Best grips?

Lamkin REL 3GEN.  I just switched, and it's a completely awesome grip.  It has awesome tackiness and is a little soft, but not squishy like some of the alternatives.  It has a firmer feel like a traditional victory or crossline, but isn't harsh on the hands like those (and the grip is much more secure).  Plus it's about half the price of the New Decade.

http://thesandtrap.com/products/lamkin-r-e-l-3gen-grips

Generally grips are pretty subjective. I go for midsize golf pride new decade grips because I like cords for their texture. I find plain rubber goes to hell within a couple months and loses its tack, but the cords take more time. However cord grips cost about double what regulars do. Generally you want a round profile, some are available in ribbed which are more oval shaped, but it limits your choices. Ensure the grip is comfortable for you to swing in terms of size, I fit midsize way better than standard. Comfort and fit will be the most important things, don't believe thicker grips will change your flight. I find it to be a myth and it's the last thing to mess with. You'll hold too tightly on ill sized grips, which can lead to locked wrists or loss of control.

If you wear a glove, consider a rougher texture, but most players will like a tacky feel on bare hands. I personally hate "soft" grips; good rubber will be soft and tacky as long as it's fresh and synthetics feel like crap to me; tacky, but they feel mushy. On the other hand, cords give me a ton of traction at the cost of a few calluses. Small price to pay. You'll also like rougher grips in a humid/wet or hot environment, while tackier ones feel nicer in the cold and dry. I find I can play anything in the summer because the heat softens things up, but hard grips just don't work with cold hands.

Pretty much golf pride and lamkin are the most common brands, though some swear by others. I know Iomic and Pure get a lot of love on here. You'll want to regrip around once or more a year if you play regularly, or 30 rounds. If you notice a loss of tack, it may be worth regripping your set, especially if you play or practice a lot. You can let grips sit over the winter if you don't mind the feel, but regripping every spring is the norm, since the rubber will deteriorate from exposure to air, water, and skin oils even when you're not playing. Putter grips basically don't wear out much. If you really want to stretch their life, clean them with mild detergent and water, some windex, or whatever. Rinse them well to remove the cleaning chemicals, and towel them dry after every round/range session, and they will deteriorate a lot slower and feel tackier because the dirt and sweat and stuff is off them. If you're desperate, you can sand them a bit with sandpaper to remove the slick surface and roughen them up, but this is a band aid and can't be kept up for too long. Don't save grips after you remove them, it's not really worth it.

The common core sizes for men are .580 and .600", 600 being by far the most common. Make sure you have the right diameter, or know how to stretch or fill out the grip to give the proper size.

Putter grips are different models than irons and woods, since you can use different profiles in them. Generally you're looking for something with the weight and softness you want, which is pretty subjective. Personally I don't care about the weight but I like the grip to be rubber, so I dislike lightweight synthetic grips. I like a pistol grip, meaning the top and sides are relatively square with a rounded bottom like a shield in profile. The surface texture and especially the size matter the most. I like a rougher texture for better grip, and a slightly larger size than standard. Some people swear by super jumbo grips and say it takes the wrists out of the stroke, so it's worth trying a larger size. Finally, ensure your shaft diameter matches the grip; generally .590" is standard for putters, but exceptions exist.

Finally, consider investing in a grip kit if you can't have it done cheaply. It's not a tough job and 5$ a grip for labor is a ripoff. If the guy will give you a deal, it may be worth the cost to avoid an hour's hassle. If you plan to do a lot of grips over time and don't mind an investment, you can get a nozzle for an air compressor to install the grips with no tape.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinniet 

For woods too?

Sure?  Why would a grip work well for an iron but not a wood?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuciusWooding 

If you wear a glove, consider a rougher texture, but most players will like a tacky feel on bare hands. I personally hate "soft" grips; good rubber will be soft and tacky as long as it's fresh and synthetics feel like crap to me; tacky, but they feel mushy. On the other hand, cords give me a ton of traction at the cost of a few calluses. Small price to pay. You'll also like rougher grips in a humid/wet or hot environment, while tackier ones feel nicer in the cold and dry. I find I can play anything in the summer because the heat softens things up, but hard grips just don't work with cold hands.

I used to think this too, until I tried the REL 3GEN.  Have you tried it?  If has the firm feel of a crossline or new decade (both of which I've had on my clubs recently), but just the slightest hint of dampening and super tacky.  All of the good things of the Winn DriTac but not squishy.

As k-troop mentioned, the Lamkin REL 3GEN are pretty good... some of the members here got a chance to review them and all of the ones I've read thus far seem very positive. For my money though, the best available are PURE grips.

Quote:

Originally Posted by k-troop 

 

Sure?  Why would a grip work well for an iron but not a wood?

 

 

I used to think this too, until I tried the REL 3GEN.  Have you tried it?  If has the firm feel of a crossline or new decade (both of which I've had on my clubs recently), but just the slightest hint of dampening and super tacky.  All of the good things of the Winn DriTac but not squishy.

Never tried the 3gen, but I doubt anything's changing for me. I'm hooked on cords for life, though I might recommend these to a friend who has eczema and could use some tack. I prefer the vibrations not to be dampened much and I like the grip to be more rough than tacky. My problem with synthetics is probably more about Winn grips in particular. The putter grip is usable but I don't like the surface feel, the one I have on my 3w makes the club flat out unusable. Not only is the swingweight like D7 because it's too long and the grip is 25g, the thing is so spongy I can't get a good grip without feeling the shaft. I took the grip off my 1 iron today, and the bare shaft still felt better than the 3w. It's a midsize, but the material was so soft it played like a junior. I have a firm grip pressure in my fingers, but I need the material to flatten out my skin a bit.

OP, go ahead and try the 3gen, but whatever you do avoid the winn winnlites. Overpriced and very poor performance.

Golf Pride Tour Wrap 2nd generation. They are a lot cheaper than all of the other golf pride grips and quite frankly I think they are the best. Very tacky and last forever. They also look pretty nice too.

I like my Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord grips.

I have a set of Lamkin Crosslines on my Adams CB2 irons that work great, not sure how long they will last. On my Titleist AP1's I have Golf Pride new decade multicompound and there are more expensive when wow are they awesome grips.

Quote:

Originally Posted by David in FL 


I'm sorry, but there is no such thing as a "best" grip. Just as there's no best set of irons, driver, golf ball, or anything else. There are preferences and compromises, as is the case with most everything.
I'd recommend going to your local golf store, Golfsmith, Edwin Watts, etc... and trying out as many grips as possible. Any relatively knowledgeable associate there should be able to tell you the features and benefits to the various types of grips available. Then pick the one you like best and go for it. Remember, you're not married to the silly things. If you find you don't care for them, you can always change.

Totally agree, that being said, I use the Golf Pride New Decade.  I play them for two reasons, I don't wear a glove and in the midwest we get a lot of hot humid days in the summer time and cool dry days in the fall, both conditions will make grips feel less tacky.  I have a lot of friends that don't like the New Decade, they feel the grip is too rough and tears up their hands, so it's really a matter of personal preferences.

PURE Grips.