You can feel it in your backswing. That little moment when everything either clicks… or doesn’t.
You can feel it at impact. When the club stays quiet in your hands and the ball leaves the face exactly how you pictured it.
And if you’ve played this game long enough, you’ve definitely felt the opposite: hands slipping, tension creeping in, swings going sideways for no reason at all.
Maybe your swing isn’t falling apart. Maybe it’s your grips letting you down.
And chances are, it’s not something you’ve spent much time thinking about. But ask any Tour rep, master fitter or serious player, and they’ll tell you grips are the “secret sauce” for better ball striking most golfers never pay attention to.
Your grip isn’t just about feel, it’s about function
Let’s kill the idea that grip selection is about comfort alone. That’s like picking a putter based only on color.
Grips affect release patterns, grip pressure, hand speed, and overall control. Play the wrong grip, and your swing starts making subtle compensations, such as gripping tighter, releasing differently, losing consistency…without you even realizing it. Too slick? You squeeze harder. Too soft? You lose feedback. Wrong taper? The club turns in your hands.
A well-fit grip, built around the way you swing, quietly fixes a lot of those issues. And the right grip doesn’t just feel better. It helps you swing with freedom and repeatability.
Size isn’t just a hand measurement
One of the biggest myths in golf is that your grip size should match your glove size. Wear a large glove? Go midsize. Small glove? Stick to standard.
It’s not wrong… but it’s not absolute, either.
Grip size is as much about swing mechanics as hand measurements. A player with large hands might prefer a smaller grip to promote a faster release. Another player might choose jumbo grips to quiet down twitchy hands and minimize face rotation.
It’s personal. It’s about feel. And with grip technology in 2025, you’ve got the freedom to dial it in with precision. From standard to midsize to jumbo, and everything in between with a few wraps of tape, you’re not stuck choosing from a chart. You’re choosing based on performance.
That’s why Tour players mix and match. Midsize on the driver, standard on the irons, jumbo on the wedges; there’s no one-size-fits-all when you’re chasing feel.
Feel is a fitting variable, too
There’s a reason fitters obsess over swing weight, shaft flex, launch angles…and yes, grips. The grip is your control panel. It’s the first thing your brain responds to in the swing. It sets the tone for tension, tempo, and even intent.
Here are a few options from Golf Pride that give players the right tools to unlock better golf.
– Tour Velvet is the classic — used by more Tour players than any other grip. Balanced, no-nonsense, and ultra-reliable.
Golf Pride Tour Velvet
The Golf Pride Tour Velvet is the most popular grip in golf today and is the number one choice of Tour players. The Tour Velvet combines an exclusive, state-of-the-art rubber-blend compound with a computer-designed non-slip surface pattern for maximum playability and comfort. This grip is ideal for all conditions.
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– MCC is the hybrid hero: corded upper hand, softer lower hand, perfect for players who want feel and control.
Golf Pride MCC Grip
The MCC™ (New Decade® MultiCompound) is an innovative hybrid grip that fuses the positive performance of rubber and cord. The MCC boasts the Golf Pride® exclusive Brushed Cotton Cord in the upper hand area for firm all-weather control, and a performance rubber material in the lower hand for ultimate feel and responsiveness.
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– ZGRIP Cord is for those who want the firmest, most aggressive texture. It shines in heat and humidity.
Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
The Golf Pride Z-Grip™ Cord golf grip has an extremely firm feel. The Z-Grip™ features the “Z” shaped textured pattern and the heavy cord to provide the ultimate in moisture management and feedback.
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– CPX and CP2 Pro or CP2 Wrap bring softness and shock absorption to the table — ideal for those with hand pain or high grip tension.
Golf Pride CPX Standard
This is Golf Pride’s softest performance grip yet. The uniquely developed EXO Diamond-Quilted pattern offers added comfort to your hands so your mind can be at ease.
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– Plus4 gives you a built-in “extra wrap” feel in the lower hand, reducing tension and smoothing out the transition.
Golf Pride MCC Plus4 Grip
The MCC Plus4™ is a tour-proven, hybrid golf grip featuring a larger lower hand and new softer rubber material. The MCC Plus4 simulates 4 additional wraps of tape on the lower hand to encourages lighter grip pressure, reduced tension, and increased power.
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These aren’t just textures. They’re performance profiles.
Finding your Golf Pride fit
If all this has you wondering where to start, good… you’re thinking about your grips the right way now.
Start by trying different sizes. Standard, midsize, jumbo; they all feel dramatically different in your hands. And it doesn’t stop there. Add a couple wraps of tape, and suddenly a grip you thought was too soft now feels firm and responsive. Golf Pride’s designs are built to adapt, and small changes go a long way.
Think about how your hands behave during the swing. Do you feel like you’re squeezing too tight? Do your hands get jumpy at the top? Are you blowing through gloves faster than usual? Those are signs your current grip isn’t giving you the feedback or security you need.
Material matters, too. If you play in humid summer heat or sweat a lot, you might benefit from corded grips like the ZGRIP or MCC. If you play in cooler temps, or just prefer less aggressive texture, the Tour Velvet or CPX will feel better in your hands.
Some fitters will even let you hit shots on a launch monitor with different grip builds. You’d be surprised how much your dispersion can tighten up or how your face strike location can improve, just by changing the grip.
And if you’re not ready to regrip your whole set just yet, start with the clubs you use most: your driver, 7-iron, and your go-to wedge. You’ll notice the difference faster than you think.
Last thing; change them before they go bad. Grips wear down slowly. You don’t notice it until you do. Once a year is smart. Twice a year if you play a lot or live somewhere hot.
The Tour secret that shouldn’t be a secret
Walk down any practice tee at a Tour event, and you’ll hear the same conversation in different forms: swing tweaks, yardage gaps, and yes, grip setups.
Why? Because at that level, every variable matters. And when you’re trying to control face angle within fractions of a degree, the grip you choose isn’t just important, it’s foundational.
If Tour players obsess over it, maybe the rest of us should, too.
Don’t just grab what’s on the shelf
Golfers love to tinker with everything from lie angles to launch metrics. But too many still treat grips like a commodity… something that comes on the club and only gets swapped out when it’s getting slick or falling apart in their hands.
Let’s change that.
Your grip isn’t an accessory. It’s your interface with the golf swing. It’s your feedback loop. It’s where confidence starts.
And if you haven’t thought much about it until now, you’re not behind — you’re right on time.
There’s a better feel waiting for you. More control. More consistency. And yeah, probably a few more fairways.
You just have to put the right grip in your hands.
Ready to overhaul your bag? Book a fitting at True Spec Golf.
Kris McCormack
Golf.com Contributor
Building on a career that has spanned more than 20 years in the golf industry, McCormack has spent the last six years of his career serving as the Vice President of Tour and Education for True Spec Golf. During that time, he curated the training program for the True Spec fitting staff and pushed for more continuing education curriculum. As well as managing their Tour department and building relationships with a multitude of OEM partners. Prior to joining the True Spec team, McCormack worked with several of the industry-leading manufacturers as a Master level Fitting Professional. In addition to being an instructor and partnering with the Golf Channel Academy as a lead instructor and brand-agnostic Fitting Professional. He has also worked with R&D teams to assist in product design, testing, and development for a variety of gear releases. He is a golf enthusiast and lives in the gear space!
