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Grips
Introduction
The importance of the grip is also often overlooked. It is after all the only contact you have with the golf club. If the grip is wrong, it could affect the outcome of the shot.
Until the late 1940s there was no choice. All grips were leather wrap. Cosmetics were not a consideration, as all were one colour and one design. In the late 1940s an American industrialist Thomas Fawick decided there had to be a better way to grip a golf club and he proceeded to develop what became the first slip on moulded rubber golf grip.
Today just 50 years on, there is a vast array of moulded rubber, plastic, rubber cord and elastom materials to choose from. Grips are made in a variety of sizes, colours, materials and patterns - each designed to meet a particular personal preference and each with its own feel and performance characteristics.
An important note to remember is that all rubber grips will degrade over a period of time, even if not used. The average club golfer should consider regripping their clubs every 12 months.
Material
Today's grips are available in a variety of materials; the most popular by far is the rubber grip.
Conventional rubber grips are moulded in injection presses and buffed with an abrasive material after moulding. Although the industry generally refers to conventional grips as rubber, none of them are actually 100% rubber. Grip compounds are made from natural or synthetic, or a blend of these polymers and up to 25 other ingredients that control the physical properties of the grip.
A larger percentage of rubber grips available today have a cotton cord incorporated within them. The main function of the cord is to absorb moisture, perspiration and oil found on the hands. As a bonus, cord grips are more durable than other grips and offer very good value.
A fast emerging material is Elastom. A good alternative to those who suffer from an allergy to rubber.
Design
One cannot help but notice that all grips are virtually the same shape. It is not that grip designers and manufacturers are limited in their thinking, but that shape is limited by the rules of golf. They dictate that, with some exceptions for putters, grips be straight and plain in form, that they be circular in cross section, and that the axis of the grip coincide with the axis of the shaft.
Although different tapers have been tried over the years, including the reverse taper, the shape of grips today offers the best performance, proper fit for both right and left hand and resistance to centrifugal force exerted during the swing.
Once all grips were leather wraps, that look is popular again, as is seen by the array of wrap style grips on the market today. While the wrap style is classic in appearance, the design itself does little to improve the performance of the user.
Some of the conventional buffed rubber and cord models have functional features in the moulded pattern. Some have vertical lines moulded into the grip designed to help minimise twisting at impact. Others have lines moulded in the grip that help visually to position the hands on the club.
Size
This is the most important factor to consider when choosing a grip. The wrong size can affect the directional outcome of the shot. Too small a grip could promote pulling the ball, and too big a grip could promote a slice.
There is no exact science to fitting a grip. However, it is generally considered by clubmakers that the fingertips of the upper hand should just be touching the pad of the upper hand whilst holding the golf club. Other considerations to grip size could be arthritis or tennis elbow where a larger grip would be fitted to aid gripping.
As well as standard, midsize and jumbo grips from manufacturers, custom sizes can also be achieved with the use of build up tape under the grip. A size change of as little as 1/64" can be made by the clubmaker.
Grips also come with differing inside core diameters, the usual being .580" and .600". If the core size does not match the butt size of the shaft, this will also change the size of the grip.
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