When a rubber golf grip starts to wear out from overuse, it often gets slick and slippery, and it can negatively impact your performance. How can you swing confidently when you can’t hold onto the club properly? While switching out grips often can help avoid those issues, the problem for many is that changing golf grips is a bit of an annoyance. Unless you’re able to change out the grips for yourself, which requires hook blades, vices, tape and solvents, a clubfitter will typically charge around $2-to-$3 to re-grip each club. Also, there’s a waiting period for the club builder to execute the grip changes, and then additional time to let the grips dry. It’s far from a seamless process.
Golf Pride’s new Concept Helix grips use an entirely new system that rethinks the way rubber slip-on grips have been re-gripped for nearly 70 years. Now, golfers will be able to change these grips out by themselves.
“Golf Pride gained momentum in 1953 when its founder pioneered the first ever rubber slip-on grips, fundamentally changing the way golfers could optimize their equipment performance,” said Brandon Sowell, global director of sales and marketing for Golf Pride, in a press release. “New technologies in grip construction and materials have further advanced grip performance, and now Golf Pride aims to provide a new, easier way to install fresh grips on golf clubs. We continue to explore new technologies that benefit golfers, both on and off the course. Concept Helix, in this regard, is this next step in exploration of best practices for grip installation.”
Below is how the 3-step, friction and torque-based installation system works, according to Golf Pride.
Step 1
Insert the Golf Pride “horn” device into the open end of the grip and slip the grip onto the shaft.
Step 2
Once the grip is on the shaft, insert the other side of the horn device into the base-locking mechanism on the end of the grip.
Step 3
Twist the mechanism until the grip locks into place; at this point, the club is ready for the course.
As for the grip design itself, Golf Pride said in a press release that the Concept Helix grips use a “proprietary formula grip with a unique texture pattern and comfortable feel, similar to that of the popular Tour Velvet.”
The new Concept Helix grips will sell for $9.99 in a standard 60 Round size; they weigh 66 grams, which is about 15 grams heavier than the company’s Tour Velvet grips. Golf Pride says the grips won’t be compatible with shafts that have internal diameters of 0.48 inches or less, and any extra tape underneath the grips needs to be removed before installing the grips. Also, you cannot install smart grip technology, such as Arccos, on a Concept Helix grip.
“We are excited to get Concept Helix into the hands of consumers, get their feedback, and continue the extensive R&D process as we look for new solutions to lower the barriers to re-gripping,” said Sowell.
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