Is it time to regrip your putter?
Most of us have a pretty good idea when it is time to regrip our irons and woods. When the tackiness is gone and the club slithers like an eel in your hands, it’s time.
But what about regripping your putter? How do you know that it’s time for a new putter grip?
Most putter grips will last years; for some of you, decades. However, there are physical and psychological signs that it may be time to put a new handle on your faithful flatstick.
Here are five reasons that it may be time to regrip your putter (and one reason not to).
Reason 1: Boredom and/or Curiosity
If you are interested in trying a new putter grip, change your grip. Not everything in life is complicated. Maybe you are curious about a different grip shape, material or texture.
If you feel like trying something new, do it.
Trying a new putter grip is inexpensive. Odds are that the grip swap will cost you about $20, essentially the same as a DoorDashed 20-piece McNugget meal.
There are so many new putter grip options out there! Try the new Golf Pride Reverse Taper grip, a perforated leather grip from Best Grips, or a Lamkin Deep Etched Full Cord grip.
Or get super nutty and try more than one.
If your local club builder has an air compressor, they can probably save your old grip and reinstall it if none of your experiments pans out.
Reason 2: You have a favorite grip.
Do you have a favorite putter grip?
If I had to pick one grip for the rest of my days, it would be the Iomic Midsized 75g putter grip. I fell in love with this grip because of its shape, texture, and the fact that they came in various color offerings.
Some of you may not remember the time when putter grips were either black or black. Iomic introduced a wide range of colored grip possibilities. These days, colored putter grips are a common occurrence. We should probably thank Iomic for that.
If Iomic ever makes a medium purple version (Pantone #4e008e), I’ll buy a case.
Regardless, if you buy a new putter that does not have your favorite grip on it, yank off that stock grip and put on your favorite. You probably will at some point down the road anyway after a bad putting round.
Why not yank the stock grip immediately and sell it on Facebook Marketplace to pay for your favorite grip?
Reason 3: Poor putting performance
It’s easy to blame a poor round of putting on the putter but maybe it’s the grip that is at fault.
(Realistically, it’s probably your fault that you putted poorly but it requires less self-reflection to just buy a new grip.)
The thing is that it could actually be the grip.
Your putting stroke is negatively influenced by a grip that is too large, too small, too round, too flat, too heavy, too light, and so on and so on. An uncomfortable grip could lead you to uncomfortable swings.
Case in point: my fighting with my purple L.A.B. Golf DF3. Not too long ago, my DF3 and I were not on the same page. It felt alien and just wasn’t hitting pace or line like my previously gamed Mezz.1 MAX.
Rolling them side by side, it occurred to me that it could be a grip issue.
The DF3 had L.A.B. Golf’s Press Pistol 2° grip and my Mezz.1 MAX is gripped with the Press II 1.5° smooth grip. For those of you not familiar with the two grips, the top of the Press Pistol is significantly larger than the reverse-tapered top on the Press II.
It dawned on me that my left hand didn’t feel comfortable on the Pistol grip. I believe this led to inconsistencies gripping the club and rolling balls.
To fix this, I sent my DF3 to L.A.B. for a regripping and rebalancing. For those of you who have done this, you know that it was not an inexpensive experiment.
Thankfully, the Press II 1.5° grip is proving to be a winner, and will likely be my go to L.A.B. grip from this point forward.
Reason 4: You’ve changed your putting grip style.
I tried to putt left hand low yesterday. It didn’t go well. For some, this grip style creates a more stable stroke. For me, I felt like I was an elephant, swinging my trunk-like left arm back and forth.
Most of us have experimented with the latest putter gripping fad, and some of you have stuck with it. Getting the most out of your new gripping scheme may require a different shaped grip.
For example, SuperStroke makes a putter grip specifically shaped for Claw-style putters.
Hopefully a grip company comes up with a grip shape that matches my Tiger Style putting approach (WTCANTFW).
Reason 5: Your grip is old and worn.
If your grip is looking ratty, it’s time for a swap. Do your fingers touch the shaft? Do your hands leave the putter grip covered in snowy flakes of rubber? Was Bill Clinton president when your putter grip was new?
If so, it may be time to get rid of that moldy oldie and get something that is a few decades fresher. Tell the youngsters at your course that you yeeted that lowkey sus grip. They’ll be more shook than salty at your glow up flex.
Bet.
Reason not to regrip: Your grip is old and worn.
For some golfers, their putter grips are like baseball gloves. For the equipment to perform the best, it must first be worn in. If your putter grip has dents and discolorations, but it now perfectly indexes with your hands, don’t change a thing.
Assuming you are putting well with it, an unnecessary grip change could be the exact worst thing for your game on the greens. Those nicks and blemishes on your grip are earned only by spending long hours on the practice green.
Your grip is broken in, and is now customized to your hands.
Do not change it!
(Unless you really want to…)
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