How To Clean a Driver Head
Making sure that all your golfing equipment is clean and in good working order might not be the most exciting aspect of golf, but if you want to keep those expensive clubs up to scratch, it takes a little elbow grease.
Your driver is one of the most essential items in your bag and can easily be the difference between an eagle and a double bogey. The perfect swing can take years of practice, but it's the small steps we take weekly and monthly - like cleaning out the grooves on drivers - that can transform our game.
Why Should You Clean Driver Heads?
Cleaning clubs of any kind make a lot of sense, especially considering how much they usually cost. Would you buy a Porsche and then never wash it? We doubt it. Expensive clubs are precisely the same, and it would be foolish to allow them to rust and slowly disintegrate.
We should be cleaning all our clubs, but drivers are particularly critical because of the speed and power used. A successful drive from the tee involves a well-practiced movement and precisely the right connection that makes that tremendous ding noise. A small amount of dirt or a ball mark may appear tiny and trivial, but they can hinder distance and affect performance.
Importance of Cleaning Grooves
Those groove markings are not just there for decoration. Their role, usually going horizontal across the club, is to help with backspin and give the golfer better control over their shots. There's even a vertically grooved driver, which ensures a straighter tee shot and lowers the chances of sidespin.
The grooves on your drivers are a little like the tire tread on wheels. When they're gleaming, they grip an object cleanly (or, in this case, hit an object cleanly) without any interference. A clean set of grooves will also make it easier to “bite” into the ball, which is the action of adding a backspin.
The grooves are important, but after hacking through grass, mud, and who knows what else, they can quickly become encrusted with dirt and grime. We recommend cleaning your clubs after each round. If you don't, you could add additional shots to your game simply because you're playing with inferior equipment. Experts agree that dirty drivers with encrusted grooves can add at least 4 or 5 shots to a round, while beginners would likely suffer even more.
What You Will Need To Clean Your Golf Clubs
Cleaning your golf clubs is quick and straightforward. You'll need the following five things:
- A bucket
- Soap detergent
- A toothbrush (or bigger brush)
- A rag
- A towel
Cleaning Driver Heads Step-by-Step
Washing the head
- Place a good amount of warm, but not boiling, water in a bucket, along with some of the detergent. Mix everything up nicely and gather the drivers that you're going to clean.
- Dip the driver into the water to completely submerge the club, then remove it.
- Use the toothbrush or a bigger brush to clean the driver's head, remembering to give special attention to the grooves.
- Use the rag to clean off the excess dirt, and then place it back in the water for 10-15 seconds.
- Remove the driver and clean carefully with a towel.
- Inspect the driver; if it looks spotless already, then fantastic. If not, go back to the start and repeat. It may take 4 or 5 attempts to get them gleaming and sparkling.
Washing the shaft and grip
- Dip a small towel into soapy water and carefully rub down the grip and shaft, focusing on any specifically dirty areas.
- Towel down the whole club, making sure everything is relatively dry.
- Leave the club outside of your golf bag for the final drying period.
Want to Keep Your Driver Protected? Shop Stitch Golf’s Headcovers!
Golf clubs are an investment, and like anything we place our hard-earned money into, it pays to take care of that investment. To maintain the highest quality, we recommend washing your clubs after each round and ensuring you have good-quality headcovers on them when making your way around the course.
Stitch Golf offers a wide variety of headcovers for every taste and budget - so why leave your clubs unprotected? Treat those clubs with the care and attention they deserve - and who knows, they might even reciprocate and help you step up that game.
