse the end caps, the grip collars and the wraps themselves. I had to cut the collars with a knife but they will go back on the new shafts together with some black electricity tape of the same width.

Have fun!

Restoring Irons

Here are the links to my posts about restoring vintage irons:

Part 1 - Materials and tools

Part 2 - Shaft Removal

Part 3 - Shaft Preparation

Part 4 - Head Preparation

Part 5 - Ferrules

Part 6 - Assembly

Part 7 - Grip Installation

Part 8 – Lie Adjustments

Enjoy!

Restoring Irons – 7: Grip Installation

As stated before I decided to put Griptec EZ-grips on my clubs. Since these aren't standard grips, I will also add links with information on installing other kinds of grips.

EZ-Grips

Some grips are easier to install than others. For this project I chose Griptec EZgrips because they are cheap and very easy to install. The look and feel is similar to Golf Pride Tour Wraps. To install them all you need to do is open the package and slide the grip on the shaft! In the beginning they will be much too wide for the shaft but within 24 hours the grips will shrink to fit. It beats me how it works exactly, all I know is that it’s some sort of chemical treatment and that it works great. The grips will feel very soft at first but after a few days they will firm up and feel like Tour Wraps. Tip: Remember to line up the text on the butt square to the clubface so they will look the same throughout the set.

Normal grips

To install grips you need to:

1. Measure the grip length.
   
2. Wind double-sided tape around the shaft and peel off the backing.
   
3. Place the grip in a vice so you can work with your hands free.
   
4. Cover the vent hole with a finger and pour grip solvent (or petrol) in the grip.
   
5. Cover the top, shake and then pour the solvent over the double-sided tape.
   
6. Install the grip as fast as you can (before tape gets sticky again.)
   
7. Straighten the grip and squeeze it a few times.
   
8. Set the club away to dry.

Here you can download some vids that show the entire process in detail. Courtesy of Golfsmith.com: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, Step 4

Next up: Adjusting the lie angles. Enjoy!

Restoring Irons – 1: Materials and Tools

Introduction

This is part one in a series of post in which I will show you how to (re)build a set of irons to your personal specs:
I'll try to describe as best as I can all the steps involved in putting together a set of clubs that are set up just the way you want them.
For about 50% of what you'd normally spend on a new set of 'quality' clubs you can be gaming the set of your dreams! That is including all the tools you'll need along the way.

 

Old Clubs

First thing to do is to find a set of clubs you will be restoring. If possible, try to find a set that has shafts with the same flex you will be putting in later. This is important because of potential differences in weight (and weight distribution) in the heads. If you don't do this you might just end up with swing weight or trajectory problems when you put in the new shafts.

You can find great deals on eBay. With most of the older Hogan sets you simply can't go wrong. The forgings are among the best. Most of the Wilson and MacGregor heads are great as well. I got this set of 1965 Hogan PC5's (2-9 iron) for 25 USD! Shipping and customs costs may add to the expenses but all in all still a great deal for a quality set of blades. 
This set is in average condition, showing some wear and minor rust spots. Still very playable and they still have at least a couple of years of play left in them. 
Of course, if I really like the heads I can have them rechromed by the ironfactory and still come out cheaper than what you would have paid for a new set of blades. 
In case you have bought an incomplete set and wish to complete it ironfinder have very reliable service, fast shipping and lots of choice.

 

- Important -

Make sure you buy a set that fits .355 taper tip shafts. I think the best shafts are taper tipped shafts, but should you want to put in parallel tip shafts you at least have the option of boring out the hosel to fit the wider tip. NEVER buy a set that has aluminium shafts because these clubs typically have light-weight head to compensate for the light-weight shaft. Also, the hosel size (inside diameter) will be bigger due to the wider tip size of the aluminium shafts. 

 

New Shafts

There is so much to say about shafts and shaft technology but that's something for another series of articles.
I'll be mentioning steel shafts only since these are widely regarded as being the shafts that provide the most precise feedback and consistency in irons.
Of course there's shaft flex to consider and shaft type is probably just as important.
In general there are two kinds of shafts: .370 parallel tip shafts and .355 taper tip shafts. The smaller tapered tips are stiffer in the tips and less susceptible to torque or play due to the smaller diameter. This is turn improves shot dispersion and birdie frequency. :)
Something else to take into consideration is shaft weight. For the TrueTemper Dynamic Gold Iron shafts nowadays you can choose between four weight classes (100, 200, 300, 400) e.g. DGIS300 means 'Dynamic Gold Iron Stiff-flex 300', in which 300 is heavier than 200.

DGIX 2-iron shaft above and below that the 3-4-5-6-iron DGIXL shafts which have longer butt ends.

 

Grips

When it comes to grips you have a few options: 

• Rubber/Synthetic grips (Slip-on)
  Most grips these days fall into this category.
  
• Rubber/Synthetic/Compound grips with Cord inlaid (Slip-on)
  These grips usually have a firmer feel to them. Some players like the direct connection to the club.
  
• Leather grips (Wrap-on)
  Leather grips are rare these days and usually quite expensive. John Daly and Retief Goosen are examples of modern day players that use leather. Leather feels very nice and soft but gets very tacky in the rain, providing grip whereas some other grips have a tendency to get slippery when wet.

Grip choice really is a matter of personal preference, availability and price. Some grips are easier to install than others so doing your homework can save you lots of time. For this project I chose Griptec EZgrips because they are cheap and very easy to install. The look and feel is similar to Golf Pride Tour Wraps.

 

Tools

The next part will be about shaft removal.