The Best Golf Grips

Whether you’ve got your sights set on becoming a pro golfer or you’re just starting out, one of the key aspects to ensuring a consistent swing is making sure that you’ve decked out your golf clubs with quality grips.

During my time as a clubhouse manager, I rarely got questions about golf grips, which is kind of funny if you think about it. A golf club grip is the key link connecting your body to the golf club, so it serves a crucial role in promoting consistency in your swing.

One customer, in a sign of golf maturity, once asked: What are the best golf grips?

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a simple answer for them. My response was: Golf Pride makes the most popular grips, but choosing the best golf grip depends on the size of your hand and the attributes of the grip itself.

I’m not sure that was the answer they we’re looking for…

As a general rule of thumb, it’s important to make sure that you are replacing your golf grips when they show signs of wear. That could be yearly (for dedicated golfers) or every 3-5 years (for more casual golfers).

You can change your golf grips yourself to save money. We have a detailed write-up highlighting the cost to regrip golf clubs.

However, with so many choices on the market, it can be hard to cut through the vast sea of options and pick the perfect grip! This is where we come in.

The first thing you need to do is measure your hand size. We’ve created the chart below to help you determine the proper grip size.

Once you have the right grip size for your hand, you can then move on to shopping by attribute. For example, do you have sweaty hands? Are you looking for a corded grip?

You get the idea.

Below, you’ll find some of the best golf grips currently on the market. Read on so you can make an informed decision.

The Best Golf Grips (Organized by Category)

Golf Pride MCC – Best Overall Golf Grip

Reasons for Our Ranking

• Available in standard grip and midsize grip options
• Well-suited for the broadest range of weather conditions
• Quality materials
• Excellent color choices

There’s a reason why a Golf Pride grip sits at the top of our list. This company makes the #1 grip on the PGA Tour, and the MMC grip holds the bragging rights for the #1 hybrid grip on the PGA Tour.

You might be thinking: “That’s great, but I’m not professional golfer.”

Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a pro to reap the benefits of these golf club grips. Take a look at the photo to see Golf Pride’s expertise in all it’s glory.

The upper part of the grip features a brushed cotton cord grip. This keeps your upper hand connected to the golf club, even in tough weather conditions.

The lower hand area transitions to a performance rubber that gives a firm feel with great responsiveness. You’ll get a real sense for how well you hit the golf ball.

What Golfers Have to Say

• As good as it gets.
• The only grip I will play with.
• Best grip ever.

So what are the drawbacks to these grips?

I think the layout of the grip can be strange for some golfers at first, but ultimately Golf Pride has engineering this setup for success. Trust the experts.

There are no oversize or undersize options, which means you’ll have to shop the Golf Pride MCC Plus4 if you have larger or smaller hands.

If cost is a factor and you’re re-gripping an entire set of clubs, there are cheaper options on the market. Just remember that cheaper isn’t always better.

Winn Dri-Tac Grip – Best for Wet Playing Conditions

Reasons for Our Ranking

• Consistent, non-slip performance
• Unique polymer grip technology
• Built for comfort
• Available in all sizes (junior, ladies, standard, midsize, oversize)

The Winn Dri Tac are the company’s best-selling grip for a reason.

If you live in a region where rain or humidity are your constant foe (in addition to your own swing deficiencies), the Winn Dritac are going to be your secret sauce for more consistent swings.

This company was the first to introduce multiple polymer compounds into the golf grip world, and though I’m not an expert when it comes to chemistry, I assure you that Winn’s technology is slip-resistant in some of the toughest conditions.

What Golfers Have to Say

• Love these grips.
• Great tackiness and comfort.
• Best grips I’ve tried.

So what are the drawbacks to these grips?

The markings/grooves on the grip don’t seem to be anything special, but given the anti-slip properties, I don’t think it matters as much as it would on a rubber grip.

The color choices for the Winn Dri Tac are limited, so if you value style points, you may be disappointed.

Lamkin Arthritic – Best Golf Grips for Arthritis

Reasons for Our Ranking

• Larger grip profile promotes lighter grip pressure
• Unique texture
• Designed specifically for arthritic golfers

If you don’t have arthritis, be thankful. The clock is probably ticking for you, so enjoy the pain free swings while you can.

However, for many older golf enthusiasts, arthritis is a real challenge to each and every golf swing. That’s where the Lamkin Arthritic Grip comes in.

This is a soft grip that offer less feedback. Though there are plenty of other soft grips, including the Lamkin Comfort Plus, this is one of the best golf club grips you can buy if you have arthritis.

What Golfers Have to Say

• The best grip for hand pain.
• Just what I needed.
• These grips let me play through arthritis

So what are the drawbacks to these grips?

If you want fancy alignment aids or special color options, you’ll need to look elsewhere. The Lamkin Arthritic are black grips and give almost no attention to style.

This is a slightly thicker grip in the lower hand area. This may take a few rounds for golfers to get used to.

SAPLIZE Golf Grips – Best Cheap Golf Grips

Reasons for Our Ranking

• Unbeatable price/quality combo
• Optional grip replacement kit to save even more
• 6 color options

My dad grew up poor. From him, I learned this importance of shopping around, being thrifty and trying to find a good deal without sacrificing quality.

Earlier in this write-up, I used the expression “cheaper isn’t always better.” For the students of logic out there, you may have quickly noted that it would be fallacy to then assume that more expensive IS better.

Life experiences have taught me that sometimes paying more isn’t the solution, but it’s fair to ask why certain products are much cheaper than others.

Sorry for the long-winded preface. I really just want to tell you about some high quality affordable golf grips from SAPLIZE.

If you need to swap out a set of golf grips on the cheap, the SAPLIZE golf grips the best cheap golf grips. These multi-compound hybrid grips aren’t as good as the Golf Pride MCC, but they make a great runner-up.

What Golfers Have to Say

• Good feel and grip.
• Can’t beat the price.
• These look great!

So what are the drawbacks to these grips?

SAPLIZE knows the golf market well, but they don’t have the same years of experience or research and development as the bigger fish (Golf Pride, Lamkin, Winn, SuperStroke, etc).

Golfers shouldn’t expect the technology to match those more experienced companies.

Golf Pride Tour Wrap 2G – Best Tacky Grip

Reasons for Our Ranking

• Great price from a trusted brand
• Available in 4 sizes and colors
• High tack feel

Golf Pride’s Tour Wrap 2G (not to be confused with the CP2 Wrap), simulate the wrap grips of old. These have the look of old leather grips, but they have the soft rubber feel and durability that modern golfers need.

The Tour Wrap 2G have a high tack feel that will inspire confidence and help you get a grip on your game.

What Golfers Have to Say

• My favorite grips.
• Great in dry weather.
• Perfect for my game.

So what are the drawbacks to these grips?

You would think that tacky grips would be tacky all the time, but if there’s one consistent complaint, it’s that the Tour Wrap 2G do not handle rain or perspiration very well (assuming you aren’t wearing a golf glove).

Several users report bringing a towel to wipe these down on humid or wet days, but they still love the grips enough to keep them.

All that to say, great tackiness when the weather is dry, but performance varies in wet conditions.

What about Putter Grips?

Great question. A new grip for your putter can be a really smart investment. After all, you probably use your putter more than any other club.

In our opinion, Superstroke makes the best putter grip. The styles vary widely, so head on over to Amazon to see some of the more popular options.

Tools of the Trade

So you’ve picked from our list of the best golf grips. Good work!

If you’re looking to install them yourself, you’re going to need a few tools of the trade. Don’t worry, we’re not talking anything too extravagant. You just need:

• Grip tape
• Grip solvent or mineral spirits
• Utility knife
• Vice (optional, but helpful)

The Wedge Guys Golf Grip Kit also offers everything you need in one convenient package.

How To Choose The Best Golf Grips

We’ve offered a solid list of choices in this post, but if you’re still on the fence, here are some tips for making a decision.

Prior to purchasing your pair of golf grips, there are a variety of factors that you should keep in mind to ensure that you buy the best type for you. Below, let’s take a look at some of the most important criteria that you should focus on when selecting the best golf grips:

What are the different types of grips?

Velvet Golf Grips

• Usually a blend of rubber and other compounds
• Good grip in wet conditions
• Best for golfers with a lighter grip
• Example: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Corded Grips

• Durable
• Great for sweaty hands and wet weather
• Tougher surface isn’t for everyone

MCC (Multi-Compound Construction)

• A blend of velvet and cord grip options
• Cord in upper area
• Rubber in lower area
• A good all-around option for most golfers

Wrap Grips

• A throwback to the old wrapped leather grips
• Soft feel
• Tacky touch
• Not great in wet conditions

How durable are they?

When deciding which type of golf grips to buy, one of the most important considerations that you’ll need to make is how durable they are. The more a golf grip is used, the more it will show signs of wear and tear, which can then cause the golf grips to become slippery.

When selecting modern golf grips, it’s important to keep in mind that they often tend to be made with softer material that is designed to offer the golfer an easier and more intuitive playing experience.

However, this softer material sometimes means that golf grips are less durable than some of the older grips that were made with harder material, which is something to keep in mind when shopping around.

Though durability is important, many golfers choose to sacrifice this in order to achieve a more comfortable grip, but it will likely mean that you’ll need to be willing to re-grip your clubs on a much more frequent basis.

What is tackiness and why does it matter?

Besides considering the durability, the tackiness of your golf grips is one of the most important factors to think about when selecting grips. Without tackiness, golf grips aren’t that helpful.

When assessing the tackiness of golf grips, it can be easy to assume that the more sticky or tacky they are, the better they will be – but this is not necessarily the case. Tackiness is based on personal preferences rather than a universal standard.

Golf grips that are too tacky may annoy golfers with a firmer grip, while grips with very little tackiness may feel slippery or unstable.

When making a decision about tackiness, try to take a number of swings to judge your confidence and comfort level.

What type of grip do you prefer?

This factor ties in closely with the points we have raised above.

The overall performance of golf grips will greatly depend on your own personal experience with them, as well as your own personal preferences.

For example: there are some golfers who prefer their golf grips to have a little less tack. This allows them to hold the club with a looser grip during each swing.

On the other hand, there are some golfers who prefer their golf grips to be extremely tacky, so that they have a more secure and stable grip, and feel more confident taking their swing.

All that being said, the performance of the golf grips you select should ideally be in line with your personal style of play, as well as how they make you feel. Confidence is a key part of your success on the course.

Golf Pride has a fit tool that can help you narrow down your options.

The golf grips we highlighted above offer solid performance that caters to a variety of different preferences.

If you’re planning on shortlisting some options yourself and are unsure of what type of grips you should go for, be sure to take some swings with different types of grips before making a final decision.