My friend, Dave, gave me a three wood last spring before we headed north to Michigan. He didn’t use it and it matched the seven and five woods that I carry in Florida. It was a nice gesture on his part, and I appreciated the gift.
I found it in my bag when we returned to Florida a couple of weeks ago, and when I used it, I remembered that I wanted to put a new grip on the club. I stopped in the local golf shop, picked out a grip (If they aren’t busy they can replace one while you wait), and waited until it was done.
As I watched the guy work I flashed back to last March when my son-in-law, Sutton, had 
a new grip placed on his driver at the same location. Sutton and I have different thresholds for determining when a new grip is warranted. That’s not unusual. Some golfers replace their grips once a year, some never, and PGA Pros change their grips quite frequently. Many pros change them before every tournament. There are three primary reasons for this. 1) They play and practice a lot! 2) They get new grips (and all their other gear) for free. 3) They are precise enough in their yardage’s that slight changes from wearing in the grips can affect their game.
That’s not me or Sutton. I change mine because they start to feel “slick”. You’ve got to be able to get a grip on a grip. Slick grips are bad.
Ruth changes her grips when they get “slick” too. This occurs about every four to five years. She has been known to change them more frequently, especially when a new “color” strikes her eye. I bought her a red golf bag a couple of years ago, and the first thing she wanted was new grips. She was seeking a certain “look”. When I pointed out that her clubs, and thus the grips, would be in the bag so no one would be able to see them, she said, “Yea, but I’ll know.” Can’t argue with logic like that.
Sutton changes his because of peer pressure. Last winter I got tired of seeing the condition of the grip on his driver, and I badgered him until he had it changed. I took this picture before he headed in.
After further study I determined that he used the grip to check the wind before each drive. Some guys toss a couple of blades of grass in the air, some lick a finger, and I’ve even played with guys who check the color of the leaves (The underside of the leaves look silver when the wind blows.) I’ve never known anyone, other than Sutton, who uses the frayed cords of his golf grip.
Different strokes for different folks.
How funny!