Equipment

Luxury and Function, the World of Best Grips

Published

8 years ago

Mar 31, 2016

It is hard to dispute that leather is, in many ways, the definition of luxury. But in golf, where leather head covers are in vogue these days due to a fairly recent renaissance, and leather grips continue inch their way back into the mainstream, it has been somewhat forgotten. As technology continues to affect almost every wrinkle of the golf business, Best Grips is doing its part to keep leather relevant in the modern game of golf.

Located near Houston, Texas, Best Grips has been making leather grips since 2003. In 2010, Best Grips ceased acting as the U.S. distributor for The Grip Master and started manufacturing its entire line of grips within the confines of the State of Texas. For those around in 2014, GolfWRX reviewed some of the then-available products developed by Best Grips, highlighting both the pros and cons of those products.

Currently, one of the highlights of Best Grips’ Club Grips is its use of ProTac, which provides increased tackiness when wet. The downside being that upon application of ProTac into the leather, its color changes, limiting its use to certain color grips (i.e., black and tan). While there is arguably nothing quite like ProTac otherwise utilized in the leather grip industry, its application limited Best Grips’ ability to offer color in its grip line.

Fast-forward to 2016 and Best Grips has solved its color dilemma, at least with respect to head covers, putter grips (be on the look-out for a new midsize pistol grip in the near future), and putter covers (available soon) through its introduction of the GT-L line of products. Designed with the intent to push the boundaries of “stock” options, Best Grips is now able to offer 10 plus leather colors (with more coming) and what amounts to thousands of custom options (all handled in-house, even embroidery and laser engraving).

Consistent with its tenants to (1) sell only what they would play, and (2) never pay anyone (including, playing professionals) to endorse its products, Best Grips continues to focus on the consumer. Incidentally, Best Grips does offer “Tour Issue” products at a discounted price for those regular golfers proud to openly represent Best Grips at their local club. Generally, you have to grab them quick because Tour Issue offerings are only available once a year and while supplies last, unless Best Grips decides to extend their run (which can happen).

For those still wondering if leather might be right for you, keep in mind that despite upfront costs that exceed its comparable rubber counterparts, you will get your money’s worth. The reason being, with proper care such as regular cleaning after use, leather grips have a longer shelf life then rubber. Whereas, rubber immediately begins to deteriorate upon production, leather can last.

As a whole, the GT-L line was developed in response to customer demand for color and its GT-L headcover is a best seller for the company. In discussing Best Grips generally and the GT-L line further with Albert “Zach” Sewill, President of Best Grips, it was evident that the future is bright for the company. Beyond the pursuit of success, however, Zach made it clear that it remains important to Best Grips to continue pushing the concept of customization at a price point that challenges other companies to keep pace in order to benefit players such as you and me.

You can learn more about Best Grips on its website. Best Grips offers a monthly/semi-regular newsletter to keep up on not only the company, but other golf-related topics as well as a blog known as the “Grip Life Blog.”

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Whats in the Bag

Ruixin Liu WITB 2023 (October)

Published

1 hour ago

Oct 3, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

Ruixin Liu what’s in the bag accurate as of the Walmart NW Arkansas LPGA Championship.

Driver: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (9 degrees @8)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana

3-wood: Titleist TSR1 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 55 S

Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R

Hybrid: Ping G430 (22 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R

Hybrid: Ping G430 (26 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R

Irons: Titleist T200 (6-PW), Titleist T150 (7-PW)
Shafts: AeroTech SteelFiber i95

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (48-10F), WedgeWorks Proto (54-M), Miura MG-R01 (58)
Shafts: AeroTech SteelFiber i95 cw (48, 54), UST Mamiya Recoil 95 (58)

Grips: Golf Pride MCC, Grip Master

More photos of Ruixin Liu’s WITB in the forums.

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Whats in the Bag

Will McGirt WITB 2023 (October)

Published

4 hours ago

Oct 3, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

Will McGirt what’s in the bag accurate as of the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees @9.5)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X

5-wood: Ping G430 Max (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X

Irons: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-PW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X

Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 Tour Rack (50-10 Mid, 54-12 Full, 58-09 Full)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 125 Wedge

Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Victory Cord

More photos of Will McGirt’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Club Junkie Review: Graphite Design Tour AD VF wood shaft

Published

6 hours ago

Oct 3, 2023

Brian Knudson

Graphite Design has been a legendary brand in the world of premium golf shafts since the company was founded in 1989. Graphite Design has had some popular shafts over the years, but they are probably most well known for the Tour AD DI that was released in 2010. Today we are talking about the newest shaft in the Graphite Design lineup, the new VF. The letters do stand for something, Victory Force, and according to Graphite Design every victory requires force! For a more in-depth review, please check out the Club Junkie podcast below or on any streaming platform. Just search “GolfWRX Radio.”

Out of the box, the VF has a very familiar look with a red handle section and a black tip section that are separated with the traditional 10 silver rings. The color combination is definitely more subtle than some of the other Tour AD shaft combinations. Graphite Design doesn’t make too many low-launching shafts, so the VF is filling that need. The VF will suit players looking for low/,id launch and low spin shaft to put in their driver or fairway wood.

The shaft profile is a firm+ handle section, it matches the stiffest handles Graphite Design shafts, with a stiff midsection, and finally a very stiff tip. Exotic materials are used along with MSI Design to maintain stability and consistency. Graphite Design uses Torayca M40X carbon fiber in the handle section to make it stiffer and enhance control of the shaft. Ultra-high modulus Torayca T1100G is used in the middle and tip section for added stability without losing that smooth feel.

I built up the VF shaft using a universal tip system that allows me to use the shaft in any driver head. The building went extremely smoothly as every Graphite Design shaft I have ever installed has a consistent tip diameter and I have never had any issues with a sloppy fit. Once the VF was cut to length and installed, the shaft has a great look that doesn’t jump out as distracting or eye-catching. If you are playing a TaylorMade Stealth 2, then the shaft blends in naturally and they look to visually be great partners!

You would expect a smooth and responsive feel from any Graphite Design shaft and you will get just that with the VF. For me the shaft was exactly as Graphite Design describes, being mid/low launch and offering a very penetrating ball flight. The Tour AD XC might launch a touch lower, but I like the feel and consistency I get from the VF just a little bit more. No matter what driver head I used, the VF seemed to offer ball flight in a similar window, slightly lower than the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue I was using. Even shots into the wind showed no real signs of rising or ballooning. Spin was also lower than I expected with the VF shaft. On the course, I noticed a penetrating, boring flight no matter where I hit the ball on the driver face. Shots struck low on the face held a good amount of distance and even the low heel strike seemed to launch lower and carry further.

I even took a couple of driver heads out to the range with a lunch monitor and noticed that I rarely saw a spin number with a “3” in front of it. Almost every shot, good and not so good, seemed to spin around that 2,600 RPM number. With many fittings and shaft tinkering, that is usually on the lower end of what I find with my swing. As I said with the shaft being mid/low launch I was seeing an average of around 11 degrees while using a couple of 10.5-degree driver heads. On course, the VF was very straight and consistent and while it seemed easier to square up than I expected, it did not want to go left as easily as some other shafts. I would consider the flight just slightly fade biased but if you release the club properly you will be rewarded with a straight shot down the fairway.

Overall, the Graphite Design Tour AD VF is a really solid mid/low launch and low spin option with a smooth feel. It is starting to gain some traction on the professional tours and could be a great shaft for your swing as well.