GolfPride had a pretty good year

[Tony Covey MGS]

If you were to ask me what the most dominant brand on tour is, without hesitation I'd say GolfPride.

Unlike club companies, grip companies don't pay for play, so use on tour (and everywhere else) is entirely preference driven - which makes it almost insane that in any given week, +/- 80% of the grips used are GolfPride.

It's also insane that the company that makes the grips I play is owned by the company that made the power systems wee used back when I was an IT guys. Such a strange career convergence.

Anyway...here's what the company has to say about it's 2019 season on tour.

PINEHURST, N.C. … Golf Pride^®, an industry leader in grip innovation and the #1 Grip on Tour, announced today that it was the leading swing and putter grip choice throughout the FedEx Cup Playoffs, including at the season-ending TOUR Championship. At the TOUR Championship, the winner captured the tournament and the FedEx Cup title using Golf Pride’s swing grips and putter grip.  Since the FedEx Cup started 13 years ago, Golf Pride has been the trusted grip in players hands for 11 titles.

The thrilling victory at East Lake Golf Club gives Golf Pride 39 wins out of the official 46-events played during the PGA TOUR’s 2018-19 season.  Below is a rundown of some of Golf Pride’s most noteworthy achievements during the brand’s banner year on the PGA TOUR. 

·       “Golf Pride Slam” - wins at all four Majors this season.

·       13x more PGA TOUR victories than its nearest competitor.

·       7 unique Golf Pride swing grips won this season including the brand’s latest innovations in ALIGN Technology & Plus4 Technology.

·       43 of 50 players who earned their 2019-20 PGA TOUR cards through the Korn Ferry Playoffs or by virtue of being Top 25 money earners on the Korn Ferry Tour relied on Golf Pride grips.

“2018-19 has been an incredible season for Golf Pride,” said Brandon Sowell, global sales and marketing director for Golf Pride. “We continued our run of success in the game’s biggest events with some of our most trusted grips, and we saw several of our newest and most innovative technologies gain traction on TOUR garnering marquee wins.  This season has been a tremendous showcase of how the best players in the world grip confidence each week with Golf Pride.”

Each week, Golf Pride is the leading grip played from tee-to-green on the PGA TOUR with an average of 80% of pros choosing Golf Pride swing grips in each event, without any paid endorsements. 

For more information on Golf Pride’s entire 2019 product offering, visit http://www.golfpride.com.

Eaton’s Golf Pride Grips Division is the world’s largest manufacturer of golf grips, with manufacturing, sales and distribution facilities on six continents.  The division’s Golf Pride brand is recognized globally as the number one choice in grips among TOUR and recreational players, competitive amateur golfers, club manufacturers and club repairmen.  For more information, visit www.golfpride.com.

Eaton is a power management company with 2018 sales of $21.6 billion. We provide energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton is dedicated to improving the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services. Eaton has approximately 100,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit Eaton.com.

 

[Devildog]

May be a stupid question but have you all ever tested grips?  What I mean is what is the best for like a gloved hand vs bare hand, what is best overall in terms of performance for most golfers, does cord make a difference, what happens if you go from say a 50g standard grip to a 68g oversize to club performance, how different grip sizes affect individual players and so forth.  You guys rock the tests so I was curious if this has been done or could be done.  

What is you preferred grip choice?

[null]

13 minutes ago, Devildog said:

May be a stupid question but have you all ever tested grips?  What I mean is what is the best for like a gloved hand vs bare hand, what is best overall in terms of performance for most golfers, does cord make a difference, what happens if you go from say a 50g standard grip to a 68g oversize to club performance, how different grip sizes affect individual players and so forth.  You guys rock the tests so I was curious if this has been done or could be done.  

What is you preferred grip choice?

Grip is entirely personal preference - even more so like something like a shaft.  It is why top fitting companies like TXG and True Spec have grips as part of their fitting.  What feels good to one person could feel awful for another person.

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 hours ago, jlukes said:

Grip is entirely personal preference - even more so like something like a shaft.  It is why top fitting companies like TXG and True Spec have grips as part of their fitting.  What feels good to one person could feel awful for another person.

Yup. I love the multicompound and it’s my go to even if I have to pay an upcharge. I know some guys who hate them because they feel harsh and use the Winn grips because they are soft. I hate the softness of the Winn grips and feel like I have to apply more grip pressure 

[DaveP043]

I have to particularly congratulate GP for taking an old idea (reminder ribs in grips) and making it into a new marketing success with the Align grips.  

[BIG STU]

2 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

I have to particularly congratulate GP for taking an old idea (reminder ribs in grips) and making it into a new marketing success with the Align grips.  

Yep I remember when the old school guys used to put cut off coat hanger wire under the grips whether they were leather wrap or rubber slide on. Then the USGA made that illegal to a certain point by stating the maximum diameter of the rib. That did not deter them any they just used MIG welder wire. I run into both methods from time to time messing with old classic clubs. I do not know the specific rule now with all the new grips that have came out recently. I also remember back in the day Wilson and Northwestern had a grip on most beginner clubs that was flat on the top of the left hand to teach grip position. Those were deemed non conforming in stipulated events too

[DaveP043]

17 hours ago, BIG STU said:

Yep I remember when the old school guys used to put cut off coat hanger wire under the grips whether they were leather wrap or rubber slide on. Then the USGA made that illegal to a certain point by stating the maximum diameter of the rib. That did not deter them any they just used MIG welder wire. I run into both methods from time to time messing with old classic clubs. I do not know the specific rule now with all the new grips that have came out recently. I also remember back in the day Wilson and Northwestern had a grip on most beginner clubs that was flat on the top of the left hand to teach grip position. Those were deemed non conforming in stipulated events too

I just checked, here's the current requirement:

Quote

For clubs other than putters the grip must be circular in cross-section, except that a continuous, straight, slightly raised rib may be incorporated along the full length of the grip, and a slightly indented spiral is permitted on a wrapped grip or a replica of one.

The Interpretations say that the max and min diameter may NOT differ by more than 0.040 inches, which seemed pretty small when I read it.  Then I remembered that one wrap of masking tape increases grip diameter by around 0.01 inches, so that 0.040 inches be like 8 thicknesses of tape.  Small, but noticeable.

I was interested, so I checked, and GP sells its very popular Tour Velvet in both the standard model with a reminder rub, as well as a version with the "patented Align" technology, which provides a raised rib to assist in consistent hand placement.  The older-style reminder rib does exactly the same thing, and I bet those grips cost a buck or two less than the ones with the Align rib. To me it seems like a miracle of modern marketing.

Edited September 5, 2019 by DaveP043

[BIG STU]

Dave something else I noticed the new align grips the rib is wider than the old coat hanger/ MIG wire method. I never liked ribbed grips because I manulipate the club in my hands. Putter grips now days darn near anything goes---- I had questioned the Flat Cat putter grips when they came out but they are conforming. I have one old Macgregor IM 6 putter with the stock Nicklaus style pistol grip with the big flat end. That grip was deemed non conforming back in the 70s but now as I interpret the rules is now conforming. Which it does not make any difference to me because now I play what I want to. 

[bens197]

If only we could see the Green Victory make a comeback...


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[BIG STU]

3 minutes ago, bens197 said:

If only we could see the Green Victory make a comeback...


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I never liked that grip back in the day I always liked the Crown Cord------- Now a few years back the did a re issue on those grips and they did not sell well for some reason or the other----- It was either Dicks or Golfsmith had them on sale for a buck or two when they were discontinuing this last time. I know back in the day I put a lot of those on and they were popular with the weekend golfers. Back in those days (70s) I think I got them wholesale around 0.50 each and charged $1.50 installed and out the door. My old man ran a course and hated doing grips etc. I learned how to do it and so that was my enterprise along with minor club repair at the time 

[bens197]

I never liked that grip back in the day I always liked the Crown Cord------- Now a few years back the did a re issue on those grips and they did not sell well for some reason or the other----- It was either Dicks or Golfsmith had them on sale for a buck or two when they were discontinuing this last time. I know back in the day I put a lot of those on and they were popular with the weekend golfers. Back in those days (70s) I think I got them wholesale around 0.50 each and charged $1.50 installed and out the door. My old man ran a course and hated doing grips etc. I learned how to do it and so that was my enterprise along with minor club repair at the time 

My golf equipment at an early age was chosen for me. Grandpa was pragmatic and was the one who built my gear for me. He’d show me tricks and tips and how to build a good club at D2. That was the magic swing weight...

It was either Green Victory or TackiMac wraps and I quickly learned the GV was best for me.

I learned to love the GV .580 rib. Dish soap and a little fine grit sand paper and they were good to good.

He was very pragmatic and liked what worked for him. An engineer by trade he was one of three men who built the world’s first copy machine, the Haloid 914.

He passed away two years ago tomorrow. I have a friendly reminder of him every time I pass his old workbench in my garage with his tools...And his left over tacki Mac wraps in my grip bin