Research confirms old grips are costing you distance

Golfers are obsessed with what’s at the bottom of their clubs, but what about the grips at the top?

It’s something that often gets overlooked, but new research from Golf Pride looks to have confirmed that a fresh grip will help you hit the ball faster and further.

The study put a group of golfers between the ages of 24 and 40, all with handicaps of less than five, to the test.

Those players used an identical Titleist iron, but with three different grips. One grip was brand new, another was placed in an accelerated weather tester for eight hours and another was placed in the same accelerated weather tester for 24 hours.

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Using a TrackMan 4 launch monitor, players hit ten shots with each grip and the results were pretty clear.

Players found that while using the brand new grip, their average ball speed increased by 1.3mph (average 121.6mph) and their average carry length increased by 2.3 yards (average 168.6 yards), compared to the worn grips.

As well as that, 82% of the players found that the new grip felt ‘secure to very secure’ in their hands, while that number dropped to 24% for non-new grips.

Speaking in a recent issue of bunkered, Scott Clelland, the Tour Support Technician for Wilson Staff, commented on how important having the correct, up-to-date grip is for your game:

“Think of grips like tyres on your car,” he explained.

“Manufacturers make them wide enough, chunky enough, sticky enough to handle the road conditions along with the weight of the car and the style of the driver. Golf clubs follow similar traits.

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“We all have different hands when we look at the length of our fingers, size of our palms, the amount of pressure and strength we can apply to the grip, we might have arthritis and can’t hold it the way we did five years ago.

“In the same way car tyres wear out, your grips do too. Have them checked annually for condition in the same way an MOT tester will advise you. Don’t let them get to the stage where you struggle in poor weather and your hands hurt.”

Greg Cavill, Global Project Engineering Manager for Eaton Corporation, and his team, conducted this study.

He said: “The results of this detailed test clearly demonstrate that there are tangible and defined benefits to re-gripping.

“We’ve proven within this study that new grips can offer 2.3 yards of additional carry, increased ball speeds, and, importantly, greater confidence with the club in the hands.

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“We’re excited to continue exploring the benefits of re-gripping, and further understanding how the connection between the hands and the grip can have an impact on performance.”

So, there you have it, conclusive proof that not replacing your grips is costing you yards on the golf course.

If you’re not sure on whether to get them changed, or checked, there’s no better time to do it.

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor