Fully Equipped mailbag: How do I prep my golf clubs for the winter?
Winter is just around the corner, which means it might be time to prep your clubs for storage.
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Welcome to another edition of the Fully Equipped mailbag sponsored by Cleveland/Srixon Golf, an interactive GOLF.com series in which our resident dimplehead (a.k.a., GOLF’s managing editor of equipment, Jonathan Wall) fields your hard-hitting gear questions.
I got into golf over the past year and will be putting my clubs in storage as the season comes to a close. I heard you guys talking about getting your iron specs checked at the beginning or end of every season on the [Fully Equipped] podcast and wondered if there was anything else I should be aware of before I say goodbye to my clubs?
Whatever you do, make sure you dump your clubs out and do a thorough check of the bottom of the bag. And I do mean thorough. There’s nothing worse than pulling your clubs out of storage and getting kicked in the face by the pungent aroma of a turkey sandwich and banana that somehow spent the winter hunkered down in your carry bag. (I did this and learned a valuable lesson.)
If you do only one thing before they go in storage, make sure you check for food. Aside from that, storage prep generally depends on where you plan to leave your clubs. Reading the tea leaves, I assume “say goodbye” means they won’t be stuck in your trunk for the winter. I realize everyone doesn’t have a golf storage locker in their home or apartment, but I’m not a fan of long-term car storage.
You always run the risk of someone swiping them when you least expect, and I generally wouldn’t recommend keeping your tacky grips sitting in a cold trunk for extended periods of time. They might not be so tacky when you pick them up for that knock-off-the-rust range session in the spring.
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If your storage spot is in the garage, I’d throw all headcovers back on and finish it off with a rain cover to keep dust and other junk off your sticks. Maybe take a quick towel to the grips and clubface to remove oil and dirt. This is also a good opportunity to use a golf tee and remove any dirt packed in the grooves.
The simple steps will ensure your clubs are ready to roll when the season reopens. And I’d hold off on spec checks until the spring; that isn’t a priority unless you really want to get ahead of things.
One more thing? Consider the idea of keeping your wedge and putter nearby. Nothing says you can’t sharpen your short game or putting stroke indoors when the temperature drops. I see a Chippo and putting mirror in your future!
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