Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: Size does matter (with your grips)

Published

4 years ago

Feb 24, 2022

As most of you know, I have been in the golf equipment business for over 40 years now, and I’ve always believed and observed that one of the most overlooked pieces of our equipment is the grip, or grips, I should say. The most basic building block of a sound and repeating golf swing is the hold you make on the golf club, and I have observed that the vast majority of high-handicap players — and even many mid-handicap golfers — just do not have a sound and fundamental understanding of just how important this is to allow the golf swing to function.

I have addressed this topic before, so I’ll just advise that anyone can learn how to hold the club properly, as it takes no athletic skill at all. You can learn it at home while sitting in your chair watching TV. You can take a few minutes in your office every time you get on the phone. There are plenty of good YouTube videos on the subject, so there is just no good reason why anyone and everyone cannot learn how to hold the golf club properly.

But what I observe in almost all golfers not playing to a single-digit handicap is that they hold the club much to tightly and much too far into the palms of their hands, rather than in their fingers.

But today’s post is about the actual grips you put on your golf clubs, and how they can affect your shotmaking performance.

I have been continually amazed and surprised at the increasing percentage of Edison Forged wedges that are ordered with mid-size or even jumbo grips. By our most recent analysis, that figure is well over a third of all our orders. When I started my first company, Reid Lockhart, in the mid-1990s, these kinds of grips were not even offered, and it was a rare request to build up a grip for a customer with one or more layers of tape. Those requests typically came from very accomplished players who knew just what they wanted.

As I continued to study golfers and their equipment through my subsequent companies and witnessed a gradual increase in those requests, the grip companies began to offer their most popular grips in mid-size and jumbo size . . . and then the trend to “reduced taper” grips, wherein the right-hand portion is built up to replicate 3-4 wraps of tape under the lower hand.

But seeing how many requests we get at Edison Golf for oversized grips inspired me to reach out to an industry friend who has been in the glove business for well over 30 years to ask:

“Are golfers’ hands getting ever larger? Is that what is behind this rapid trend to bigger grips?”

His answer was a very clear: “NO – our glove size percentages have not changed measurably in over 30 years.”
So, if golfers’ hands are not getting larger, why the tremendous interest in these larger grips? The answer is very simple, as I indicated to start today’s post. If you hold the club incorrectly . . . with the “handle” more in the palms of your hands than in your fingers . . . then a properly sized grip is going to feel very small.

But why would you accommodate a poor hold on the club, instead of learning how to hold the club properly?

It has always been accepted that a larger grip reduces the activity of the hands through impact – which is why the trend to large putter grips has been so universally accepted. We want to limit our hand action in putting. I’ll even admit that the reduced taper grips can be a good idea on your wedges, because again, you would like to limit your lower hand action.

But I believe an oversized grip on your “swing clubs” is a bad idea unless you have very large hands and/or long fingers. The problem is that a big grip will feel “good” to you if you hold the club too much in your palms. But that kind of hold on the club makes it almost impossible to release the club properly through impact for optimum clubhead speed and consistency.

If any of your clubs are more than a couple of years old, chances are that the grips are worn to a point that you are having to grip the club too tightly to maintain control. As you get into this 2022 golf season, I strongly urge you to pay close attention to the condition and size of your grips and change them out if needed.

I’d also advise any of you who are playing oversized grips of some kind to try a smaller grip and move your “hold” on the club more into your fingers and out of your palms. You might just find that nice “baby draw” has been there all along.

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Terry Koehler

Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs and dozens of wedges. In 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry with his TK 15 wedges and Ft. Worth 15 iron designs. Since receiving a U.S. Patent for his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” in the wedge category. In addition to inspiring multiple companies to emulate this sole technology, the performance of his wedge designs have stimulated all other companies to reposition some mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges. Terry is retired from his role as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf, and remains active in the industry as an independent designer and consultant. But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

10 Comments

Greg

Feb 28, 2022 at 3:01 am

Not great analysis Terry. Perhaps the real reason for oversized grips now is people have tried them and like them. In the past, they were not commonly marketed. Now anyone can whip down to the superstore and try a bunch of different grips and choose what they like.

Reply Report comment
geohogan

Feb 27, 2022 at 1:15 pm

“It has always been accepted that a larger grip reduces the activity of the hands through impact”.

Does a large grip on a baseball bat reduce activity of the hands.. NOT.

Many if not most oversize grips are more than 50 grams…causing reduction in SW. often to mid to high “C” SW. Lower SW reduces activity of the hands through impact, not the size of the grip. Golfers have spent millions due to professional marketing.

Reply Report comment
Mike Guzman

Feb 25, 2022 at 11:23 pm

I have Arthritis in the Palms of both hand. I am able to reduce the pain in both hands by having Winn Midsize W6 Wrap Soft Grips. I am still able to maintain my “10” Handicap, while using this larger Golf Grip. I have tried using the Standard Size Winn Soft Wrap Grip, but this Grip fails the reduce the pain in my Palms and Thumbs. I have also tried using the Super Stroke Cross Comfort Golf Grips, but again these Grips fail to relieve the pain as well as the Winn W6 Midsize Grips.

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- Jonas
  
  Apr 30, 2024 at 5:18 am
  
  I can confirm this! I have quite a lot of finger pain and larger Winn grip has reduced this pain a lot!!! I have a proper “old style” golf grip and was sized for a normal size with double tape originally – moving up a size has alleviated a lot of pain without hampering my game – in fact, now that I have less pain, I can swing freely.
  I have maintained a smaller grip on the wedges since I use much less force on short game.
  
  Reply Report comment
Keith Finley

Feb 25, 2022 at 11:34 am

According to Ping, I am aqua (1/16th undersize), bit I prefer the feel of standard velvets. I get handsy with the aqua. I imagine that would go away after a while but have never pulled the trigger…

Reply Report comment
DB

Feb 25, 2022 at 8:42 am

I agree with your point, but I like +4 grips on my wedges. This allows for a similar feel when you choke down for short shots around the green. I’m curious what you think about that and if you would consider offering +4s.

Reply Report comment
ChipNRun

Feb 24, 2022 at 11:57 pm

Sounds strange, but I do best with “midsize” Midsize grips. As I discovered two years ago, not all “midsize” are created equal.

About 10 years ago, I started playing Midsize grips – usually Winn Dri-Tac. My fingers are “normal” length, but my palms are longer than average. If I spar for boxing, I need an extra four wraps in the palm to take up the slack so I don’t sprain the back of my hand. With gloves, I’m between cadet and cadet long.

My midsize discovery came when I regripped irons and wedges with Golf Pride CP2 WRAPS in Midsize. CP2 = Midsize + Low Taper, so I was leaving a lot of shots out to the right from stifled turns.

Went back to CP2 regular, and it worked OK. Redid my three MD wedges in Winn Dri-Tac Midsize, and it was just right.

Will get Dri-Tac Mid for irons and hybrids too.

Main thing midsize did was take up hand slack, and cut down amount of “fidgeting” at set-up. And, I seem to get just the right grip pressure with D-T Ms.

Reply Report comment
L

Feb 24, 2022 at 9:14 pm

Lets ask Bryson how it really is lol

Reply Report comment
Loweboy

Feb 24, 2022 at 12:14 pm

Standard grips on my irons, wedges and putter, mid-size on my driver and fairways. I cannot get used to oversized on the putter.

Mid-size on the driver and fairways to help stop my hands from flipping, but I still find a way to do it, usually when I get tired and stop swinging with my legs/hips. A full body rotation with those clubs and it’s a nice baby draw or straight piped down the middle.

Reply Report comment
JD

Feb 24, 2022 at 11:28 am

58 round Tour Velvet Cord +1 Double Side Tape. Forever & ever.

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Opinion & Analysis

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Andrew Von Lossow

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

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