Golf Grips NZ: How to Choose, Size and Re-Grip Your Clubs

Your grip is the only part of a golf club you actually touch, so it does more for your ball-striking than almost any other piece of gear. A fresh, correctly sized grip lets you hold the club lightly, keep the face square and swing without fear of the club slipping — while a hard, glazed old grip quietly forces you to squeeze tighter and lose control. This guide explains, in plain terms, how golf grips work, what they are made of, how to size them, when to replace them and roughly what they cost in New Zealand, whether you buy over the counter at a pro shop or re-grip your own set at home.

Why your grips matter more than the rest of your bag

The grip is the single physical link between your hands and the clubface, which is why worn grips undo the money you spend on shafts and clubheads. When a grip still has its tacky surface, you can hold the club with light, even pressure, and your wrists can release freely through impact. Once the surface hardens and goes shiny, the club starts to twist in your hands, and you instinctively grip harder to stop it — adding tension that shortens your swing and throws off your timing.

Good grips also help in New Zealand’s changeable conditions. A morning that starts with dew, a squally shower on the back nine or a humid summer afternoon can all make a smooth rubber grip slick. Choosing the right material and keeping it clean is a cheap way to protect the rest of your equipment investment. If you are still working on your hold, it pairs naturally with learning how to hold a golf club correctly.

What are golf grips made of?

Golf grips are built from a few core materials, and the material is the first thing to match to how and where you play. Manufacturers blend rubber, synthetic compounds and woven cotton cord to hit different levels of feel, traction and wet-weather grip. The table below compares the main types so you can see the trade-offs at a glance.

How to match the material to your game

Match the material to your climate and your hands, not to the colour. If you often play in rain or sweat heavily, a full cord or a hybrid cord grip keeps traction when a smooth rubber grip would slip. If you have sensitive hands or play in mostly dry conditions, a soft rubber or wrap-style grip is more comfortable and still grips well as long as you keep it clean. Players managing arthritis or joint fatigue often prefer softer, cushioned compounds that absorb vibration. A good glove works alongside the grip here — see the site’s guide to golf gloves for how the two combine.

Which golf grip brands are worth knowing?

Golf Pride is the most widely used grip brand and the reference point most other brands are measured against. Golf Pride reports that it is the #1 grip on Tour and that roughly 80% of professional Tour players use its grips — a figure about Tour usage, not New Zealand retail market share. That Tour presence is why its models turn up on so many off-the-rack clubs and in most pro-shop fitting drawers. Other respected brands you will see in New Zealand include SuperStroke (especially for putters), Lamkin and Winn, each with their own feel and texture. In golf, equipment preferences often become part of a player’s routine, with many golfers developing trust in particular brands based on comfort, consistency and familiarity.

Golf Pride’s main grip technologies explained

Golf Pride’s ranges are built around a few named technologies, and understanding them makes the model names far less confusing:

• MCC (Multi-Compound): a hybrid grip with brushed cotton cord in the upper hand for wet-weather traction and softer performance rubber in the lower hand for feel. It is the family most Tour players in this line use.
• Plus4: a reduced-taper option that makes the lower-hand section slightly larger — Golf Pride describes it as matching the feel of about four extra layers of build-up tape. The idea is to encourage lighter, more even grip pressure, which can help relax the forearms.
• Align: a raised ridge running down the back of the grip that settles into your fingers the same way each time, helping you return your hands — and the clubface — to a consistent, square position.
• Tour Velvet and CPX/CP2: Tour Velvet is the classic all-rubber grip found on countless stock clubs, while the softer, cushioned wrap-style models suit players who want extra shock absorption.

What size golf grip do you need?

Grip size should be matched to your hands, because size directly affects how quickly your wrists can turn the club through impact. A grip that is too large slows your hand action and can leave the face open, pushing shots right; a grip that is too small encourages overactive hands and a face that closes too fast, sending shots left. Getting the size right is one of the cheapest custom-fitting changes you can make.

Grips are sold in four broad sizes, built on cores that match common shaft butt diameters (most often 0.580″ or 0.600″):

• Junior / Undersize: for juniors, smaller hands or many women players, so the fingers can close without straining.
• Standard: the default size that suits an average adult hand and is fitted to most off-the-rack clubs.
• Midsize (about +1/16″ over standard): good for larger hands or players who want to quiet overactive wrists.
• Jumbo / Oversize (about +1/8″ and up): for very large hands or players with arthritis, spreading pressure over a wider surface so you do not need to squeeze.

A quick way to check your size at home

You can get a rough size read without a launch monitor. Hold a club in your normal grip and look at the middle and ring fingers of your lead (top) hand: ideally the fingertips should just lightly touch the pad of your thumb. If the fingertips dig hard into the palm, the grip is probably too small and a midsize may suit you; if there is a clear gap, the grip may be too big. For a precise fit, a hand measurement or a fitting session at a pro shop is more reliable.

How do you know when to re-grip?

Re-grip once the surface has lost its tack, and as a general rule at least once a year or every 40 rounds, whichever comes first. Grips wear from hand oils, sweat, sunscreen and UV exposure, which slowly harden the rubber and polish away the texture. Players who golf often, sweat heavily or play through humid summers should re-grip more frequently; many Tour pros change grips every few weeks. Watch for these signs:

• Shine and glazing: a slick, plastic-looking sheen in the thumb and finger areas means the surface friction has gone.
• Hardening and cracking: if the rubber feels stiff or shows fine cracks along the seams, it has lost its elasticity.
• Worn hollows: smooth dents where your fingers sit can subtly shift your hand placement.
• You are squeezing harder: if you notice yourself gripping tighter to stop the club moving, the grips are past their best.

Cleaning extends grip life between changes. Wipe grips with a cloth dampened in warm water and a little dish soap, scrub gently, rinse and dry — it lifts oils and restores some tack. Keeping the whole set clean helps too; the site has a full guide to how to clean golf clubs.

How do putter grips differ?

Putter grips follow different rules from the rest of the bag, both in design and in what the Rules of Golf allow. Where a swing grip is about traction and controlling twist, a putter grip is about a quiet, repeatable stroke, so many are larger and flatter to take the wrists out of the motion. Under the Rules of Golf, a putter is the only club allowed to have a non-circular (for example flat-fronted) grip; every other club must have a circular cross-section, aside from a single continuous raised rib. You may fit a round swing-style grip to a putter if you prefer, but you cannot fit a flat-fronted putter grip to an iron or driver.

• Oversized no-taper grips (e.g. SuperStroke Zenergy): lightweight foam cores and a parallel, non-tapered shape keep pressure even in both hands to steady the stroke.
• Reverse-taper designs (e.g. Golf Pride Reverse Taper): thicker in the lower hand and slimmer up top to stabilise the trailing hand, offered in round, flat and pistol shapes.
• Traditional pistol grips: slimmer, rubber grips with a curved top for players who want more feel and an arc-style stroke.

How much do golf grips cost in New Zealand?

Most quality swing grips in New Zealand fall in the region of roughly NZ$18–$45 each including GST, with premium putter grips typically higher, around NZ$70–$90. Exact prices vary by brand, model and retailer, and change with sales, so treat these as indicative ranges rather than fixed figures. A few points to budget for:

• Re-gripping a full set means buying up to 13 or 14 grips, so per-grip price adds up — buying a bundle often lowers the unit cost.
• Pro shops usually charge a small fitting or labour fee per club on top of the grip if they install it for you.
• Cord and premium hybrid grips sit at the upper end; standard rubber grips are the most affordable.

If you are pricing up a re-grip alongside other kit, it is worth comparing options through the site’s rundown of golf accessories and current golf clubs on sale in NZ.

Can you re-grip your clubs yourself?

Re-gripping at home is realistic for most golfers with a few inexpensive tools and some patience. The process is simple in principle — remove the old grip, strip and replace the tape, apply solvent and slide the new grip on — but doing it without the right tools risks a twisted grip or a scratched shaft. If you want to do it yourself, gather these first:

• Rubber vice clamp: a grooved rubber sleeve that lets you hold the shaft in a vice without crushing graphite or scratching steel. Never clamp a bare shaft in metal jaws.
• Hook blade: a curved utility blade that slices the old grip off cleanly, pulling away from the shaft rather than into it, so you do not gouge graphite.
• Double-sided grip tape: golf-specific tape, usually in 2-inch strips, that turns slippery when solvent is applied and then sets to a firm bond.
• Grip solvent: a dedicated, low-odour, non-flammable solvent that activates the tape and gives you a short window to line up the grip. Do not use petrol or aerosol sprays.

How long before you can play again?

Let freshly re-gripped clubs rest before you use them. A few hours is usually enough, but leaving them upright in a cool, dry place overnight is safest, giving the solvent time to evaporate and the tape time to bond. Swinging too soon can twist the grip out of alignment or let it slide down the shaft. A pro-shop re-grip of a full set typically takes about 24 to 48 hours, though a single club can often be swapped over the counter in minutes.

Common mistakes when buying and fitting grips

Most grip mistakes come from treating grips as an afterthought rather than a fitted component. Avoiding these will save you money and strokes:

• Buying on looks: choosing a colour or model without checking the size means the grip may fight your hand action.
• Leaving grips too long: playing hardened, shiny grips for years quietly forces extra grip pressure and tension.
• Ignoring the weather you actually play in: a smooth rubber grip that feels great in the shop can slip on a wet Auckland morning.
• Mismatched sizes across the set: unless done deliberately, mixing sizes makes clubs feel inconsistent from one to the next.
• Skipping cleaning: a quick wash every few weeks restores tack and delays the need to re-grip.

Where to buy golf grips in New Zealand

You can buy grips from national golf retailers, on-course pro shops and reputable online stores across New Zealand. Pro shops have the advantage that a fitter can check your size and install the grips for you, while online stores tend to be cheaper if you are re-gripping a full set yourself. Whichever you choose, buy genuine grips from established sellers so you know the size, core and material are as described. Seasonal sales and full-set bundles are the easiest way to bring the per-grip cost down.

Vanliga frågor (FAQ)

How often should I re-grip my golf clubs?

As a general rule, re-grip at least once a year or every 40 rounds, whichever comes first. If you play often, sweat heavily or play through humid summers, do it more frequently. The clearest signal is feel: once a grip looks shiny, feels hard or makes you squeeze tighter to stop the club moving, it is time to replace it regardless of the calendar.

What size golf grip do I need?

Grips come in junior/undersize, standard, midsize and jumbo. Hold a club in your normal grip and look at the middle and ring fingers of your top hand: they should just lightly touch the pad of your thumb. If they dig into your palm, consider midsize; if there is a clear gap, the grip is likely too large. A fitting or hand measurement at a pro shop gives the most accurate result.

Can I put a putter grip on a normal club?

No. Under the Rules of Golf, only a putter may have a non-circular grip, such as a flat-fronted design. Every other club must have a circular cross-section, aside from a single continuous raised rib. You can fit a round swing-style grip to a putter if you prefer that feel, but you cannot fit a flat-fronted putter grip to an iron, wood or driver.

How long should I wait to play after re-gripping?

Let the clubs rest so the solvent can evaporate and the tape can bond. A few hours is usually enough, but leaving them upright in a cool, dry place overnight is safest. Playing too soon risks the grip twisting out of alignment or sliding down the shaft before the adhesive has fully set.

How can I make old grips tacky again?

Clean them. Wipe the grips with a cloth dampened in warm water and a little dish soap, scrub gently to lift oils and sunscreen residue, rinse with clean water and dry thoroughly. This restores some tack and buys you time, but once the rubber has hardened or cracked, cleaning will not bring it back and the grip needs replacing.