2015 Newport Cup Sponsor Thread: PURE Grips

[mvmac]

The day before the 2015 Newport Cup matches began, the East and West teams had the opportunity to visit the PURE Grips headquarters in Mesa, Arizona. This thread is dedicated to sharing pictures/videos from the visit and discussing our experiences. We appreciate the support from our sponsors in making this year's Newport Cup such a special event for our team members.

Each player was able to pick out a new set of grips and have them installed on their clubs. Players even received a couple prototype grips with some new design features (that we are allowed to discuss publicly!).

This thread is for the posting of comments, photos of the tour and the new grips, discussion of the prototype grips, and anything else Newport Cup team members want to share about PURE Grips, our visit to their HQ, and anything else related to PURE. If any other forum members have any questions for the team members, ask them here.

For now, @iacas and I would like to send a hearty THANK YOU to PURE Grips!

[Golfingdad]

Pure Grips run a nice little business in the Phoenix area, which we were given the pleasure of touring last week on the day preceding the Newport Cup matches.  It is a modest operation, run from a simple, nondescript building in a commercial park (except for the golf cart mailbox, that is).  The entire staff was very accommodating, showing us basically their entire setup and answering just about any question asked of them.  After meeting the team and learning about the design process, including some prototype grips that we are being allowed to test and review for them, we headed out to the production floor and saw where the magic happened.

They have two machines running full time and cranking out grips as fast as they can produce them.  (Something like a rate of 10 grips every 30-40 seconds, IIRC)  They also showed us a fancy little room where they do all of their personalization with a laser engraving machine.

The highlight of the tour, though, was when we were taken back to their stock area and given the opportunity to choose a new set of grips - which they were to install on our clubs right then and there, while we waited!

I've had the Pure Pros on my clubs for a couple of years now and loved them, so although the DTX are intriguing, I chose to stick with something I knew I liked.  I did branch out a little, however, and decided to try out the midsize pros ... in red, of course, in honor of the west coast team uniforms for the week.

3 days and 5 rounds of golf later, I can say that I am thrilled with those grips.  I definitely made the correct choice and these will likely be on my clubs for several years.

A big thank you to all of the good people at Pure Grips for the tour, the free grips, and helping to get our Newport Cup experience off to a fantastic start!

[mvmac]

Q&A; videos added to OP.

[SavvySwede]

The PURE grips tour was great, I won't get too into it because @mvmac just posted the videos for everyone but what really stood out to me was the consistency of the grips. They told us that because of their injection molding process they could get the weight tolerances to +/- 1 gram instead of the 3-5 gram variance you'll find with other grips. Now I never tinkered too much with my clubs but I used to do a lot of tinkering with the swing-weighting and balancing of tennis rackets and I can tell you that is HUGE because for every gram you are off you'd need to add just as much or more just to get one spec right and the need for corrective weight grows quickly with the number of items your trying to match up and you're always limited by the one item that is most out of spec. I never really put much thought into it with my golf clubs because they all are already different weights and lengths but when you think about it your clubs could change significantly between grips changes if you have to worry about 3-5g shifts in both directions.

I had my clubs re-gripped with the PURE DTX (in blue of course) and they performed really well for me throughout the week. Great traction, no slippage, but the most noticeable difference is that they don't get very dirty. The rubber is a lot less porous looking which I assume is why they don't pick up a lot of debris from the environment.

I also received an air gun installation tool. It pretty easy to use and you can remove the grips and experiment with different layerings of masking tape to build up the size without having to waste a set of perfectly good grips just to try something new. PURE grips are going to be my first choice in grips for the conceivable future and I'm thankful that the folks at PURE were so gracious to give us such an in-depth look at the product and give them a try.

[boogielicious]

Q&A; videos added to OP.

Thanks. I'm glad my question was answered in first part of the first video! Can't wait until they come out with a cord style grip.

[DaveP043]

I don't think I can add anything to the descriptions already posted of the tour, and the Q&A; with the Pure staff.  I was really impressed with their attitude.  They believe they have a better way of making a very consistent high-quality grip, and they're looking into ways to make the grips even better.  They talked about experimenting with different materials, different colors, and different sizes and shapes, as well as varying the textures.  I have great respect for these folks, carving out their own niche by emphasizing quality and consistency over low price.

My grips were in pretty good shape when I got to Phoenix, and I really like the grips I currently use, so I opted to change only my driver.  Like @SavvySwede , I chose the blue DTX grip.  After our 5 rounds at Moon Valley, I am VERY impressed with the feel of the grip.  Its slightly soft, but very "grippy".  I suppose its a combination of the texture and the special compound used, but I really like the grip.  I'll try to remember to post next spring, by then I'll have some indication of how the grip will perform in wet weather, and how well it will last.  Based on everything I've heard, I expect I'll be just as happy in a year as I am right now.  Not just that, but they sent me home with enough grips to redo my entire set when I choose to.

@boogielicious , I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a cord grip from Pure,  They said they'd love to be able to make one, but they haven't found a way to do it with the injection-molding process they currently use.  The injection-molding is the primary reason they can manufacture to really tight tolerances, as @SavvySwede discussed.  If you're looking for a really grippy texture, though, I can strongly recommend the DTX grip, I don't think you'll miss the cords.

[saevel25]

PURE DTX Grip Review (5 Stars)

Pros: Feel, Tackiness, Durability, Color Options

Cons: Installation Learning Curve and Overhead

PURE Grips is a relatively new golf grip company. They are based out of Phoenix, AZ where they make and design all their grips. Their goal is to make a grip that is tacky, long lasting and has great feel.

PURE Grips use a 100% rubber blend that is a Thermoset plastic. It is injected molded so there is no seam in the grip and creates a much more uniform grip. Other grip companies tend to create grips by forming a sheet of synthetic rubber and then rolling the sheet to create the grip by forming a seam. PURE Grips also back their grips with a 12 month guarantee, as shown on their website. I found the grips last much longer than this.

I've had the PURE Grips before with the PURE Pro Grip which is very similar to the Golf Pride Tour Velvet, but better. By better I mean it will last much longer and stay tacky longer. I always found that I prefer a more cord feel, with a bit more gripping resistance. This is why I tried out the PURE DXT grips. I also recommend the standard PURE Pro Grips as well for those who really like a Tour Velvet style grip.

The DTX Grip takes their same p roprietary rubber blend but adds more contours to the grip to enhance the ability to grip the club. The best way to describe it is the contrasting textures actually mold to hands a bit giving a softer feel feel, but a very secure feel as well. I found these grips to be extremely comfortable.

If you are looking for a grip to last you through a whole season of golf. If you are looking for a grip that is tacky and gives you enhanced gripping of the golf club. I recommend giving these grips a try.

They are only $8.99 per grip on their website (as of Sept. 2015), but they will last you twice as long as your other grips. The value for these grips are tremendous. You are getting a superior grip for the value of the premium grips that other brands offer but can't match the same comfort and durability.

If you like some custom work, PURE Grips has a laser etching machine where you can get symbols and words put into your grips.

The only con I see is if you are going to use the tapeless installation. You will need the proprietary gun attachment and a air compressor. It does take some time to get a feel on how to do the tapeless installation. You can put on the PURE Grips like a normal grip as well, with tape and solvent.

[Club Rat]

Wednesday morning we visited Pure Grip company.

We were greeted and proceeded to the office of Darin Osmundson, Director of R&D.;

He explained the process of designing grips and the details of making various style grips.

He showed us several molds and explained the challenges for maintaining specific temperature for the grip compound to flow evenly throughout the mold.

Darin not only designed the grips, he also had to design the molds on Cad software for the machinist to produce the molds.

He showed us examples of molds which had been cut in halve for inspection and assuring quality.

We also learned how utilizing various rubber compounds for achieving texture, feel and grip are achieved.

We then proceeded into the production facility which only hade two pieces of equipment which made the grips.

Being a small company, with only a handful of employees, they daily produce an abundant of products.

Each mold was designed to produce eight grips. The process only took approximately 95 seconds and then the operator would remove the grips,

clean the excess materials from the casting and repeat the process.

Everyone then selected a grip of their choice and a Pure employee re-gripped their clubs.

Their unique process of installation using an air pressure tool was very quick.

I learned a easy process to remove the old grip. Simply making two lengthwise cuts, rather than one, makes peeling the old grip off very easy.

Their grips can be installed either using the conventional method, solvent and tape, or simply apply on the bare shaft.

They indicated the grips would not slip or turn on shafts after installed. They also can be removed easily with the air pressure system.

It was a great learning experience for everyone.

I appreciate the owners of Pure company giving us a memorable morning and the opportunity to try their products.

Many thanks to Pure and wishing them success in their business venture.

Club Rat

[GolfLug]

Long term tackiness, suppleness and softness of a grip is hugely influenced by the primarily the amount of polymer to 'filler' ratio. I strongly believe there is a good reason why PURE grips retain all these good properties longer than most grips, even, some of the higher priced grips - their  compounds simply have less filler and more polymer (Note - I have prior background in rubber molding, so this is an educated guess). It is easier to make grips tacky at onset but to retain it over time is where the true value is.

While this probably costs them more (again, an educated guess) , it is simply a better value to the consumer.

The DTX also has a chord like feel - consideration for someone switching from a velvet type grip. Also, I would recommend tape over the shaft to keep them from twisting around over a few rounds.

I got all my grips re-gripped during the visit at PURE at their cost so I cannot thank them enough for the gesture!

Regards,

Vishal