Grips 101

You should change your grips as soon as you notice they are wearing: cracks, shiny spots, wear marks, smooth spots, hard areas, or wear at your finger placement. Once you can notice wear on your grips, you are starting to lose performance.

A lack of traction from worn grips increases your grip pressure and you'll begin to lose the flow of your swing. Fresh, clean grips will offer much more traction and keep you from needing to hold the club so tightly.

The industry standard is to regrip your clubs once a year or every 40 rounds.

Your grip is the only contact you have with your club during your swing, so it needs to be in good shape to give you the control you need. All types of grips age and wear. New, fresh grips provide you with proper traction and confidence so you can swing with the proper technique and tempo.

Your best grip is the one that feels the most comfortable to you while also allowing for proper grip and control. When golfers choose a grip, they must decide on the size, color, texture, feel, and performance.

Yes, having a grip that is either too big or too small will negatively affect your golf game.

Grip size will allow for less wrist/hand rotation (in a thicker grip) or more wrist/hand rotation (in a thinner grip). A wrong size can result in pushes* (too little wrist rotation) and stifled shot distance, or pulls** (too much wrist rotation). The thicker the grip is, the less your hands and wrists will rotate during the swing.

Generally when you grip your golf club, the ring and middle fingers of your top hand should be just slightly touching your palm. If they don't quite reach, you may need a thinner grip, and if they easily reach then you may need a bigger size.

When we custom fit you for grips, we start by considering hand size and the pattern of your golf shots, and move on from there. If you cannot get fitted, you can use your glove size to estimate your grip size. For example, a men’s medium glove equates roughly to a standard size grip with one wrap of tape. A custom grip fitting can help guide you more confidently and specifically to your correct size that helps your game.

*A push/slice/fade is a shot that crosses too far over on the golfer’s dominant side (the side they are facing when they hit the ball). For right-handed players, a slice goes too far to the right. For left-handed players, a slice goes too far to the left. Pushing the ball can be caused by too little wrist/hand rotation during the shot.

**A pull/hook/draw is a shot that crosses too far over the golfer’s non-dominant side (the side behind/at the back of the golfer when they hit the ball). For right-handed players, a hook goes too far to the left. For left-handed players, a hook goes too far to the right. Pulling the ball can be caused by too much wrist/hand rotation during the shot.

Your shot pattern is negatively affected when your golf grip size is wrong. You are more likely to push* or pull** your shots when you are using the wrong grip size.

If the grip is too large and your wrist action is limited too much, the club can come loose at the bottom of the swing, which results in opening the clubface and creating a slice.* Golfers with grips that are too big tend to leave the golf ball out to their dominant side* (push/fade/slice) and it can cost a player distance. To gain clubhead speed, you will need to have control and confidence with the golf club in your hand: this is hard to do when your grip is too big.

If your golf grip is too small, the club could twist and force you to tighten your grip and squeeze the club when you hit the ball. This closes the face of the club and can cause the shot to pull/hook** instead of fly straight. Since the hands are going to be too large for the grip, they have too much action in the swing. Smaller golf grips promote more hands and wrist action. For a highly skilled player, this is not usually a problem; however, for most golfers, the extra control over the club causes shots to hook.

*A push/slice/fade is a shot that crosses too far over on the golfer’s dominant side (the side they are facing when they hit the ball). For right-handed players, a slice goes too far to the right. For left-handed players, a slice goes too far to the left. Pushing the ball can be caused by too little wrist/hand rotation during the shot.

**A pull/hook/draw is a shot that crosses too far over the golfer’s non-dominant side (the side behind/at the back of the golfer when they hit the ball). For right-handed players, a hook goes too far to the left. For left-handed players, a hook goes too far to the right. Pulling the ball can be caused by too much wrist/hand rotation during the shot.

In some situations, going to a bigger grip can help your game! Here are some examples:

1. Players often favor oversize putter grips because the grip limits their wrist action in their swing, leading to straighter putts.

2. A thicker/oversize grip can help golfers that have pain or arthritis in their hands because the larger grip size requires less bending of the fingers and can make the club more comfortable to hold.

3. Using a thicker grip can be used as a swing aid for golfers who over-rotate their hands and pull/hook the ball. These “handsy” players tend to have some very low rounds of golf and some very high rounds. A thicker grip can help a handsy golfer be a more consistent player. Handsy golfers can try going up a whole size or making smaller adjustments to size using extra layers of tape under the grip or choosing a grip with reduced taper.

Golfers can make additional adjustments to grip size by using extra wraps of tape under the grip to build up its size in smaller increments versus moving up a whole grip size.

Many golfers do this because they want a different level of thickness on their lower hand instead of having a larger grip throughout. Those golfers find a benefit from a thicker bottom hand to help encourage lighter hand pressure. (Typically, one extra wrap of tape adds approximately 1/64th of an inch to the diameter of the grip.) It’s become so popular with golfers that many top grip brands now build this technology into their grips using terms like “reduced taper” or “taper control.”

The terms “reduced taper,” “taper control,” and other brand-specific designations like “Plus4” will tell you that grip has less taper on the bottom half of the grip. For example, the Golf Pride MCC Plus4 grip’s bottom hand diameter is equal to four extra wraps of tape. Many golfers like this reduced-taper style to encourage lighter grip pressure for a smooth, fluid swing.

Grips with reduced taper have a thicker diameter on their bottom hand (half). Reducing the amount of taper can encourage lighter grip pressure for a smooth, fluid swing, because it allows you to hold the club with the same tension in both hands. It is also worth mentioning that a lighter overall grip pressure should lead to increased power as you'll have much more fluidity throughout your swing.

If you're someone who struggles with a hook, it may be worth trying out reduced taper grips to see if they help to relieve tension in your lower hand.

Most golf grips will fall into one of three "feel" categories: soft, medium, and firm. Grip feel is an important personal preference. Firm grips tend to provide more feedback* to the hands at impact. Soft grips will absorb some of the impact and provide a more comfortable feel.

Firmer grips are favored by tour players and PGA professionals because they promote a light-pressure grip while providing incredible stability. If you prefer a firmer feel, many cord grips and velvet-style grips will provide this along with sharper feedback.* (It is worthwhile to note that many players find cord grips feel too aggressive for their hands.)

Soft grips are ideal for players with slower swing speeds or minimized hand strength. Players that have arthritis or experience hand pain will play better with softer grips. If you do prefer a soft grip, it's important to select a grip that has a stable core that will produce minimal torque so there is no twisting during the swing.

*In golf, “feedback” refers to what your shot feels like in your hands when you hit the ball. Off-center hits, for example, will feel different and have higher levels of vibrations and twisting, than that of your good, square shots.

The design and pattern on the surface of a grip creates either a smooth feel or a more coarse and abrasive feel. When selecting a grip, golfers should choose a texture that feels comfortable and secure.


If a player doesn’t wear a glove, they may prefer a grip with less pattern and a smoother feel. Some players prefer a rougher texture on their grips because it provides more hand traction and gripping confidence.

Golfers who often play in wet and humid weather—or who have sweaty hands—need grips that are non-slip. Take special care to select a grip with “high moisture management,” such as cord, velvet, or composite grips, or grips with heavy surface texture. Avoid smooth grips: they are not well-suited for play in extremely wet conditions.