How to Repair the Whipping on a Golf Club Head

Most modern-day golf clubs, made of steel and graphite, are bonded together at the hosel joint by an epoxy solution. Older clubs made of wood, however, are held together by waxed thread that is wound tightly around the hosel joint linking the shaft and club head together. This keeps the club strong through repeated usages, but not nearly as strong as the industrial strength, metal-grade epoxy used today. This process of winding the thread is commonly known as "whipping."

Things You'll Need

  • Vice grip
  • Sandpaper
  • Waxed thread
  • Lacquer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fasten the shaft of the club in the vice grip securely. Do not tighten the grip too much, however, there should be just enough slack for the shaft to spin while still being held in place.

    • 2

      Polish and smooth the tip of the shaft (about 1 inch in length) and first 1 inch of the hosel, which is an off-shoot of the club head that links to the shaft, with a small piece of rolled-up sandpaper. This area is where you will "whip" the club.

    • 3

      Make a bend with the last 1/8-inch of the waxed threat so it forms a small right angle, or L shape. Place this angle on the shaft, about 1 inch above the very tip. so that it's pointing toward the head of the club.

    • 4

      Wind the thread over the bend and down towards the club head as tightly as possible. Each wind should be directly next to and flush up against the previous one --- gaps will weaken the bond considerably.

    • 5

      Stop winding the wax string once you are about 3/4 inches passed the top of the hosel. Firmly hold the wound string in place with your hand and clip off the remaining slack.

    • 6

      Bend a 2 inch L shape at the end of the remaining string

    • 7

      Place this L-shaped bend on the hosel of the club head, just beyond the end of the previous windings, with the tip pointing back toward the shaft.

    • 8

      Wind the new set of thread over the previous set. Stop once you have overlapped the previous set completely and added an additional three or four wraps or about 1/4 inch. The very tip of the 2-inch L bend you placed on the hosel should still be slightly visible and sticking out.

    • 9

      Pull the tip of the 2-inch L bend underneath the wrappings until they are firmly locked in place. Twist the remaining slack of the L shape around the remaining winding slack --- this will lock the whipping in place and allow you to release your hold.

    • 10

      Clip the remaining slack of the string at the end of the locking twist you made in the previous step.

    • 11

      Lather a coat of bonding lacquer over the wax windings, and allow it to set for at least 12 hours before swinging