Golf Grip Cost

[Valtiel]

4 hours ago, North Butte said:

I've purchased used clubs like that. Yuck.

 

My best story was the time a guy I knew at my club left his sand wedge behind so I picked it up. The club was so old the grooves were virtually invisible. And he had the original, stock Wilson tour velvet style grip on it. The spot where his thumb rests was worn all the way down to the metal. His thumb was literally on the shaft as he gripped the wedge.

 

He circled back and I handed it to him and said, "You know they make replacement grips you can put on there". His reply was, "I wear a glove so it doesn't matter, all my grips get like that after a while".

 

Good grief!

Man I’d hate to see this guy’s underwear 😬😬😬

[iknowbagu]

A lot of my buddies are relatively new to the game and I even go as far as to offer to change their grips for them for nothing more than a 12 pack and only one has ever taken me up on my offer. You can lead a horse to water and all that ...

[Valtiel]

On 11/14/2022 at 5:07 AM, WristySwing said:

I've heard of some people making TV last close to 8 seasons using rubber cleaner meant for car tires. 

 

On 11/14/2022 at 6:32 AM, joelco said:

Sandpaper usually works wonders on golf pride rubber.  I got some NOS grips from an old school clubmaker this year and they feel like new with some sandpaper and elbow grease.

Just to follow up on this and how well it worked overall:

1) Scrub grips with hot water and dish soap with a scouring pad, rinse
2) Hit them aggressively with 150-175 grit sandpaper while still wet
3) Rinse off with hot water, pat dry

4) Spray with Armor All Xtreme Tire Cleaner, let soak for the recommended 30 seconds

5) Scrub with wire brush with tire cleaner still on, elbow grease!
6) Rinse with hot water and pat dry

The grips are better than new now. As mentioned these were NOS and were a little plastic-y feeling and had gotten a little firm, likely just from heat + storage. They ideal now, and hopefully the Armor All + regular cleaning will keep them that way. Time to buy up the rest of the guy's stock, lol.  

Edited November 20, 2022 by Valtiel

[WristySwing]

Nothing really shocks me anymore after working big box retail and having some Eye2s come in with the original grips in 2015.  I asked if the guy had ever changed these "no, I only play about 30 rounds a year, there was no need until now."  So count that, that is at least 600 rounds of use.  The grips were rock hard, crumbly, and left a black tar on your hands that was speckled with rock hard grip crumbs.  They were so shiny a porn star could use them to shave their undercarriage and not miss one curly wurly.  Using a standard hook blade was fruitless as the grips had adhered themselves to the shafts.  The only way to get them off was to blowtorch a flat blade and saw them off like you were shaving shawarma meat off a spit.  

 

@Valtiel which grips did you get?

Edited November 20, 2022 by WristySwing

[Valtiel]

17 minutes ago, WristySwing said:

The only way to get them off was to blowtorch a flat blade and saw them off like you were shaving shawarma meat off a spit.  

That's a hell of an image, I hope you didn't breathe too deeply 😆

I found a guy through a less common online marketplace app that had a case of Tour Velvet M58X's but with the rib on the same side as the logo so I can actually play them logo down. I've always loved the feel of ribbed grips but I install them at like an 11:30 orientation instead of straight 12:00 and with standard Tour Velvet ribbed grips with the rib opposite the logo it means they are both logo up and off center, which grinds my gears. The only drawback was they were a little funky from long term storage, but i'm taking them out on a few clubs to play on Wednesday after the refurbishing so we'll see how they hold up. 

[Whodamon1]

On 11/12/2022 at 8:17 PM, Unteachable said:

ive tried many, many grips from lots of different companies over the years and i have found my way back to the lambskin crosslines for the last few years.

 

 

...aren't those "grips" single use?!

 

I kid, I kid

 

[daddy0neputt]

On 11/13/2022 at 1:26 PM, MFBach said:

This is really good advice. I usually delete their marketing emails, but they had Royal M Taper 360’s for $25/dz a few weeks back as well, so I keep an eye out for their grip sales because of the somewhat crazy prices right now. I got two sets of these, 12 midsize/12 standard, for $50. They’re fairly comparable to GP TV, IMO. 
 

I don’t play the M Tapers, but I’ll usually grip a dozen or so sets a year for personal builds or friends, so they’re good to have on hand for that kind of thing. Picked up a set of the TM TV’s last week also. 
 

I’m playing GP Z Cord Midsize right now, and even with a friend selling them to me at roughly his cost, I think I paid about $12/grip for 15. They last a long time for me, but $180 for grips is kinda nuts. I also switched to a compressor/masking tape a few years ago when prices started to rise. I never thought twice about slicing a new grip off when they were ~$5, but it’s definitely worth the effort at these prices. 
 

It’s like anything else… if you want something specific, expect to pay for it. But if you can buy them in bulk/on sale and save them for later, you can still play a good grip for a reasonable price, especially if you’re reusing them. 
 

All that being said, I don’t mind pay for the grip I prefer. It’s the only connection you have to a club, so you better like it. I can’t imagine being stubborn enough to not replace a worn grip because of the price, yet also dogging the options in your price range. Even the $4 knockoffs on Amazon/eBay are better than a 10 year old, crusty Tour Velvet. 

 

Still do, just ordered a second batch yesterday. Great grip! Been playing them a month or so and no complaints at all.

[dsmil]

I'm using Karma Velour grips and for $2 per grip, they're good enough for me.  They do feel thinner than my normal GP Tour Velvets (I feel the shaft more), so I may try midsize next time.

[rd1959]

On 11/19/2022 at 1:02 PM, Pepperturbo said:

Yep, grips are getting expensive, thanks to COVID and IDIOT leaders shutting-down the supply chain.  NOBODY in their right mind does such a harmful act, yet it was done without regard.  Grip material replenishment in manufacturing facilities still struggle hence many grip resellers are back-ordered = price increases on stock.  I can't fault store owners. 

 

Being very observant of my surroundings, here's an oddity; over all my years playing public and pvt courses, I have NEVER observed anyone actually wipe grips down before or after use.  They wipe club-heads.  I know some do it, just haven't seen it.

 

None of my friends or family wipe or wash grips either.  Result, grips become hard, greasy slippery handles. 

 

When I was practicing and playing a lot more, I had new grips installed every 3-4 months.  Now-a-days, I wipe them down before and after use, and wash them now-and-again.  Amazing how long they last.

I use Sensatec grips from Giga Golf. $2.99 each and, IMO, just as good as anything else. 

 It does make a big difference in longevity to wipe them down after a round and give them a good cleaning once in a while. My clubs are 8 years old and still have the original Sensatec grips. Granted, due to retirement and the crappy economy, I can't afford much more than a trip to the driving range about once a year for the past several years along with practicing at home, but the fact is, due to scrubbing them down when they get the slightest slippery feeling has extended their life tremendously.