Yes, grips can cost you strokes. Too many of you are playing worn grips, the wrong size grips and uncomfortable grips. All of these factors can cause you to lose the grip on your club during your swing, pull or push your shots, or just plain not like to swing your clubs. There a literally hundreds of grips to choose from. The one thing you should know is that the grip is the last extension of your connection with the golf club so it must feel perfect in order for you to have the confidence that you can make that great shot! Let’s talk about how grips can hurt or help your game.
- Worn Grips: I see so many golfers playing clubs with grips that were put on YEARS ago. Grips actually do wear out. They certainly get smooth and slick from the oil on your hands (even if you wear a glove) and dirt. The general rule is to change your grips every 25 rounds or once a year. Dry climates (Colorado, Arizona) are harder on grips than more humid climates. One manufacturer claims that worn grips can cost you up to 6 strokes a round. We agree!
- Inconsistent Grips: Ok. How can you be consistent if you have midsize grips on your driver, a cord regular size grip on your fairway woods, and soft, cushy grips on your irons and wedges? I see that a lot. Get serious, golfers. Pick a grip and put it on all of your clubs!
- Wrong Size: Well, this is getting to be a lot more subjective, in my opinion (IMO!). Depending upon your grip pressure, grip size can mean a lot. If you grip the club tightly and tend to draw/hook the ball, a larger grip may help eliminate that issue. However, I like to fit to comfort. One thing we do a lot of is stretching grips to accommodate golfers that like the feel of smaller grips. Sometimes even an undersized grip is too large and needs to be stretched to reduce the diameter. Another factor is the size of the grip under the trailing hand (right hand for right handers and left for left handers). Because the golf shaft tapers to a smaller diameter, some golfers like the feel of a slightly larger grip under their trailing hand. Winn started this with their “contour” grips and now Golf Pride has their “Plus 4” grips. Basically, we put two extra wraps of grip tape on a normal grip under the trailing hand to get this feel. For some golfers, this is a VERY important feel.
- Texture: Let’s face it. Golf grips come in a lot of different textures. Like tacky or sticky feeling grips, the Golf Pride 2G, Tour Velvet Super Tack, Iomic Sticky are great choices. Need a firmer feel, Lamkin Crossline, Golf Pride Tour Velvet or PURE grips DTX. Texture may not mean a lot for shot dispersion but for CONSISTENCY, texture means a LOT. If your grips feel good, you will swing with more confidence.
- Grip Weight: This is definitely not a factor that our golfers know a lot about, but it CAN affect feel and performance. Simply put, the larger the grip the heavier it is. If you switch to heavier grips, you decrease the swingweight of the golf club which, in turn, can cause you to be more inconsistent in your swing and resulting shots. Same thing going to a smaller (lighter) grip. While this may not be a major factor in your shot making, it is definitely something to consider.
Wow! That is a lot of information just packed into picking the right grip! But it really does make a difference….maybe up to six strokes a round! So get fit and get a grip!
P.S. And, you should also look at all of the new putter grips that can help your putting stroke. Especially look at the flat, slightly to very oversized grips from Superstroke, Winn and GolfPride.
Dan Sueltz
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