Have you ever wanted to put a little extra spin on the ball without changing your swing at all? A groove sharpener is one of the quickest and simplest ways to do this and certainly does not cost much either.
In this article we will discuss everything you could possibly know about groove sharpeners ranging from which groove sharpener to buy, how to use them, how it affects your golf game, and much more!
In case you have never heard of a groove sharpener before, it is a small tool typically made of some type of metal with five or six different sharp edges.
The way you use a golf club groove sharpener is, you take one of the sharp edges and slide the sharpener back and forth until you get the desired results
Most golfers use a tee to go through their grooves and scratch out extra dirt or grass that gets stuck in the grooves, but a groove sharpener goes one step forward by enhancing the metal.
This enhancement creates extra spin on the ball which we will discuss later on. For now look at this image of a groove sharpener down below to get a better mental image of what we will be discussing.
Best Golf Club Groove Sharpener?
One of the great things about golf is the numerous options you have when selecting clubs, balls, bags, and in this case groove sharpeners.
Let’s discuss some groove sharpeners of 2020 and state the pros and cons of each option.
Xintan Tiger Golf Tool Set
For starters, this golf club groove sharpener is an “Amazon Choice” item. Amazon Choice means a few things that all benefit the shopper:
- Highly Rated – This usually means 5 stars and loads of reviews.
- Well Priced – Competitive pricing that usually works in favor of the buyer.
- Ships Immediately – You know those “Prime” deals, gotta love amazon prime.
This particular item comes in the form of a kit, which is cool because who doesn’t like kits? You get the sharpener and the brush that can hook onto your bag.
When your clubs need some TLC, take the groove sharpener out and get to work. When your clubs have that old, dried up dirt, grass, grab the wire brush and get to work.
Golf Club Groove Sharpener
This is also an amazon choice item which is great for the buyer for sure. Another great thing about this groove sharpener is it’s almost half the price as the first groove sharpener.
There’s a few differences though, as you can see, the groove sharpener isn’t in the shape of a star. It’s only a two sided sharpener but depending on how many clubs that need sharpening, that might not be that big of a deal.
The reality of golf club groove sharpeners is they will eventually lose their ability to sharpen the clubs. So the more sides you have the more clubs you can sharpen.
Should I Sharpen My Golf Clubs?
The short answer is…it comes down to your personal preference whether you would like to sharpen your grooves or not. One saying or quote I have created myself is that “a five hundred dollar club or tool cannot fix a five dollar swing”.
A big fix can be made simply by improving your swing. Now if you are just looking for a quick little fix and something you feel will just help your game by a stroke or two then this may be the tool for you.
If done properly, no harm will come to your clubs and a little extra spin will be added to your shots. It is difficult to estimate how often it is necessary to sharpen your grooves to keep your irons in prime condition.
Sharpening is also at your discretion, so if you feel bored, or if you have OCD for your golf equipment, sharpen your heart out.
At the end of the day the decision rests in your hands as they are your clubs. But if you think about it, it doesn’t seem like there’s a real downsides to sharpening your clubs grooves.
Is It Legal To Sharpen Grooves On Golf Clubs?
Now, this is a question that people ask more often than you would think. It is in fact legal to sharpen your grooves as long as they are still conforming to USGA rules afterwards.
If done properly, sharpening your grooves does not change how they are lined up on your club in any way.
Sharpening only making them deeper and sharper, therefore, no reasonable person will affect their club to possibly make it nonconforming against the USGA standard.
To summarize, sharpening your grooves is perfectly legal!
Do Golf Ball Sharpeners Work?
Yes! They certainly do work, but the emphasis is that they do not change your game drastically.
The point of a groove sharpener is to return the grooves to their brand new, factory issued grooves.
This means the spin will not increase more than it was originally designed for, but sharpening used clubs will bring them closer to the factory made grooves and spin numbers.
Even if you try it out and it does not live up to your expectations it only cost less than a round of golf, so it is not much to worry about.
How do I Use a Golf Club Groove Sharpener?
Hopefully this article was able to answer your questions about golf club groove sharpeners and convinced you to try one out.
Actually using the tool is quite simple, you just take one of the edges and run it back and forth through your grooves until you are satisfied.
If you still are not sure which one to purchase I suggest you reread the section above discussing the pros and cons of each option with the links attached for further research. Thank you for reading and I hope this article was helpful!