Grip size and feel

birly-shirly · March 27, 2015

I've realised that my big, glaring blindspot in trying to compare the different sets of irons that I have is that hardly any sets actually share the same grip - and those that do are built up to different sizes.

Having built up my '88 redlines and got them on the course today, I'm really pleased with them. Of all the sets of irons that I've got, these together with some TM RAC MBs are the meatiest (for want of a better word) feeling irons I've hit.

The TMs are a surprise, since they're coin forged (whatever that means), X stiff and unlegendary. The Redlines are Apex 4 flex. What both sets have in common is meaty grips. The TMs are heavily built up Tour Velvets, the Redlines have the GP New Decade Midsize grips that I pulled with donor shafts. Even with cord grips, and I don't wear a glove, the feel is extremely solid and yet soft.

It makes sense to me that either thicker rubber, or rubber built up with extra tape, is going to add shock absorption. My other Apex irons have regular sized grips - and feel great, sweet and precise but sharper.

Before I start bulk buying jumbo grips, what are people's thoughts?

BIG STU · March 27, 2015

Well I would say it is subjective as in what ever feels good and confortable to you. As Mr. Palmer says a golf swing begins with a confortable grip. I myself use standard size grips that many folks find surprising since I have huge hands and wear a 2 x glove. But I hold the club in my fingers that was the way I was taught. If you go by some of these grip fitting and sizing charts I should be using an oversize grip. For me it is all about feel and I cannot transfer my feel with oversized grips even on a putter. IMHO It is whatever feels good to you. I know I have not been much help but I guess I had to put my .02 in anyhow

pdgolferman · March 27, 2015

[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1427496070' post='11230521']
Well I would say it is subjective as in what ever feels good and confortable to you. As Mr. Palmer says a golf swing begins with a confortable grip. I myself use standard size grips that many folks find surprising since I have huge hands and wear a 2 x glove. But I hold the club in my fingers that was the way I was taught. If you go by some of these grip fitting and sizing charts I should be using an oversize grip. For me it is all about feel and I cannot transfer my feel with oversized grips even on a putter. IMHO It is whatever feels good to you. I know I have not been much help but I guess I had to put my .02 in anyhow
[/quote]

Good reply Stu....
I suffered for a long time, having been of the understanding that grip was everything. My trouble is that I have a "normal" sized palm but small fingers....tried every type of junior and women's grips in order to obtain some form of a desired result.
Many moons later, I picked up a fellow players wedge with a jumbo grip. Felt so right and natural. I've used them ever since - even the counterbalance effect of an extra 25 grams of rubber seems to fit. At a push, a standard tour velvet with 6 wraps under the right hand will suffice

stevemcgee99 · March 27, 2015

I sometimes wonder if I like my smaller-faced woods better than my deeper-face keyholes because the small woods have Chamois grips.

BIG STU · March 28, 2015

[quote name='stevemcgee99' timestamp='1427508888' post='11231883']
I sometimes wonder if I like my smaller-faced woods better than my deeper-face keyholes because the small woods have Chamois grips.
[/quote]It can be several factors--- The smaller face woods may fit your eye better and the "Chammie" grips as we call them may be confortable and transfer the feel better for you overall making the whole deal better for you. IMHO any club has to first look good to your eye and then feel right to be able to play with it effectively.

xgolfx · March 28, 2015

Small hands equals big grips was the mantra in the Hogan era. Toney Penna used 1/16 oversize(and no glove) with small hands and short fingers. . Do you wear a glove? Hogan did not later. Couples is a no glove guy. Faldo was both ways. Armour had long fingers , half glove at times. Extremely strong fingers, pad off club under thumbs:. Gripped club in fingers, as if chinning himself . Personal preference prevails. If you use a glove and wear scuffs in it you have a bad grip.( Those are not my words) , they belong to Tommy Armour

CHARLEY PENNA

birly-shirly · March 28, 2015

Count me in the small hands, no glove, oversized grip camp then.

I find it hard to detect a preference in grip size. I can get comfortable playing regular size grips, though moving up to oversized usually feels fine. The only difference is going the other way. After playing built-up grips, standard sizes usually feel uncomfortably small.

I wouldn't expect it to make such a difference to how impact feels though, but I think I'm going to try and fit some chunkier grips to my Apex IIs and see whether I get a similar impact feel to the redlines.

When I've worn a glove in the past, it's worn out in exactly the same place as I get blisters when I practice without. Between the first and second knuckle of the left thumb. I have asked around in the past whether that was symptomatic of a grip fault, but never got a definitive answer. Now I just try not to go mad with the range balls until my hands have hardened up.

scruffynick · March 29, 2015

I bought some ping karsten III irons recently which are sweet and they had the brown champois grips on......I found them chunky! Felt juck, but my dad picked them up and loved the thicker air cushion feel......but I really like a thinner grip. I have smaller hands but I've always used thin grips and picking up anything thick with my interlocking grips feel horrid. If your not comfortable with your grip, for me you're going to struggle hitting the ball

Fellaheen51 · March 29, 2015

Always play sans glove except during cold weather (pair of winter gloves) and hot, high humidy conditions (perspiring hands, maybe a couple times of year in these environs). My sense is that I can feel the club better without a glove. Size-wise, right on the cusp between standard and midsize. Spent years using essentially one grip, standard Lamkin Crosslines. They were cheap, really good in damp conditions, wore forever.

After acquiring a set of irons last season that had new mid-size grips (GP CP2 Wraps) on them, discovered that they fit my hands well. I liked the "meatier" feel, helped in relaxing my grip pressure, right amount of softness (a preference), reduced taper. They just felt right in the hand.

Spent the winter regripping several sets of irons and woods. The philosphy of grip slection changed somwhat. Selections were as much based on what looked "right" on these classic clubs as how they felt. Misguided, perhaps, but it is what it is. All of the persimmons received Perma Wrap Classic's (standard) that has that look. Acquired some "chammie" for one set of irons on the cheap. No experience with them, but they do feel nice at this point. The rib on them, jury is still out.

A golf acquitance that I do his regrips for asked me this winter about midsize grips. He's a pretty good golfer with a nice draw when striking the ball well. His mishits on off days is a nasty hook. His hands are quite small, undersize grip according to the charts. He had heard about using larger grips to reduce lower hand turnover. Had to kind of explain the dynamics involved (thx WRX for just enough info. to be dangerous). Installed a GP Tour Velvet midsize on one iron and a standard of same with three wraps on the lower hand on another. I was skeptical on whether either would achieve his desired goal. Much to my surprise, he just reported back that he really liked the midsize feel and was of the impression that it was reducing his turnover (i.e. reducing his tendency to hook). He wants me to install a couple of midsize grips of the model he uses (Winn Dri-Tacs!! I'm working on that one with him) for further experimentation.

Not part of the original inquiry, but one area that jumbo grips does nothing for me is with putter grips. The SS style grips removes all the feel and nuance from putters so equipped. My brief experimentation resulted in a near total "ham-handedness" for gauging the proper distance stroke. Banished forever. Give me a simple rubber Pingman or Lamkin Crossline paddle and I'm good. Cheap also.

Sorry about the longish discourse. Seems as though grips and sizing are just like everything else equipment related. Subject to change at any given time. What feels right today may not be the case tomorrow. I know my situation has become more evolutionary in nature. Our have I just become a grip ho?

BIG STU · March 29, 2015

I for one cannot play without a glove. I tried it even with the Tour Wraps. Now as far as wear I do wear my glove in the fingers but I know exactly why. I manulipate the club head on certain shots with my hands but that is just me right or wrong. I do take a glove off to putt though or on a delicate chip around the green

BIG STU · March 29, 2015

[quote name='birly-shirly' timestamp='1427557502' post='11234471']
Count me in the small hands, no glove, oversized grip camp then.

I find it hard to detect a preference in grip size. I can get comfortable playing regular size grips, though moving up to oversized usually feels fine. The only difference is going the other way. After playing built-up grips, standard sizes usually feel uncomfortably small.

I wouldn't expect it to make such a difference to how impact feels though, but I think I'm going to try and fit some chunkier grips to my Apex IIs and see whether I get a similar impact feel to the redlines.

When I've worn a glove in the past, it's worn out in exactly the same place as I get blisters when I practice without. Between the first and second knuckle of the left thumb. I have asked around in the past whether that was symptomatic of a grip fault, but never got a definitive answer. Now I just try not to go mad with the range balls until my hands have hardened up.
[/quote] The grip ,grip pressure and glove wear (or blisters) have been a subjective thing over the years. IMHO you have to grip the club where and how it feels good to you to execute a shot. Just look at the different methods of gripping ie: interlock , overlap and 10 finger or baseball grip. And then you have strong , neutral or weak placement. I feel that grip pressure is the key thing but then that is even subjective. All the above is not even getting to the putter gripping methods especially today. I am not an instructor by any shape or means do not want to be. I do have people seek my advice from time to time especially on putting and I will try to provide some basic help. The first thing I ask is are you confortable with the grip you are using? Are you confortable with the stance over the ball? I do try to get them to relax over the ball and go from there.
As far as the physical grip on the club itself you absolutely have to go with the size and texture that feels good to you period. I am like Fellaheam on the putter grip I do not get any feel at all with those muffler pipe sized grips. I have recently using a Maltby taper wrap grip on my putters but on my latest re engineered putter I went to a stock Lamkin Pingman grip on it. On my older Pings I have went back to the old Pingman grip like Karsten put on them. Most of my classic Mac putters have the factory stock real leather grips on them and that is what I use on them when playing vintage

stevemcgee99 · March 29, 2015

I have a leather grip on my putter. Just wish it didn't have the flat spot. I like the non-reminder leather grip on my 50's Wilson pitching wedge the best.

NRJyzr · March 30, 2015

[quote name='stevemcgee99' timestamp='1427675053' post='11242173']
I have a leather grip on my putter. Just wish it didn't have the flat spot. I like the non-reminder leather grip on my 50's Wilson pitching wedge the best.
[/quote]

I like to use Winn Excel RF jumbo round grips on my putters. Like the softer feel, they tend to be a bit lighter in weight than a lot of putter grips. And, the flat spot of putter grips bugs me a bit.

I've been experimenting with a Pure Classic putter grip, it's been ok. Bit of an adjustment after several years of round gripped putter use...

Degenerate_1 · March 30, 2015

[quote name='stevemcgee99' timestamp='1427675053' post='11242173']I have a leather grip on my putter. Just wish it didn't have the flat spot. I like the non-reminder leather grip on my 50's Wilson pitching wedge the best.[/quote]

Just buy a midsize leather grip from bestgrips. Worth a shot for just a round leather grip.