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The last few times I have played or even hit balls my hands have felt tired and sore,went to the back yard to hit some wedges and noticed after hitting some balls that the club was moving from my heel pad at the start to the thumb pad or high in the palm after hitting the ball, had some lady grips of my wife clubs and put one on my wedge and hit a few more ball and the club stayed under the hill pad and the hands felt good and shots were solid and no steep move into the ball.Has someone used a smaller grip and found that it helps their grip and how small can you go with a grip?

Has someone used a smaller grip and found that it helps their grip and how small can you go with a grip?

Tony Brown,

The grips that Ben Hogan and others of his era used, didnt have the bulbous grip end/cap of today.

After Lane Holt ( 6 ft+) said some of his grips were ladies size; I took a rasp/coarse file, to my mens grip ends/cap. My grips now have less taper at end and I can wrap my left pinkie around more easily. I wear a medium golf glove.

Control with left pinkie is the only way once you understand it; particularly effective on pitches and chip shots.
Its so much easier to keep rhythm and control on finesse shots.

tony have a look at macro golf web site, they have small grips that taper in at the top, i tried to order some for my self but it keeps rejecting my order for some reason. i too have trouble with golf pride grips and alot of my friends have the same problem, the grips are to wide at the top you just cant get comfortable with the club. play well

I tried some .620(I think this is the inside diameter) sized grips on what I believed to be a standard shaft.
This was a very skinny or small grip. I was never knocked in the head with them but maybe I didn't give them enough of a chance either. I don't believe the claim that a smaller diameter grip will promote a draw and an oversized grip will promote a fade.

I did buy some oversized grips earlier this year. I put them on 2 clubs and playing with them for several months I have decided they are not for me. They make it difficult to maintain a good hold with my top hand's pinkie.
So I am tempted to try as Darryl has suggested with one club with a regular sized grip. I did wonder if this would be non-conforming but from what I understand reading the below link it is OK.
USGA/grip

I may be incorrect but I believe somewhere(maybe his book) that George Knudson preferred smallish grips.
Something about he liked to feel the steel under the grip.

Another reverse taper grip_ Buster grips
I haven't tried these but I'd like to.

I did wonder if this would be non-conforming but from what I understand reading the below link it is OK.
USGA/grip

Don,
thanks for checking re USGA. I wondered about that also.

I think we simply have to maintain round form.

Appears my putter grip on an old, TPM may be non conforming. its flat along length, except round at the top end. Damn, I really like that grip.

Darryl,

I wear a size 15 ring , but I play with very small diameter grips. The large diameter grip*** theory *** assumed that you would not roll your hands over as much with a thick diameter grip, therefore not hooking as much. Unfortunately for me I never questioned the theory. I just believed it when some expert said it.
I never questioned much of what I read about the swing. I didn't stop to think that the hands can roll over just as much with a thick grip as with a thin one. Try it for yourself ! I was always taught that the hands were used to hit the ball- to square the clubface. Nothing could be further from the truth !

Lane

I didn't stop to think that the hands can roll over just as much with a thick grip as with a thin one. Try it for yourself ! I was always taught that the hands were used to hit the ball- to square the clubface. Nothing could be further from the truth !

Lane,

A good young golfer and his Dad were at the range this week.

His Dad was imploring him to 'roll ' his forearms.... to release the club.

Hard to listen too.

RE old vs new grips

Measured the butt cap on my Hogan apex irons. Diameter is 1 inch.or less.
Butt cap diameter of new Lamkin grip performance plus is 1.125 inches.

Doesnt sound much, but difference in circumference is 3.14 vs 3.53 inches.
Almost 1/2 inch more to wrap pinkie around.

darryl wrote: Appears my putter grip on an old, TPM may be non conforming. its flat along length, except round at the top end. Damn, I really like that grip.

The way I read the rule book if the round portion of that grip is less then one inch its OK. Greater then one inch it is non-conforming.

In an old Ping commercial Bubba Watson says he has ten wraps of tape on the shaft under his lower hand.
Interesting but I would only try that or any other new grip with one club before doing a whole set.

Appears my putter grip on an old, TPM may be non conforming. its flat along length, except round at the top end. Damn, I really like that grip.

The way I read the rule book if the round portion of that grip is less then one inch its OK. Greater then one inch it is non-conforming.

Don,
Good point. I'll get out my file and extend the flat area if I have to.
Actually not too worried about the USGA coming after me.

its bound to happen but lets hope not too many try to emulate Bubbas swing, with lower hand controlling/hitting, overpowering the left. We will all have to wear hard hats.

Just ordered 1 of those buster grips Don, $6.99 for one plus $12.95 shipping to Ireland, i hate when they do that with the shipping especially when the product is so light, but i am willing to try it to have a more comfortable grip.

@Pete
Be interested to know how it goes with that grip.



I found the above pic interesting. The top one is supposedly of a Hogan MacGregor one iron grip.
Bottom is typical grip. Begs the question of why.
Source: Hogan one iron pic
www.greenjacketauctions.com/site/bid/bid....asp?itemid=8261#pic

Source: Hogan one iron pic
www.greenjacketauctions.com/site/bid/bid....asp?itemid=8261#pic

Don,

Interesting auction for Hogans 1 iron. $9,000 and change for an old 1 iron.

I put my $5.00 angle gauge up against the pic and came up with 58 degree lie angle. Doesnt seem so flat, even if it had loft and length of today's 2 iron..

Needing some new grips so I'm going to try these no taper ones out.
Be a week or so but I'll give my opinion after giving them a go.
www.golfworks.com/search.asp?ss=G1NTM&x=17&y=11

Found this interesting about graduated lie angles through the set.
-Fats from GolfWRX: He(Hogan) also had long arms...irons so darned flat and flared open that hitting it left was nearly impossible and grips built up in the right hand. When you look at the previous sentence things get much less complicated. BTW...his long irons were flat but nowhere near the flatness of his short irons...a graduated flatness from long to short...very hard to pull an exaggerated flat short iron ... My irons are set up along the same lines...Bolt taught me that trick...the flaring is also important...makes it easy to aim a hair left and slightly hold going through and get a 3 to 5 foot fade.

I'm so wanting to flatten the lie on a old six iron blade but not having any luck. I saw a Yotube vid where the Ping tour van flattens lies by putting the club in a special vise and hitting the heck out of the toe with a rawhide mallet. My vise just aint stout enough.

Don I have a friend that uses theses same grips in the large size but he is a hitter of the softball and has a softball swing,let us know the size you use.

Tony,

Gerry Hogan recommends a very small grip. After all , the only thing that matters is that the hands need to control the grip end / handle of the shaft / lever. Do you want a grip so MUSHY and thick grip that the hands cannot feel the shaft ? The size of the grip has absolutely nothing to do with the flight of the ball. The hands DO NOT roll over / turn down to square the clubface !
If you want to prove this to yourself-- can the hands/ wrist/ arms roll over clockwise or counterclockwise just as much with a thick grip as it can with a thin grip? Gerry Hogan has taught me to question all these theories that I believed for many years . This was just one of many !
Good luck !

Lane

Lane ,i believe the current theory about grip size is whatever is comfortable,they no longer believe bigger grips to slow anything down

I wear a XXL glove and play with standard size grips. It is all about control and feel.
Try writing you name with a pen that is standard size and then one that has an extremely thick barrel. Which is more legible?

I'm so wanting to flatten the lie on a old six iron blade but not having any luck. I saw a Yotube vid where the Ping tour van flattens lies by putting the club in a special vise and hitting the heck out of the toe with a rawhide mallet. My vise just aint stout enough.

Don,

I bend my clubs with shafts installed. I dont use a vice. I hold the grip end of the shaft and leverage. Because it isnt held rigid , I can feel when I am putting too much pressure. Famous last words I'm sure, but worked for me.

A little pressure more times, I find is better than trying to bend it the full amount at one pull.
(by the way, my irons are cast high nickel stainless, not soft carbon steel)

I/ve used the same method to bend my woods the same 4 degrees flat.

Just like the golf swing... leverage and pull.

@darryl
I can be a little dense. Do you use a bending bar?
Regards

Don,
Did I ever tell you about my left pinkie?

Just kidding yes , grip end of shaft in left hand and bending bar in the other.

Did I ever tell you about my left pinkie?

LMAO

Thanks for the info Darryl.

Don,
good that your trying it out on an old club.

Once you get the hang of it , you will be able to adjust your clubs any time.

I probably find one or two clubs need adjustment at least once a month.
(hit about 300 balls a week)

Have fun!

Well-- their you go. Whatever you want ?

Lane

FYI,

The metal in the hosel of some iron shafts is very hard to bend. You can move Pings a few degrees. Most clubfitters know the ones that can' t be bent without breaking.

Lane

darryl tateishi wrote:


First time that I witnessed someone adjusting a club with a rawhide hammer it totally freaked me out. There is this guy wailing on my beloved '73 Hogan Apex irons while they sat hopelessly still in the grip of a mammoth vice. After he finished with the Hogans, he then started beating the snot out of my brand new set of First Flight Standards ... quite tramatic for a young man who had his entire net worth tied up in those golf clubs.

Actually they were in very good hands ... those of a gentleman named Howard Delaney.

mh