Best Grips for Non-Glove wearing Golfers

[TG313]

I have been playing golf 40 years without a glove, could not afford them when I was little, never felt right when I was older and could afford them. I have been a single digit handicap most of my life, currently a 1 with 105 mph Driver swing speed, carry my 7 iron 155. I play once or twice per week and hit balls before each round and at least once more per week. I play in some of the hottest, most humid weather and I don’t like scrubbing my grips if I don’t have to.

I have been searching the internet for years looking for good data on grips that perform best without a glove in all types of weather. Most threads start out with someone asking that question and then arguments ensue over which is better without ever doing a fair comparison.

So I decided to take matters into my own hands (pun intended). I purchased 1 each of all the top mentioned grips; Winn Dry-Tac , No1 48 & 50, Iomic Sticky 2.3 & X Evolution, Lamkin i-Line & UTX, Pure grip DTX & P2, Golf Pride Tour Velvet Super Tack and my old reliable Tour Velvet Cord.

I took them out for 20 rounds in the hottest most humid conditions Florida could offer. Yes it looked funny but I had one of each grip on my clubs. Here are my findings.

#1 – FEEL

In order from softest to the most firm: Winn, No1’s, UTX, Sticky 2.3, Pure P2, Super Tack, Pure DTX, i-Line, X Evolution and then Cord being the firmest. There was a big jump between the No1’s and the Sticky 2.3.

#2 – GRIP

In order of those that provided the best grip in hot, humid conditions: No1’s, Sticky 2.3, Pure DTX, i-Line, X Evolution, Super Tack, Pure P2, UTX, Winn and Cord. There were two noticeable gaps. First was between the i-Line, and the X Evolution, then between the Super Tack and the rest.

#3 – WEAR

Inconclusive to this point. I played with them for the 20 rounds and about 20 range systems and saw no significant wear. I will continue the hodgepodge of grips on the rest of my clubs for the entire season to get a better idea of longevity. There are 3 exceptions though, the UTX, Winn and Cord took an early exit. To be blunt, it seemed like a waste of time.

#4 – CONCLUSION

If you don’t wear a glove and struggle with your grips, there are alternatives out there. If you like soft, I would go with the No1 48 hands down. It is very sticky and feels cushiony without being squishy with the 50 a close second (a little squishy). If you like a firmer grip, I would use the Sticky 2.3 with the Pure DTX and i-Line close behind.

It is also no coincidence that the No1’s and Iomic Sticky are the most expensive. If you are trying to save some money, the Pure DTX and Lamkin i-Line are good alternatives.

It is also worth noting that of the grips I recommended, the Sticky 2.3, i-Line and DTX installed beautifully with air and masking tape. The No1’s required double sided tape.

I would also like to point out that I paid for all these grips myself and will eventually cut off good grips to make them all the same. So if a manufacturer is reading this and wants to send me a dozen, I would be more than happy to accept. Sorry Winn, no thanks.

[stealthrt91]

I haven't worn a glove in 6 or 7 years and I've settled on Sticky Iomic 2.3s and NO1 48 Series grips... you're spot on with everything you said haha

[dbuck47]

I have been gloveless for about 20 years and play Lamkin Crosslines.

I have a few single club experiments that need grips; I might try a few of your suggestions.

[rbhan12]

BestGrips (leather grips, awesome), Lamkin UTx, Iomic, No. 1

[RoverRick]

The best grips in golf are actually [url="http://bestgrips.com/"]Best Grips[/url]. There is also a give away here on the [url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1054743-giveaway-bestgrips-genuine-leather-grips/"]site[/url].

[KILLEDBYASHANKEDWEDGE]

Winn dry tac mid-size



[attachment=2340613:1nogloves.png]

[MikeH21]

Nice report TG, I've been thinking of changing my grips and will test some of your recommendations.

[SirMike1983]

I play without a glove and like Winn Wrap W6 grips best with Winn Dry Tac mid size grips second. I played baseball and tennis up through college and got accustomed to really soft, wrap grips from my bats and rackets.

[craniac76]

Reading the OP review, I'm interested to try the No.1 grip. Well until I saw the price of this grip. They are just as expensive as the Iomic grip.

Also the 48 has a weird core size of .54. What does it mean? Does it feel thick when you grip them? Because I use .600 core size grip and they feel about the right size for my hands.

[coops]

Nothing comes close to real leather - whether gripmaster or bestgrips.

I play in hot and humid thailand without a glove thanks to leather grips - and they'll last for years.


ps i also have tried the no.1 grips, as they're easily available in asia... And i can only point you back to opening sentence. Leather. Try one on your favourite practice club and get out in the sun and humidity and give it a try.

[TG313]

[quote name='craniac76' timestamp='1406253723' post='9779877']
Reading the OP review, I'm interested to try the No.1 grip. Well until I saw the price of this grip. They are just as expensive as the Iomic grip.

Also the 48 has a weird core size of .54. What does it mean? Does it feel thick when you grip them? Because I use .600 core size grip and they feel about the right size for my hands.
[/quote]

They don't feel big with a single layer of tape but you must use double sided. If you like to blow on grips than you need 3 layers of masking tape and that will feel mid-size.

[tembolo1284]

Leather is the way to go!

[cxx]

I would add the tackimac itomic. They are firm and tacky, slightly larger and wear very well. They are also inexpensive. I've had mine on for a year and play a lot with no signs of wear. I guess there is little slippage and light grip pressure is all you need. I switched from lamkin cords, which were good in the summer but a little hard on the hands in winter.

[Marengo]

I use the Sticky 1.8s and don't really plan on using anything else. The texture and grip feels just right to me. Also the size is between standard and undersized. I use a cadet medium glove and the grip size is perfect for me. I tried the No1s but couldn't get past how squishy they feel. They would feel like they would twist when I was swinging.

[jeffrey08250]

I found Sticky 2.3's to wear poorly after awhile.

I honestly love my Golf Pride Z Cords with a glove and without. I usually don't use a glove with my wedges. I play my golf in northwest Georgia, and it doesn't get much more humid than here in the summer months.

[david Ad]

I had no1s and they were very slippery to me, i think multis are the way to go

[Patrick_O]

Great review. I tried a similar test comparing the Lamkin i-Line; Pure DTX, P2 & Pro; Golf Pride Tour Velvet Super Tack, and added the Ping 703 & ID8. I tried to compare these in wet and more dry conditions.

Found the following ranking (best to worst):
Wet: DTX, 703, i-Line, ID8, Pro, Super Tack, P2
Dry: DTX, i-Line, 703, P2, Pro, ID8, Super Tack (strangely super tack was not tacky to me).

The Pure DTX is like a cat on velcro, the Pings did better than I expected (especially the 703), the i-line was nice but noticed the colored grip seemed to get dirty fairly quickly (would need to wipe that often). The Super Tack was a disappointment to me.

I look forward to picking up the No1 and Iomic grips to see how those compare.

[Mackdiddyp]

I don't wear a glove and I play with Golf Pride Tour Wrap 2G Grips.

[Ringer]

Crossline ace 3gen work well in humid Texas heat. I carry a wet towel and wipe them down before every shot. I haven't worn a glove in almost 20 yrs

http://www.lamkingrips.com/max-performance/crossline-ace-3gen

[ctmason_98]

Real men use leather.

Hm, doesn't quite read how I thought it would.

[jgc9512ss]

Winn Excel for me. I also prefer a taperless grip so it kills two birds with one stone.

[RookieBlue7]

Leather. Gripmasters or Best Grips for your best options of leather. Some different design elements to them. GM's taper more than Best Grips do and they have a wrap grip and a few others BG doesn't offer

[JayLefty]

[quote name='RookieBlue7' timestamp='1407633944' post='9898227']
Leather. Gripmasters or Best Grips for your best options of leather. Some different design elements to them. GM's taper more than Best Grips do and they have a wrap grip and a few others BG doesn't offer
[/quote]

I love the DTX, but then I tried a leather grip and I am sold. The leather Best Grips provided the traction of the z cord, but actually got better when the conditions got worse. Finally, the oversize classic grips are perfect for my hands - the reduced taper fits me great.

[Marengo]

[quote name='JayLefty' timestamp='1407638306' post='9898683']
[quote name='RookieBlue7' timestamp='1407633944' post='9898227']
Leather. Gripmasters or Best Grips for your best options of leather. Some different design elements to them. GM's taper more than Best Grips do and they have a wrap grip and a few others BG doesn't offer
[/quote]

I love the DTX, but then I tried a leather grip and I am sold. The leather Best Grips provided the traction of the z cord, but actually got better when the conditions got worse. Finally, the oversize classic grips are perfect for my hands - the reduced taper fits me great.
[/quote]

Are GM's and other leather grips tacky/sticky? Do these get high praise due to the softness or firmness or something? Just curious as to why the GM's always get such good reviews. Is there aspects of them that differ from rubber/compound grips? I would like to try them but they are so expensive and so many different leather types to choose from. I actually picked up a GM non tapered putter grip and couldn't stand it. I removed it after a couple weeks and went back to a SS. It was so slick that I had to put a death grip on it so it wouldn't feel like it was going to twist/slip in my hands.

[HISPL]

[quote name='Marengo' timestamp='1407648097' post='9899527']
[quote name='JayLefty' timestamp='1407638306' post='9898683']
[quote name='RookieBlue7' timestamp='1407633944' post='9898227']
Leather. Gripmasters or Best Grips for your best options of leather. Some different design elements to them. GM's taper more than Best Grips do and they have a wrap grip and a few others BG doesn't offer
[/quote]

I love the DTX, but then I tried a leather grip and I am sold. The leather Best Grips provided the traction of the z cord, but actually got better when the conditions got worse. Finally, the oversize classic grips are perfect for my hands - the reduced taper fits me great.
[/quote]

Are GM's and other leather grips tacky/sticky? Do these get high praise due to the softness or firmness or something? Just curious as to why the GM's always get such good reviews. Is there aspects of them that differ from rubber/compound grips? I would like to try them but they are so expensive and so many different leather types to choose from. I actually picked up a GM non tapered putter grip and couldn't stand it. I removed it after a couple weeks and went back to a SS. It was so slick that I had to put a death grip on it so it wouldn't feel like it was going to twist/slip in my hands.
[/quote]

The putter grips and the "normal" full swing grips are very different animals.

If you wipe the normal grips down with a damp towel and they are super sticky, sticky enough that after you do that you could stick your glove to the grip and it wouldn't fall off.

The only time these grips get slick or slippery is when they are sodden with water, dry them off and they are sticky again.

These are really amazing grips, I can't imagine a better grip in my opinion.

[Patrick_O]

Questions for the users of Best Grips:

I see they have several models such as microperf, gridiron, etc. Any favorites? Which ones are tacky and which perform best in wet conditions? It would be nice to see some in person first but I may have to order a sample one to see how they compare.

Lastly, how hard are they to install? I use air to install the rubber ones but I am guessing that might be difficult for the leather ones.

[sTmGolfer]

[quote name='Patrick_O' timestamp='1407692769' post='9901837']
Questions for the users of Best Grips:

I see they have several models such as microperf, gridiron, etc. Any favorites? Which ones are tacky and which perform best in wet conditions? It would be nice to see some in person first but I may have to order a sample one to see how they compare.

Lastly, how hard are they to install? I use air to install the rubber ones but I am guessing that might be difficult for the leather ones.
[/quote]

I personally think they MicroPerfs feel the best. I REALLY want to order another set but just installed Lamkin UTx grips so I may wait. I've only felt the GridIron on another person's club and they were not quite as tacky and were a little bit firmer so I personally preferred the MicroPerfs by a long shot. The MicroPerfs are simply outstanding. They will last forever and the tackiness is no joke. For Houston humidity, there's nothing that performs better.

[BestGrips]

[quote name='Patrick_O' timestamp='1407692769' post='9901837']
Questions for the users of Best Grips:

I see they have several models such as microperf, gridiron, etc. Any favorites? Which ones are tacky and which perform best in wet conditions? It would be nice to see some in person first but I may have to order a sample one to see how they compare.

Lastly, how hard are they to install? I use air to install the rubber ones but I am guessing that might be difficult for the leather ones.
[/quote]
Hey Patrick!
The gridirons are not tacky and more of a chord substitute. I always push Microaperfs on guys new to leather or returning. Installation isn't difficult, it's just different. I blow my grips on. You just have to remember that our underlast isn't rubber and requires a little more lubricant

[adams603]

I really loving the looks and feel of the micraperfs. However, the cost has me on the fence. Any of you guys feel the same but dished out the cash?

[JayLefty]

The cost was hard to think about at first, but not that hard because they cost slightly more than a z cord. One of the best golf purchases I made in quite sometime. I play the classic oversize and they are plenty tacky.