Women + Golf article

By Emma Ballard February 11, 2022

Keeping your golf clubs and most importantly your grooves clean, is essential for consistent play. That's why Gruvtowl offers a perfect solution for all golfers.

Do we dare ask how often you clean your clubs? We fear it’s a bit of a taboo subject, one that we would never want to truly admit to.  

We’re sure there are golfers out there who lovingly clean their clubs after every round but if we’re honest, many of us just give them a cursory wipe with our towel and move on to the next shot/round.  

It’s pretty old data know, but in 2019 we shared a poll by Golfsupport.com which revealed that less than half of the golfers surveyed said that they cleaned their clubs after hitting each shot and 6% admitted to only cleaning their full set once a year. 

I’ll embarrassingly admit that I am one of those 6%, I do wipe down my clubs but they really only get a thorough clean once a year (if they’re lucky). Maybe it’s because I am more of a recreational golfer and don’t enter many competitions, so I don’t feel like I need the edge. Or maybe I really am just lazy and should think about taking more care of my equipment!  

Taking control of your shots 

There’s actually hard science behind having clean clubs because golf clubs have grooves for a reason. In layman’s terms, grooves create spin, speed and control over the ball flight. The more loft on the club, the more important the grooves are, and if they’re full of fairway or mud from the rough, they’re not doing their job properly. In fact, you could lose up to 1,300 RPM of spin simply by not keeping your grooves clean, according to experts at Callaway. 

In December 2020, Today’s Golfer put this to the test, hitting a 7 iron whilst clean and then with mud smeared on the grooves. This is what they found: 

“Shots with dirty grooves lost 7mph of ball speed – 5.5% of the tester’s total – which is huge. Backspin (essentially control) fell a jaw-dropping 52.5% (to 2,566rpm from 5,399rpm), as did height (down six yards, or 20%) and descent angle (down 16.3%; 7°). 

“It goes without saying that thanks to the dirty club also cutting backspin so dramatically (it was half that of a clean 7-iron), shots flew further. Thanks though to the launch, height and descent angle being so poor, it was just three yards further, which would never warrant a worthwhile trade-off when so much control and consistency is at stake.” 

Top tip... Clean your grooves!

If you’re still not convinced that cleaner grooves are better for your game, then think about the fact that The R&A have a whole section in the Rules of Golf dedicated to measuring the grooves on club faces to make sure that they are conforming. There are very serious rules and regulations around this area – so the grooves of your clubs should be looked after. 

What can we do to make sure our clubs are always ready to perform to the best of our abilities? 

On a simple level, it’s having a clean towel (preferably damp) and a groove cleaner (or tee) to be available to wipe your club and scrap off any excess dirt in the grooves after each shot.  

I obviously have a tee but I can’t quite remember where I put my groove cleaner tool and I don’t have anything to clip to my bag. If only there were a solution… 

In steps Gruvtowl, the product that you never knew you needed, until now.  

What is Gruvtowl? 

Gruvtowl with an inbuilt +GRUVBRUSH was launched in August 2021, inspired by the desire of golfer Jan Scott to develop modern golf accessories that meet the needs of the discerning golfer. The idea being that you can focus on your round of golf and achieve the best results from your golf clubs.  

A traditional cotton golf towel can be ineffective, heavy and just smear dirt across your club face. A separate groove brush is small, fiddly and can get lost in your golf bag, or add clutter to things hanging off your golf bag. 

Gruvtowl is easy to use and simplifies cleaning golf clubs as you play, so that your full attention is on your next shot. The brush, which is sewn into the Gruvtowl, cleans the grooves effectively and efficiently, loosens any dirt effortlessly without scratching your club face, giving you clean grooves at your fingertips on the golf course with no more scrabbling in your bag for a tee or brush. 

The trifold design is like a normal golf towel in a range of colours to suit your golf bag and with the standard sized towel costing £15.00 is very reasonably priced.  

There are a range of towels on offer including a Players and putting towel, plus other accessories including an aluminium water bottle, bamboo tees and Gruvtowl COOL for hot weather.  

Having spoken to Jan, it’s clear to see that she is truly inspired and passionate about her product range. So much so, that I am determined to take better care of my clubs during the coming season. 

How often do you clean the grooves in your club? Could you benefit from a towel and groove cleaner in one?  For more information about Gruvtowl and to view the full range, please visit Gruvtowl.com