Equipment: Round vs reminder grips – what is the difference?

Getting the right grips on your golf clubs in crucial. You need the right size, the right materials for the conditions you play in and generally just need to be completely comfortable with them.

The right grips will fill you with confidence in your connection to the club and help you to swing easily and confidently.

An estimated 20 percent of Pro’s on the major Tours use reminder (ribbed) grips but a quick straw poll of club golfers revealed very few knew what they were or what the difference was between round and reminder grips.

Reminder or Ribbed grips do just that – remind the golfer where to properly set their hands and fingers on the club.

An internal rib runs along the length of the underside of the grip, promoting consistent hand placement for every shot.

This slight peak, caused by the rib, sits along the joints of the fingers and gives a specific ‘Reminder’ of what consistent hand placement should feel like.

A Round grip has a completely smooth internal core diameter making the outside of the grip perfectly round.

Kip Wellstead, Lamkin Grips tour representative insists players will notice every slight detail in their set-up – even the weights of the grips.

“My job on Tour is to make sure that the guys using Lamkin Grips get exactly what they want,” he said.

“When a player reaches the level of tour pro, the feedback they get from every shot will tell them immediately if anything is out with their set up.

“For some guys we even have to weigh every grip as the tiniest difference will be noticeable.

“So when it comes to something like a Reminder grip, for some of the players it’s like a superstitious conviction.

“If they’re Reminder players then it’s almost an insult to put a Round grip in their hands.”

While the Reminder grip isn’t widely known, it’s certainly not a new concept.

“Reminders have been around for a lot longer than I’ve been involved in golf,” Wellstead added.

“Ben Hogan was reputed to tape a wire coat hanger to his shaft before the old style leather grips were wrapped round his clubs such was his preference for a Reminder.

“Rules on Reminders have changed over the years meaning they are really quite subtle now but going back, particularly to the advent of the use of rubber, some grips were essentially triangular the Reminder was so pronounced.”

Bob Lamkin, President of Lamkin Grips, is a long-time user of the ribbed core and could never see himself switching to Round.

“I’ve always preferred to place my hands on the grip the same time with every shot,” he said.

“With a reminder grip, I know I have the same hold and can curve the shot as necessary with body alignment as opposed to face angle. I’m constantly asked ‘why reminder over round?’ and I always encourage golfers who haven’t used a reminder to experiment with a ribbed grip to feel the difference.”

The demand for Reminder grips is nowhere near what it is for Round grips but that is mainly due to a lack of knowledge of their existence.

“I don’t think many golfers know about the option of Reminder grips. If they did, I think far more would want to use them,” added Wellstead.

“I personally can’t hit Round grips now as the Reminder is such an important part of my set up.

“Some people find them a bit unusual for wedge shots, where you want to change the face angle but with 95 percent of my shots needing consistent alignment and square face angle it gives me a lot of confidence in the shot I’m about to play.

“As with all grip fittings, the most important aspect is how it feels in your hand. More golfers should definitely hold a reminder grip, as it feels good in your hand and it’s a really useful tool.”

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