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Sharpro 3CAT Grips - Review


The Dansome

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Are you like me; you love Tour Wraps but live in a very humid climate? Or maybe it rains where you are from November to May too? Do you love New Decades for their cordy anti-slip goodness, but wish there was a little bit more cushion? One could only dream about combining the two. It would be like a movie, about gun toting dinosaurs who fight crime with a special task force and they can time travel too. Sounds pretty awesome ya? I know right?!

 

dinoguns.jpg

 

Well imagine my elation to discover that there was a grip that combined the best of both worlds, a velvet cord section and a wrapped one to boot. I give you the Sharpro 3CAT Tri-Compound Anti-Torsion.

 

Here's what Sharpro have to say about this grip.

 

Sharpro new 3CAT grip provides the security of a velvet cord and the soft tacky feel of a wrap and with the addition of our antitorsion bars, made from higher density rubber, positioned at the top half of the grip to work in conjunction with our soft cord creates unrivaled control and security for the golfer.

 

The 3CAT is available in red/black, white/black and also come in a non-cord version. So I put in my order for a set of the white cord's (cause whites cool), sat back and waited.

 

I screamed like a school girl when the email arrive at work notifying me there was a package at the front desk, my fancy new white grips were here! I rushed down front, grabbed it and immediately tore in. Oh my; I wasn't expecting the initial disappointment…

 

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First impressions/Looks

All the photos online including those on Sharpro's website portray these as a brilliant white colored grip like the Golf Pride Tour Wraps. But what I pulled out of the box was a dull off white similar to the bottom half of the non-whiteout New Decades. It's sad because the top velvet section has an extremely premium look to it; solid blacks and a very clean white in the torsion bar sections. The white rubbery wrap area also looked almost weathered around the edges as well, further adding to their less than premium appearance.

 

With that said these are a whole different beast on the club. Stretched out over the shaft of my forged cavity Nickent's the weathered areas are pretty much non-existent and the grips have a pretty decent look to them. They still have a pretty rubbery appearance to them compared to most wraps but it's really not a terrible thing.

 

One area I want to point out that I think hybrid grips like these fall short though is in the joint of the two materials. They always seem to angle the seam to where the backside has more of the softer part exposed higher up for the bottom hand. OK that's perfect and all, but if you're a guy who likes their grips logo down you will be faced with the complete opposite effect which I would think counterproductive to the original design intentions.

 

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Feel

I'm not too, too picky when it comes to grips. I can easily live with Tour Velvets or a Winn Dri-Tac no problem. But let's face it; the 3CAT won't be everyone's cup of tea. There's definitely going to be a large camp of players out there in the boat of “a one piece grip is good enough for me.” I myself really don't think Sharpro's done too bad a job merging the two grip styles.

 

First I'd like to point out grip sizing. I had read prior around the net that most people felt Sharpro grips seemed a little thinner installed and I too would have to agree. I have undersize hands but play a standard grip and could instantly tell these were a little smaller in hand. The 3CAT's also feel like they taper off quicker towards the bottom. This was all solved by adding one full extra wrap of tape and another half wrap under the bottom section.

 

The top section of these is a lot like a Tour Velvet; firm, but with just the right amount of squishiness. The double cord really seems to do the job too alleviating any fear of the club flying your of your hands. Trust me when I say you won't want to be hitting too many balls without a glove with the 3CAT. The Anti-Torsion bars are really firm and no smoother than any other velvet grip.

 

What most surprised me was the feel of the wrap section. These do not have the surface texture of most wrap grips and off the club felt like cheap firm rubber which really had me worried. On the club though there is a noticeable softness to it and pressing in with a finger you sorta get the sensation of a tour wrap. I wouldn't say it's perfect, but a pretty valiant effort.

 

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Performance

Well it's getting later in the season here in Vancouver so play is going to become very limited. I did get a chance though to spend a few range/chipping practice sessions to give some early impressions.

 

With my first swing of the 3CAT I turned to Nidine and said “these really feel almost muted in the hands.” I could hear the crisp click of the ball hitting the clubface but there was a softer feel to it than I was expecting. The ensuing swings produced the same result, a very smooth but not at all deadened sensation, yet there's still plenty of feedback. I could see a "player", with perhaps those achy morning fingers and knuckles really enjoying these.

 

Cutting back to half swing feel shots and then the chipping green I could definitely tell what the club was doing on the more finesse shots. It also may be that my Ping Tour wedges are cast opposed to the rest of my irons. Funny I'm chipping better now, totally gotta be the grips right?

 

One other note, Sharpro say: “To reduce torque and increase control, 4 anti-torsion bars have been placed on top section of grip.” Not sure if this is really working, but at no time would I say these feel like they're twisting and such.

 

Cleaning and Durability

Two tone grips are not a joy to keep clean I've noticed already. Going in and out of the bag I suspect the black butt end rubs each time marking the white. With that said a little dish soap, water and a firm brush cleans these right up. The great news is after cleaning these got extremely tacky.

 

Durability wise, well as I alluded to earlier I'm a little leary at this point due to what I suspect is less product Sharpro's putting in the grip. Will this equate to wearing through faster? We'll have to see, I'll check back in the months to come.

 

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Final Thoughts

I like the Sharpro 3CAT quite a bit and plan to go into next season with them on all my clubs. Are they the perfect grip? Well so far they're living up to their promise of gun toting dinos, but who knows this film could be a disaster by the end. I'd buy a single first though before you rush out and grab a whole set because they're just not going to please everyone.

 

On a final note I will say I think these do 2 good things to my liking. They are firm where I want to be reminded to get the back of that top hand firing through the ball. And they're soft enough where my lower hand is reminded he's a little more along for the ride and shouldn't be flipping through at impact.

 

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Pretty awesome review MBP. Still not my cup of tea, but I don't even really like tea either. Give me dinosaurs with navy seal gear, then we can talk. Oh and they should have lasers mounted on their heads to cook their food.

 

Do they produce world class 12 course meals with said lasers? This Dino navy seal movie would be stupid awesome then. :P

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Nice review :) I agree with everything you write. They don´t have a high quality look and feel. It´s almost a very good grip.

 

If I´m not mistaken Sharpro has the patent on grips like the GP Multi Compound. They have good grips but I think they use cheaper materials, that´s how they can keep the price down.

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Nice review :) I agree with everything you write. They don´t have a high quality look and feel. It´s almost a very good grip.

 

If I´m not mistaken Sharpro has the patent on grips like the GP Multi Compound. They have good grips but I think they use cheaper materials, that´s how they can keep the price down.

 

Thanks Furu. Good to hear from someone who's tried em.

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Nice review mate!

 

Late in the season for Vancouver? Not one to come play in the rain with me eh : p

I love this time of year. The courses get quite and I can test things out to my hearts content.

I laught at your claims to fight a zombie apocalypse when most of you can't stand up to a Spider

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Nice review mate!

 

Late in the season for Vancouver? Not one to come play in the rain with me eh : p

I love this time of year. The courses get quite and I can test things out to my hearts content.

 

Rest assured, you make the call and I'll be there.

Yo #JustPlayBetter


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I've been playing Sharpro grips for about 3 years and won't changetoanything else. The prices on eBay are very low (13 grips for under $40). I've been using the dual cord model,cord on top and rubber bottom. I play @ 80-100 per years and change the grips every February, so durability is good as well. I've tried other manufacturers grips on occasion, winns feel good, but @ 20 rounds they're worn out, golf prides are just overpriced. The lamkin 3gen is another great grip when you you find them at a discount.

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Played an entire round in the rain today and these grips were amazing. Very tacky gave me 100% comfort and confidence over every shot. The first shot I hit with my driver I was scared to death because it felt like the new decade was gonna fly out of my hands. Big props for these as a winter grip.

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  • 4 months later...
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Just got an email that kj sports where I got mine on eBay have a 13 for $28 deal atm.

 

KJ Sports Super Sale, 3CAT Grips 13 for $28 60% off

check this link to Buy it Now.

 

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-13-Sharpro-3CAT-Golf-Grips-Pride-White-Cord-/370485458501?pt=Golf_Clubmaking_Products_US&hash=item5642a77645

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Well done cuz I need more grips like I need another driver, lol

 

Well, that shouldn't keep us from buying them! :P

What's In the Bag

Driver - :callaway-small: GBB 

Hybrids  :cleveland-small: Halo XL Halo 18* & :cobra-small: T-Rail 20*

Irons  :cobra-small: T-Rail 2.0

Wedges :ping-small: 60* TS / SCOR 48* 53* 58*

Putter     :scotty-small:

Ball :callaway-logo-1:

Bag Datrek DG Lite  

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Well I put one of those grips on a wedge I use in the backyard. Really like the feel. The lower rubber section is soft and tacky. That's what I like about the new decades. This is even better but I bet they wear faster. Just a guess though. They might last longer. I put it on with air over one wrap of build up tape. It is a bit small. The wedge shaft steps twice under the grip so that's part of it. I'll build it up some. The lower part twisted. It should be fine with some more build up tape. I'll use two sided tape if I still have it twist. I like them enough to put them on all my clubs.

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Well I put one of those grips on a wedge I use in the backyard. Really like the feel. The lower rubber section is soft and tacky. That's what I like about the new decades. This is even better but I bet they wear faster. Just a guess though. They might last longer. I put it on with air over one wrap of build up tape. It is a bit small. The wedge shaft steps twice under the grip so that's part of it. I'll build it up some. The lower part twisted. It should be fine with some more build up tape. I'll use two sided tape if I still have it twist. I like them enough to put them on all my clubs.

 

Glad to hear ya like em and they're a good deal atm.

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Well I added some build up tape under the grip. The shaft stepped down three times underneath the grip. I built the stepped portions to match the top of the shaft and added two wraps to the entire grip area. I have big hands, but kind of fat, short "sausage" fingers. I don't need a large grip. But the added size felt better. I am impressed with how they feel. The bottom portion is definitely soft and tacky, I likey! The top is firm and secure. I was hitting full wedge shots out back without a glove just to get a feel for it. I'm keeping them. I think I found a new favorite grip! I ordered another set of 13 grips after trying them. Thanks to MBP for the review. I hadn't heard of them and probably wouldn't have tried them if I came across them on accident. I've always like Golf Pride New Decade grips, and still do. But I like these just as much if not more, (I like the feel of the lower portion better honestly. I think the soft rubber combined with the ribbed texture adds to the feedback for "feel" shots especially.) and all for a much lower price.

 

It's sooooo dry where I live, especially lately, the bottom portion of the New Decades tends to get dry and slick. I scrub them with a brass wire brush in hot soapy water to get them tacky again. Time will tell, but the compound in the rubber on the Sharpros seems softer and tackier to begin with and may be less prone to that. Guess I'll find that out after having them for a few months.

 

I just took a couple of pics. I'll reduce their size and post them later.

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