I've been experimenting with the JumboMax UltraLite grips lately, thought I'd throw some thoughts out on them and maybe spur some discussion.
I have big paws. I wear an XL golf glove, and my hand measures 8 1/2" from the base of my palm to the tip of my middle finger. With my hand fully splayed out, it measures 9 3/4" from the tip of my pinky to the tip of my thumb. I've been using Winn Dri-Tac Oversize grips (+1/8") for a number of years, adding two wraps of tape to build them up even further, and they still feel small in my hands. I also have overactive hands when I swing, which causes a lot of pulls and pull hooks when I don't control it, and blocks when I overcompensate and hold my hands off. My other issue with the Dri-Tacs is how fast they wear out. I've been meaning to try the JumboMax grips for a while now, and I finally pulled the trigger a couple weeks ago.
(As an aside - I recently tried SuperStroke's Traxion Tour oversized grips, and I've never in my life hated a grip so much. Garbage. I love their putter grips, but the swing grip looked cheap, felt plasticky and slippery, and had a seam on the back which I assume was intended to serve as an alignment aid, which felt terrible. My fingers slid around on the grip and every time I swung it it felt like the club was going to fly out of my hands. I couldn't cut that grip off my club fast enough, and I'm glad I only bought one instead of an entire set!)
My first experiment was with the JumboMax UltraLite Str8 Tech, in size Medium (+5/16"), on my driver. The Str8 Tech is a non-tapered grip that measures 1.10" in diameter. The UltraLite version weighs 47g - the Winn Dri-Tac Oversize grips weigh 50g, so there's a slight (1/2 point?) positive change in swing weight (which I don't notice). There are three different texture patterns strategically positioned in different parts of the grip (cross, hex and herringbone), and the grips feel tacky and soft without feeling the least bit spongy (even the Winn Dri-Tacs feel spongier by comparison). They have a firmer "anti-twist" core beneath the softer outer grip layer. The texture is very comfortable and it's a grip that I could easily play without wearing a glove. The nice thing about the Str8 Tech is that the grip feels the same when you grip down as it does when you grip it at full length due to the lack of taper. When swinging the club, the first thing I noticed was that it felt more secure in my hands. The size feels reassuring and allows me to grip more lightly, and while my hands still sometimes get overactive, it has quieted them down noticeably. I'm hitting less pulls/pull hooks, and my shot shape is tending toward straight or a slight draw. I've even been playing around lately and started figuring out how to hit a fade when I need it, which is a revelation for me since I couldn't intentionally hit a fade to save my life before. I've also seen an increase in distance - I don't credit that to some voodoo magic in the grip, per se, but it's more because the comfort and security in my grip (along with the improved shot shape) lets me feel confident to swing harder. I don't fear the big left miss as much, and that big grip just feels good in my hands. Funny thing is, when you grab another club after holding on to these grips, the other club with a regular sized grip feels like you're holding a toothpick!
Second experiment was the UltraLite Str8 Tech in size X-Small (+3/16") on my 7 iron. Yes, their "X-Small" is 1/16" larger in diameter than the Winn Dri-Tac Oversize. It measures 1.00" in diameter and weighs 42g, so the net effect should be a swing weight around 1.5 points heavier than with my previous 50g Dri-Tacs. Again, it's not noticeable to me, but I'm not overly picky about swing weight and not very sensitive to small changes in it. Same grip as above, just in a smaller size, so still very comfortable and grippy, but it didn't feel as secure in my hands due to the smaller diameter. If you like / already play oversize/jumbo grips and are comfortable with that size, the X-Small would be a good starting place if you wanted to try the JumboMax grips. If you're looking for a noticeably larger feel in your hands, one of the larger sizes will probably be more suitable for you.
I'm now onto Stage 3 of the experiment - I'm currently in the process of regripping my entire set with the JumboMax JMX UltraLite in size Large (+11/32"). One of my regular golf buddies tried one of these after swinging my Str8 Techs, but he wanted a standard taper on his grips. I hit his and liked the feeling of the even larger diameter under my top (left) hand, so I'm going to give them a try. These aren't the non-taper Str8 Tech models, they taper from 1.40" in diameter at the butt end to 1.08" diameter at the lower end of the grip. Weight is 50g, identical to my previous Dri-Tacs, so no change at all in swing weight. Same grip composition and patterns as the Str8 Techs, so comfort should be the same. I got about halfway through regripping my clubs tonight before I ran out of solvent, so I'll finish them up tomorrow and they'll be going into play on Wednesday.
(Note: If you're an Arccos/CobraConnect user, JumboMax's Tour and Wrap series grips are made to accept the sensors. The UltraLite models do not accept them.)
I have big paws. I wear an XL golf glove, and my hand measures 8 1/2" from the base of my palm to the tip of my middle finger. With my hand fully splayed out, it measures 9 3/4" from the tip of my pinky to the tip of my thumb. I've been using Winn Dri-Tac Oversize grips (+1/8") for a number of years, adding two wraps of tape to build them up even further, and they still feel small in my hands. I also have overactive hands when I swing, which causes a lot of pulls and pull hooks when I don't control it, and blocks when I overcompensate and hold my hands off. My other issue with the Dri-Tacs is how fast they wear out. I've been meaning to try the JumboMax grips for a while now, and I finally pulled the trigger a couple weeks ago.
(As an aside - I recently tried SuperStroke's Traxion Tour oversized grips, and I've never in my life hated a grip so much. Garbage. I love their putter grips, but the swing grip looked cheap, felt plasticky and slippery, and had a seam on the back which I assume was intended to serve as an alignment aid, which felt terrible. My fingers slid around on the grip and every time I swung it it felt like the club was going to fly out of my hands. I couldn't cut that grip off my club fast enough, and I'm glad I only bought one instead of an entire set!)
My first experiment was with the JumboMax UltraLite Str8 Tech, in size Medium (+5/16"), on my driver. The Str8 Tech is a non-tapered grip that measures 1.10" in diameter. The UltraLite version weighs 47g - the Winn Dri-Tac Oversize grips weigh 50g, so there's a slight (1/2 point?) positive change in swing weight (which I don't notice). There are three different texture patterns strategically positioned in different parts of the grip (cross, hex and herringbone), and the grips feel tacky and soft without feeling the least bit spongy (even the Winn Dri-Tacs feel spongier by comparison). They have a firmer "anti-twist" core beneath the softer outer grip layer. The texture is very comfortable and it's a grip that I could easily play without wearing a glove. The nice thing about the Str8 Tech is that the grip feels the same when you grip down as it does when you grip it at full length due to the lack of taper. When swinging the club, the first thing I noticed was that it felt more secure in my hands. The size feels reassuring and allows me to grip more lightly, and while my hands still sometimes get overactive, it has quieted them down noticeably. I'm hitting less pulls/pull hooks, and my shot shape is tending toward straight or a slight draw. I've even been playing around lately and started figuring out how to hit a fade when I need it, which is a revelation for me since I couldn't intentionally hit a fade to save my life before. I've also seen an increase in distance - I don't credit that to some voodoo magic in the grip, per se, but it's more because the comfort and security in my grip (along with the improved shot shape) lets me feel confident to swing harder. I don't fear the big left miss as much, and that big grip just feels good in my hands. Funny thing is, when you grab another club after holding on to these grips, the other club with a regular sized grip feels like you're holding a toothpick!
Second experiment was the UltraLite Str8 Tech in size X-Small (+3/16") on my 7 iron. Yes, their "X-Small" is 1/16" larger in diameter than the Winn Dri-Tac Oversize. It measures 1.00" in diameter and weighs 42g, so the net effect should be a swing weight around 1.5 points heavier than with my previous 50g Dri-Tacs. Again, it's not noticeable to me, but I'm not overly picky about swing weight and not very sensitive to small changes in it. Same grip as above, just in a smaller size, so still very comfortable and grippy, but it didn't feel as secure in my hands due to the smaller diameter. If you like / already play oversize/jumbo grips and are comfortable with that size, the X-Small would be a good starting place if you wanted to try the JumboMax grips. If you're looking for a noticeably larger feel in your hands, one of the larger sizes will probably be more suitable for you.
I'm now onto Stage 3 of the experiment - I'm currently in the process of regripping my entire set with the JumboMax JMX UltraLite in size Large (+11/32"). One of my regular golf buddies tried one of these after swinging my Str8 Techs, but he wanted a standard taper on his grips. I hit his and liked the feeling of the even larger diameter under my top (left) hand, so I'm going to give them a try. These aren't the non-taper Str8 Tech models, they taper from 1.40" in diameter at the butt end to 1.08" diameter at the lower end of the grip. Weight is 50g, identical to my previous Dri-Tacs, so no change at all in swing weight. Same grip composition and patterns as the Str8 Techs, so comfort should be the same. I got about halfway through regripping my clubs tonight before I ran out of solvent, so I'll finish them up tomorrow and they'll be going into play on Wednesday.
(Note: If you're an Arccos/CobraConnect user, JumboMax's Tour and Wrap series grips are made to accept the sensors. The UltraLite models do not accept them.)
