While the technology in the golf club is what makes a club worthwhile, a great golf grip to keep your hands comfortable is essential.
Simply put, the grip connects you to the rest of the golf club. The grip is what helps you gain feel during your swing, yet grips can vary from extra soft to very hard. You’ll have to decide what your preference is to make sure you have the best golf grips for your game!
Here’s a quick guide on how to pick the perfect grip for your game, as well as the best grips on the market today!
Our Top Picks:
Best Overall Pick: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Golf Grip
Best Budget Pick: Karma Velour Midsize Golf Grip Bundle
Best Value Pick: Champkey STP Polymer Golf Grips Set of 13
How to Choose the Right Golf Grip
There are a few important criteria to evaluate when choosing a new grip. If you’re new to golf, you might be a bit lost when it comes to choosing the right golf grip. But even if you aren’t new, it’s easy to miss one of these five key factors.
Grip Size
When you’re picking a golf grip, size is the most critical factor. There are four major golf grip sizes: undersize/junior, standard, midsize, and oversize/jumbo. A lot of people have resorted to wrapping layers of tape when installing golf grip. This way, you can customize it to your comfort and needs.
Now, grip size isn’t to be underestimated. If you’re using an inappropriately-sized golf grip, it could impact your game, and cost you strokes every round. A too-small grip can increase hand action at impact. This can lead to pulling the ball. On the other hand, a larger golf grip can help you quiet your hands and better your performance.
A grip that is too large can restrict wrist pronation, and lead to an ugly slice.
Grip Firmness
How firm a golf grip should be depends on how tightly you grip the club. For players who use a light grip pressure, they’ll feel more secure working with a firmer grip. On the contrary, if you tend to use more pressure when holding the club, a softer grip will be better for you. Professional golfers usually favor a firmer grip, because it encourages a light-pressure grip.
Grip types
There are a few types of grips available on the market, and they vary by the materials they’re made from.
The most popular style is a rubber grip, which is what most grips are made from today. Corded grips are also made of rubber, but they are also made with brushed cotton fibers to make the grip feel more coarse in your hands. Cord based grips are slightly less durable than traditional rubber grips, and will need replacing more frequently.
Grips also vary by weight, and seniors or players with slow swings may be interested in using lightweight golf grips. These lightweight golf grips are just slightly lighter than traditional grips, but can make a bit of a difference in swing speed vs traditional.
Putter grips are slightly different than standard grips, and the market for niche putter grips has become much bigger over the last few years. The oversize putter grip, for instance, has been popularized by the SuperStroke brand. SuperStroke was a first mover in making these oversize grips that help quiet your wrists and steady your putts. Choosing the right putting grip well give you confidence when making those crucial putting strokes.
Weather factors
Some grips fare better in certain weather conditions than others. For example, if you live in an area where humid weather is common, you should choose a golf grip with cord fabric. Cord fabric helps support your grip in wet weather. In constant hot conditions, a soft rubber grip may get a bit too soft and start to kill your feel.
If you tend to go golfing in consistently wet weather, try to avoid smooth grips to keep the club from slipping from your hands. In these conditions, a cord grip is much more favorable and provides more friction in your hands when swinging.
The 10 best golf grips of 2020
Best Overall: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Golf Grip
Old is gold. Dependable and comfortable, it’s easy to see why this golf grip is one of Golf Pride’s most popular on the market. In fact, this is the most popular grip on tour right now.
The Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip is made of rubber, and is meant to be somewhat soft yet very comfortable. This grip is truly all purpose, and works well for all weather conditions. They’re well priced, and very durable. If you’re looking for a long lasting, tour quality grip, this is probably your best option.
Best Budget Pick: Karma Velour Midsize Golf Grip Bundle
We think these grips come at an incredible value when you buy them as a set. Karma’s Velour Grips have a classic grip pattern that feels good in your hands. This set comes with 13 grips, plenty enough to swap out the grips across your whole bag.
These grips are actually similar in feel to the Golf Pride Tour Velvet set, so the price makes it easy to understand why these grips are so popular. The grips are tacky, but not sticky when you hold them. They’re easy to maintain and clean up well with a little soap and water, and are durable enough to last a couple seasons easily.
These grips aren’t from a big brand name, but that’s part of why they can be so competitively priced. If you’re looking for a great set of grips at 1/3 the cost of some other brands on the market, I’d check these out.
Best Value Pick: Champkey STP Polymer Golf Grips Set of 13
The Champkey STP Polymer Grips have a really unique looking design, and are packed with technology designed to allow you to loosen your hands up and swing easily. These grips are built to enable you to reduce your grip pressure, and provide incredible feedback. The polyurethane outer layer produces excellent feel.
Champskey uses multiple textures in this grip for optimal comfort, and are made to be durable in all weather conditions. The surface texture is meant to improve both feedback and stickiness. This is a high end grip that comes at a competitive price, packed with loads of value for any golfer.
Best soft Grip: Golf Pride CP2 Pro Golf Grip
The Golf Pride CP2 Pro Golf Grip is a hybrid grip, which means it’s all about speed and balance. These grips have a larger outside diameter in the lower hand, which promotes a comfortable lower grip pressure.
These grips feature Golf Pride’s Control Core technology, which is an inner core stabilization technology meant to reduce torque. The CP2 Pro has a soft, tacky design, and is Golf Pride’s softest tour level grip. These are well designed to deliver comfort and control across your entire golf bag.
Winn Dritac Standard Golf Grips Dritac
The Winn Dritac Standard Golf Grip is Winn’s most popular grip, and has remained a staple in their product line since inception. The Dritac grips have a moderate texture to them, and are midway between soft and firm.
The WinnDry polymer provides excellent cushioning for a more comfortable grip. With its all-weather, non-slip performance, these grips are built to last several seasons. These grips are meant to reduce the hand fatigue players feel when out on the course all day, and do well to absorb shock. Overall, a solid option from a powerhouse in grips.
Golf Pride MCC Plus4 New Decade MultiCompound Golf Grip
These Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grips have been engineered for high traction and a softer feel. Overall, this is an extremely popular grip among both tour pros and amateurs. Golf Pride made the lower section with a larger outside diameter, simulating the feel of 4 extra wraps. As a result, you’ll experience lighter pressure on your hands.
The MCC Plus4’s feature soft rubber, and include a brushed cotton cord for extra grip stability.
These are a great premium option, perfect for any weather conditions.
Winn Dritac X Standard Golf Grip
The Winn Dritac X Standard is all about style, which is one key differentiation from the standard Winn Dritac. These grips have a bold pattern coupled with Winn’s classic design.
This grip is also made of Winn’s WinnDry polymer material. This material is what gives it such a tacky grip. Overall, these are pretty much the same as the standard Winn Dritac, with a unique design element.
Lamkin Sonar Midsize Golf Grips
The Lamkin Sonar grips are made with a proprietary hybrid compound, which is noticeably softer than traditional rubber.
These grips also have unique micro-textures which assist with the torsion stability in the upper hand. You’ll notice them again with the performance control panels in the lower hand. This helps you gain a more accurate and powerful grip when golfing.
The shape is also noteworthy. This golf grip has a straight profile that grows in a slightly larger lower hand. This encourages proper grip pressure, which will have noticeable results on your performance.
Lamkin Crossline Standard Golf Grips
This is undoubtedly a distinctive golf grip, and it’s likely you’ve seen this one on the course before. It’s densely-spaced, offering consistent grip stability and lateral traction. These Lamkin grips are known to produce great performance.
Made of extremely durable synthetic rubber, this Lamkin standard golf grip was made for long-lasting performance. This firmer material restricts torsion at impact. You’ll find that this results in better consistency and control.
Set of 9 Or 13 Winn DRITAC AVS MIDSIZE
This is another bundle of soft golf grips, with great vibration reduction. These are a practical choice for colder weather, when the shock is more likely to effect your hands.
The larger diameter of this midsize golf grip will help dampen your hands. The quieter they are, the more likely it is for your clubface to be square to the target line.
The Bottom Line
After reviewing numerous golf grips, the Golf Pride Tour Velvet Golf Grip stood out to me as the best overall. This golf grip is an all-time classic that you can’t go wrong with. I like its soft, grippy texture and the feedback it provides.
For a great budget option, I definitely think the Karma Velour Midsize Golf Grip Bundle is an ideal choice. This is an excellent choice if you want to regrip your whole bag, but still keep your bank account intact.
Thanks for reading!
