Grips are the most neglected piece of golf equipment. Golfers will spend hours researching a new driver, agonize over ball selection, and then play with grips that are slick, hard, and worn smooth from two years of use. Worn grips force you to grip the club tighter, which creates tension in your hands, wrists, and forearms. That tension ruins your tempo, reduces clubhead speed, and makes it harder to release the club properly.
Fresh grips are the cheapest, most impactful equipment upgrade in golf.
Here are the best options and how to know when yours need replacing.
02 · When to Replace Your GripsWhen to Replace Your Grips
The general rule is every 40 to 60 rounds or once a year, whichever comes first. If you play two or three times a week, you might need new grips every six months. If you play once a week, once a year is usually sufficient.
But rounds played is only part of the equation. Heat, humidity, sunlight, and the oils from your hands all degrade grip rubber over time.
A set of clubs that sits in a hot car trunk all summer can have their grips degrade faster than clubs that are stored indoors.
Here is how to tell if your grips need replacing:
- Visual wear: Smooth, shiny spots where your thumbs and fingers sit. The texture that was there when the grips were new has worn away.
- Hardness: Squeeze the grip.
Fresh rubber is slightly soft and tacky. Old rubber feels hard and slick. If the grip feels like squeezing a plastic pipe, it is past due.
- Grip pressure: If you notice yourself squeezing harder than you used to during your swing, your grips may be slipping, which causes you to compensate with tighter grip pressure unconsciously.
- Performance in wet conditions: Old grips lose their ability to maintain traction when wet.
If your clubs feel like they are going to fly out of your hands after a rain delay or when your hands sweat, the grips are done.
03 · Best All-Around Grip: Golf Pride Tour VelvetBest All-Around Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
The Tour Velvet is the most played grip on professional tours and the default grip that comes on many new clubs from major manufacturers. There is a reason it is everywhere: it works for virtually every golfer in virtually every condition.
The rubber compound is soft enough to be comfortable but firm enough to be durable. The surface pattern provides consistent traction without being abrasive on bare hands. It performs well in dry conditions and reasonably well when wet (though dedicated wet-weather grips do better in rain).
At around $5 to $7 per grip, regripping a full set of 13 clubs costs $65 to $90 plus installation (or free if you do it yourself).
The Tour Velvet is the safe, reliable choice that almost no one regrets.
04 · Best for Wet Conditions: Golf Pride MCC (Multi-Compound)Best for Wet Conditions: Golf Pride MCC (Multi-Compound)
The MCC combines a cord upper section (where your lead hand grips) with a rubber lower section (where your trailing hand sits). The cord provides exceptional traction in wet and humid conditions, while the rubber lower half is softer and more comfortable for the hand that grips with less pressure.
If you play in a region with regular rain, morning dew, or high humidity, the MCC is the grip to choose.
The cord section channels moisture away and maintains grip even when your hands are soaked. Tour players who compete in variable weather conditions frequently use MCC or similar multi-compound grips.
The tradeoff is that cord is more abrasive than pure rubber. If you play without a glove or have sensitive hands, the cord section may feel rough. Most golfers adjust within a few rounds. Price is around $7 to $9 per grip.
05 · Best Soft Feel: Golf Pride CP2 WrapBest Soft Feel: Golf Pride CP2 Wrap
The CP2 Wrap uses a softer rubber compound and a wrap-style design that mimics the feel of leather grips without the maintenance.
It is the most comfortable grip on this list and the best choice for golfers with arthritis, joint pain, or anyone who simply prefers a softer feel in their hands.
The softer compound encourages lighter grip pressure, which can improve tempo and release for golfers who tend to squeeze too tight. The wrap texture is smooth but still provides adequate traction in dry conditions. Wet performance is below average compared to cord or firmer rubber grips.
Durability is slightly lower than firmer grips because the soft rubber wears faster. Expect to regrip every 30 to 40 rounds rather than 50 to 60. At around $6 to $8 per grip, the extra replacement frequency is a minor cost for the comfort benefit.
06 · Best Budget: Champkey MCS Golf GripsBest Budget: Champkey MCS Golf Grips
Champkey grips are the best value in the aftermarket grip space.
Their MCS model is a multi-compound design similar to the Golf Pride MCC but at roughly half the price (around $3 to $4 per grip). The cord upper and rubber lower construction provides good wet-weather performance, and the feel is respectable for the price.
Are they as good as the Golf Pride models? No. The rubber compound is slightly firmer, the cord is a bit less refined, and durability is a notch below.
But for a golfer regripping on a budget, a full set of Champkey grips costs $40 to $50 versus $90 to $120 for premium grips. That is fresh grips twice a year for the price of one premium regrip.
07 · Best for Oversize Hands: SuperStroke S-TechBest for Oversize Hands: SuperStroke S-Tech
SuperStroke is best known for their putter grips, but their iron grips are excellent, especially for golfers who prefer a larger diameter.
The S-Tech comes in standard and midsize, with the midsize adding about 1/16 inch to the diameter.
Larger grips can benefit golfers with bigger hands (obviously), but they also help golfers who fight a hook. A larger grip reduces wrist action through impact, which can tame an overactive release. The material is soft and tacky with a cross-traction pattern that performs well in all conditions.
At around $6 to $8 per grip, the S-Tech is competitively priced with the Golf Pride options and offers something different enough to be worth trying if standard-size grips have never felt quite right.
08 · DIY Regripping vs. Pro ShopDIY Regripping vs. Pro Shop
Regripping your own clubs is straightforward and saves $2 to $4 per club in labor. You need grip tape, grip solvent, a utility knife (to remove old grips), and a vise with a rubber clamp to hold the club. The process takes about 5 minutes per club once you have done it a couple of times.
Plenty of YouTube tutorials walk through the process step by step. The most common mistake is not applying enough solvent, which makes it hard to slide the new grip on before the tape gets tacky. Use more solvent than you think you need.
If you would rather not deal with it, any pro shop or golf retailer will regrip your clubs. Labor runs $2 to $4 per club, and most shops can turn it around in a day. Some offer free installation if you buy the grips from them.
Either way, fresh grips at the start of each season should be as automatic as charging your rangefinder. It is the easiest way to maintain feel, confidence, and consistency in your equipment.
