Get a Grip on Autumn Golf

Current Grip of Choice: Golf Pride Tour Wrap

Long-time friend Mike Stachura, Golf Digest’s equipment editor, has a video out (featured below) on the importance of changing grips, which, according to him, need to be replaced once a year or every 40 rounds. By his standards I would have had to change grips twice this year. (What can I say? I live close to a good public course.)

 

Golf Pride Grips

I did change grips this summer and I went with the Golf Pride Tour Wrap model because I love its tackiness. This stems from my first set of forged irons by Daiwa that an old clubmaker gave me. They had Neumann leather grips, and even now I can hear the sssshick sound made with a new glove.

Golf Pride offers an online fitting page that assesses your hand size, the importance of surface feel , moisture management and feedback from clubs. I went through the process and found out that I needed a completely different grip than the Tour Wrap.

That doesn’t matter because grips are very personal. I love the feel of the Tour Wrap because a quick wipe with a damp towel gives the grips a sticky tackiness that induces confidence, which in turn makes for a better swing.

Never before have there been so many grips on the market with interesting design features. Companies like Iomic, Champ, Boccieri and Winn all make compelling products. But here are some issues to consider.

For those who play frequently in humid conditions (read: Texas through the U.S. southeast during the summer) need to worry about sweat, which is moisture management. Some grips are softer at the top of the shaft and stickier in the middle and lower end, where the fingertips control the club. Some offer the “cord” feeling of traditional grips, while others, particularly from Winn, are very soft.

Boccieri Golf offers the Secret Grip—a “back-weighted grip,” which is an old clubmaker’s trick. Placing more weight at the top of the grip moves the balance point of the club closer to the hands, which can help some players with their putting. Jack Nicklaus used a back-weighted grip during his heyday.

New grips can make the clubs feel new again, and that alone can bring the desire to get back on the course, even in chilly fall conditions.

 

 

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