Club re-grip and re-grooving?

Definitely re-grip. Slick grips cause a person to squeeze the club too tightly which inhibits a good release as you swing through the hitting area (i.e usually results in loss of power and a slice). You can re-grip the clubs yourself but I always pay to have it done since it's only a couple of bucks per grip and can be a pain to get the new grip onto the shaft.

Personally, I like Winn DSi Grips. They are very tacky and give a nice shock absorption. I'd suggest you go into a golf shop where you can check out a number of different grips to see how they feel in your hands to make sure you get the right size.

By the way, if they are in reasonable shape, I've found you can rejuvenate a set of grips for a few rounds. Wipe them down real well with a damp towel, dry them and then touch them up with a tack cloth (found at any paint store).

Don't bother re-grooving if you are to buy new in the next year or so. You probably need to get back the feel of hitting the ball solid more than worrying about sharp grooves anyway.

If you're playing with the same grips as you did in '99, it's well overdue for a re-gripping. It's something you should do annually or at least bi-annually. Golf Pride grips are excellent. Winn are decent, but some say are too soft and not durable. I wouldn't be concerned about re-grooving since you're going to get a new set next year. Just make sure they're clean.

the only major tech advances in golf have come in drivers (materials/size) hybrid irons and long putters... and graphite shafts are much better than they were in the olden days.

getting lessons and letting you pro know that you will be getting fitted is optimal.

until then, a little tune up of the clubs is great idea and cost effective. its easy enough to do both task yourself with even limited handyman experience. but they are both very cheap to have done too. not to mention, re-grooving can be sensitive, you don't want to dig those grooves too deep and too sharp.

grips are personal, however, since you are really only slapping them on for the year and getting a new set of sticks go with any of the major companies with whatever design/style your existing grips are. Golfpride, Lamkin, winn, even UST Maimaya have under $4 a piece grips that will do the job for the year.

Good luck and welcome back.