Well golfers, the season is not far away so it’s time to dig out the clubs and get ‘em ready for the season. If the grips are worn it’s time to replace them before the season begins. Here are some tips for care of your golf clubs.

1.  Golf courses today use many chemicals that can corrode shafts and heads. It is very important to wash clubs after use when chemicals have been recently applied. Clean heads with mild soapy water and a soft brush.

2.  It is recommended metal woods be waxed weekly with a paste wax and buffed with a soft cloth. This will build up a protective coating and prevent those nasty sky marks on the top of the metal woods.

3.  To clean grips. Fill your bucket with soapy water. Toss in quarter cup vinegar, a couple tablespoons of salt, and a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. Now comes the kicker. Stick your grips in the mixture for ten minutes or so (unless you have leather grips, in which case never mind). You see the acid in palm sweat actually melts the outer surface of the grips, giving them that glassy, shellacked feel. Soaking them in this solution breaks down the hard slippery outer shell. To complete the reinvigoration process, take 120-240 grit sandpaper or emery cloth and wet-sand your grips all around and up and down. After you’ve dried them with a nice fluffy towel, they will feel like new.

4. Don’t keep your clubs in the trunk of your car in hot weather. When the mercury rises, it gets awfully hot in there, and the epoxy bonding the club heads to the shafts could crystallise. Trust me when I say that its no fun when you make a nice swing, make good contact, and then see the club head fly nearly as far as the ball.

5.  For winter storage, never store clubs in a damp area such as unheated garages and basements. This will cause rust to form inside the shafts and premature shaft failure.

6.  Never hit balls off the rubber tees (nipples) that are found on indoor/ outdoor driving range mats if you have graphite shafts. The resistance of the rubber tees (even the soft ones) can cause shearing damage to the structure of the graphite.

7.  Shaft manufactures will void warranties if clubs are used on driving range mats.

8. And remember -- Keep your head down.