Underlistings and Leather Strapping.

[Shallowface]

Just got my 2020 Golfworks catalog. Here's a couple of new offerings that might be of interest in this neighborhood. The Grip Master Rubber Underlisting | The GolfWorks The Grip Master Leather Strapping | The GolfWorks

 

 

[Stephen8802]

Thanks for posting that. I kept my leather grips when I pulled them off my M85s back in the 80s and I was thinking of using them again on some clubs, but needed an underlisting. Now I know how I'll do it.

[Shallowface]

You are welcome! There have been a number of posts here through the years looking for a source for new underlistings. Some even tried to repurpose the ones found under the crud that makes up Winn Grips. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up.

 

[Colonel_Steelhead]

Great news and thanks for the heads up.----->"crud that makes up Winn Grips" <-----

Understatement of the century right there. Absolutely the worst grips I have ever used, and its not even close. They're squishy. You can't get them wet. Can't scuff them up. They crumble after about 13 swings. As you said the only saving grace is the rubber underlisting.

[Bigarch]

Wow that's great news. Interesting that you start wrapping from the bottom end and then tuck the leather under near the butt. I would like to see a video or a demo somewhere of exactly how to do that. I'll screw it up for sure since I'm used to going the opposite direction and then capping it at the bottom.

 

[Fellaheen51]

Prefacing the following as "I'm no expert", as I've only done four leather grip (Neumanns and an old Mac) transfers. The Golf Pride underlistings had a small indentation at the butt end where you started the wrap. Then you used the bell cap to lock down the wrap at the bottom. These are opposite, the foldable butt end is the lock down location and to tidy up any irregularities upon completion. The key was getting the wrap started at the correct angle. The other installation advice I found interesting is to overlap the wrap by 2 mm. The wraps I had removed prior had the straps installed edge to edge. Once you got the wrap started at the right location and angle, the wrap wasn't difficult as you just used the straps edge as your guide. As these were transfers, the angle cuts to begin and end had already been made.

Nevertheless, it's great that GW/Grip Master have made underlistings available once again. Old school. For those of us that have a notion to salvage old leather straps. I'm always surprised how well they can be restored with a little TLC and Lexol. Have salvaged several 50's era beaded Mac straps and a half dozen Neumanns in hopes that one day would be able to transfer to a set of classic clubs. The stumbling block has always been finding the underlistings. Now if they would make available a putter underlisting........

Winns are absolutely the WORST grips known to man. I tried the Winn underlisting trick once. Turned into a mess of a disaster and ended up in the garbage. When I'm out scrounging for used clubs, the first thing I do is look and see if they have Winn Excels installed before the waggle test. Who here hasn't at one time got that black goo tar on their hands by inadvertently grabbing the handle without noticing that there's a degraded Winn installed.

[Fellaheen51]

Additional note. At the time of Arnold Palmer's passing, watched a video of him in his shop talking with an interviewer. As he was wrapping a leather grip on a club. Not even really watching his work, mentioning how important it was to install it "nice and tight". AP likely had wrapped 1000's of clubs over the years. Thought I read subsequently that while he pitched Lamkins, he would only use leather wrapped grips on his clubs. Lamkin had a leather wrap grip at one time, found a club with one awhile back. Watching that video, proved to be motivational to give the first transfer a try. An old Mac strap onto a Cleveland Designed by putter.

Arnie, always and forever "The King".

[Shallowface]

"Who here hasn't at one time got that black goo tar on their hands by inadvertently grabbing the handle without noticing that there's a degraded Winn installed."

It's not only all over my hands, it's all over everything in the barrel!

I do make a point of warning those sweet thrift store checkout ladies to be careful when handling clubs I am buying that are in that sort of state.

Several years back, a friend asked me to regrip his clubs. They had those tan/orange Winn grips and they were long past their expiration date. That goo was everywhere.

When he came to pick up the clubs, he discovered that he had a nice clean set of clubs and the contents of his bag in a grocery bag. I refused to let him have the bag back because it was absolutely trashed and would ruin his freshly gripped clubs. He didn't mind that I had set the bag out for the trash days before he came to pick up his clubs. He knew it was bad, and he thanked me for all of the cleanup work I did. Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil is a nice smelling non toxic way of removing that goop from shafts.

Re: Arnie and leather grips. I've probably posted this before, but I actually got to witness in person Arnie removing a grip, adding a layer of build-up tape, and then re-wrapping the grip on the range before the final round of a Senior Tour event back in the late 1980s. I had heard he was prone to do that sort of thing, but to get to see it in person was a real treat.

[James the Hogan Fan]

Since Europe can't see the golfworks site anymore, what are the prices for the items?

 

Also, why couldn't one use tennis or badminton grip tape strapping on the underlisting, or bicycle handlebar tape?

[raggal62]

I've tried bicycle handlebar wrap over underlistings. Some sort of synthetic material. I didn't care for the feel myself but it served a purpose.

[NRJyzr]

 

Here you go, James. The Leather Strapping is 39" long.

[dmael]

On 2/7/2020 at 4:53 AM, Fellaheen51 said:

Additional note. At the time of Arnold Palmer's passing, watched a video of him in his shop talking with an interviewer. As he was wrapping a leather grip on a club. Not even really watching his work, mentioning how important it was to install it "nice and tight". AP likely had wrapped 1000's of clubs over the years. Thought I read subsequently that while he pitched Lamkins, he would only use leather wrapped grips on his clubs. Lamkin had a leather wrap grip at one time, found a club with one awhile back. Watching that video, proved to be motivational to give the first transfer a try. An old Mac strap onto a Cleveland Designed by putter.

Arnie, always and forever "The King".

 

I have probably done 1,000 leather wraps (and lots of Winn wraps with undelistings before I got tired of their rapid degradation/disintegration), and I am about to undertake a job next week to restore a classic set of irons for a customer, which is what brought me to this thread.  It does get to the point where you get so used to it that it becomes virtually automatic.

[BIG STU]

2 hours ago, dmael said:

 

I have probably done 1,000 leather wraps (and lots of Winn wraps with undelistings before I got tired of their rapid degradation/disintegration), and I am about to undertake a job next week to restore a classic set of irons for a customer, which is what brought me to this thread.  It does get to the point where you get so used to it that it becomes virtually automatic.

I did some back in the day but not as many as you---- I had not done any in years. A few years ago had a guy come to me wanting to restore some FC-4000s for display-- He had what I called the Neuman wrap kits with everything. I was apprehensive but after the first one it all came back to me and I had not wrapped one for at least 20 years-- I guess it was kinda like riding a bicycle one does not forget