How Regripping My Own Clubs Changed the Way I Think About Golf

June 17, 2026

SAPLIZE Rubber Golf Grips 13-Piece Set in Purple – complete regripping kit with grip tape, solvent, vise clamp and hook blade for DIY club maintenance

I've been playing golf for twelve years. In that time I've spent money on new clubs, new balls, new shoes, a new bag, two different rangefinders, and more lessons than I'd like to admit. I had never, until six weeks ago, spent money on new grips.

This was, it turns out, a significant oversight.

The Problem I'd Been Ignoring

Golf grips wear out. This is a fact that every golfer knows in the abstract and most recreational players ignore in practice. The general recommendation is to regrip once a year, or every forty rounds, whichever comes first. I play about thirty rounds a year and had not regripped in two seasons. My grips were smooth in places, slightly tacky in others, and had developed that particular hardness that worn rubber gets when it's been compressed and released a few thousand times.

I'd noticed my grip pressure increasing over the past season — holding on tighter to compensate for the reduced traction. Tighter grip pressure is one of the most common causes of tension in the swing, which leads to inconsistency, which leads to the kind of rounds where you can't work out what's going wrong. I'd been blaming my technique. The grips were at least partly responsible.

The reason I'd never regripped was simple: I assumed it required a professional. I'd priced it up at a pro shop once — per club, plus labour — and filed it away as something I'd get around to eventually. Then I found the SAPLIZE kit on ALTOE and realised I could do the whole set myself for a fraction of the cost.

Why the SAPLIZE Kit

The completeness of the kit was what sold it. Regripping requires more than just the grips themselves — you need grip tape, solvent, a vise clamp to hold the club steady, and something to remove the old grip cleanly. The SAPLIZE set includes all of it: 13 rubber grips, 15 pieces of professional grip tape, 4oz of grip solvent, a rubber vise clamp, and a golf hook blade. Everything in one box. No separate orders, no discovering halfway through that you're missing something.

The grips themselves are standard size with a 0.6 inch core and 10.6 inch length — the right fit for the vast majority of clubs. The high-quality rubber formula is described as abrasion-resistant and anti-slip, which are the two properties that matter most in a grip: durability and traction in all weather conditions. And the purple colourway, which I'll admit I chose partly on a whim, turned out to be a genuinely good-looking finish that's distinctive without being garish.

SAPLIZE Golf Grips kit contents – showing the 13 purple rubber grips alongside the grip tape, solvent, rubber vise clamp and hook blade included in the complete regripping set

The Regripping Process

I did all thirteen clubs on a Saturday afternoon. I'd watched a couple of tutorial videos beforehand — the process is straightforward once you understand the sequence — and the kit made it genuinely manageable for someone doing it for the first time.

The hook blade removed the old grips cleanly without damaging the shafts. The rubber vise clamp held each club securely while I worked. The grip tape went on smoothly, the solvent activated it correctly, and the new grips slid on and set within a few minutes each. By the time I'd done the first three I had the rhythm of it. The whole set took about two and a half hours, including a break for a cup of tea.

The purple grips looked considerably better on my irons than I'd expected. My playing partner, who has been gently mocking my equipment choices for years, said they looked "properly professional." I chose to take that at face value.

SAPLIZE Purple Rubber Golf Grips installed on golf clubs – showing the anti-slip textured surface and standard size fit on iron shafts

First Round With New Grips

I played the following Sunday. The difference was immediate and, frankly, embarrassing in terms of how long I'd been playing on worn grips without addressing it.

The traction was completely different. I could hold the club with a lighter, more relaxed grip and trust that it wouldn't move at impact. That relaxation — the absence of the compensatory tension I'd been carrying — changed the feel of every shot. My irons felt more connected. My driver felt more controlled. I shot three under my handicap, which is not something I do regularly.

I'm not claiming the grips alone were responsible for that round. But the reduction in grip pressure, and the confidence that came with knowing the club was secure in my hands, was a real and measurable factor.

SAPLIZE Rubber Golf Grip close-up – showing the abrasion-resistant anti-slip rubber texture and 10.6 inch length on a golf club shaft

Six Weeks On

I've played eight rounds since regripping. The grips have held up well through varying conditions — dry rounds, one wet morning where the traction of a good grip matters most, and the general wear of regular play. No slipping, no hardening, no loss of the surface texture that makes them work. The purple has stayed vivid.

The kit also came with two spare grips and several spare pieces of tape, which means I have everything I need to replace any individual grip that wears faster than the others without buying a whole new set. That forward-thinking inclusion is the kind of detail that tells you a product has been designed by people who actually use it.

SAPLIZE Golf Grips 13-Piece Regripping Kit – full set laid out showing all components including purple grips, grip tape strips, solvent bottle, vise clamp and hook blade

What It Changed

Two things. First, my game — specifically the tension in my grip and the consistency that comes from trusting your equipment. Second, my relationship with my clubs. I regripped them myself. I know what's in them now, in a way I didn't when they came out of a shop. That sounds like a small thing and it isn't — there's a satisfaction in maintaining your own equipment that changes how you feel about using it.

I'll regrip every season from now on. The cost is minimal, the process is straightforward with the right kit, and the difference to the game is real. Twelve years of playing golf and I only worked this out six weeks ago. Don't make the same mistake.