Who else has struggled gripping hickory clubs?

[Sandhurst241069]

I’ve just acquired a beautiful set of reproduction hickories and opted for suede out grips. Not sure if its my grip pressure, my dry palms or a combo (I live in Melbourne Australia and our humidity is low) .. but .. I am struggling to maintain a purchase on the club during the swing. It helps somewhat to apply wilgrip to my hands or wet them slightly before each shot .. but both impact the playing flow / experience. Did anyone else find the transition from modern rubber grips to hickories with leather similarly challenging? Did you adapt naturally with practice? Do you wear a glove with hickory clubs and/or have you discovered any tricks along the way! Appreciate any help! Many thanks :)

[Jgb333]

I’m lucky being that I play in New England (U.S.) , moisture is not really an issue. I do, however, always wear a glove.

[Maxwell]

I have a few hickory's in the basement and I have to acquire some leather wraps, and learn how to do this.

Blair

Canada

 

[ebeer]

Rough (or suede) side out, could often be found on pre-1900 hickory clubs when the gutty ball was still in play. In my experience, the nap on these pre-1900 clubs was not as rough as I see on many clubs players use today. The nap was tighter and treated with pine tar to keep the grips both supple and tacky. Now, many modern players use rough suede grips, thinking it's more tactile, but as you've described @Sandhurst241069, the suede is in fact very dry and quite slippery. This requires extra grip strength, which has an impact on your hand's ability to rotate freely throughout the swing.
Modern hickory golf clubs (from the teens though 1930's) almost invariably used smooth side out. This leather when new was surely soft and pliable when new, the problem is a century later the grips become hard and slick. I prefer, and always recommend, that regripping be done with smooth side of leather out with a treatment to keep them both soft and tacky. Not only does this provide a positive grip without excessive hand pressure, it's actually a more period accurate representation.
Choose your leather with care. You can't use upholstery leather or leather that is highly processed because the smooth side won't accept any treatment. Look for "deer-tanned" leather. For treatment there are several options. Lexol leather conditioner, liberally applied for the first coat, will keep the grip in great shape. There is a bit of maintenance here, as grips will require an application every few months depending on your climate. I keep a small bottle in my bag, and it takes literally seconds to apply and they're immediately ready for play. Recently I've discovered Burts Bees Hand Salve. It's a mixture of citrus oil and beeswax. The oil conditions the leather and wax is just enough to provide a bit of tack. Lastly, hard beeswax can be applied to hands or directly on grips. I keep a small block of this in my bag, but only for rainy days as it's very tacky - almost too tacky. A small amount on index and second finger of both hands is all I need to ensure grip if I find myself playing in a down pour.

[hollabachgt]

Suede out grips offer superior grip when humid or wet. Really in rain conditions the suede becomes like super glue. But in dry conditions they can become a bit slick. An easy solution is to apply Tiger Stick wax to your grips to add some extra tack.

[Sandhurst241069]

Thanks so much everyone! .. a few things there for me to think over and try out. I love this place :)

[majic]

Well gents I manufacture the best reproduction hickory clubs in the World and I only put suede side out on my clubs if the player insists. I buy my soft leather wraps from a vendor who make the very best and they have a rack that gets stickier if it rains it humid and when cold a wet towel makes them very sticky. Why play with suede. Why?? In the 20’s Gibson Company in Kinghorn Scotland made their Tacky grips. Smooth and tacky. They were the best. I do them same. You can buy them from me or in Australia I can hook you up.

[majic]

If you need the proper grips contact me at [email protected].

if you want the best clubs and shafts or anything for hickory golf contact me.

[Sandhurst241069]

Thanks Tad .. going to give the pine tar a whirl Randy Jensen style as a last resort .. if that fails (or is unacceptably messy) I’ll be getting in touch!

cheers

[first tee]

Tad’s grips are great!