Grasping Grip Options for Your Golf Clubs

How often do you look at the state of your golf club grips?

Can you remember the last time you had them changed or are they so shiny you can just about see your reflection in the rubber?

Grips are essential as they provide the only physical connection to the golf club. We also know that having a good grip (in this instance how we place our hands on the club) is one of the major fundamentals of having a good golf swing. But in golf, especially in the amateur game, we tend to neglect one of the most important features of our clubs. And it’s not just our woods and irons. Putter grips also need our attention and should be replaced when the life has gone out of them.

So, in our guide to golf grips, we will help you understand:

• The fundamentals of golf club grips
• Factors influencing grip selection
• Types of golf grips
• Customising your grips

 

The Fundamentals of Golf Grips

To start with, if the grip is really worn the tendency is to grip the club a little tighter to gain some control. Gripping the club tightly creates tension in the muscles of your hands, which in turn creates tension through the muscle groups of your arms and even into your shoulders and back. A golf swing is a dynamic, fluid motion that won’t function properly if the major muscle groups can’t move effectively due to tension.

Having the wrong grip size can also cause problems. If a grip is too thin it encourages the hands to be overactive which leads to poor club face control and the resultant shots being hooks and pulls.

The opposite can be said if a grip is too thick. The hands struggle to square up the club face towards impact and the tendency is the club face stays open with shots being leaking right (if you are a right-handed golfer).

Factors Influencing Grip Selection

Going through the following points can help you in your decision-making process:

• Weather conditions
• Grip size
• Playing style

Weather Conditions

Believe it or not, this is something you should think about when considering the best grip for you. If you find yourself playing in a lot of rainy conditions, you are best to have a grip which offers as much support as possible. Wet grips are next to useless for a golfer but grips that have some form of cord through them allow the golfer to keep better purchase on the grip in the wet.

Cord grips can equally work as well if you play in really hot conditions regularly. The reason for this is if your hands are prone to sweating a lot under hot conditions the extra purchase offered by the cord can assist you in maintaining good grip pressure. If your hands are prone to blisters and calluses cord grips might be too harsh and therefore you might look at rubber or even leather grips.

Grip size

Golfers come in different shapes and sizes. Whilst there is a standard-sized grip fitted to any golf club you buy off the shelf this might not be entirely correct for you. If you have big hands a thicker grip would work better for you to prevent your hands from getting too active in the swing as we discussed previously.

Alternatively, if you have small hands, thinner grips can be better suited to give you that club face control through your swing and impact. Junior golfers might also benefit from smaller grips initially to help them with their control.

Playing style

If you play a lot of golf your grips are going to get worn down quicker. Whilst there is no hard and fast rule about when you change your grips, if you do play a lot of golf a rough rule of thumb would be to change golf club grips after 40 rounds of play. If your hands do perspire a lot you may also need to change grips more frequently.

In general, look for the following signs that indicate it’s time for a change:

• Colours wearing off
• The grip starts to feel hard
• Smooth surfaces appear
• Segments of grip stick to your hands

 

 

Types of Golf Club Grips

Grips for golf clubs come in many different options these days but most will fall into one of the following categories:

• Rubber
• Cord
• Leather

Rubber

The most basic grip available on the market. This does not make the grip inferior in any capacity. Modern production methods ensure these grips perform to the highest of standards in all conditions. A classic rubber grip widely available would be something like the Golf Pride Tour Velvet which many professionals use as well as being a great option for amateurs.

Cord

We touched on the idea of cord grips earlier and how they perform well in wet or very hot conditions. Using the standard rubber grip as its base, small cotton fibres are weaved through the grip to offer a more abrasive feel compared to the rubber golf grip. Cord grips are available in either full cord - covers the full length of the grip or half cord which can refer to one side of the grip having cord or the top half of the grip having the cord.

Leather

Leather is still an option for golfers albeit an expensive option. The leather can be wound around the shaft and sealed off at the top and bottom in a similar process to re-gripping something like a tennis racquet for example. Alternatively, the grip is already fully formed and can be fitted to the club in exactly the same way as the rubber or cord grip - Grip Master would be a good example.

 

How to Change a Grip

If you want to re-grip your golf clubs you can follow these 5 steps.

1 - Remove the old grip

Ideally, it’s best to secure the club in a vice but if you don’t have that secure the club by holding it close to the hosel.

With a Stanley knife or better still, a hooked knife make an incision at the tip end of the grip.

Moving the blade away from you, cut the grip its entire length to the butt end.

From there, start at the tip where you made the incision and peel both sides of the grip back and away from the shaft.

Do this all the way to the butt end of the grip where you should be able to finally detach the grip fully from the club.

One point to note is that if you are re-gripping a club with a graphite shaft take extra precaution that the blade of the knife doesn’t damage the shaft.

2 - Remove the old tape

It’s important to remove all the old double-sided tape from the shaft so take the time to ensure it is fully removed.

You can use the knife to scrape it off or your fingernails to peel it away.

3 - Fit the new double-sided tape

Once all the old tape is off it’s time to fit the new double-sided tape.

There are two important factors here:

• Make sure the tape is the correct length of the grip
• Leave some excess tape to cover the butt of the shaft

Double-sided tape can already be cut to the correct length and all you have to do is wrap the tape around the shaft.

Alternatively, double-sided tape comes in a roll like sellotape and you have to wrap the tape around the shaft.

If this is the case, take the grip you want to fit and place it next to the shaft. Make a small mark with a pen where the grip stops and apply the tape to that mark.

Leaving some excess tape around the butt of the shaft is important so that when you slide the new grip over the butt end there are no exposed sharp edges which can potentially tear the new grip.

4 - Apply solution to the grip

The old solution used was white spirit but there are now new dedicated solutions which are easier to work with than white spirit.

Getting your new grip and placing a finger over the hole at the butt end of the grip add a liberal amount of solution into the grip at the tip end.

Cover the tip end so both ends of the grip are covered and shake the grip for 20-30 seconds to get the solution to cover every inch of the inside.

Once you have done this, pour the solution over the double-sided tape on the shaft.

5 - Apply the new grip

You can apply the new grip by squeezing the grip close to the tip end and position it over one side of the butt end of the shaft.

Once you have some purchase, squeeze the rest of the tip end of the grip over the butt end of the club.

Once on, start to slide the grip down until it is fully attached to the shaft. You can tap the butt end of the grip on the ground to remove an excess solution.

From there, check the grip is aligned correctly by using the leading edge of your club as a checkpoint.

You can maintain your new grips by occasionally giving them a wash.

To do this you can use warm water with added washing up liquid and a scrubbing brush.

Once fully washed dry the grip off with a towel.

Grips can be customised to fit the golfer perfectly. If the golfer has bigger hands, additional layers of tape can be added at the fitting stage which will fatten the grip up.

Another option is purchasing thicker grips which are readily available. Some players like the “logo down” on their grips. Golf Pride and Lamkin have their logos at the bottom of the grip which some players don’t like to see so the grip is fitted with the logo on the underside of the shaft. If you are unsure of what size of grip is best for you always consult with a professional fitter beforehand.

Golf Club Grips at Golf Tech UK

Grip condition is essential to helping us swing the club well. It is our only physical contact to the club and if we have to compromise because of a poor grip it will compromise our swing. There are a variety of grip and customisation options available to ensure you have the perfect grip fitted for your golf clubs.

Here at Golf Tech UK we offer a wide range of golf club grips from some of the biggest brands in golf including Lamkin, Golf Pride, Sense, Superstroke, Iomic and Winn. Additionally, we also offer a golf club re-gripping service if you'd like to leave the hard work to the professionals.

Likewise, if you're utilising our golf club custom fitting service we will spend time with you on the various grip options we have available.

Browse our range of golf club grips at Golf Tech UK today.