We had a customer in the shop last week who had purchased an off the rack set of clubs with stock grips that had worn out and she was now looking to have a new set installed. When we started to discuss new grip options including material, texture & size her eyes started to glaze over. "What size should I get" she asked? Great question! The answer is - it depends.
Most manufacturers make grips in various sizes from "Junior" to "Oversize/Jumbo", but how do you determine which size would be right for you?
The standard school of thought is that a grip that is too small can lead to too much grip tension and/or can cause an over active wrist action leading to pulling the ball to the left. A grip that is too large can make it difficult to turn the wrists over which can lead to pushing the ball to the right. While those are great starting points, what if you have arthritis or difficulty holding a standard size grip? Then those rules go out the window and comfort becomes a key factor in determining grip size.
Here is how your hold on the club changes with each size of golf grip. Notice how the gap changes from where the fingertips touch the palm as the grip size increases. The more gap you have, the less control you will have on the club.
There are a number of standard metrics available to help you select the proper size golf grips. Measuring your hand from the base of the palm to the end of your middle finger is one way to assist you in selecting the correct grip size.
Since most people know what golf glove size they use an easier measurement method is to use your golf glove size to determine which size grip might be right for you.
So what did we do for our customer? After letting her try out a number of different grips we started by installing 2 Lamkin Undersize Sonar grips on her driver and sand wedge. She is going to play a few rounds with them and see how they perform and then come back and regrip the rest of her clubs with the Sonars or test drive something completely different.
Before committing to purchasing a full set of grips you've never put in play on the golf course, get to a local fitter or regripper and try them out first. Once you've had and opportunity to try them out on the course then invest in a full set. Don't get stuck with grips that aren't comfortable or performing well for the entire golf season.