The golf grip industry has come a long way since the days of the venerable black and green rubber Victory grips that were standard issue on just about every club sold in America in the 70s and 80s. Whole new materials and technologies have emerged to deliver a dizzying array of choices for golfers. Now you can pick from colors, sizes, weights, and feel that suit your eye, your hands, and your touch. Here’s a look at some of the industry leaders, plus a couple of specialty makers, and their latest and most popular offerings…
Golf Pride
Golf Pride, a division of Eaton Industries, has long been considered the big dog in the business. Makers of grips that drove the transition from leather to rubber back in the 50s and 60s, Golf Pride’s continued leadership is reflected in its use on the pro tours where eight out of ten players are using the brand according to the Darrell Survey.
They are not being paid to play it, either. As a result, notice how many of the pros choose to have the grips installed upside down so the Golf Pride logo is underneath the shaft… Tiger included. Of course, that only works if it’s a non-ribbed grip. Here are two of their most popular offerings:
Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Since it was introduced several years ago, the Tour Velvet grip has established itself as the most popular in golf. Available in multiple sizes, ribbed and round, as well as in corded versions, it is probably the most used on the PGA Tour. It also shows up on OEM “player” clubs offered Mizuno and Titleist, among others.
For me, it has the best blend of softness and “grippiness.” Plus the standard version is a great buy. Playing two or three times a week, I like to re-grip at least a couple times a year. Retailing at around $2.45, that makes this exercise a lot less painful. I’ve also played the cord version and it, too, is one of my favorites of that type. The cord and half-cord models retail for $6.00.
Golf Pride New Decade Cord
Golf Pride introduced their distinctive red and black “MultiCompound” grip a couple years ago and it was immediately put into play by Sergio Garcia. It also heralded the introduction of a number of other multi-material grips from other manufacturers.
For 2006 they’ve introduced a corded version officially called the “New Decade MultiCompound Cord” grip. This new version combines a black Velvet cord material under the glove hand with a soft red rubber compound under the bottom hand. It’s definitely a unique feel and may particularly appeal to golfers who like to play without a glove yet still have a softer feel under their “touch” hand. New technology does not come cheap, however, as these grips retail for about $6.25.
Winn Grips
Winn Grips seems to be having the same impact on grips that Ping had on putters and irons in the 70s. With their introduction of a unique, soft polymer material, they offered a real alternative to traditional rubber and cord grips. Based on the reaction of my golfing buddies, however, it seems it’s a feel you either absolutely love or hate. Either way, it has forced other companies, like Golf Pride, to follow suit with similar materials.
Originally offered as a wrap style grip, the Winn product line has evolved to include what they call “Advanced Vertical Seam” technology… the “AVS” that shows up in their product names. Now, taking that technology a step further, they too are offering multiple material grips. Here’s their 2006 introduction:
Winn 5G8X
The 5G8X is a development of their G8 series and places different materials in critical areas for an extra firm and tacky grip. Used by John Daly, it is exceptionally light which helps add a little swing weight and clubhead feel. They also give you some fashion options coming in red and black as well as black and khaki. A mid-size version called the 6G8X comes in black and blue.
The Golf Channel recently ran a feature on Winn Grips that showed them making this style. What was amazing to watch was the amount of hand labor used to assemble these grips. The inlays are all placed by hand before the balance of the material is glued to the base. While this grip doesn’t appear to have hit the major online grip retailers yet, I would anticipate a retail price around $4.50.
Lamkin
Lamkin began in 1925 as a leather grip company based in Chicago where the stockyards once served as the meatpacking capital of the country and cowhide was plentiful. Still a family-owned business, they have kept pace with the times and have moved on to San Diego and have a host of new designs now made in Mexico and China.
They also acquired the Royal Grip line from what is now called Royal Precision. Phil Mickelson used the Royal Grip Sand Wrap in his recent Masters victory.
Well known for the rubber Crossline grips played by Retief Goosen (similar, but firmer in my estimation, to Tour Velvets), Lamkin has entered the polymer grip market with models that deliver their own unique feel. Here are a couple:
Dual Density Crossline
The Dual Density Crossline, like Winn grips, wraps a soft polymer material over a firm underlisting. The feel, however, is quite unique and pleasing. A distinctive green color, they are a good blend of tack, feel, and shock absorption and have become one of Lamkin’s biggest sellers.
Installation of these grips is tricky, however. After reading about, and experiencing, some grips coming loose, I emailed Lamkin and found that they recommend you use a minimal amount of solvent and don’t tape off the shaft butt. It seems this polymer material is not as air permeable as some others and the solvent takes much longer to dry. Wet solvent equals a slipping grip. The Dual Density Crossline comes in standard and 1/16″ oversize models, both in round only. It retails for about $4.20.
Dual Density Torsion Control Tour Series
The Dual Density Tour Series grips will be available in June and are a follow up to the Dual Density Torsion Control grips recently introduced. Both come with a base layer with 20 separate stabilizing bars that are said to reduce torque and increase control. The new Tour Series will feature a different black and blue color scheme and a firmer underlisting usually preferred by better players. Price for the new version should be about that of the current model, $4.95 for standard size and $5.25 for 1/16″ oversize.
Feel Golf
Now for something completely different: Feel Golf introduced a new kind of grip at the 2004 PGA Merchandise show with a whole new shape. Called the Full Release Grip, instead of tapering from the butt down, as do traditional grips, these taper the other way. So the glove hand has a smaller diameter and the bottom hand a much bigger diameter.
The idea is not totally new, as some golfers have long built up the area under their bottom hand with tape before installing the grip. Feel Golf takes this to an extreme, however, maintaining the bigger bottom grip helps promote a better release. Ruled legal by the USGA and R&A, they are produced in a variety of styles including cord, wrap, and what they call their X-Line model. The cord version is available in a 13-grip pack that includes grip tape and an instructional video for $99.95.
GripMaster
One of my oldest golf memories is of watching Arnold Palmer on Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf. As he waggled, he would grip and re-grip his club and make a sound like masking tape ripping from a wall. That was the sound of leather on leather. Talk about tacky. For those of you who would like to recreate those days of yore, The GripMaster is your go-to company.
Based in Conroe, TX, they make forty different club grips, including putter grips like the stitch-back model on the new Scotty Cameron Circa ’62 putters. The club grips are divided into “Pro-Standard” grips with a firm underlisting and “Shock Resistant” varieties that dampen vibration. Both can be had round or ribbed, perforated or smooth, standard, undersized and oversized. They also come in such colors as tan, mahogany, and black. They even make a left-handed version with the leather wrapped on an opposite bias.
Unlike the old days when you had to hand wind the leather onto an underlisting and then tape it off, these grips install just like rubber grips do, slipping on over double-faced tape. And new tanning methods help these grips retain their tacky nature longer than in the old days. Plus they’re just plain beautiful. They’re available from The GripMaster website and go for about $13.00 each for non-putter grips.
In the End…
Regripping clubs is not brain surgery and it’s something every serious golfer should learn to do (see here and here). Once mastered, it will enable you to sample from the outstanding array of grips currently on the market and find the one that best fits your game.