Are you uncomfortable when gripping your golf clubs, or do you struggle with accuracy on your shots? Then you might as well ask yourself: “what golf grip size do I need?”. Let us help you on your quest to find the best golf grip for you.
Golf grip size has a tremendous effect on your game. The benefits of the right grip size are numerous:
- Comfortable grip
- Increased accuracy
- Better confidence
- All-weather control
And so on.
Read on to learn more about what size golf grip would suit your needs.
Table of Contents
Why Is Grip Size Important?
The connection between your body and the golf club goes through the grip. Having a firm and comfortable grasp on the club is paramount to your game.
This is why choosing the right grip size is of the utmost importance.
It is an essential aspect of a golf fitting process. But not everyone can afford, or even want a fitting. Luckily it can be tinkered with by yourself, and we’ll guide you through the process of finding the right grip size for you.
How Does Grip Size Affect Your Game?
Imagine a situation where you have too small grips on your clubs. Try comparing it to gripping a pencil (yes, I know it’s extreme, but it’s a thought experiment :-)).
Your wrist is very free to move. Try doing a swing with a pencil. I bet you won’t feel in control of your wrist movement.
If you were on the course, this wrist action would lead to poor accuracy control and very inconsistent shots.
Now for another experiment, try finding a very thick item to grip. Might be a small rolled up towel or something like that.
Do the same swinging and feel how your wrist cannot move as much during the swing.
On the course, this would negatively impact your overall swing speed and in turn your distance would not be as good as it could be.
These are extreme cases, but they illustrate well the mechanics of the golf swing vs the right grip size.
But as with many other things, grip size is individual, and to some degree it’s up to personal preference.
This leads us to how you should go about finding your correct grip size.
How To Find The Right Size
There are many ways to find the correct grip size. Every fitter probably has their unique take on the process.
We’ve focused on two methods here, one simple and one extensive.
You can experiment with this, and we are always open to questions. But remember you can always consult with your local PGA Professional about the subject and get some good advice there too.
The Simple Method
There is a quite simple method of finding an approximate grip size. It’s probably not your most optimal size, but it gets very close.
It’s the simple task of gripping your club and looking at your fingers on your upper hand (i.e. the one closest to your body).
You’ll have to pay attention to your middle and ring finger when gripping the club. Do those two fingers touch the palm of your hand?
If they just barely touch your palm, you’re looking at a pretty nice grip fit.
With a gap between the fingers and palm it indicates a grip that’s too big, and vice versa.
Michael Breed from Golf Pride explains it nice and simple in the video below.
The Extensive Method
The method above is simple, and as with all other things, you can go more into the weeds.
Various manufacturer grip sizing tools will have you measure this and that, to find the correct size.
A great method is the one provided by PING.
They color code their sizes, for an easy way to recognize the different sized grips.
You will measure to things:
A: overall hand length
B: total length of longest finger.
Briefly explained you’ll measure your total hand length from the dominant crease in your wrist to the tip of your middle finger.
Then you’ll measure the total length of your longest finger.
These measurements will be compared in the PING chart, and the intersection will give you your grip size.
This method might give you a little more dialed in grip size compared to the simple method.
And to be honest it isn’t that extensive 🙂
Standard Sizes
When you’re more certain which grip size you need, you’ll have to find the type of grip you want, and see if it comes in your size.
If it doesn’t come in your size you’ll always have the possibility to use grip tape to get a bigger size.
The standard sizes are as follows:
- Undersize (around 1/64” thinner than standard)
- Standard
- Midsize (around 1/16” thicker than standard)
- Oversize (around ⅛” thicker than standard)
Core Size
It’s not only the above standard sizes you have to be aware of.
There’s something called core size which relates to the size of the shaft.
There are generally two sizes to be aware of:
.580 and .600
If you put a .580 grip on a .580 shaft there will be no worries.
On the other hand a .580 grip on a .600 shaft will increase size by 1/64”.
It works the other way around too. .600 grip on a .580 shaft will decrease size by 1/64”.
Oversized Grips or Not?
You might have heard someone preach that oversized golf grips are the way to improve your game.
This can be true, and there are several benefits of oversized golf grips.
Larger grips will be more comfortable because of the cushioning of the material.
Less wrist action and thus increased control can also be a benefit.
There are downsides too. If the grip gets too large, it may impact your ability to release the club during the swing, forcing you to slice the ball.
A grip too large can possibly cause discomfort because you’re not able to apply the correct grip pressure.
Here is a little talk about the upsides of changing to slightly thicker grips.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Best Grips For Golf Clubs?
There are countless grips out there and it very much comes down to preference which are the best golf grip for you. Check out our ultimate guide on the subject.
How Do I Choose Golf Grips?
A lot of factors goes into the choice of new grips. We’ve put together a guide on this to highlight some important points like sizing, features, quality and price. All these things matter.
Do Jumbo Grips Affect Swing Weight?
They can do that yes, if the weight of the grip is not taken into consideration.
A grip with more weight to it, will make the whole club feel lighter in overall swing weight because the weight is moved closer to the butt end of the shaft.
This will impact your distance negatively (unless your swing weight initially is too heavy).
