It’s easy to mark up the head of a golf driver.
Unfortunately, all it takes is one bad drive, and the top of the driver could be completely marked up.
When you spend a good deal of money on these clubs, that line across the top of the club can be a bit disheartening.
These marks are likely to be something you will want to remove.
Without sending the driver back to the manufacturer, there are some ways that you can take care of a driver issue like this at home.
Here are the basic steps for painting a golf driver head.
How to Paint a Golf Driver Head
Step 1: Gather Materials
One of the first steps in the process of painting a driver starts with gathering materials.
You will not need all that much to complete this project, but having this all laid out ahead of time will help to make things go smoother.
The most important things you will need are spray paint, a clear coat, and masking tape.
The paint you use is best if it also has a primer in it.
If you don’t choose something with a primer, then you are going to need to buy an additional paint to prime with.
You will end up needing several coats of paint, but if you are just painting one driver head, one can of paint should be enough.
We highly recommend completing this process entirely outdoors.
However, you will still need some cardboard or paper towels to ensure you do not get paint on anything.
Here are the materials you will want to have on hand for this project.
- Spray paint
- Clear coat
- Masking tape
- Wrench to remove driver head, if applicable
- Cardboard to cover the surface
- Rag, should paint spray onto your hands
Step 2: Prepare Work Surface
As we mentioned, it is best to complete your driver painting process while you are outside.
The chemicals in these paints are not great to be inhaling, and doing the painting indoors will leave you much too exposed.
When you set up outdoors, you will want to put a piece of cardboard down to cover the area where you will paint.
The cardboard is going to help to make sure that the spray paint does not transfer to other surfaces.
We also recommend bringing a fan with you.
The fan will help dry the paint a little quicker and make the overall process quite a bit faster.
You may want to wear gloves or bring a wet towel to wipe your hands, should you get some paint on yourself.
Step 3: Prepare Driver
The next step in this process is the most involved.
To complete this part of the job, you will need to spend a lot of time preparing the driver you are going to paint.
Every part of the driver needs to be covered with masking tape, except for the area that needs to be painted.
You will have to spend quite a bit of time ripping small pieces of masking tape to get the club covered adequately.
The tape will have to be pressed onto the club very tightly in order for it to form a strong barrier and not let any paint bleed through.
The clubface of the driver is an area where you are not going to want any paint to reach.
If the face of the head of the driver gets paint on it, this could absolutely have an impact on the performance of the golf club.
If the entire top of your driver is in bad shape, you will probably want to paint the entire thing.
Keep the tape along the edges so that it does not work its way down the sides of the driver.
If you are just trying to paint a certain area, you can leave that area exposed.
The only problem with this is that getting one area to match the rest of the top of the clubhead can be quite difficult.
Most of the time, it will pay to paint the entire top so that it looks uniform again.
If your driver has a removable head, we highly recommend taking it off the shaft.
This is going to make the club much easier to work with, and it will keep you from having to protect the shaft of the club from getting sprayed.
You can always use a wooden dowel or even a stick from your yard to hold the golf head up while you are painting it.
Some golfers will take a very fine sandpaper and apply this to the golf club prior to painting.
This is to help the paint stick a bit better.
We have found that, if you make sure the driver’s head is completely clean and dry and you use a primer/paint combination, the sanding is not really necessary.
If you do sand the club, make sure that it is very light; you likely won’t be able to see the scratching that the sandpaper does to the club.
Always keep the face protected to make sure that it does not suffer any damage.
Step 4: Apply Several Layers of Paint
Next, you will want to start applying paint to the driver.
We recommend adding several layers of paint.
You will want to spray each layer very lightly.
If you spray the top of the club to the point where the paint is running or dripping, it will be very hard to get an even look to the club.
Instead, it makes the most sense to spray lightly and then let dry before moving to the next light coat.
Eventually, you will have plenty of coverage, and the club will start to appear more uniformly painted.
With each coat that you do, make sure that you allow ample time for the spray paint to dry.
You can look at the can of paint, and it will give you approximate drying times.
We usually wait a bit longer than the recommended times so that we know that the club is ready for the next layer.
Step 5: Apply Clearcoat
After you have applied several layers of paint, and you can see that the clubhead is completely covered with paint, you can then move on to the clearcoat.
Clearcoat is going to be what protects the paint job that you just did.
When you put a clear coat on, you will also get a bit more of that shine that a driver tends to have.
You can choose a matte style clearcoat if you are worried about the glare on the top of your driver club head.
We recommend putting about two to three coats of clear coat on after the paint is completely dry.
The clearcoat will go on easily, but you will want to make sure it doesn’t pool up.
Stick with lighter layers of clear coat, and you will get a much smoother overall look to the club when it is finished.
Clearcoat is a necessary step as it allows the golfer to miss a shot or two and still not have it ruin the paint job.
Make sure that you don’t skip this step in the process, and also allow ample time for the clearcoat to dry before moving on to step 6.
Step 6: Remove Tape
Once you have allowed the clearcoat to dry for plenty of time, you can start to remove the tape.
At this point, all of the paint and clearcoat should be completely dry.
If you notice that the paint seems runny or tacky, stop the process and allow things to dry for a bit longer.
Depending on the weather and humidity conditions where you live, paint drying times will vary.
The tape should come off easily, and it should not peel the paint job that you have already done.
We recommend pulling the tape slowly and at a 45-degree angle when possible.
When you do it this way, you should notice that most of the tape comes off with ease.
At this point, your driver’s head will be looking brand new.
If, for some reason, you find that the paint job did not turn out as expected, you can repeat the process.
We recommend waiting a day or two before repeating so that you don’t end up having trouble getting the paint to stick.
Is It Legal to Paint a Golf Driver Head?
Now that you know how to paint your golf driver, you may be wondering if this is legal.
The USGA covers specific rules about modifications to golf equipment.
The painting of a golf driver head is not against the rules of golf.
You won’t be able to modify this club to perform better in any way, but a simple coat of touch-up paint should not be an issue.
Many people worry about the extra paint causing the driver to weigh more.
Although the paint can impact the weight of the driver, it is not quite the same as adding weight to the head.
The paint could potentially add only a gram or so of weight.
With a club that most likely weighs close to 360 grams, you will not notice that one extra gram.
Still, for those who are nervous about this entire process, you can pay to have your driver’s head painted.
There are some small businesses which specialize in custom golf clubs.
You can even have some of these operations paint certain patterns or images on your club heads.
They will always keep the club USGA legal, and they can make it so that you are still able to identify the specifications and type of the driver.
Overall, this is a unique and fun option for a golfer who truly has everything.
Chances are they don’t have a golf driver head with a custom painted picture on it!
What Paint Should You Use on a Golf Driver Head?
As we mentioned, we highly suggest using a spray paint so that the paint does not go on too thickly or cause issues with the club’s overall look and feel.
You will also need to choose a paint which can handle the conditions that a golf driver is often put through.
The two types of paint most golfers tend to use are enamel and acrylic.
The enamel paint seems to be the better choice for holding up for the long term.
This is what many golf manufacturers use when they are making the golf clubs in the factory.
Do I Need to Repaint a Scuff on a Driver?
If you simply have a scuff on the top of your driver, you may not need to repaint the entire thing.
In fact, repainting the driver is probably a much bigger project than you need to get involved in.
There are some simple remedies for removing scuff marks on your driver.
Some players have had luck with using a bit of toothpaste to remove some of these scratches.
If you use toothpaste and it does not work, you may be able to just touch up the areas that need it.
Some golf club repair facilities will sell small marker type paint kits which allow you to touch up areas on the top of the club.
You may not get the same finished and even look that you get when you repaint the entire club, but you will save yourself quite a bit of time.
What Are Sky Marks on a Driver?
Sky marks are how some people refer to the white marks on the top of the golf club that are left by players who hit under the ball.
With a driver, you must be careful of the tee height at which you set the ball.
If the tee is up too high, there is a chance a player will get under the ball and cause the club to strike on the bottom of the golf ball.
When the top of the club slides under and strikes the bottom of the ball, the ball will pop straight up in the air and leave a mark on the club.
Even the best players can have this happen from time to time.
These marks are frustrating because you see them when you look down at the top of the club.
If these marks are bothering you, then the painting process is going to be well worth your time.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now feel like you can paint your golf driver head.
The process is not all that difficult, but you must be very patient.
If you try and speed things up and rush the process, the project will not come out with the desired result.
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