Dr. Scholl's foot spray stain on clubface

[Ryan Learns to Golf]

So... I did a bit of practice in my backyard hitting my driver and seven iron into my golf net. I sprayed Dr. Scholl's on the club faces to get some strike location feedback. It appears that I let my practice session run a bit too long as there is some spray caked on to the toe area of my driver (where I tend not to hit), and high on the iron face and in the toe (again, where I tend not to hit). I usually wipe the faces with a wet towel when I change clubs at the range, but I just did a cursory wipe when changing clubs this time. This didn't happen to me the first five or six times I used the spray.

Has anyone else had this happen to them? Any tips on what to use to clean the faces without damaging them? I tried some soap and water and rubbed them with a towel but to no avail. Any help would be appreciated.

As an aside, this is one of the best feedback mechanisms for understanding how you can improve your strike, and I feel like most golfers should try it out. But learn from my experience and wipe your club face with a wet towel every five shots or so!

[russtopherb]

That's interesting, I can't say I've ever had that happen when I've used foot spray. Maybe try a light spray of Goof Off or something like that to see if it helps?

[perseveringgolfer]

I like the idea but was always wary of putting a chemical on the face of my driver.

I just wipe with a damp cloth prior to hitting, very easy to see your strikes that way and no residue issues or spraying a smelly stuff into my lungs

[tony@CIC]

8 hours ago, scratchmybirdie said:

So... I did a bit of practice in my backyard hitting my driver and seven iron into my golf net. I sprayed Dr. Scholl's on the club faces to get some strike location feedback. It appears that I let my practice session run a bit too long as there is some spray caked on to the toe area of my driver (where I tend not to hit), and high on the iron face and in the toe (again, where I tend not to hit). I usually wipe the faces with a wet towel when I change clubs at the range, but I just did a cursory wipe when changing clubs this time. This didn't happen to me the first five or six times I used the spray.

Has anyone else had this happen to them? Any tips on what to use to clean the faces without damaging them? I tried some soap and water and rubbed them with a towel but to no avail. Any help would be appreciated.

As an aside, this is one of the best feedback mechanisms for understanding how you can improve your strike, and I feel like most golfers should try it out. But learn from my experience and wipe your club face with a wet towel every five shots or so!

That's interesting. I've never had a problem with it not coming off. Maybe if you just put the driver into a bucket of warm soapy water and leave it there for a while it'll soften up. Like yourself I wouldn't want to use an abrasive pad or chemical - fearing that either one would take the finish off of the driver. 

[Ryan Learns to Golf]

I like the idea but was always wary of putting a chemical on the face of my driver.
I just wipe with a damp cloth prior to hitting, very easy to see your strikes that way and no residue issues or spraying a smelly stuff into my lungs

I’ll give that a try. Just put a thin layer of water on the face before each hit?


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[perseveringgolfer]

4 hours ago, scratchmybirdie said:

I’ll give that a try. Just put a thin layer of water on the face before each hit?


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damp cloth on a dry face, nothing more. Caveat is though if you are practicing in 85* heat it will evaporate pretty quickly.

[TwoCoatsOfWax]

I'm not sure what Dr. Scholl's (or store brand equivalent) costs, but impact tape is not expensive at all.  You can get up to a couple hundred labels for $20 or less on Amazon.  The labels can easily be used for several hits, don't leave residue, don't evaporate, and don't require a thin layer of water on the face.   Is there any advantage other than cost to using foot spray?   It sure sounds like a lot of work.

[TR1PTIK]

I get that on my G25 driver from time-to-time. It'll go away if not immediately with cleaning, then over a little bit of time.

Foot powder spray is typically thought to be superior to impact tape because (supposedly) it doesn't affect spin rates (or at least not as much). It also is quite a bit more economical than a roll of stickers and is generally easy to apply and take off. Any residue left behind after a long session like that mentioned above will have little if any impact on play.

[TwoCoatsOfWax]

Well it just doesn't seem easier given all the issues mentioned here.  Impact stickers fold up nicely and take up less space than a glove.  If you're hitting into a net like he is, then unless you're using a launch monitor spin rates don't matter too much.  Thanks for the reply, but I still don't get it.

[edteergolf]

Acetone will take it away.  It won't hurt the face.  FYI - water and impact tape are a horrible idea as they dramatically affect the ball flight via a change in friction and spin.  Now if you are only doing it to see impact fine but you need to ignore ball flight!

[TR1PTIK]

1 hour ago, TwoCoatsOfWax said:

Well it just doesn't seem easier given all the issues mentioned here.  Impact stickers fold up nicely and take up less space than a glove.  If you're hitting into a net like he is, then unless you're using a launch monitor spin rates don't matter too much.  Thanks for the reply, but I still don't get it.

Never said it was easier. Just said it was "generally easy to apply and take off" which is true in most cases - spray it on, wipe it off.

Fair point about hitting into a net though. Still worth stating for anyone reading who wants to use it at the range and see ball flight.

[BMart519]

I use a dry erase marker to color the club faces instead of foot spray for irons and hybrids. The marker can also be used to spot the balls themselves to leave marks on the face. Easier to remove as well as cheaper. Doesn't work as well on drivers and fairway woods with dark faces but you can usually see your ball mark on those anyway. I just wipe off after each swing. 

[DriverBreaker]

Never happened to me before.


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[DriverBreaker]

I use a dry erase marker to color the club faces instead of foot spray for irons and hybrids. The marker can also be used to spot the balls themselves to leave marks on the face. Easier to remove as well as cheaper. Doesn't work as well on drivers and fairway woods with dark faces but you can usually see your ball mark on those anyway. I just wipe off after each swing. 

Word of caution, do not do this with foam balls and hit them into your white curtains..... my wife didn’t like the random marker spots all over the living room curtains lol.


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[Jv2489]

Did you ever find a solution for this? I'm having the same issue. Acetone didn't do the trick. 

[josmi15]

Word of caution, do not do this with foam balls and hit them into your white curtains..... my wife didn’t like the random marker spots all over the living room curtains lol.


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This actually made me Laugh Out Loud. My wife just asked what’s so funny


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[DriverBreaker]

This actually made me Laugh Out Loud. My wife just asked what’s so funny


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Yeah..... she was like “What are all these orange spots all over the curtains?”

Me: “......... I was practicing impact.....”




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[josmi15]

Yeah..... she was like “What are all these orange spots all over the curtains?”

Me: “......... I was practicing impact.....”




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They never see the big picture. How’re we supposed to improve if we don’t practice!


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[DriverBreaker]

They never see the big picture. How’re we supposed to improve if we don’t practice!


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Exactly!!!!


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[KurtActual]

On 7/31/2020 at 2:54 PM, Jv2489 said:

Did you ever find a solution for this? I'm having the same issue. Acetone didn't do the trick. 

Try Windex and a towel.

I clean my clubs off post-round with Windex and it eats through the grass and mud stains quickly.

[GregGarner]

This happened on my driver. Still working on getting it all off, trying not to scratch the face up

[russbiz]

I, too, let the foot powder spray remain too long. I've tried all of the usual suspects including Mr. Clean eraser and polishing compound for cars. Nothing worked. Anyone with a successful experience removing powder from the face of a driver? I'm beginning to wonder what the spray powder does to your feet! Lol

[TimTheGeek]

On 11/5/2020 at 4:34 PM, russbiz said:

I, too, let the foot powder spray remain too long. I've tried all of the usual suspects including Mr. Clean eraser and polishing compound for cars. Nothing worked. Anyone with a successful experience removing powder from the face of a driver? I'm beginning to wonder what the spray powder does to your feet! Lol

Shakley Products - Scour Off.  I think their stuff is all natural and as best I can tell, it works its magic because of a very (VERY) fine grit.  I left the spray on my club for MONTHS, thinking it was dry and i could wipe it off anytime.  No - it was really stuck on there.  Tried windex, finger nail polish remover, etc.  No good.  This pasty stuff was rubbed on and a minute or so wait - a little elbow grease with a scouring pad - and it is like brand new!!!  Did not damage the club face at all and no residue.

I will use the spray again - it is a great learning tool.  But I will be sure to wipe it off after each use.

[TominNJ]

For anyone else who is researching this problem I had the same issue and had success with vinegar. The weak acid took it right off. Be sure to rinse your irons or the acid might etch them. 

[IONEPUTT]

Why don't you use Car Wax instead of the foot spray? I've been using past car wax for over 15 years and NEAR have a problem with it. It works the same way as foot powder and it both "Cheaper" to use and doesn't take up a lot of room in my golf bag. I just put a small amount of the wax in an old "Pill Bottle" and it tits easily in my bag or in my pocket. Easy to use and wipes off with a rag. Added bonus is it protects the driver from ball marks or sun damage if you apply the wax to the crown of your clubs like you would do on a car. One can of car wax will last a life time for a lot less money. Try it and forget the foot spray issues. 

[Dave Tutelman]

On 6/13/2019 at 9:26 AM, tony@CIC said:

That's interesting. I've never had a problem with it not coming off. Maybe if you just put the driver into a bucket of warm soapy water and leave it there for a while it'll soften up. Like yourself I wouldn't want to use an abrasive pad or chemical - fearing that either one would take the finish off of the driver. 

What tony said, and use an old toothbrush to scrub it, in case it's caked in the grooves.

[Agent 87]

Ive used spray for iver 10 years now. I've never seen this. How much spray are you using. Maybe a bit too much?

[RobZilla84]

On 8/9/2020 at 7:23 PM, GregGarner said:

This happened on my driver. Still working on getting it all off, trying not to scratch the face up

Use distilled white vinegar, comes off easy with towel and little elbow grease