The following tips may save you some time or money when building your next club(s).

1. Use small paper plates to mix epoxy.

2. Use plastic swizzle sticks to apply epoxy. They fit
into the hosel for easy coating.

3. Broom holders will also hold golf clubs. Mount some
horizontally and some vertically on your shop wall to
use as an extra hand when you need it.

4. A small vise mounted on the shop wall also comes in
handy when working on a club. You can adjust it either
horizontally or vertically. Mount it about waste high for
easy use.

5. Ferrules can be installed easily if you drill a small hole in
a block of wood slightly larger than the shaft....iron/wood.
Place the ferrule on the tip of the shaft and then set the
tip of the shaft over the drilled hole. Tap the butt end of
the shaft with a rubber mallet until the ferrule is seated
to the desired location.

6. If you happen to own a table saw, you can check the loft
and lie of any club by laying the sole of the club against
the rip fence while adjusting your miter guage along the
shaft for the correct reading. To check the loft, lay the sole
of the club on the table and adjust the blade until it is flush
with the face to get the loft reading.

7. If you have a throw-away club, you can always re-use the
shaft by simply cutting it off at the hosel and using it on a
higher number/shorter club.

8. Before buying "supplies and/or equipment" from a golf
catalog, check your local hardware store. They usually
sell the same items at a MUCH LOWER price.

9. Save your shaft tip cuts and butt cuts for later use. The butt
cuts can often be used for "extending" length of other
shafts and the tip cuts are nice for measuring hosel depths
or for taking with you to the hardware store to find exact
size bits, etc.

10. Check out garage sales for "everything". Old clubs to
experiment on and for shop equipment such as drills, vises,
drill bits, etc.

11. Make your own hitting net with a $3.00 utility tarp.

12. Build your own flexboard for under $15 compared to $125
in the catalog. (see our build your own flexboard page. )

13. Order every "free" component catalog you can find
advertised in the back of golf magazines. They usually
all have 800 numbers. Call again and order another one
in your in-laws name! :)

14. Don't be afraid to order discontinued heads at fantastic
savings from suppliers. They make great demos and give
the newbie a chance to experiment!

15. Ask questions. It is always better to ask a dumb question
than to make a stupid mistake! Subscribe to ShopTalk.

16. Use plastic Handi-Wrap to wrap extra shafts together
for storage prior to working. Hold a bundle of shafts
together while a second person wraps them in Handi-wrap.

17. Clean any metal head with Tide laundry detergent. Tide
contains the same active ingredient as expensive metal
club cleaners.

18. Shafts can be stored in sections of plastic pvc pipe.

19. A 48" carpenter's T-square works great for measuring
shafts and finished clubs.

20. Want to check the difference in feel of various
swingweights. Tape coins to your club head to add extra
"test weight". A penny weighs 2.5 gr., A nickel weighs
5 gr., A dime weighs 2.268 gr., A quarter weighs 5.67 gr.
(Weights shown from the Dept. of the Treasury)

21. To protect labels that you've made yourself you might want to do the
following:
1. Apply labels to shaft.
2. Place masking tape 1/8 inch above and another piece 1/8 inch below
the label. (COVER REST OF SHAFT WITH NEWSPAPER, ETC.)
3. Spray the label and 1/8 inch of exposed shaft with clear acrylic
spray paint.
DO A TEST LABEL FIRST TO INSURE PROPER SPRAY PATTERN.
This will seal the label and give you a neat finish.

22. A variable speed hand drill can be turned into a cut-off tool,
sander, buffer, etc., simply by mounting it in your vise and
installing the tool of your choice.

23. 3M Spray Adhesive works great on grips to give you a good
tacky feel. Won't stick to your hands either!

24. A pair of regular vise-grips work fine when removing a
head from the shaft. I cut two finger tips from a pair of
heat-resistant gloves and slipped these over the jaws of
the vise grip to protect the hosel from scratches.

25. Open end box wrenches work great for adjusting the
ferrule up or down on the shaft.

26. Make your own test-striking board with a small section of
plywood. I made mine 4 ft x 3 ft. Drilled several 1/4 holes
in the plywood for left and right handers to set their ball
in/on. (The hole keeps the ball from rolling.) Place a piece
of masking tape on the sole of the club and you are ready
to go!

27, One of the best tools in your shop is a good electric motor to run
your sanders, buffers, cut-off wheels, etc. Rather than running out
and buying a new one for $100 or more, take the electric motor from
an old washing machine or dryer, room fan, furnace blowers, etc. The
base mounting plate will already be attached in most cases.....make
sure you grab it too!

28. Grip solvent sells for $4.25 a QUART through the golf catalog. You
can buy a HALF GALLON at your paint store for the same amount! Grip
solvent is NAPTHA. CAUTION GRIP SOLVENT AND NAPHTA ARE FLAMMABLE!!!

29. Make your own magnetic lie angle tool by epoxying any straight object
to the face of a kitchen magnet. A pencil would work fine. Golfworks
sells the tool for $12.50 p.7-2 1999 catalog. You can make yours for
under a dollar.
If you have trouble keeping the sole of the club flush while checking
the lie, use a block of modeling clay to rest the sole on while you
work.

Westley's Whitewall Cleaner works great on re-newing grips. Simply spray it on and wipe it off....not only is the dirt gone, but the grip has that new feel.

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