MEMBER REVIEWS: Golf Pride PRO ONLY Putter Grips! See What Members Are Saying!

TiScape · July 28, 2021

On 10/21/2019 at 12:17 PM, jokerusn said:

I was chosen to test the red star grip. Thank you to Golf Pride and GolfWRX for the opportunity!

I received my grip nearly 2 weeks ago and have had been able to play with it in multiple rounds and many hours on my practice mat and the practice green at my club.

**Background**:

I am a 9 hcp and the strengths of my game are length, putting, and wedge play. I hardly have any 3 putts per round but sometimes my distance control is off. I started putting Left Hand Low (LHL) a few years ago after a long time putting reverse overlap and having terrible direction control. My direction control improved dramatically but my distance control has taken a lot of time and practice to get better. For the longest time, I used some version of the Pingman grip with some extra wraps or occasionally the Cameron Cord-no-cord grip when I could find it. I've also played many Winn grips over the years as well as random different grips here and there. Lately, my grip du jour is the SuperStroke Pistol GT/GTR Tour. It has the size and shape (mostly) that works great with my hands and stroke but it's not perfect. Unfortunately, for the most part, it makes for a more muted feel with the extra cushioning and PU wrap. I tried using a Best Grips Major Leaguer on a putter of mine and it helped a lot but has a smoother texture than what I was looking for. It has a similar shape to the Pingman but a little less curved in profile and larger in cross-section. When I heard about the upcoming Pro Only grips, I had to try it. And now here we are!

I got the grip on a Friday and went directly to my club builder to have it put on. I had it put on my gamer, the carbon putter I designed so I'll get the best impression of its performance. He blows on grips with air so if it didn't work out, I could easily go back to my old grip. I knew at first feel that I wasn't going to need to do that.

**Feel**:

The texture is pure Golf Pride. It's tacky but not sticky, soft but firm, and molds to your hand instantly. It is exactly the same texture as the Pingman and Cameron Pistolero/Pistolini. It's not quite as silky as an Iomic but it's like that favorite t-shirt that you never get rid of because it has the just right feel you judge all others on.

The shape is ideal for my hands. I liked the shape of the Contour Pro but not the soft squishy feel and building it up would make it too large so it was not an option for me. The red star has a nice wide flat platform on the butt end to rest the meat of the palm and the curve of the grip follows the lifeline. The extra size over the Pingman helps fill my hands instead of resting lightly in my fingers. The curve is also a more natural shape for my stroke. When I grip a SuperStroke Pistol Tour, due to the straight flat tip of it, my hands are not in as natural of a position for my putting stroke and it's noticeable at times. The Best Grips pistol is similar in shape but far more evenly curved, probably due to needing an under listing and having each grip individually wrapped. It also doesn't keep its soft texture as long as a typical Golf Pride rubber. You can see from the photos a comparison of similar and popular grips.

_From Left to Right in the first 2 pics - Pro-Only Red Star, SuperStroke Pistol GTR Tour, Iomic standard, Best Grips Major Leaguer pistol, Lamkin Sink Fit Skinny, Pure Midsize_

None are a direct comparison in every sense to the Pro Only Red. Size and shape closest is the Best Grips. Feel closest is the Iomic. The Lamkin is super tacky to the point of sticky but the shape is close to the Red Star.

**Performance**:

As I said, the grip is both soft and firm and offers great feedback and control over the putter. The first round I used it, I scored my all time lowest on my home course - a 79 - and had one of the best putting rounds ever. My hands were completely relaxed on the putter and I was able to make a smooth and unobstructed putting stroke. This let me open and close the putter face evenly and gain confidence that my putts were going to start on line. When I mishit a putt, I can feel that I've mishit it but also the unwanted vibrations are minimized so I don't get a jarring feeling in my hands. It's a very direct and solid connection between me and the putter. One thing I did change since the first time I tried it is that I added another layer of tape under the bottom hand to improve the fit in my hand.

Overall, this is my new favorite grip and I won't be changing any time soon. It's the firmer Contour Pro I asked them for. It's the smoother and easily available CNC. It's the larger Pingman. AND, it's not $30 per grip. For me, it's all the things I've wanted in a putter grip.