I put some new grips on my IPT’s about 3 weeks back. The a couple of weeks later I decided to have the swingweights measured and they were at C9. I thought it was a bit weird, but decided to put a chunk of lead tape on my clubs to get it to around D5.
Last night I decided to do a google search on some lightweight grips. Winn grips has been advertising their lightweight grips pretty aggresively recently, but the problem is I can’t stand Winn grips (very spongy feeling). So I looked at other lightweight grips and found Golf Pride has some and that the details are they weight about 38 grams instead of the standard which is about 50-55 grams. The grips I got, weighted 67 grams…which confirms to me that my IPT’s probably were around D1 swingweights before I changed the grips.
Anyway, the lightweight grips say that they will reduce the overall weight of the club, but will make the swingweight heavier by 2 to 3 points.
Has anybody tried these lightweight grips?
With the ABS philosophy of holding the flex, do we really need to get get grips so they fit the size of our hand or will a standard size do fine?
Does this fit in line with what we want…a lighter overall weight but a heavier swingweight?
I don’t think Lag prescribes a light overall weight and a heavy swing weight. From what I understand it’s more like: Heavy overall AND heavy swing weight.
Getting as much mass into the head as we can reasonably handle will really help with both feel and controlling the distances of our shots.
The swing weight being how we perceive the feel of the club, is more about the balancing of the club from head to grip.
I find it interesting to entertain the idea of lowering the swing weights by putting lead tape under the grips if you already have significant weight in the heads…
It’s been speculated that Moe and Knudson were doing this… but I still feel just using thicker walled heavier shafts will give a better result.
Cool Stuff: If my memory is correct, I’m certain Nicklaus specifically talked about backweighting his gear with tape. One can today buy plugs to insert into the end of the shaft which holds lead putty etc.
I like to backwweight my driver and fairway woods along with undersizing the grip of those clubs. It’s probably a mental thing but I feel it helps with increasing the feel in the hands through the ball.
Here’s something I do too at times…not sure if legal or not…I use a lightweight, thin wall grip, which I then custom tape with 2" tape to create little “reminder pockets or grooves” underneath the grip. The grip wall is thin enough that you have the feel of some kind of training grip underneath when you apply normal grip pressures…but it’s disguised to the observer…
Some of the classic gear had grips in which a portion of the butt end was shaved off at about a 45* angle. I presume for proper hand placement but I’m not sure what the thinking was back then…I’m getting older, but not quite that old
Are s400 heavier than x100? It reads that way on the TT site. I read here somewhere that s400 and x100 are much of a muchness as far as stiffness. Is this why Tiger can co. put s400 in their wedges? So if you looking to go heavy and stiff s400 is a good bet?
Where in tarnation did all the slip-on leather grip selections go???
Want to go back to leather grips and started “googling”…found only Gripmaster (which I think you can’t buy directly from them) and Bidwell (who I think may be out of business). For goodness sakes…years ago one could find them everywhere.
Haven’t looked for them in years…but this is ridiculous. I couldn’t even find them @ Golfsmith if my search was correct.
Ok you ABSers, is Gripmaster the only available resource? Anyone familiar with the quality of them. Did Newmann go out of business? Lead me to the promised land…no pun intended on Easter!! RR
Gripmaster are good grips, easy to install (better with glue than gas or solvent) …Lamkin used to do a few grips here and there but i always found those slippery …or you can get lucky on e-bay somehow if you pull the right search and maybe find neumann
As far as I am concerned Gripmaster are fantastic grips…very tacky with just a drop of water and a rub with a towel. they last well so long as you don’t stuff your clubs in the bag and rip them up that way. Little on the $$$ side but if you have one set you love and want to go all out on making them as nice as can be, I would go for it
GripMaster it is…sounds like they might have some adhesion problems like Winns…Hell, now I’ll have to find an old staff bag for more “jamming” room
Geez…I feel like I’m in a time warp. Started out with crowbars, persimmons and leather…found my way to all the new stuff…now going backwards, at least with the grips and bag. I remember my old leathers and how good they felt to my hands and hot weather. No more gorilla snot, rosin, or gloves for me. I’ve already apologized to my hands today for years of disguised abuse.
I use a rubber-cement type glue called Grip Lock which we got from the Orlando PGA show and it’s really good stuff for those that are interested. It stinks a little, but seems less toxic than solvents… RR
Is tackiness really important? I know every golf book and magazine states that it is, I just don’t find a problem with my 12 year old, non-tacky grips. They don’t slip under with a tension-free grip.
Yet I see pros and their caddies pumping the grip with the towel forever. Nervous tick, symbol of professionalism, or is there something more to it?
12 year old grips?..Is that a typo? If not, holy smokes!!! If they are rubber composite more than likely they are “petrified” by now- but would need to see them first. What kind are they, and how have you cleaned them, and how often. Lot of oils in your hand that will go into the rubber that needs to be removed…especially in hot weather. Rubber will “petrify” all by itself even if never used cuz’ it’s subject to weather, dust in the air, etc.
Oils and leather are a more natural match…skin oil to cowhide…versus skin oil to rubber…sort of.
Are you swinging or hitting? If rubber grips are calcified and slick, the tendency is to hold on very tightly with some tension so the club will not twist.
Going back to leather for the natural tack and feel so I can hold on firmly and not worry about my connection to the club.
Neat quote regarding the two…“rubber or composite grips wear out…leather wears in”… RR
Ironically, I have some 12-year old grips in some Titleist cavity backs that I own that are still in excellent shape. Like Steb said, they are not tacky, but in good condition and don’t slip.
They are some Lamkin wrap cords which Lamkin unfortunately doesn’t make anymore. As far as making a good grip that is extremely durable, I think Lamkin is head and shoulders above the competition. I wonder if Steb’s 12-year old grips are Lamkins because any Golf Pride or Winn grips simply wouldn’t last 12 months much less 12 years. I do find that if you use a scrub brush and soap water and then wash off the soap and dry them with the towel, you will get a lot more use out of them. However, I never cleaned the 12-year old Lamkins I had. They are that good. A clubfitter told me about this because the oils from your hands get into the grip and that causes them to get really slick.
The other thing I suggest is not leaving them in the trunk of your car very long, especially in the summer time. But like I said, get Lamkins if you want durability. I bought those white 3Gen Lamkin grips that I put on my IPT’s and they feel really good as the technology in the grips allows for a very soft feel.
They were great, because the cord was thick, but they were very firm grips, not spongy.
The last thing I want is my grip giving in to any torquing or twisting due to the forces of impact.
The more direct the connection of my hands to the shaft itself the better.
A proper grip should not cushion or give in any way.
Lamkins are the best in todays market…use them myself–just regular tour wraps and change them often.
Hadn’t considered the 12 year old grips were cord…as that would certainly speak to increased longevity…and provide great traction with the hands. I clean my grips using “Simple Green” undiluted with warm water and scrub brush and then let them air dry instead of towel. When rinsing I twist the grip back and forth in my hand in one spot until it “squeaks”…then move downward to the next area, etc.
Looking forward to going back to leather…great for me…
Sent email to Gripmaster re: installation of the leather grips…was wondering if they have to be spinned on counter-clockwise like Winn…or opposite of the winding of the leather…anyone with installation experience know if this is the case. RR
RR