Here we take a look at some of the best golf grips currently on the market.
Best Golf Grips
It sounds obvious to say how important the golf grip is because after all, it is the only thing that remains in contact with your hands throughout the swing. Therefore if the grip isn’t performing well, chances are your shots aren’t going where you want because your hands might be slipping or the grip may not be suited to your hands and so on.
Ideally you’ll get custom fitted for every club and your grip will be perfect from day one. But that’s not always the way of course and when you buy something off the shelf, online or just borrow a club off a mate then the likelihood is that the grip might not be right.
The best golf accessories make life on the course easier and getting a new grip can breathe new life into a club and something you’ve viewed with suspicion for all those years could, very quickly, become your new best friend. And they can be colour-coordinated to match your favourite sports team.
We’ve compiled some of the best golf grips on the market right now – all of which look great and perform well in their own ways.
For more buying advice then be sure to check out some of our other guides – like the best golf drivers, best putters, or the best golf irons.
Best Golf Grips – Best Golf Clubs Grips
Golf Pride MCC Grip
The New Decade MultiCompound is another stellar offering from Golf Pride and a winner of multiple majors. This blends Brushed Cotton Technology in the top half of the grip, to help with better traction with the glove hand, with rubber in the lower half to add more feel and forgiveness.
There has also been a ‘sand bar’ texture pattern added to the whole grip to tune the firmness of the rubber.
The hybrid MCC is such a winner that it also comes in the ALIGN line and you can even include your favourite team colours to brighten up your clubs and get you into a winning frame of mind.
Golf Pride ZGRIP Grip
Golf Pride have more major wins and more than 80 per cent of tour pros choose to use them and not one is paid to.
This comes in standard and midsize and is the finest cord grip available from the company.
It has two layers of texturing for feedback and control and the midsize has a deep ‘Z’ shaped pattern that winds around the grip while the heavy cord texture channels any moisture away. Good for added stability and traction in all weathers.
Winn Dri-Tac Grip
Winn is the first manufacturer to bring premium polymer golf grips to the market and they are specialists in fishing rods, tennis and bicycle grips. The grips are tackier than traditional rubber, they’re also comfortable so a day of 36 holes (or maybe even a lot of hitting balls) will put less strain on your hands.
This is their most popular grip and it comes in four different colours.
Golf Pride Tour Velvet ALIGN Grip
ALIGN technology features a dedicated raised ridge which encourages more consistent hand placement and better clubface awareness so the days of shifting your hands around and wondering if you’re too weak or strong will be over.
It also has the most up-to-date rubber blend and non-slip surface pattern to get rid of any unwanted moisture. Comes in standard and midsize.
The ALIGN technology comes in the big four Golf Pride lines; MCC Plus4, MCC, ZGrip and the Tour Velvet.
SuperStroke S-Tech Grip
This is brilliant value and is the grip of choice for Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia and Jason Dufner. The beauty of this grip is that it provides just the right amount of softness and tack and, with the cross-traction technology, it means that it will stick work perfectly when the heavens open.
Comes in standard and midsize and there are four colour options.
Lamkin Crossline Grip
This is a particularly popular grip, is another great value offering and has every size imaginable. They have the distinctive densely-spaced surface pattern which is great for stability and traction and has more of a firmer and less tacky feel. We think this is particularly useful with the big stick which is why we also included this model in our best golf grips for drivers guide.
The feedback from these is that they will last forever so, while we should all re-grip our clubs more regularly than we do, these will keep performing for years.
Arccos Caddie Smart Grips
This is a great addition to your shot tracking and general improvement of play. Inside the butt end of each grip is a GPS sensor that tracks the distance and direction of every shot you hit. Additionally you can connect any set of clubs to the Arccos app and capture all your shots.
Why is this good? Well it is so you know how far you really hit all your clubs, identify your true strengths and weaknesses rather than your general perception of them and the app has a GPS rangefinder that works in real time so, whatever the weather or slopes, you’ll get the right number.
One really nice bit is that it breaks down your game into handicaps so you can focus on the weaker elements. The Smart grips come in Golf Pride MCC Plus4 and Lamkin’s Crossline 360 and UTx.
Golf Pride Pro Only Grip
Golf Pride have just launched their Pro Only range which is a collection of corded putter grips. In 2019 they brought out the all-rubber Pro Only series and they’ve followed it up with this sleek, white styling. There are three shapes in the collection and they are defined by a colour coordinated star on the end cap.
The Red Star has a horseshoe shape with an arched paddle for thumb placement and is the smallest and lightest in the range. The Blue Star has an angled profile with a wide, flat paddle for the thumb while the biggest and heaviest is the Green Star. This has an oval shape and has been designed for optimum finger comfort and hand positioning.
“With three time-proven shape options there is a corded Pro Only grip to suit every golfer’” say Golf Pride.
2 Thumb The Light Grip
This is actually a British company that has become a big part of the putter grip scene in the past decade. This is part of the classic range and they have been designed with the two thumb putting technique in mind. But, as we’ve seen, many of the world’s finest will find their own way in how they grip it.
At 160g this will suit a heavier head and it will help to stop the wrists breaking in the stroke and to get a better feeling for what is happening at the business end of things.
Don’t think that all the Two Thumb grips are one and the same, have a look at their website to discover some funky designs and arrangements.
SuperStroke Traxion Tour 2.0 Putter Grip
If you haven’t at least experimented with a SuperStroke putting grip then you’re probably missing a trick. This particular model featured in out guide on the best putter grips so is definitely worth a try.
Traxion Control is a surface texture to help with feel and performance and it’s done using x-shaped threads in high-sensory areas through the grip so you can improve your feel and touch.
The other keys bit is the Spyne Technology which adds a heavily embossed ridge on the underside of the grip to get your hands in the right place time after time. And with that comes a square face at impact and more putts holed.
Flat Cat Putter Grip
This is the original in the range and you’ll recognise it from being in the hands of Justin Rose whose putting has been on a real upward curve in recent years and it’s helped him to reach the heady heights of World No. 1.
The premise is that the sides run parallel to each other and feature a flat front and the polyurethane compound gives you a soft, comfortable feel.
If you like a larger grip then have a look at the Fat and Bog Boy sizes or, on the other end of the scale, is the Slightly and Svelte sizes. In the middle comes the Standard. It’s all about keeping the putter square and your wrists and hands quiet through the stroke.
Ping Golf PP58 Classic Standard Putter Grip – Blackout
Look familiar? This of course is the legendary putter grip used by Tiger Woods and it’s been a factor behind all those big tournament-winning moments, think Torrey Pines in 2008, but it’s been around since the 1970s. Need we say why as to why its on this list of the best golf grips?
This is proper old school with less attention on thickness and stability but more on feel and maybe those looking for the sound of a good putt. If you’ve got a Newport 2 then you might want to go full Tiger and slip this on.
Lamkin Deep-Etched Putter Grip
If you like a corded putter grip then this might be a good option. The deep-etched full-cord has what is called a patter and paddle shape which is there to encourage a more stress-free stroke and it’s also good for clammy hands or when it’s tipping down.
The deep-etched pattern is designed for traction and stability and this firmer-rubber composition is built to last.
What to consider when buying golf grips
There are several factors to consider when it comes to purchasing golf grips and below we have looked at them…
Club or Putter Grip – The first thing you need to look at is which clubs you want to get a new grip for. From the woods to the wedges all the club-specific models above will perform for you, whilst there are also putter specific grips too which are built for feel and to build confidence in the golfer’s hands. They often have flat edges too for the hands.
Type/Material – There are several different types and materials used in golf grips these days so it is good to know about them.
Firm vs Soft – Knowing the difference here is important. Tour players and fast swingers will prefer firmer grips as they offer better torsion control and may encourage players to have a lighter grip pressure. Older players may prefer softer grips as they make swinging more comfortable.
Feel – The golf grip has to feel right in your hands and because every person’s hands are different, each player will react in different ways to the variety of materials used. The best thing to do here is to play shots and get your hands to feel as many grips as possible because then you will know what you like the feel of, and perhaps more importantly, what you don’t.
Size – We all make sure we get the right size of shoe for our feet so we should do the same for our grips. It is said the proper size grip will allow the fingers to barely touch the palm.
Of course there are players like Bryson DeChambeau who like to use a larger grip, and some use a thinner design.
Many players also make adjustments to grip size by adding more or less layers of tape between the shaft and the grip. A proper fitter will know which is the right size for you.
Durability – Grips have to be durable too and some models are better than others, whilst some golfers play more too so this will undoubtedly have an impact on the life of some grips.
Color – In modern golf you can grips in all kinds of colors, especially with models like the MCC design above. If you want something traditional like a black grip, you can. Whereas if you want something to stand out, brands have got you covered.
If you enjoyed this guide on the best golf grips, then let us know.
This article Best Golf Grips appeared first on Golf Monthly.