Choosing the right set of golf grips is crucial for comfort, confidence, and consistency. Here is everything you need to know before buying your next set.
The grip is the only part of a golf club you actually touch during a swing. So it’s very important to find the right grip for you to help you control what the golf club is doing.
The question isn’t whether or not you need new grip, it’s more about determining what grip is right for you. This buying guide will dive into everything about golf grips, whether its rubber, corded, hybrid or the variety of different putter grips.
If you’re unsure at any time, we’d suggest getting one grip on your short irons done first before purchasing a full set. That way you’ll be able to experiment without breaking the bank.
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to our channel so that you don’t miss another video!
Why Are Grips Important?
The grip is the only contact point between you and the club. The correct grip size, texture, and material help you control the clubface. They keep your hold secure, even in wet or humid conditions.
Choosing the right grip size is vital for your clubs. It ensures the correct swing weight for each club. For example, a 7-iron with a standard rubber grip usually has a D2 swing weight. If you later fit a midsize grip, it adds extra weight to the grip end, which would knock the swing weight off balance.
Types of Grips
Rubber Grips
The most common grip material, offering durability and a tacky feel suited for all conditions. A lot of manufacturers will stick to using rubber grips for their golf clubs as they are very easy to produce, and generally will suit the majority of golfers.
Corded Grips
These grips mix brushed cotton or cord into the rubber for extra traction. They’re great in wet weather or if your hands get sweaty. Corded grips can feel rough on your hands. But if you often get blisters, they might still help your grip.
Wrap Grips
Designed to mimic the feel of traditional leather wraps with added comfort, often used by players who prefer a softer, cushioned feel. So whether you’re quite old school and loved the traditional leather grips, these could offer a really comfortable option for you.
Hybrid Grips
Combine rubber and cord materials to give the best of both worlds, traction in the upper hand and softness in the lower hand. These grips have typically been used by Tour Professionals for added touch around the golf course, but can offer the same advantages for most amateurs too. They are more expensive to purchase than either rubber or corded due to its mixed construction.
Align Grips
Traditionally known as a ridged grip, designed to help improve clubface awareness. These day companies like Golf Pride have rebranded this as ‘Align’ technology to help align your hands properly at address and impact. So if you’re somebody who struggles with their grip, or holding the club face square at impact then this could be something to try out.
In case you’re wondering how the Align Max grips perform, we had chance to properly test these earlier in the year here.
Putter Grips
Putter grips don’t require the same amount of traction compared to normal grips. Most putter grips will usually feature a flat front design to help aid alignment and reduce wrist action during the stroke.
Flat edge putter grips are the only grips that are permitted by the rules to include this feature. Typically this is added to the front of the grip to help guide you on exactly where your thumbs should be on your grip.
Different sizes are also offered to improve your ability on the greens. A thicker grip helps take your hands and wrists out of the stroke, which is what most golfers seek to do to improve their putting. The drawback of a thicker grip is that you won’t get the feel of a thinner grip and if you are feel putter, or have a stroke that involves a lot of wrist action, then you will be more suited to a thin grip.
Reverse Taper Putter Grips
Designed to help quieten the bottom hand during the putting stroke. The grip features a slimmer upper half and wider lower section to help reduce tension in the lower hand for smooth acceleration through the stroke.
Alternative Putter Grips
Just like with anything, there are a lot of putter grips on the market that all will require personal preference and a lot of it will be trial and error. For example, there are grips designed for people who like to grip the club untraditionally. Golfers such as Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood are well known for using the claw grip over the years, and companies such as Flat Cat and 2Thumb are designed for that.
In case you’re looking to play around with your hand positioning then we’d suggest trying one of these grips that has a much wider front edge but still reasonably thin around the sides. These types of grips will also help you place the grip more in your palms too.
Grip Size
Once you’ve managed to establish your choice of grip, you should definitely consider the size of it. As mentioned earlier grips play an important role during the club building process so selecting the correct grip size is vital for the golf clubs overall weight and swing weight.
Grip sizes include:
Standard = 0.580 to 0.600 inches in diameter.
Junior = Various sizes, smaller and shorter than standard.
Undersize =1/64 inch smaller than standard.
Midsize = 1/16 inch larger than standard.
Oversize/Jumbo = 1/8 inch larger than standard.
To determine what is the correct grip thickness for you, companies like Ping have a specific colour code chart depending on your hand size. Golf Pride and Lamkin also have their own calculations too but using Ping’s can be made a lot simpler to work out.
If your grips are too thin, your hands may overwork, leading to hooks. Too thick, and it may cause blocks or fades. In case you can’t get comfortable with either grip size, there tends to be four-five wraps of tape in-between thicknesses. So if you’re looking for something in between, it might be worth asking your PGA professional for the amount of grip tape you would like.
When to Replace Grips
As a general rule, you should probably consider replacing your grips every 40 rounds or once a year to maintain optimal tackiness and feel. The life of a grip can also depend on how hard you grip the club, how often you practice or play, how many practice swings you take and how your maintain your grips.
Signs it’s time to change include: slippery or shiny areas, cracks or splits and loss of tackiness.
Even starting off by cleaning your grips with a wire brush first can also bring some old grips back to life.
Fitting & Installation
Your local pro shop can fit new grips in minutes. Re-gripping your full set may take up to 48 hours depending on workshop availability. In general grips will take around 20 minutes to dry but we recommend you leave them for a few hours in a cool / dry place to prevent twisting.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right grip can transform your game, we’d recommend always considering the thickness of the grip first and see what grips are available in that size, as if you do need a certain size, manufactures may only have certain stock of them.
