Tech talk: Should you be using a thicker putter grip?
By James Savage
We’ve seen the thicker putter grip on tour for a few years now, most noticeably in the hands of the world’s best putter Jordan Spieth.
So is it time for you to give the thicker putter grip a try? What’s the theory behind it? and how has it changed the market?
We spoke to Greg Sabella vice president of marketing for SuperStroke to get the lowdown.
Explain the theory behind the SuperStroke thicker putter grip?
“What our grips do that others cannot do is have no taper. This gets your left and your right hand on the grip with even pressure. That relives tension in your arms and allows you to use your bigger muscles.
“Size is a preference though, the bigger the grip the less active your hands become. Talk to your professional and get a recommendation.
“For some people a certain grip will just feel right in there hands and a lot of times that is the best grip for them. We have women with small hands who play our biggest grip and men with big hands who play our smallest grip.
“Our Legacy grip is more of a rounded shape which I use and my thumbs are around the grip, where as Jordan Spieth putts with a Flatso 1.0 and his thumbs are down the shaft.
The pistol is our new shape and it still has the benefit of it being not tapered but for someone who is transitional from a traditional grip this is a more typical feel for them.
When did SuperStroke thicker putter grips first start appearing on tour?
“KJ Choi was the first to put it into play on tour in about 2009/2010.
“Jason Dufner really put it on the map when he almost won the PGA Championship and then when he did win it the following year the grip was so visible.
“This was someone who had occasionally struggled with putting but was then putting well enough to win a major – that was a big turning point. Grip sales from then started doubling and tripling. Then from 2013 through to the end of 2015 we were almost playing catch up all time with sales.
How big an impact has Jordan Spieth had?
“A huge one. He’s on TV a lot so you see the logo a lot. Not only is he one of the best players in the world he’s clearly the best putter in the world so we see him on the greens a lot – that gives the brand tons of recognition.
“He has never played a professional round without our grip. He’s a fantastic guy too. We have a rep out on tour who works with him regularly but he doesn’t switch a lot. He changes his putter grip once or twice a year and you can’t fault that because it’s working. If we have a new shape we’ll show him and he gives us great feedback.
Do you get people simply asking for the same putter grip Spieth uses?
“We get consumers asking that all day. But when he wins a tour event the count on tour for his grip goes up a little the following week. It’s hard to argue. If that guy putts like that with that grip you’ve got to give it a look right?
“I think that’s tour when players first started trying this when they saw others having success. The only way to shot a better score is to make another putt.
“For a 15 handicapper to get better quick, make three more putts in a round. Our products help you do that by making a better stroke.
You now have a good relationship with brands like Odyssey and TaylorMade?
It is helping to have our putter grip out there on their products but the majority of our business is after market sales.
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James Savage
Former equipment editor of NCG. Inconsistent ball-striker and tea-maker.
