Best Golf Grips
The golf grip is the only thing that remains in contact with your hands throughout the swing. So, if the grip isn't performing well, the chances are that your shots aren't going where you want because your hands might be slipping or the grip may not be suited to your hands. As such we’ve tested and compiled some of the best golf grips on the market right now - all of which look great and perform well in their own ways.
Of course, it makes sense to understand exactly how to place your hands on the club so following a step-by-step guide to the perfect golf grip makes sense. Beyond that ideally, you’ll get custom fitted for every club and your grip will be perfect from day one. But that’s not always the way and when you buy something off the shelf, online or just borrow a club from a friend then the likelihood is that the grip might not be right.
The best golf accessories make life on the course easier and getting a new grip can breathe new life into a club. And they can also be color-coordinated to match your favorite sports team or match your on-course style too. Other factors to think about include size, and most definitely feel. For example cord grips offer firm feel and enhanced feedback, while rubber grips are softer and more comfortable. Every single golfer likes something a bit different from their grip so, after testing different models from different brands, let us take you through our favorite golf grips on the market. And for more buying advice be sure to check out some of our other guides - like the best golf drivers or the best golf irons.
Best Golf Grips
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Club Grips
Sizes: Undersize, Standard, Midsize, Jumbo
+ Tacky feel is outstanding
+ Grip can be fitted both ways
- They might not appeal at first
The Golf Pride CPX grip is unlike any other grip that we've ever tried before with this being the market leader's softest performance grip yet. The new tech behind this includes the company's first-ever raised EXO diamond-quilted pattern. This soft and tacky material features a 45-degree pattern that has been inspired by the grips on BMX bikes so, with the elevation in design, it maximizes your contact area with the club.
This is complemented with Golf Pride's Control Core technology, which is located at the top of the grip where the greatest amount of swing pressure is received so you get the best of both worlds here; maximum softness and maximum control. In fact, we liked the performance so much the CPX made our Editor's Choice list as well.
Sizes: Standard, Midsize
+ Good combination of material
+ Grip in all conditions
- Putting them on all your clubs can cost a fair bit
The New Decade MultiCompound is another stellar offering from Golf Pride and a winner of multiple majors. It blends Brushed Cotton Technology in the top half of the grip, to help with better traction with the glove hand, with rubber in the lower half to add more feel and forgiveness.
There has also been a ‘sand bar’ texture pattern added to the whole grip to tune the firmness of the rubber. The only drawback of these grips is that they are slightly expensive compared to some of the other best golf grips on this list but, for that, you are getting a quality golf grip that will give you excellent grip and feel on the shaft of the club. The hybrid MCC is such a winner that it also comes in the ALIGN line and you can even include your favorite team colors to brighten up your clubs.
Sizes: Standard
+ Soft, tacky feel provides strong hold
+ Unique look
- Only one size option
The X1s come to us from a start-up company based in Florence, Italy. Led by the family business’ young founder, Alessandro Guazzini, the grips were painstakingly developed, with dozens of versions before the final product was unveiled recently. They call it “Pure Feel Technology,” which was arrived upon after years of research.
Designed to provide soft feel, shock absorption, torsion resistance and tackiness, we really felt that the tackiness factor was the standout as, in testing, the grip just seemed to bond with our hand, providing a very secure feeling throughout the swing and at impact. Although they are slightly more expensive than other models on this list, we could tell that time and effort has been put in to make these grips the best they can be.
Sizes: Standard, Midsize, Oversize
+ Soft and comfortable
+ Excellent absorption
- Grip lines seem purely cosmetic
Winn is the first manufacturer to bring premium polymer golf grips to the market and they are specialists in fishing rods, tennis and bicycle grips. The grips are tackier than traditional rubber and they’re also comfortable, so a day of 36 holes (or maybe even a lot of hitting balls) will put less strain on your hands.
This is their most popular grip and it comes in five excellent colorways, including red, blue, pink, navy and gray colorways that look fantastic.
Sizes: Standard, Midsize
+ Engineered rubber for softness and tackiness
+ Good color choice
- More sizes are needed for such a simple-looking design
This is brilliant value and is the grip of choice for Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia and Jason Dufner. The beauty of this grip is that it provides just the right amount of softness and tack and, with the cross-traction technology, it means that it will stick work perfectly when the heavens open.
It comes in standard and midsize and there are four color options, including green, black, blue and red.
Sizes: Standard
+ Soft but tacky feel
+ Good for golfers who don't wear a glove
- Limited color choices
The Calibrate is a pronounced reminder strip to promote better hand placement, clubface awareness, feel, and results. Essentially, rather than a round grip, there is a strip on the underside of the grip that it puts the hands in the right place. It also has Fingerprint Technology, which enhances traction and feel, and encourages a lighter grip pressure. If you don't like playing with a glove, this grip will be good for you. The last bit of innovation is Lamkin's Genesis Material, which is a hybrid compound that delivers durable performance in all conditions.
Sizes: Standard
+ Iconic look and feel
+ Relatively good value
- Only one color available
This is a particularly popular grip, is another great value offering and has every size imaginable. They have the distinctive densely-spaced surface pattern which is great for stability and traction and has more of a firmer and less tacky feel. We think this is particularly useful with the big stick which is why we also included this model in our best golf grips for drivers guide.
The highlight from these grips are that they will last forever.
Sizes: Standard, Midsize
+ Grip in all weather conditions
+ Great quality at great value
- No Jumbo size
Taking inspiration from some of the best grips in the game, Carver's grips deliver maximum performance and comfort for players. These grips are tacky and provide an excellent feel on the club allowing you to play your best golf.
Thanks also to the non-slip grip technology that has been incorporated in the grip, the Carver grips are also excellent for wet weather conditions or for players who get sweaty hands.
Sizes: Standard, Midsize
+ Aids hand alignment
+ Non-slip texture
- Bland design compared to others
ALIGN technology features a dedicated raised ridge which encourages more consistent hand placement and better clubface awareness so the days of shifting your hands around and wondering if you’re too weak or strong will be over.
It also has the most up-to-date rubber blend and non-slip surface pattern to get rid of any unwanted moisture. Comes in standard and midsize. The ALIGN technology comes in the big four Golf Pride lines; MCC Plus4, MCC, ZGrip and the Tour Velvet.
Putter Grips
Sizes: Tour, Pistol 1.0, Pistol 2.0
+ Nice, tacky feel in the hands
+ Comfortable shaping
+ Can be counterweighted
- Not overly different to the Traxion Tour
Replacing the popular Traxion grip line, the Zenergy is the newest line of grips from Superstroke and offers a super tacky outer layer for extreme grip and a firm rubber inner core for additional stability. It's tailored for all kinds of skill levels and aims to help quiet your hands during a stroke for better accuracy and responsive performance.
One thing we really enjoyed on these grips is how the texture varies throughout, to help optimize feedback and comfort. That gives more confidence that the grip will stay secure in your hands.
Sizes: Slim, Svelte, Standard, Big, Fat Boy
+ Designed to help square the putter at impact
+ Model often used on Tour
- Takes a bit of time to get used to it
This is the original in the range and you’ll recognize it from being in the hands of Justin Rose whose putting has been on a real upward curve in recent years and it’s helped him to reach the heady heights of World No. 1. The premise is that the sides run parallel to each other and feature a flat front and the polyurethane compound gives you a soft, comfortable feel.
If you like a larger grip then have a look at the Fat and Bog Boy sizes or, on the other end of the scale, is the Slightly and Svelte sizes. In the middle comes the Standard. It’s all about keeping the putter square and your wrists and hands quiet through the stroke.
Sizes: Standard
+ Classic, simple design
+ Tiger Woods approved
- Not as stable as other grips
Look familiar? This of course is the legendary putter grip used by Tiger Woods and it’s been a factor behind all those big tournament-winning moments, think Torrey Pines in 2008, but it’s been around since the 1970s. Need we say why as to why it's on this list of the best golf grips?
This is proper old school with less attention on thickness and stability but more on feel and maybe those looking for the sound of a good putt. If you’ve got a Newport 2 then you might want to go full Tiger and slip this on.
How we test golf equipment
We test golf gear with an ethos built upon several key ideals. To start, the products get thorough extensive testing from good club golfers because we believe that's more useful than the opinions of PGA pros or robots.
Our review process consists of us using each product over several rounds and in different conditions to ascertain how each product performs in wet, dry, hot or cold conditions. By using the products in this manner we are able to provide reliable advice and feedback to you on how they perform. In terms of grips, that means using them for practice, range sessions and proper rounds to gauge performance, durability, feel and so on. We would also attempt to use these grips in different conditions to see performance as well. Finally, manufacturers can't pay for a good review – we tell it how we see it.
How to choose the best golf grip
Golf grips come in a wide variety of different shapes and sizes. Modern grips boast a ton of technology that can help improve your grip and feel on the club, allowing you to make a better connection with the golf ball. So how do you know which golf club grip is right for you? Well, there are several things you need to keep in mind when buying a new set of grips to make sure you get the right product for your needs. For that reason, we've set out a list of key considerations that you need to bear in mind when purchasing your next set of golf grips.
1. Size
First things first, you need to have an idea of how big your hands are and do some research on what the ideal corresponding grip size would be. Additionally, lots of grips come in different shapes ,too, so get your hands on some different models and see how they feel, especially with some of the newer and more unique putter grips out there.
2. Feel
Feel is arguably the most important factor when it comes to grips because your hands will be touching the grip throughout the golf swing. Therefore think about what you like your grips to feel like. Do you like the feel of corded grips or perhaps you want a softer feeling model, a more velvet kind of touch on your hands? Or, do you want the best of both of those worlds? Getting your hands on some grips to see how they feel is the best way of deciphering which model to go for and which will be the best model for your hands. You can do that by heading down to your local pro shop, where you'll be able to hold and sample a variety of different club grips.
3. Moisture management
Linking with the above point, be aware of how different some grips are and how they deal with sweat and wet weather. This is because some models, like the Golf Pride MCC for example, cope with water very well because they've been designed to, whereas some other models haven't. Also, it is worth considering how often you play in the rain because if you live in the USA and never play in the rain, there is no need to be concerned with this factor.
4. Color
As we have shown above there are loads of different colors of grips these days so it is simply a case of picking a model you like the look of. For example, if you want to show your team support there is the NCAA College Putter grip or maybe you want a Golf Pride MCC in different colors instead.
5. Budget
Finally, grips can be expensive so we would recommend being aware of how much you want to spend here. We would always suggest investing a bit more on a grip that is durable and will last a long time rather than going for a cheaper option and having to re-grip the clubs again sooner than you should have to.
While it is wise to think about replacing your golf club grips as they start to get worn out, you should also think about replacing your clubs too as they get older. For that reason, take a look at our guides on the best golf irons, the best golf drivers and the best golf putters.
FAQs
Why are golf grips important?
Arguably, the golf grip is one of the most important parts of the set up, as it's the only part of the club which is in contact with your hands. Therefore, having the most amount of grip available is crucial, due to the fact you don't want to be worrying about it slipping out the hand when you are swinging.
How do you fit golf grips?
There are multiple ways to fit a golf grip but, personally, we would recommend seeing your local professional who will likely have all of the regripping equipment. Obviously, you could purchase a kit of Amazon, but regripping a club can be a difficult process.
How do you known when golf grips are worn?
The most obvious sign of worn grips is a slick, glossy feel and appearance. You may also notice that your grips feel firmer than they should be, with the complexion and look of the worn grip looking considerably different to a fresher portion.
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