Soft vs Hard Golf Grips – Pros And Cons Of Each & What To Use

Soft vs Hard Golf Grips – Pros And Cons Of Each & What To Use

The average golfer pays more attention to the technological features of their clubhead and overlooks the importance of other elements. For example, the size and firmness of your grip. In this post, I review soft vs hard golf grips to see which one you should play.

 

I will take you through the features and benefits of each grip and explain how it impacts your game. Plus, I provide a list of the best soft and hard golf grips for this year.

 

Intro To Soft Vs Hard Golf Grips

 

How Does Grip Hardness Affect Performance

The firmness of your grip impacts how much tension you create when you grab it. Some players may need to grip a soft design tightly to gain any sensation of control. That can cause one to create excess pressure and can cause you to lose power and accuracy.

 

Soft Vs Hard Putter In Detail

 

What Are The Advantages Of Soft Golf Grips

Superior Feel

Soft grips provide a superior feel. It gives the average golfer the sense that they have firm control over the club.

Shock Absorption

The design of soft grips works to absorb vibrations of off-center strikes. This ensures maximum comfort, even on mishits.

Ideal For Beginners

If you are starting out, these grips are the way to go. The softness of the material enables you to achieve a firm grip for increased control.

Harder designs may be difficult to hold of when starting out. Already, your grip setup is uncomfortable, and throwing in a firm construction, may give you minimal control over the club.

 

What Are The Advantages Of A Hard Golf Grips

Reduces Tension

Bob Lamkin explains that a hard grip reduces tension and ensures a stable yet comfortable hold on the club. That boosts your control of the golf club and encourages a fluid swing.

Improved Feedback

Firmer grips produce superior feedback at impact. This enables golfers to determine if they struck the ball sweetly or not. However, the downside of this feedback is that it opens you up to experiencing vibrations on off-center strikes.

Suited To Faster Swingers

Firmer grips are ideal for faster swingers. It reduces grip pressure and enables golfers to let loose on their swing. If these players use a softer grip, they may create excess tension and restrict their ability to maximize clubhead speed.

Increased Clubhead Speed

The lighter grab encouraged by firm golf grips enables you to boost your clubhead speed. The setup relaxes your muscles and sets you up for optimal rotation through the swing. Therefore, it helps select golfers produce increased clubhead speed.

 

Cons Of Soft Golf Grips

Excess Tension

The nature of soft grips causes golfers to increase tension around the handle. That is because you wish to feel in control of the club. However, gripping it tight can cause your clubhead to remain closed at impact, resulting in a hook.

Reduced Feedback

Soft grips do not provide the feedback of firmer products. Instead, they are designed to drown out vibrations and ensure a smooth feel.

 

Cons Of Hard Golf Grips

Limited Shock Absorption

The major downside of a hard grip is that it offers limited shock absorption on off-center strikes. The trade-off is superior feedback.

Difficult To Control The Club

If you are a beginner, you may find that the firmer grips are challenging to hold. Therefore, you may feel more confident using the softer construction for now.

 

Who Should Be Using Soft Grips

I suggest that the average golfer with slow and moderate swing speeds use soft grips. It reduces vibrations, offers a smooth feel, and boosts your control.

 

Who Should Be Using Hard Grips

Although I use hard grips, these are best suited to faster swingers. I have a moderate swing speed, but I need firmness to reduce tension.

 

Our Favorite 3 Soft Golf Grips – Mini Review With Pros And Cons

Winn Excel Wrap

Pros

• Soft
• Excellent shock absorption
• Moderately priced
• Suited to dry conditions
• Ideal for beginners and seniors

Cons

• The super-soft design may cause players to induce a firmer grip.

 

On Winn’s scale of firmness, where 0 is soft and 10 is hard, this grip scores a 3. It is crafted with polymers to produce superb shock absorption and feel.

The Exel grips are exceptionally tacky and offer maximum traction for dry-weather golf. Unfortunately, their design can create problems in the rain. These grips are only available in black and are moderately priced. You can find alternative options for a few dollars less a grip. But a set of these won’t break the bank.

Overall, the Winn Excel Wrap grips are ideal for beginners and seniors swinging golfers who live in drier areas.

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Golf Pride MCC Plus4

Pros

• Soft grip
• Moisture-wicking cord
• It keeps dry in any condition
• Maximum traction
• It prevents you from gripping the club firmly

Cons

• Expensive

 

The MCC Plus4 is effectively a hybrid grip crafted for a soft feel. It offers all the characteristics of a soft grip while reducing tension and pressure. Therefore it feels smooth but behaves like it is firm. It provides the best of both worlds.

An enlarged lower hand comprises 4-additional wraps to encourage a lighter grip and promote a fluid swing.

A brushed cotton cord produces exceptional moisture-wicking qualities to keep the grips dry in any condition. As a result, you enjoy improved traction in the rain or shine. Finally, a soft micro-texture is employed to further boost friction for superior control of your golf club.

The Golf Pride MCC Plus4 is a suitable option for every average golfer. You benefit from a soft feel and shock absorption without needing to grip the club firmly.

 

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

SuperStroke Traxion Wrap

Pros

• Soft feel
• The firm core produces improved stability
• Absorbs shocks
• Reduces grip tension
• Provides increased traction

Cons

• The grips are more expensive than the average.
• The inner core may be too firm for seniors and beginners
• The feel might make this grip too soft for some golfers.

 

Like the Golf Pride MCC Plus4, these SuperStroke grips possess the qualities of a hybrid and could fall into either category. On the one hand, it produces a soft, tacky feel for supreme comfort and reduced vibration. Conversely, taper control technology expands the lower hand to restrict grip tension, and a firm inner core boosts stability.

Further reducing grip pressure are Geo-Speed channels precisely crafted to minimize tension on your grip.

In addition, a proprietary compound is employed to deliver a sticky, soft feel for enhanced traction and improved comfort.

Overall the SuperStroke Traxion grip offers everything you could ask for. It is soft, stable, and absorbs vibrations. Although it is several dollars more than the average grip, it is still not outrageously priced.

 

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Our Favorite 3 Hard Golf Grips

Lamkin UTx Cord Golf Grips

Pros

• Soft feel
• Shock absorbing
• Moisture-wicking cord
• Suitable for all-weather
• Provides increased stability

Cons

• More expensive than other grips

 

Lamkin UTx Cord Grips include multi-layer technology that is designed to offer stability, a soft feel, and comfort. They achieve this by applying a soft Ace foundation core, then adding a moisture-wicking cord fabric. Finally, the grip is topped off with a firmer layer of Ace material.

This combination leads to the soft feel, comfort, and shock absorption every golfer craves. Plus, it ensures that the grip remains dry, and the firm feel maximizes stability.

Lamkin suggests that they constructed these grips to perform for golfers with faster swing speeds. Players in this category demand torsion control without impacting feel. That is exactly what the UTx Cord grips provide.

 

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Golf Pride ZGrip Align

Pros

• Keeps your hands in position during your swing
• Helps you deliver a square clubface at impact
• Delivers superior feedback
• The grips stay dry in all weather conditions
• Ideal for golfers with faster swing speeds

Cons

• Expensive
• They do not suit the average golfer

 

The Golf Pride ZGrip Align is the firmest grip in the range to increase feedback at impact. Plus, align technology is inserted to keep your hands in position throughout your swing. That boosts the chance of keeping your clubface square through impact for improved accuracy.

Furthermore, Golf Pride employed a brush cotton cord to provide moisture-wicking services. The material repels water from the grip, keeping it dry in all weather conditions. As a result, it produces optimal traction in any condition.

The ZGrip is built for golfers with faster speeds and who appreciate feedback at impact. I am referring to the superior players among us.

 

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Champkey Victor Hybrid

Pros

• Soft feel
• Superb feedback
• Comfortable
• All-weather control
• Improved traction
• Affordable

Cons

• It does not reduce vibrations as well as other grips.

 

The Champkey Victor Hybrid grips stand out for their feedback, comfort, feel and control. They include 2 micro-texture materials in the lower hand grip to induce a combination of firmness and soft feel.

The firm element of the grip works to deliver increased feedback at impact. Plus, a soft rubber improves your feel and reduces tension. That enables you to swing freely and maximize power on your downswing for an additional coefficient of restitution (C.O.R).

Furthermore, the grip’s soft micro-textures increase traction for superior control over your club. In addition, cotton thread technology provides all-weather control by keeping your grips dry. However, they can become overwhelmed in torrential rain.

 

Check Out More Reviews Here:

 

Conclusion

There are the answers to your question on soft vs hard grips. It is clear that soft grips better suit the average golfer with slow and moderate swing speeds. Conversely, the firmer grips are ideal for faster swinging players looking to reduce their grip tension.

If you are grabbing the club too tightly, then a hard golf grip may help you loosen up slightly.

Conversely, lighter gripping golfers may find that the softer construction provides increased control. Look at the Winn Excel Wrap designs, if you have a loose grip.

On the other hand, faster swingers should learn more about the Lamkin UTx Cord grip.