Remove James Hart du Preez from the discussion and Tony Finau is quite possibly the tallest player on the PGA Tour. At 6’4″, the lanky three-time winner can dunk flat-footed and easily palm a basketball with his massive mitts. For most players on Tour who boast above average hands, midsize or oversized grips are the prudent choice.
There’s a noticeable performance benefit to using a grip that’s slightly larger in Finau’s case. If he were to use a standard grip, it would force the smaller muscles of the hand and fingers to work harder, causing an overactive motion through the ball. In other words, a smaller grip could make Finau handsy and cause the clubhead to release too quickly. Going larger can have the opposite effect by discouraging hand rotation and shutting the face on the downswing.
But enough about the science behind grip diameter — let’s get back to Finau’s grips. From afar, Finau’s handles don’t look all that different from a standard midsize, until you take a closer look. That’s when you’re greeted with arguably the biggest grips on the PGA Tour. And that’s saying something when you consider Bubba Watson crams 12 wraps of tape under the bottom half and 10 under the top of his Ping 703 Gold grips.
Finau actually has him beat. During a recent conversation with Finau about his gear, he revealed there’s 13 wraps under the bottom and 12 wraps under the top — an astounding number that makes his build one-of-a-kind. According to Ping, it takes at least one hour to regrip Finau’s clubs from scratch, assuming two Tour reps are on the job. (It’s less time if the tape wraps can be salvaged.)
Similar to Watson’s grips, Finau likes the firmer feel the wraps provide underneath the stretched rubber, as opposed to going to a larger grip that might have a comparable size but softer feel. Of course, there’s something most midsize options can’t replicate: the constant taper found throughout each of Finau’s grips.
As opposed to the grip descending in width as it approaches the shaft, Finau’s grips remain the same width from butt cap to the steel. There’s a valuable purpose behind the additional wraps.
“This is the size I like it and it fits my hands perfectly,” Finau said. “I’ve just always liked having a consistent thickness throughout. I don’t like to feel as if my right hand is coming off the club when I release it. I just want the same feel from one club to the next.”
Bottom line, feel is a top priority for most professional golfers, including Finau. If the club grip doesn’t feel right in their hands, something must be done to rectify the problem.
In Finau’s case, having a grip with a consistent feel allows him to go after it and release the club without hesitation.
