Is the "oversized putter grip" fad over?

[shanx]

Was in a few retail shops this summer, bins of the oversized putter grips (like Super Stroke) were full. Also saw that a few stock putter had the thicker grips on them, not as many as I had seen in the past.

 

I also noticed that a lot of pros were back to using slimmer grips. 

 

I have had them on a few putters over the years, but went back to the standard size thickness on my putters..anyone else ditching the big grip?

[mshills]

Super Strokes aren't my thing.  I prefer rubber or leather for the firmness and feedback.  Have an OG Press grip on my LAB putter, which is an oversize oval, but it's one piece of solid rubber and firm.  More like hard, hard as concrete....just the way I like my grips.

[TheDominator273]

I install 75% Superstroke putter grips at the club I work at.  When we sell a new putter in the shop there's a roughly 50% chance the stock standard size pistol grip is coming off for some variation of Superstroke.  The Pistol grips have been very popular with people who want a larger grip but not a non taper grip.

[BHI 99]

I putted with a PP58 last night and now it feels like the fingers on my right hand don’t know what to do. I totally think my hands are more relaxed with the larger ones. Going to try a 1.0 and see if it’s a happy medium. I’ve got about a dozen grips I keep swapping around. 

[bpdhlbrg]

I was a longtime fan/user of the jumbo crown pistol but this year switched back to the pp58 midsize cord, along with a lighter head. My distance control has improved significantly. I’ve had to work really hard to practice and build similar confidence over putts inside 15 feet because I still feel like it’s impossible to miss my line with the old tank of a putter and heavy jumbo grip. 

[mktrout]

the bins are full because they stock them since they outsell any other putter grip 50 to 1

[tatertot]

Man, I hope not. Counterbalanced putters with an extralong SuperStroke 2.0 has done wonders for my putting ... Like night and day difference.

[MattM97]

Like the old 5.0 yeah that's way gone but there will still be oversized grips being used.

 

But the one issue I find myself is the difference in size and shape are just too contrasting so have to compromise somewhere. 

 

[mikec3672]

I will never go back to a small grip. Zynergy Pistol for me. Never putt better. I would not classify it as a fad (perhaps the super large sizes), Superstroke and the like are here to stay, and dominate on tour.

Edited September 15, 2023 by mikec3672

[BHI 99]

13 minutes ago, mikec3672 said:

I will never go back to a small grip. Zynergy Pistol for me. Never putt better. I would not classify it as a fad (perhaps the super large sizes), Superstroke and the like are here to stay, and dominate on tour.

Definitely agree there. Pleated pants and baggy shirts were a fad. These grips are an innovation. 

[Puttersaurus Rex]

No

[HalfShell]

My Superstroke grip lasted 3 rounds before if was replaced by a traditional stock grip.  Damn thing felt like putting with a role of paper towels.  

Edited September 15, 2023 by HalfShell

[semarlor]

I agree with what the other guys are saying, there are a lot in stock to keep up with demand. They outsell any other grip in my shop 20 to 1, at least. 

Edited September 15, 2023 by semarlor

[GolfGuitarsCars]

It was time to replace the small Matador on my Scotty Cameron.  I wanted to try a Midsize.  I went through four grips in four weeks.  I settled on a Super Stroke Tour 2.0.  I one putted four greens in nine holes Tuesday.  I might stock up in case they decide to discontinue it.

Edited September 15, 2023 by GolfGuitarsCars

[cristphoto]

I could never adjust to the feel of the large grip. Now I use the standard Ping grip or Scotty Pistolini. Two wraps of tape under both. Just feels right to me and I seem to have better touch. To each his own. (Could never get along with cross-handed too). 

[Maine Golfer]

No. The market has plenty of options. I have a Flat Cat I really really like 

[darkhelmet]

For me it's about the non-taper aspect.  I can put my hands just where they need to be for any putt, especially when the ball is above my feet.  And then it doesn't feel like I'm moving my hands down onto an undersized grip.

 

I don't like the super-big versions, but I have longer fingers and the 2.0 seems to fit just perfectly.

[BHI 99]

We’ve never had so many options in the history of golf. Not a bag thing. Best in the world is still using a $9.99 PP58 on a putter that looks like it came from a yard sale.
So there’s that. 

 

I think the grip options impart some sort of change and whether it’s actual or in your head (which is still actual) if your putting stats change, then it was worth the effort. 

[TheDominator273]

2 minutes ago, BHI 99 said:

We’ve never had so many options in the history of golf. Not a bag thing. Best in the world is still using a $9.99 PP58 on a putter that looks like it came from a yard sale.
So there’s that. 

 

I think the grip options impart some sort of change and whether it’s actual or in your head (which is still actual) if your putting stats change, then it was worth the effort. 

Grip shape has a pretty big effect on things, this article is great about putter grip choices.  https://ping.com/en-us/blogs/proving-grounds/pistol-grips

[byoshio82]

I keep trying to go away from them but the Pistol GTR/GT 2.0 just works and fits my hands perfectly.

[Hammer_Hands]

Agree it's definitely not a fad.  They have become practically ubiquitous.

 

Joel

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

I quite literally saw a red putter grip on the rack, decided I liked the color, saw it was a Lamkin and felt like installing a smaller grip back on the putter. So I bought it and added it. Way more feel and it's helped me continue to refine the putting stroke. I have better speed control with this one versus the oversized at least so when I don't read the putt well (which happens more often than not) it ends up closer.

But I think the Oversized Grip stopped being a fad once it became established. Lots of folks like it.

 

https://www.lamkingrips.com/shop/deep-etched-putter-grips/

[BHI 99]

These $3 jobs are better than $3 for sure. 
 

 

[HalfShell]

I wonder if there is a correlation between grip style and putter style.  I have a little toe-path arc to my swing, and prefer blade or small mallet type putters. 

 

I imagine if instead I liked face balanced, big, high MOI, space ship looking mallet putters and used a straight back very mechanical stroke then I I would like the fat grips.  

Edited September 15, 2023 by HalfShell

[dfeldss]

I think the giant fat ones are definitely going away for the most part, but the 1.0 and 2.0s of any given style still seem to be very popular. 

[BHI 99]

3 minutes ago, HalfShell said:

I wonder if there is a correlation between grip style and putter style.  I have a little toe-path arc to my swing, and prefer blade or small mallet type putters. 

 

I imagine if instead I liked face balanced, big, high MOI, space ship looking mallet putters and used a straight back very mechanical stroke then I I would like the fat grips.  

Check out that Ping article above, it’s interesting. 

[bobfoster]

Have watched a lot of trends over the years - e.g., in the case of putters, a decade or so ago virtually everyone flirted with broomsticks for at least a short period of time, but very few actually stuck with them. Always difficult to predict the future, but IMO I suspect oversized putter grips are going to be permanent, and for a good reason - having to do with the evolution of the putting stroke.

 

Grip size choices have to do with musculature. The golf swing engages multiple muscle groups. In the case of the driver, for instance, you want high swing speeds, and the vast majority of the SS is generated by the large, core muscles. The closer you get to the short end of the bag, the more the finer, smaller muscles of the hands come into play. The delicacy of wedge artistry you see pros accomplish around the greens is almost entirely done with shoulders, arms and hands - the larger core muscles are often barely engaged. 

 

So then - with grip size, as a general principle, the thicker the grip, the less the smaller muscles come into play. It is not uncommon with the pros, for instance, to see guys doing three or four wraps on the driver and FWs (where they mostly want brute force), and only one or two by the time they get to wedges (where they want a delicate touch). 

 

Ordinarily that progression - from thicker at the long end to thinner at the short end - would result in the thinnest grip on the putter. Except that putting has really become a science in the past couple decades. Watch the old guys in the 70s or 80s (for instance), and a lot of them were really handsy (relatively speaking). Wrists were often significantly involved. These days, however, the current common knowledge (backed by a lot of studies) is that the wrists and hands should barely be involved at all. The putting triangle - the shoulders being two points, with the hands on the grip being the third point - should remain stable throughout the stroke. You rock the triangle back and forth, you don't hit it with your hands.

 

So then, a thicker grip on the putter makes complete sense if you've adopted the modern putting principles - that emphasize removing the hands almost entirely from the equation if you want the most consistent, repeatable stroke. 

 

I think they are here to stay, for a significant number of golfers. Not all, but a lot. As the OP mentioned, some golfers - pros and amateurs - are returning to thin grips. But I think many of them (including me) are fooling around with gradations - there isn't an either/or, axe handle vs. pencil. For many years I used either Ping or Scotty grips - or quite often a thin Iomic. A couple years ago I played with a SuperStroke. I understood its value, but never could get used to the extreme thickness and square shape. Felt like I slightly lost my connection to the putter head, especially on short putts. But didn't want to go back to thin. Now playing a mid-sized pistol grip - and it has proved to be the best of both worlds. Totally loving it.

Edited September 15, 2023 by bobfoster

[Boognish]

Older guys seem to have a strong preference for the SS foam grips.  They are not my thing and nobody in my group uses one (all under 45), but they are very popular at my club.  It seems like once guys go to them, they rarely go back.  

[HalfShell]

The reason I changed putters is I no longer wanted to play a face insert that dampened the feel.  Prior to that, it took about 9 holes for me to decide that SS grip was going in the trash but another 2 weeks to change it out. 

 

I don't see myself changing away from a pistol grip again, so I guess count me in the minority.

 

 

Edited September 15, 2023 by HalfShell

[philly2kuk]

3 hours ago, HalfShell said:

My Superstroke grip lasted 3 rounds before if was replaced by a traditional stock grip.  Damn thing felt like putting with a role of paper towels.  

Same. My long putts I lost all feel and my short putts I got worse on. Plus they seemed to wear out quicker than any normal grip I’ve had.