Of all the components of the golf club, the grip is the only component you touch with your hands. It’s no wonder, that your grips need to be replaced every year. Right now is a better time than ever to change your golf grips and Golf Pride, the industry leader in replacement golf grips has introduced several new models for 2008. I’ve had the opportunity to try out three of the latest product offerings from Golf Pride and those include: The Patriort, DD2 Blue, and the New Decade MultiCompound Sky Blue. 

Golf Pride Grips 2008

How to choose the right grip?

There is no one grip that is right for all golfers, and grip selection varies widely with individual needs and preferences. Golf Pride has nice online Grip Selection Tool that gives you four criteria for choosing the right size grip. When selecting your grips you should consider the following four factors: Moisture Management, Responsiveness, Surface Texture, and Hand Size.

Moisture Management: When choosing a grip you should factor in moisture conditions for wear you play or if your hands perspire a lot. Whether you play in arid climates or hot and humid areas, having a grip that absorbs moisture well, can improve your game and consistency. 

Responsiveness: Grip material and construction can have big influence on the amount of vibration transferred to your hands from ball contact; commonly referred to as shot feedback. A softer grip will absorb the vibration, while a firmer grip will provide more shot feedback. 

Surface Texture: Grip material and surface design makeup grip texture.  Tacky grips have a smooth surface and usually made of softer materials. Grips that are less tacky combine detailed surface design with firm, high traction materials.

Hand Size: Grip size has a huge influence on your swing and ball striking ability. That’s why it’s so important to select the right size grip. As a rule of thumb, your grip size should correspond to your glove size.  

Look and Feel

Golf Pride Patriot™ Grip

The new Patriot™ grip from Golf Pride is designed with a uniquely textured surface pattern that includes strategically placed black pebbled bands. These bands, along with a supple tri-colored rubber construction, provide exceptional traction for added playability. Like the name indicates, the Patriot has a nice red, white, and blue color scheme. The textured surface felt really good in my hands with its medium firm rubber construction and integrated black pebble bands provide the right amount texture. From a performance perspective the Patriot provides the right balance of moisture management, responsiveness, and surface texture. The grips are neither too firm or too soft, so you get the right amount of feedback on those not so perfect shots and good for playing in climates that are not too dry or too wet. The Patriot grip would be a good alternative to the Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip, in terms of moisture management, responsiveness, and surface texture. The Patriot retails for $6.49

Golf Pride Blue DD2 Grip

The new Blue DD2 from Golf Pride is a technically advanced, all-rubber grip that combines a firm core for stability with a soft, blue-textured exterior for outstanding comfort and control. The firm, black core material extends to the grip surface in key areas to create a visual thumb-placement guide while providing additional stability throughout the grip. If your looking for stability and control, with comfort and style, than the Blue DD2 is the right grip for you. The DD2 grips are similar looking to the Tour Velvet grips, but are much more softer.The DD2 is made from a soft multi-layer rubber technology that gives them that really soft smooth texture and comfort in your hands. The soft rubber compound also makes the DD2 really good at absorbing vibration from your ball contact, so you won’t feel a lot of vibration in your hands when using these grips. The soft rubber material also has a nice tacky texture, giving you confidence that they won’t slip when your hands are wet. I really liked the thumb placement guide of the firmer black core, making it impossible for you not to know where to place your thumbs correctly on the grip. The DD2 grip would be a great grip for golfers seeking a tacky softer grip with good vibration. The Blue DD2 retails for $5.49

Golf Pride New Decade MultiCompound Grip

The New Decade MultiCompound fuses the positive performance of rubber and cord for an exciting new look and feel. The MultiCompound boasts Golf Pride’s exclusive black Velvet Cord in the upper hand area for firm all-weather control, and a soft, sky blue rubber material in the lower hand for ultimate feel and responsiveness. The New Decade MultiCompound grips, are designed to do well in climates that are more wet/humid and do great job of absorbing the excess moisture from your hands too. The New Decade MultiCompound does look very similar to the Patriot grip, in terms of texture and pattern, but that’s where the similarities end. The New Decade MultiCompound grips are the most firm of the grips I tested and provide greater shot feedback. You can feel the vibration of the club in your hands when you don’t strike the ball well, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but not be right for some players. I found the combination of cord and rubber give these grips a nice balance of traction in the upper portion of the grip and soft rubber material in the lower half for feel and responsiveness, especially when chipping and pitching. The New Decade MultiCompound grip would be a great choice for someone looking for a firmer grip, with great moisture management, and responsiveness. The New Decade MultiCompound retails for $7.49

Overall, I really liked testing out the latest Golf Pride grips and think they are great inexpensive and fast way to make an improvement to your game.

For more information visit http://www.golfpride.com/