Golf is one of those games that has become very high-tech, and we get pounded with information about how each innovation will bring us more distance, accuracy, and pleasure.
Special spring face heads, lower CG for higher ball flight, and wider soles to create confidence. Heard it all before? When analyzing all these new ideas, we tend to lose sight of the most important issue of swinging a golf club consistently, and that is the grip.
The hands are the only body contact point with the club, and when these are not properly aligned and set correctly on the club, consistency goes out the window. Any flaw in the hands’ grip will crumble under pressure.
With an obvious interest in the PGA Tour and a desire to perform like a Pro, golfers often ask the question…which are the most used golf grips on tour?
Grips
Grips fitted to the shaft have seen a multitude of developments from leather, rubber, and now special compounds to promote comfort and the right feel. The hand size of the player, the way the club is held in the hands, and the diameter of the grip is important to achieve the best results for all skill levels.
Golf Tour Professionals continuously add their input to the grip manufacturers, to enhance their own performance. Wet conditions create their issues and when playing in the rain, the tendency is to grip the club a little tighter, which in turn influences the smaller muscles and the fluency of the swing.
Very humid conditions create the same problems and on the Tour caddies carry a few towels, to enable the player to rub down the grip to prevent slippage. All these factors have a tremendous influence on the concentration levels of the players and their ability to perform at their peak.
Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Golf Pride grips have been around golf for decades and like golf clubs, the competition to have the leading players on the tour use them, is as intense. The Tour Velvet grip is the leader in terms of player preference, and the latest offering is outstanding.
Stretching back over the last two decades, it has been “tweaked” based on the input from the Pros, to enable them to customize their performance throughout their equipment.
It is the most classic design in the industry! A combination of rubber-blend compound, with a computer-designed, non-slip surface pattern, that maximizes comfort and playability.
Golf Pride has additional models such as the MCC Plus4, Tour Wrap 2G, and the MCC New Decade, to mention a few. For the Pros cost is not an issue, but for the amateur playing golf on a limited budget, there is a grip available to suit both performance and budget.
Lamkin
Lamkin Grips has also been around the golf scene for many years and has their fair share of Pros who play their brand. Keegan Bradley and Brendon Steele are Brand Ambassadors for Lamkin. Lamkin Crossline, Sonar Plus, and Sonar Tour are the most popular with the Professional players using Lamkin grips.
Club Manufacturers like Ping and Callaway manufacture their grips for their irons and woods. Their range is very acceptable and will meet the needs of most amateurs.
Things to Know about Grips
Grips can be categorized into 3 main sizes ie standard, mid-size, and over-size. Which grip size is best for the individual player to use depends on a few factors:
Senior golfers on the tour have played mid-size and over-size for many years to protect their hands and also to improve their performance through the set. Another reason for the larger sizes is many suffer from arthritis and the thicker grips assist with pain reduction at impact and provide longevity.
Thicker grips absorb impact on mis-hits and give better traction in the hands. Hand size can easily be measured and most Pros play with standard grips. The standard measurement for hand size is 7 to 8,75 inches from the crease in the wrist to the tip of the middle finger.
There is no mystery to increasing the grip thickness from a standard size to a mid-size or over-size. Thin adhesive tape is wrapped around the shaft and each full wrap increases the size by 1/16th of an inch. Mid-size is one full wrap and over-size is two full wraps.
So to answer the question ‘Which are the most used golf grips on Tour?’ Most Tour Players keep a consistent size through the irons and the woods. However many players have opted for the “super-thick” grip on the putter which was brought into fashion by KJ Choi. With this large grip, it takes the wrists out of the putting stroke and allows for a consistent stroke.
Final Thoughts
Most Tour Players grip the club with the fingers and allow the shaft to run through the pad on the lower part of the left hand. The right-hand fingers wrap around and over the left. This is traditional and standard grip sizes work well.
An exception is Bryson DeChambeau who uses jumbo grips on his clubs and grips the club more in the palms of the hands.
- What Is The Most Used Golf Ball On The PGA Tour?
- Golf Grip Guide; Strong vs Weak vs Neutral Golf Grip
- Can An Oversized Golf Grip Improve Your Game?
Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.
