Golf Pride Victory Limited Release Vintage Style Grips

[8bitpowerfade]

These were a great idea, but they of course are not selling well. My local Uinta/Worldwide Golf Shop is sending like 200 grips back to Golf Pride for credit and says that all affiliated stores are doing the same. We agreed that they should have sold them at $5 each. They were just way overpriced. Get them online for cheap if you can.

[tlhorsh]

I agree when i saw the initial price of them I thought I'll pass...

[TimV]

Grip prices in general have become completely ridiculous in the last couple years!

[Socrates]

This is a good example of what happens when OEM's listen to a small number of vocal people. The perceived demand doesn't meet the reality. Happens time and time again. People like nostalgia, but I guess they remember the 1980's pricing too.

[scomac2002]

The thing is that they couldn't sell them at $5 because the production volume was likely insufficient to turn a profit at that level. They can sell Tour Velvets or Crosslines for $5 because they know that they will sell hundreds of thousands of units and have beaten down the CoP to a bare minimum.

 

When you reintroduce a specialty product you charge a special price expecting your market to be willing to pay extra because it isn`t a mass market item. Turns out that the target market was far more price conscious than they anticipated and didn`t value the special product appropriately. Next time a segment calls for a reissue of some classic item the request will fall on deaf ears. The segment that is interested in vintage is pretty small compared to the total market. Nothing will be provided without a premium price attached to even warrant servicing it.

 

It`s interesting that you can still purchase new Perma Wraps from time-to-time at very favourable prices, but I think that those grips have more cross-over potential than the GP Victory ever did. Personally I like the Perma Wraps well enough that I would put them on anything regardless of vintage.

[HoganApexBlades]

The cord material on the "new" Velvet cords is nothing compared to the old, original grips from the '80s and '90's. The old grips seemed to get rougher as the rubber compound wore down, the cord became more exposed. These new grips don't seem to share the same amount of cord as the old grips. I like a rough cord, something you can count on during wet and humid conditions.

[mocokid]

Grip prices in general have become completely ridiculous in the last couple years!

GOTTA AGREE, I have about 9 Pro Line cord grips in my closet, anyone ?

FYI someone (NOT ME) just listed 10 for $40 in the classified forum.

[birly-shirly]

[Nice avatar Mocokid - and not a bad book either.]

 

HAB - I agree. I bought some Hogan full cord grips left over from the tail end of the Spalding/Callaway years. They were disappointing from new - although I always wondered whether they just needed a bit MORE wear and tear to show their teeth. Since I recently got one of those grip salvage tools, one of the jobs on my to-do list is to move them over onto a set of irons that gets more use.

[JGalls]

Love these grips. Happy to see the lower price.

[GeorgeHWB]

This is a good example of what happens when OEM's listen to a small number of vocal people. The perceived demand doesn't meet the reality. Happens time and time again. People like nostalgia, but I guess they remember the 1980's pricing too.

 

I would have bought them but they were overpriced. Simple as that.

[BIG STU]

The thing is that they couldn't sell them at $5 because the production volume was likely insufficient to turn a profit at that level. They can sell Tour Velvets or Crosslines for $5 because they know that they will sell hundreds of thousands of units and have beaten down the CoP to a bare minimum.

 

When you reintroduce a specialty product you charge a special price expecting your market to be willing to pay extra because it isn`t a mass market item. Turns out that the target market was far more price conscious than they anticipated and didn`t value the special product appropriately. Next time a segment calls for a reissue of some classic item the request will fall on deaf ears. The segment that is interested in vintage is pretty small compared to the total market. Nothing will be provided without a premium price attached to even warrant servicing it.

 

It`s interesting that you can still purchase new Perma Wraps from time-to-time at very favourable prices, but I think that those grips have more cross-over potential than the GP Victory ever did. Personally I like the Perma Wraps well enough that I would put them on anything regardless of vintage.

Funny thing you mentioned Perma Wraps I found a set of POS clubs on the pile today with good Perma Wraps on them of course I scarfed them up I will pull them this weekend because it is supposed to be stormy. I have gotten where I not only scrounge clubs but scrounge grips as well it does not take me long to pull a grip and I have also found a new trick. I use charcoal lighter fluid which is oderless and cheap at either the supermarket or Dollar General. When it goes on sale I stock up. It is cheaper than mineral spirits and with my method seems to do a better job.

 

I was never a big Victory Cord Fan to begin with back in the day but I loved the Crown Cords. None of the shops around here stocked the retro Victory grips I asked at both Golfsmith and PGASS and Golfsmith did not have any clue at all which is normal for them.

[BIG STU]

These were a great idea, but they of course are not selling well. My local Uinta/Worldwide Golf Shop is sending like 200 grips back to Golf Pride for credit and says that all affiliated stores are doing the same. We agreed that they should have sold them at $5 each. They were just way overpriced. Get them online for cheap if you can.

I am assuming that is a big chain over in California. If they are sending them back then other stores may be doing the same and GP will probably dump them to cut their losses to some wholeseller. If one likes those grips keep your eyes open they will be on E-Bay or maybe Amazon for that matter.

[Shallowface]

These were a great idea, but they of course are not selling well. My local Uinta/Worldwide Golf Shop is sending like 200 grips back to Golf Pride for credit and says that all affiliated stores are doing the same. We agreed that they should have sold them at $5 each. They were just way overpriced. Get them online for cheap if you can.

I am assuming that is a big chain over in California. If they are sending them back then other stores may be doing the same and GP will probably dump them to cut their losses to some wholeseller. If one likes those grips keep your eyes open they will be on E-Bay or maybe Amazon for that matter.

 

Worldwide Golf Shops also owns Roger Dunn and Edwin Watts, among others.

[teevons]

The thing is that they couldn't sell them at $5 because the production volume was likely insufficient to turn a profit at that level. They can sell Tour Velvets or Crosslines for $5 because they know that they will sell hundreds of thousands of units and have beaten down the CoP to a bare minimum.

 

When you reintroduce a specialty product you charge a special price expecting your market to be willing to pay extra because it isn`t a mass market item. Turns out that the target market was far more price conscious than they anticipated and didn`t value the special product appropriately. Next time a segment calls for a reissue of some classic item the request will fall on deaf ears. The segment that is interested in vintage is pretty small compared to the total market. Nothing will be provided without a premium price attached to even warrant servicing it.

 

It`s interesting that you can still purchase new Perma Wraps from time-to-time at very favourable prices, but I think that those grips have more cross-over potential than the GP Victory ever did. Personally I like the Perma Wraps well enough that I would put them on anything regardless of vintage.

Funny thing you mentioned Perma Wraps I found a set of POS clubs on the pile today with good Perma Wraps on them of course I scarfed them up I will pull them this weekend because it is supposed to be stormy. I have gotten where I not only scrounge clubs but scrounge grips as well it does not take me long to pull a grip and I have also found a new trick. I use charcoal lighter fluid which is oderless and cheap at either the supermarket or Dollar General. When it goes on sale I stock up. It is cheaper than mineral spirits and with my method seems to do a better job.

 

I was never a big Victory Cord Fan to begin with back in the day but I loved the Crown Cords. None of the shops around here stocked the retro Victory grips I asked at both Golfsmith and PGASS and Golfsmith did not have any clue at all which is normal for them.

Speaking of odorless Mineral Spirits, it is what I have used for grip solvent for years, went to Home Depot yesterday to purchase some and they no longer carry, saying it does not pass California environmental laws, sh.. Will have to make a trip to Nevada asap to get some. They also do not carry here Mini wax poly that is oil based for dipping. They sell some spar and water based which sucks for clubs and I find the smell anything but odorless, makes me sick to smell the waterbased

[Nomad Golfer]

The thing is that they couldn't sell them at $5 because the production volume was likely insufficient to turn a profit at that level. They can sell Tour Velvets or Crosslines for $5 because they know that they will sell hundreds of thousands of units and have beaten down the CoP to a bare minimum.

 

When you reintroduce a specialty product you charge a special price expecting your market to be willing to pay extra because it isn`t a mass market item. Turns out that the target market was far more price conscious than they anticipated and didn`t value the special product appropriately. Next time a segment calls for a reissue of some classic item the request will fall on deaf ears. The segment that is interested in vintage is pretty small compared to the total market. Nothing will be provided without a premium price attached to even warrant servicing it.

 

It`s interesting that you can still purchase new Perma Wraps from time-to-time at very favourable prices, but I think that those grips have more cross-over potential than the GP Victory ever did. Personally I like the Perma Wraps well enough that I would put them on anything regardless of vintage.

Agree on the Perma Wraps - still the best around

[8bitpowerfade]

Just a bit more Golf Pride Victory nostalgia here. The aqua & black color scheme (green to most eyes with so much black surrounding it) is of course the iconic look, but they used to make them in different colors. Here's blue with white text and white with blue text. I wonder what other colors were produced for the Victory. If you know or have photos please share.

 

As you go back in time, I notice more quality, more cork and rubber present in the grips. I've seen the blue ones on 70s clubs and had never seen a white Victory before, which I found on a HB Louisville Bobby Nichols persimmon driver, likely mid-60s (pictured).

 

So the grips get more expensive and companies use cheaper, synthetic materials? Products cost more and cost less to produce? Genius business model, right? But when will we reach peak grip? It's going to get so ridiculous ($15 grips that are paper thin plastic) that we all grab our pitchforks and flambeaus, where we march in the streets chanting "kill the monster!"

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

FWIW this grip was not a 're release'

 

I do know the grip never went away and was Golf Pride tour only swag all along... who knows why... probably a handful of PGA Champions guys always still played it...

 

maybe GP was also selling in locations around the world the entire time, just my speculation.

[majic]

Let me suggest on new cord grips take some 80 grit sandpaper to them

Regarding Min Wax their Helmsman Spar Urethane is pretty good.

I would imagine if GP moved tools to China they have different processes then we do in USA. We are not their only market so they priced accordingly. Can't fault them.

[robert horneman]

Question for teevons an majic. Where do you get wide mouth cans for dipping?

[teevons]

If heads are not too large I use cans the poly comes in, I have purchased empty cans from Home depot to mix up thinner in and then can reclose uptight after use.

For bigger heads I use a cottage cheese container and pour back into original can asap after dipping

[robert horneman]

Thank you teevons.

[8bitpowerfade]

I knew they'd start blowing them out on clearance soon! Fellow vintage aficionados, behold this rock bottom price point: $2.99

 

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=69662136&camp=CSE:GooglePLA:69662136:22037844-DSG:GOLF-COMPONENTS_GRIPS_GRIPS&gclid=CITu4ueo9s0CFZSGfgodX1cH4w

[oldschoolrocker]

Thanks for the info.

[BIG STU]

I knew they'd start blowing them out on clearance soon! Fellow vintage aficionados, behold this rock bottom price point: $2.99

 

http://www.dicksspor...CFZSGfgodX1cH4w

Thanks for the info I predicted it a little different in post #12 or as Grannie would say "Right church but the wrong pew". They should fly at that price not so much with us classic guys but everyday folks looking for a cheap grip. At that price these cheap old fart retirees around here have probably bought up all of them avaible at the 2 stores we have on the Strand

[dcopp7]

Dick's in Saginaw MI had a bin overflowing with these for $2.99. No one was even sniffing at them. I am leaning towards ordering a mess of those Karma tour velvet's in midsize off eBay or Amazon myself. They end up costing around $1.70 per.

[dlygrisse]

There is a reason these grips left the market and don't sell well now.

 

1. They get hard and crusty in about 6 months

2. They are ugly

3. They don't grip that well even when new

4. Modern grips are so much better

 

When these grips were standard equipment on most new clubs they got changed very quickly as they would start to crumble in your hands in a year or two. I played the cord version for awhile back in the 1980's but soon switched to something that had more longevity. The cords were decent but I could never understand why anyone would play the standard ones. The old Ping Eye 2 grips with the white squares on them were the same, the rubber turned to clay so quickly they didn't stay on the clubs long.

[TimV]

For those that want them...

 

http://www.golfsmith.com/product/30156340/golf-pride-victory-rubber-grip

[Davewn]

Dick's in Saginaw MI had a bin overflowing with these for $2.99. No one was even sniffing at them. I am leaning towards ordering a mess of those Karma tour velvet's in midsize off eBay or Amazon myself. They end up costing around $1.70 per.

 

Hireko has them dirt cheap- $1.29 ea:http://www.hirekogolf.com/golf-components/golf-grips/midsize-grips.html?brand=527

 

I was thinking about them in standard size w/ rib for myself- very few inexpensive grips with a reminder anymore.

 

 

 

Edit: great call on Amazon, dcopp. Gotta love that Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping...

[dcopp7]

 

Edit: great call on Amazon, dcopp. Gotta love that Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping...

Yep, that usually does it. People always forget to add in the shipping cost. Shipping is free from the sellers on Amazon and eBay

[Shallowface]

Dick's in Saginaw MI had a bin overflowing with these for $2.99. No one was even sniffing at them. I am leaning towards ordering a mess of those Karma tour velvet's in midsize off eBay or Amazon myself. They end up costing around $1.70 per.

 

Hireko has them dirt cheap- $1.29 ea:http://www.hirekogolf.com/golf-components/golf-grips/midsize-grips.html?brand=527

 

I was thinking about them in standard size w/ rib for myself- very few inexpensive grips with a reminder anymore.

 

 

 

Edit: great call on Amazon, dcopp. Gotta love that Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping...

 

I've been thinking about trying this DIY reminder kit.

 

http://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-grip-rib-pack/p/GW0017/

 

Also would like to give a thumbs up on those Karma grips, both the tour velvet and the wrap style. The perfect low priced grips for thrift store clubs. I haven't yet tried the reminder version, but am planning to soon.