Benefits of a fatter grip. Do they help?

Most pros play standard grips with tape buildup.
I agree that standard is too small.

Whatever grip lets you hit the ball best without injuring yourself is by definition the grip that fits you. Observe various people's hands some time then observe various golfer's way of gripping the club. Both hand size and gripping techique vary all over the place. That's why there's "fatter" and "thinner" and "standard" and "midsize" and "oversize" grips and so forth. Lots of people find a midsize or oversize fits them, whether because of arthritis or a funky way of gripping the club or just because they've got big old hands.

My hands are quite large but my fingers aren't very long. Some of the quickie rules of thumb (no pun intended) about grip size would put me in the midsize category. About a year after I started playing golf I started working with a teaching pro and one of the first things he did was point out I was "regripping" at the top of my backswing and never really getting a functional hold on the club. He basically said "I don't care what the ruler says or what your hands look like, you're never going to hit the ball with those fat grips". So I settled on .580" core Golf Pride grips on .600" butt shafts either plain or with one extra wrap (depends on the specific grip model) and they still look kind of small in my hands. But it works which is what counts.

Two things help your dilemma. Bigger grips and a bionic glove. My wife had this problem and I put bigger grips on and made her tommy two gloves with bionic gloves. She couldn't be happier. I went to bigger grips and love it as well! If you arent familiar with jumbo max grips check out te website and it will tell you benefits of bigger grips. Not sure I buy all the claims but hav seen the benefits of bigger grips

Maybe it's like my late father used to buy shoes. He always said he wears an eight but the nines feel so good he just buys tens. I always figured he was joking but maybe not.

I don't use midsize grips, but I do have 4 layers of tape on my irons and 5 layers on my driver, 3 wood and hybrid.

Occasionally I suffer from "Bubba hands", and I find that a slightly thicker grip keeps my hands quieter at impact.

i like standard on my woods and over sized (added tape) on my irons. I tend to swing lighter with my irons and use less grip pressure with the extra tape like 4 layers. My woods i like to be able to apply the extra pressure when i know i might have to play a big cut of draw.

Lots of people grip the grip far too hard. A bigger grip can help ease this tendency. Likewise with putters.
There's also the honeymoon aspect to any gear change. We tend to take more controlled swings when we first try out new stuff, which is kinda funny I find.

larger grips will slow down your ability close or square the club face at impact. So if you pull hook most of your shots a larger grip will slow your hands down. One negative is that your club face may be too open at impact and will result in blocking your shot. Also if you are older and suffer from arthritis, larger grips will lessen the tension while gripping the club.

I add two wraps of tape to all of my clubs to help with grip pressure and tension. IMHO it has helped significantly.

[quote name='mustangbryk' timestamp='1337611239' post='4950462']
i like standard on my woods and over sized (added tape) on my irons.
[/quote]

same here. i have an extra wrap in my irons and then go up to midsize on my wedges.

I use the jumbomax grips. My ball flight before them was a fade and after putting them on I have a slight draw. I feel they help me not grip the club as tight. Might be worth checking out if you strangle the club.

I've also gone to midsize on my driver and on one of my wedges, as an experiment. Works so well the other wedges will go up a notch next re-grip, and I'll seriously consider it for the rest of the bag.

All grips are 2 wraps on the top and 4 on the bottom hand. I like my grips built up, but 4 on the top is too much for me. Plus the 4 on the bottom help to eliminate the taper which I like. No real reason I haven't switched to midsize, guess I just like the feel of the built up grips.

I think thicker grips give you a little more control on your clubs you don't feel like you need to grip the club as hard

[quote name='MarkFromTheUK' timestamp='1337610823' post='4950430']
I don't use midsize grips, but I do have 4 layers of tape on my irons and 5 layers on my driver, 3 wood and hybrid.

Occasionally I suffer from "Bubba hands", and I find that a slightly thicker grip keeps my hands quieter at impact.
[/quote]

Larger grips make it more difficult for the hands to rotate through at impact which is why they are good for people who hook the ball as they tend to keep their hands quieter. I have some buildup on my 60* L wedge to help me keep the face open on those delicate shots.

I use mid size with three extra wraps under my right hand. Started doing it last year and it pretty much took care of bad hooks. I do have to watch out with my driver to avoid pushes to the right if the club face does not close. FWIW, my normal swing is a draw that could turn into a hook very fast. Without extensive swing changes, switching to a larger grip has avoided hooking issues for a lot of my friends also. It also keeps the wrists less active on chips..
Another benefit of the larger grip, for me, was holding the grip with less tension. Come to think of it used to do the same thing with tennis racquets.

I've been playing jumbo grips for a year now and love them. The bigger grip allows me to grip the club a bit looser, which I feel in turn allows me to release the club properly.

mid size here for the past few years even though my hands are smaller than average. improved my control and got me completely away from the hooks.

It's all about preference. I used to use a midsize grip, but now I use standard with 1 extra wrap (+ 1/64"). Who knows...maybe I'll go back to midsize one day.

Will thicker grips make it more difficult to weaken my grip? I have discovered lately that I am closed at the top and coming in closed de-lofting the club. Partly due to swinging too flat.

To square up the face I am looking to weaken my grip and swing more upright. I have just changed all 13 grips to Ping Gold ID360 +1 tape, so with regards to grip weakening have I thickened my grips up too much? I have long fingers, so I need thicker than standard for sure.

I went to midsize a while ago. Much easeir to hold on to. I cam from squash so a club club felt like i was holding a pencil. I also find it helps me weak my grip. Can't go wrong imo. Get one fitted to your 8 iron and see how it goes. It'll cost you less than £10 to see if you like it.

I went to a golf academy (name withheld due to contractual negotiations), and they re-gripped my clubs with 1 wrap under the LH and 5 staggered wraps under the RH - virtually no taper.

Felt good. Been using a similar style ever since.

My hands are quite large but my fingers aren't very long. Some of the quickie rules of thumb (no pun intended) about grip size would put me in the midsize category. About a year after I started playing golf I started working with a teaching pro and one of the first things he did was point out I was "regripping" at the top of my backswing and never really getting a functional hold on the club. He basically said "I don't care what the ruler says or what your hands look like, you're never going to hit the ball with those fat grips". So I settled on .580" core Golf Pride grips on .600" butt shafts either plain or with one extra wrap (depends on the specific grip model) and they still look kind of small in my hands. But it works which is what counts.

Agree with your instructor.
Smaller diameter is better.If we agree that the pressure points in the grip are the last three fingers of the lead hand, then smaller diameter ensures grip is in fingers and not in the palm. If you swing with lag and let the body turn square the clubface, then
the wrists have to be free hinges.

I need to feel the control of the club is in my lead hand pinkie. In order to do that I take a file to the butt of the grip, reducing the diameter of the butt, which in most grips is disproportionately larger than the rest of the grip. ( I use a cadet medium golf glove)
IMO, if you cant hold the club securely with only, your lead hand pinkie the grip is too large.
Lamkin standard, i line grips are an exception.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6GjV0F1eok#t=35

Its much easier to control a pencil than a baseball bat for precision?
My trail hand goes along for the ride, barely touching the grip, so it sits comfortably on top of the lead hand. Wouldnt that be better for those with arthritis?

"Smaller is better" is not always the case, especially when you have large hands. I wear a large glove and am able to put the club on the ball just fine with mids.

I think grip size is a wholly relative fitting piece that needs to be personalized to the individual.

[quote name='mikah' timestamp='1418393571' post='10582851']
My hands are quite large but my fingers aren't very long. Some of the quickie rules of thumb (no pun intended) about grip size would put me in the midsize category. About a year after I started playing golf I started working with a teaching pro and one of the first things he did was point out I was "regripping" at the top of my backswing and never really getting a functional hold on the club. He basically said "I don't care what the ruler says or what your hands look like, you're never going to hit the ball with those fat grips". So I settled on .580" core Golf Pride grips on .600" butt shafts either plain or with one extra wrap (depends on the specific grip model) and they still look kind of small in my hands. But it works which is what counts.

Agree with your instructor.
Smaller diameter is better.If we agree that the pressure points in the grip are the last three fingers of the lead hand, then smaller diameter ensures grip is in fingers and not in the palm. If you swing with lag and let the body turn square the clubface, then
the wrists have to be free hinges.

I need to feel the control of the club is in my lead hand pinkie. In order to do that I take a file to the butt of the grip, reducing the diameter of the butt, which in most grips is disproportionately larger than the rest of the grip. ( I use a cadet medium golf glove)
IMO, if you cant hold the club securely with only, your lead hand pinkie the grip is too large.
Lamkin standard, i line grips are an exception.
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6GjV0F1eok#t=35"]https://www.youtube....6GjV0F1eok#t=35[/url]

Its much easier to control a pencil than a baseball bat for precision?
My trail hand goes along for the ride, barely touching the grip, so it sits comfortably on top of the lead hand. Wouldnt that be better for those with arthritis?
[/quote]

Great insight. The proper grip size from top to bottom, including taper rate, is just as much about how exactly we place our hands on the club with where exactly the grip is placed...as it is about hand size.

For any given hand size, the generalization is that a more "palmsy" hand placement will be conducive to a larger grip size, whereas a placement that has the club more in the fingers will go well with a smaller grip size.

Just like you, I prefer grips with a smaller cap and top size, because it allows my pinkie finger to wrap around the grip further and also the other 2 fingers as well....contributing to more secure clamp control with the last 3 fingers of the top hand

[quote name='mikah' timestamp='1418393571' post='10582851']
Its much easier to control a pencil than a baseball bat for precision?
[/quote]

That's because of the weight and MOI difference - not the diameter where it's held.

If you feel like you get more control and better feel with the smaller grip - that's great and you've made the best selection [u]for you[/u] for all the correct reasons. But it's really the fact that it feels more secure, not the fact that it's physically smaller, that is giving you the better control. Just don't assume your needs for feel are going to be the same for everyone.

As said it comes down to personal prefrence and hand size. Personally I switched to midsized grips with a couple extra wraps of tape at the suggestion of my instructor. I have big palms but not too long of fingers and I found I was being pinched on my lead hand where the butt of the club sits. The regular grips are skinny enough that it makes it so my skin sort of bunches up and I get pinched. I don't have that problem after switching to midsize grips as the lager butt end allows my skin to sit flat against the grip and not bunch up. The midsize grips are much more comfortable to hold for me.

[quote name='Stuart G.' timestamp='1418411224' post='10584199']
[quote name='mikah' timestamp='1418393571' post='10582851']
Its much easier to control a pencil than a baseball bat for precision?
[/quote]

That's because of the weight and MOI difference - not the diameter where it's held.

If you feel like you get more control and better feel with the smaller grip - that's great and you've made the best selection [u]for you[/u] for all the correct reasons. But it's really the fact that it feels more secure, not the fact that it's physically smaller, that is giving you the better control. Just don't assume your needs for feel are going to be the same for everyone.
[/quote]


There is a physical size/diameter that is easier to hold securely with my pinkie.

It isnt a feel thing in my mind. Maybe more to do with size and strength of pinkie.

taking it to the extreme... i wouldnt be able to hold a baseball bat with only my pinkie.

If you can take a full swing (not full speed or power) gripping only your lead hand pinkie, the grip size is right.. IMO

[quote name='mikah' timestamp='1418412485' post='10584331']
There is a physical size/diameter that is easier to hold securely with my pinkie.
It isnt a feel thing in my mind.[b] Maybe more to do with size and strength of pinkie.[/b]
[/quote]

Yes as the feel relates to your physical abilities. It's true that the specific way you personally choose to physically sync and apply force from the hands to the grip is more a primary factor and the feel is more a secondary consequence of that match up. But I believe most do not think to that low level degree of what's actually happening with the hand mechanics. The relative feel and comfort of one particular grip size vs another will still be an accurate means to reflect the suitability of the grip size to the specific mechanics of the player.

[quote name='Stuart G.' timestamp='1418416771' post='10584723']
[quote name='mikah' timestamp='1418412485' post='10584331']
There is a physical size/diameter that is easier to hold securely with my pinkie.
It isnt a feel thing in my mind.[b] Maybe more to do with size and strength of pinkie.[/b]
[/quote]

Yes as the feel relates to your physical abilities. It's true that the specific way you personally choose to physically sync and apply force from the hands to the grip is more a primary factor and the feel is more a secondary consequence of that match up. But I believe most do not think to that low level degree of what's actually happening with the hand mechanics. The relative feel and comfort of one particular grip size vs another will still be an accurate means to reflect the suitability of the grip size to the specific mechanics of the player.
[/quote]


I think your describing well, the difference players have with regard to their hands and feel.

My left pinkie is a clamp. Clamp on, good to go and totally ignore any sensations from the hands/fingers.

Any sensations from the hands once the DS begins takes too long to get to the brain for any conscious muscle manipulations, so I ignore those sensations.

Got to trust, Unconscious, 'feel'.

to do otherwise, such as have attention on co ordination of movements
will be less effective than attention directed to the desired movement effect.


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