My JumboMax ZenLite experiment ended in a slightly unusual place. The grips themselves disappointed me in terms of durability, but the idea behind them did not. I liked using a larger grip; I felt as though I could hold the club with less pressure and, most importantly, my elbow seemed to appreciate the change.

By the end of that experiment, though, I had also learned something else. JumboMax Extra Small was probably too big a jump in size. Of the options I tried, a more conventional midsize grip felt best, so despite losing confidence in the ZenLite grips, I didn’t want to go back to where I had started and put my old standard grips back on.

The Next Experiment

For years, my grip of choice had been the Lamkin Sonar+. It has a reduced taper profile and offers good levels of comfort without ever feeling excessively soft. It also came in midsize but, unfortunately, after Lamkin’s acquisition by SuperStroke, they were no longer available, so returning to what I knew wasn’t an option. I had the original grips in the garage, but I didn’t want to return to standard thickness either.

I had also previously used and enjoyed the Golf Pride CP Pro grip, and Adam Legg at Auchterlonies hinted that Golf Pride had something new coming that might be worth experimenting with when it arrived.

Enter the new Golf Pride CP grip.

The CP sits somewhere between the very soft CPX and the firmer, but still relatively soft, CP Pro. Golf Pride describes it as offering “comfortable performance”. It also uses their Plus4 Technology to reduce taper in the lower hand, which further adds to the appeal.

As someone who suffers from elbow tendonitis, I have been trying to find a grip that helps in two different ways: thicker than standard, so I don’t feel the need to squeeze quite as hard, and soft enough to reduce some of the vibration that can aggravate the problem. A midsize, reduced taper grip with more cushioning, but without becoming excessively soft or wearing too quickly, sounded very close to what I was looking for.

Could this be a win all round?

First Impressions

My first thought when I picked one up was that these were both very soft and very tacky. Almost immediately, that raised two questions. Would they twist or move once fitted to the club and, perhaps more importantly after my JumboMax experience, how durable would they prove?

In terms of feel, they reminded me more of the CP Pro than the Sonar+, although noticeably softer. They also looked much better made than the JumboMax grips. The moulding and finish felt more substantial and, while that was only a first impression, it gave me a little more confidence before I had even installed them.

I also like the new cap design Golf Pride is using across its range, and I think the grey colour on these grips looks particularly good. Grips are hardly the most exciting piece of golf equipment aesthetically, but these are smart without trying too hard.

Size and Shape

Having learned from my previous experiment, rather than regripping the whole bag, I started by installing the CP midsize on a couple of clubs where the ZenLites had failed and therefore needed to be replaced quickly.

The ZenLite experiment suggested that standard midsize was the sweet spot for me, and these grips reinforced that view. They filled my hands nicely without ever feeling cumbersome, while the Plus4 profile felt particularly good in my lower hand. They felt right almost immediately.

There is a nice balance in the size of this grip, and I like the feeling of having more substance under the lower hand. It helps the grip feel more even and, at least subjectively, seems to discourage me from squeezing quite as hard. That was exactly what I had been hoping for.

Weight and Swing Weight

Weight was always likely to be a potential downside for a conventional midsize grip. Compared with my old Lamkin Sonar+, which weighed 54 g, the Golf Pride CP midsize came in at 70 g on my scales, which is 2 g heavier than Golf Pride’s stated weight. In practice, that meant adding 16 g of static weight and therefore reducing swing weight by around three to four points.

I didn’t notice that immediately in the irons, but I did more in the woods. Despite the higher static weight, I had less awareness of the clubhead in motion. Some golfers actively like that counterbalanced feeling and may even feel they can swing the club faster, but I prefer a little more sense of where the head is.

So I decided to experiment with lead tape to bring the swing weights back up. I’ve also wanted to experiment with more progressive weighting in my irons too. Effectively, poor man’s MOI matching. The driver is now at D1, while the 3 wood, 7 wood and hybrid are at D2. My irons progress from D0 in the 5 iron through to D4 in the 58° wedge. There was quite a lot of tape involved on some clubs, which underlines just how much difference the heavier grips can make. In some cases, I needed 6 g or more of lead tape and, when that is combined with the extra grip weight, most clubs are now more than 20 g heavier on a static basis. That’s quite a difference.

This brings another potential complication too. Adding head weight isn’t completely neutral, as its positioning can influence the club’s centre of gravity and MOI. I now have quite a lot of extra weight towards the front of my driver, for example, which could theoretically alter its launch, spin and forgiveness characteristics.

These lead tape changes have only just been made. My first couple of range sessions have been encouraging, but the on-course performance will be more important in judging how effective they have been and whether there are any further unintended consequences. If I decide to keep the extra weight, then I will try to source heavier OEM weights for the heads and remove the lead tape. It’s really just an issue on the woods as it sits on the sole of the club and therefore attracts dirt and grass.

Comfort

This is where the CP grips have really impressed me. Having been happy with the first couple I fitted, I fairly quickly regripped the whole set. Since then, I have played around a dozen rounds with them, and the difference in comfort has been significant.

They feel very good in my hands. The combination of the midsize profile, reduced taper and softer material seems to allow me to hold the club more comfortably and with less tension. Whether I am actually using dramatically less grip pressure is difficult to quantify, but that is certainly how it feels.

More importantly, my elbow agrees. I have been playing a lot of golf recently, and my elbow is the most comfortable it has felt all year. During and after rounds, I am experiencing much less fatigue and considerably less pain. Interestingly, that improvement seems greater than it was with the ZenLite grips, which were thicker but considerably firmer.

I do need to be careful about claiming cause and effect here. I am also committed to daily rehabilitation exercises for my tendonitis, so the improvement may be coming from a combination of factors. Even so, I genuinely believe the grips are helping because the difference from the ZenLites has been significant.

That is particularly encouraging because I was using the Sonar+ when the elbow problem originally became more noticeable. I liked those grips a lot, but the CP appears to be giving me another level of cushioning.

Performance in the Wet

After the JumboMax experience, I was particularly interested to see how the CP grips would behave in poor weather. So far, they have been excellent.

I have now played in the rain a couple of times, including one very heavy downpour, and I haven’t experienced any of the slipping or loss of confidence I had with the ZenLite grips. The CP remains tacky and secure when wet, and I have never felt as though the club was moving in my hands.

Durability

The other obvious question is wear. Very soft grips can sometimes trade durability for comfort. Having heard reports of quicker wear with the Golf Pride CPX grip, I was wary of ending up in the same position I had just escaped from with JumboMax.

After around a dozen rounds, though, the signs are encouraging. The grips are proving robust, and I am seeing very little wear. There is a tiny amount on the butt end of my driver grip, but I don’t find that particularly concerning at this stage. The photo actually makes it look a lot worse than it really is.

That club has also been used heavily during my speed training sessions, and I know I have a tendency to hold my clubs too much in my palm rather than properly in my fingers. Both of those things are likely to increase wear in that area, and I see a similar pattern with my glove wear too. There is no similar wear on my 7i, which is probably used even more than my driver when practising.

For now, durability is very much a case of so far, so good.

Finding the Right Balance

The more I use the new CP grip, the more I think Golf Pride has found a very good middle ground. It has some of the familiarity and structure I remember from the CP Pro, but with considerably more cushioning, while the Plus4 profile gives me something closer to the reduced taper feel I enjoyed with the Sonar+.

The JumboMax experiment also helped confirm that I didn’t need to go as large as Extra Small. A conventional midsize grip with reduced taper gives me enough extra size to feel comfortable without becoming excessive, and the softer construction of the CP adds another level of cushioning that seems to suit me particularly well.

Grip feel remains incredibly personal. Some golfers will pick up the CP and immediately think it is too soft. Others may like the cushioning but dislike the heavier weight or the way that changes the balance of the club. For my hands, and particularly for my elbow, the combination of size, taper and softness appears to be working very well.

Verdict

After around a dozen rounds, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend trying the new Golf Pride CP grip for yourself. I am extremely happy with the comfort; the Plus4 profile has worked well for me and, so far, both wet-weather performance and overall durability have been excellent.

Most importantly, my elbow is feeling considerably better.

Has Golf Pride perfected comfort? Probably not for everyone, but for me, they have come remarkably close.

If you’ve tried the new Golf Pride CP grips, or have found another grip that has helped with comfort or elbow issues, I’d be interested to hear how you’ve got on.

And if you enjoy this kind of practical, real-world equipment testing, you can subscribe to The Club House for more reviews and experiments from an everyday golfer.

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Further reading

JumboMax ZenLite Grip Review
The experiment that led me here, and why I eventually lost confidence in the grips.

Graphite Shafts for Tendonitis
Why I moved into graphite iron shafts in an effort to make golf easier on my elbow.

Speed Training with James Tait
The speed work that has been running alongside this grip experiment and adds some context to the driver wear and swing changes.

I have to preface this article by saying that while writing this review, I was made aware that a new model of the grip had been released. I was sent three samples of the new model to compare with the original version, so this review now combines my experience with both.

Why have I switched?

I didn’t switch to JumboMax ZenLite grips because I was chasing distance, trying to copy Bryson DeChambeau, or looking for a radical equipment experiment. I switched because I was looking for ways to make golf more comfortable while dealing with elbow tendonitis.

I’ve already moved into graphite shafts, and I’ll link to those posts below, but the next idea was thicker grips. The theory is fairly simple: a thicker grip may reduce grip pressure, which can reduce tension in the hands, arms and elbow tendons. If you are gripping the club a little less tightly, perhaps the whole system becomes a little less strained.

This review is therefore not just about whether the grips feel good in the hand, or whether they perform well in normal conditions. It is about whether thicker grips can make golf feel more playable while recovering from tendonitis. On that measure, the early signs have been positive, although the full story has turned out to be more complicated.

Why JumboMax ZenLite?

Part of the reason I was interested in JumboMax was that I had listened to a few podcast interviews with CEO John Mazzanoble and Director of Sales and Fitting Alex Trujillo. They made a convincing case for why grip size matters, why a thicker grip might help golfers reduce grip pressure, and the potential benefits of doing that.

Tour validation has also increased recently, with players such as Jason Day and Sergio Garcia switching to JumboMax grips. Good players are not going to make major equipment changes lightly, especially to something as personal as grips, so that sort of validation carries some weight.

That said, tour validation only goes so far. Tour players are not paying £17.95 per grip, dealing with UK stock limitations, waiting on customs delays from a UK website, or wondering whether to replace thirteen grips out of their own pocket if something goes wrong. Their experience of equipment is not the same as ours.

Ideally, I would have tested these properly first. JumboMax sell trial packs in the USA, which would have been the sensible route, but I couldn’t source one in the UK. That meant the decision was more of a jump than I would normally like.

I used the JumboMax AI fitting tool, which recommended extra-small, and chose the ZenLite because it was an almost perfect weight match for my existing grips. That mattered because I wanted to change grip size without creating any major swing weight issues or completely changing the way the clubs felt.

Many jumbo grips are considerably heavier than standard grips, often by 20 to 30g or more. The ZenLite gets around that by using a lightweight inner core with a layer of grip rubber over it, keeping the overall weight much closer to a conventional grip.

As I was preparing to return from injury and wanted my clubs ready, I decided to replace all 13 grips rather than trialling a couple first. I was pretty convinced by the theory, and if thicker grips were going to help my elbow, I wanted the benefit across the full set rather than only on one or two clubs.

Buying Them In The UK

JumboMax grips are still not the easiest thing to source in the UK, especially if you want a specific model and size. Most of the usual online retailers I use were out of stock, and no local physical retailer stocked them either.

I contacted JMX in the USA to ask about UK suppliers, and they directed me to Ministry Golf. Peter Powell from Ministry Golf has been exceptionally helpful throughout this process, but his reply came after I had already found the grips in stock elsewhere. Being impatient, I had already ordered them from that site.

At the time, I had no reason to think I was buying anything other than current stock. That became more important later.

Fitting The Grips

Fitting them was not especially easy.

I have fitted plenty of grips before, but these took more effort than a normal grip. They are not impossible to fit, but I wouldn’t want to fit them if I were in a hurry. It’s a bit like installing a SuperStroke putter grip.

First Impressions

The initial impressions were positive.

The ZenLite extra-small felt good in the hand and almost like a larger classic Tour Velvet. Yes, they are large, but not cartoonishly so, and the material felt pleasant in dry conditions. A few playing partners tried my clubs, and their reaction was generally positive. Even for golfers who had no intention of switching to something oversized, the grips made a good first impression.

After the first couple of rounds, I noticed less elbow fatigue after playing, which was exactly what I was hoping for. The size took a little adjustment, but not as much as I expected. The clubs still felt familiar, just with a larger grip in my hands.

Performance On The Course

In dry conditions, the grips have been good.

I have not found any real issue with different types of shots. Full swings, partial shots and chipping have all been fine. That was one of my concerns before fitting them, because I wondered whether a thicker grip might make the short game feel clumsy or reduce my sense of the clubhead.

If anything, the bigger grip has made the club feel calmer in my hands. I don’t feel as though I need to squeeze it in the same way, and that seems to be part of why my elbow has felt better. I’m not saying the grips have improved my golf, but they have made playing feel more comfortable.

Wet-Weather Performance

The wet-weather performance has been less convincing.

I’ve now had enough time with the grips to play in the rain, and even wearing rain gloves, I didn’t feel especially secure with them. The material felt less convincing once wet, and I found myself thinking about the grip rather than the shot. Not ideal.

I can’t say with certainty whether this is purely down to the material or whether I am still adjusting to using a thicker grip in wet conditions. It may even be a confidence issue. But either way, for my golf in Scotland, wet-weather performance matters. A grip can feel excellent in dry conditions, but if I don’t trust it in the rain, that becomes a serious limitation.

The Grip Failure

Unfortunately, the biggest issue was durability.

After only a couple of rounds, two of the thirteen grips started to fail. The rubber sleeve at the butt end became loose and began rolling down, exposing the inner section underneath. This was not normal wear. On one grip, it was bad enough that the end of the club looked completely unfinished. On another, the sleeve had clearly started to lift and deform around the cap.

A couple more grips also started to show similar signs, so this was no longer an isolated issue. Two failures from thirteen would already be disappointing for a premium grip, but with others beginning to go the same way, it became harder to dismiss as simple bad luck.

Could clubs rubbing together in the bag have contributed? Possibly. But clubs being taken in and out of a golf bag is ordinary use, and I would expect a grip to tolerate that without starting to come apart.

Customer Service And The Old Model Issue

This is where the experience became more frustrating, although I want to be clear that my issue is not with Ministry Golf.

When the problems started, despite not having supplied my grips, Peter at Ministry was very helpful. He explained that the black and green ZenLite I had purchased was an older model, and that the newer black and white version had been improved. He suggested that I contact the seller and have the faulty grips replaced.

When I raised this with my retailer, they said JMX had not contacted them about the issue. Their first offer was to refund the two defective grips, which addressed the visible failures but not the wider concern that I had fitted thirteen older-model grips and had lost confidence in the rest of the set. In the end, I agreed to a refund for the two failed grips, along with some compensation for the inconvenience. The retailer continued to list the grips as current stock.

While dealing with the retailer, I also contacted JMX USA directly. Their response confirmed that they were “aware of this issue with the older model Zen Lite”, and that the grips in my pictures were that older model. They also said they had switched to a different manufacturer for the new ZenLite and that the revised version would no longer have the lime-green detailing.

Until then, I thought I might simply have been unlucky with two faulty grips, and I had treated the refund for those two as a reasonable compromise. After the JMX reply, it felt more like I had bought old stock of a product with a known issue.

I therefore contacted the retailer again, and they agreed to a full refund. I also contacted JMX again to ask why older stock with a known problem had remained in the supply chain and continued to be sold as current product. They did not reply.

What happened next?

If the grips had simply felt poor, the decision would be easy. I would take them off, move on, and put the experiment down to experience. But that is not what happened. The thicker grip idea has helped, and I am more comfortable playing golf with them fitted.

The problem now is trust.

Having remained in contact with Ministry Golf, Peter suggested that he send me replacements from the new range for my three faulty grips. That was a very generous offer, and he sent one XS and two Standard Jumbo grips so I could also try a size down.

Did The New Model Fix It?

Initially, these felt slightly better than the older model, but unfortunately they have not resolved the durability concerns. In fact, they have raised a few additional quality questions.

The three grips I was sent were all slightly different lengths, which immediately seemed odd. They also have a noticeable seam where the grip wrap is joined together. I actually think that could have been turned into something useful if it had been positioned and finished deliberately enough to act as an alignment reference, but as it stands, it simply feels like a construction seam.

I like the texture of the newer grips, but they do not appear particularly durable. The grip on my driver was already showing signs of wear after only a few rounds.

Then, most significantly, the driver grip failed in the same way as the older model.

While trying the new model, I have also been experimenting with other grips. When removing one of the new ZenLite grips, we noticed that the core appeared more brittle than the old one and broke up during removal. We also noticed that the grip wrap detached from the core very easily and appeared to be attached with grip tape rather than glue.

The butt end looked to be better attached, but that had not prevented another grip from failing in use.

Removing that grip, combined with the failure of the second new-model grip, was enough for me. I do not intend to purchase any more ZenLite grips and will look for an alternative solution.

Verdict

The JumboMax ZenLite grips are a difficult review because the central idea has worked better than the product experience.

On comfort, they have been a success. They feel good in the hand, encourage a lighter hold, and have made golf easier to play while I manage my elbow.

On durability, they have been disappointing, especially for a premium product. More importantly, my experience with the newer black and white model has not restored any confidence. Having now seen the same type of failure on both versions, I think JumboMax need to investigate the issue further.

For now, they have lost me as a customer, and it will be very difficult to convince me to give them a third try.

I would still recommend the idea of testing thicker grips if grip pressure, arm tension or elbow discomfort are issues for you. For me, the lesson is not that thicker grips are a bad idea. It is that a good idea still needs a product you can trust.

A final word

If you’ve experimented with JumboMax grips, or moved to a thicker grip for comfort or to reduce grip pressure, I’d be interested to hear how you got on. I’m now trying a few alternatives, so I’ll share what I find once I’ve had enough time with them.

If you enjoy this kind of independent equipment testing, you can subscribe to The Club House to get future reviews and follow the experiments as they develop.

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Other reading:

Fitting for graphite iron shafts at SGGT: here

For those who don’t know him, James is a professional long driver and speed specialist based in St Andrews. He was previously gear editor at Bunkered, where he reviewed equipment and appeared regularly in their video content, but he also competes seriously in long drive. He finished third at the 2023 World Long Drive Championship, had the longest drive of that tournament at 452 yards, and has now won seven times in Europe, including twice this year. His own ambition is to win the World Championship

I’ve known of James for a few years and used to see him at The Duke’s when he was reviewing equipment. Earlier this year, he went independent and started advertising speed training sessions on social media, working out of the Golf Centre of Excellence. I also knew Freddie Lawrence, another professional there, so before booking anything I checked in with him.

Freddie’s response was useful because it was balanced. He was very positive about James, both as a person and as a coach, but also made an interesting point of caution. In Freddie’s view, a lot of people can gain speed in a first session simply by being encouraged to hit it harder and add a few power moves. The real question is what happens after that. Can the speed be developed? Can it be made safer? Can it become usable?

That was the caveat I needed.

I’m not trying to become a long drive competitor. I’m 57, not 27, and I’m acutely aware of the need to manage my body and accept its limitations. I want to swing faster, but not by pretending I’m younger than I am or ignoring what my body is telling me. The point is not to chase speed at any cost. It is to find out how much more speed is available without making myself less able to play.

I have always been pretty efficient with driver, but I’ve never felt I’ve fully tapped into what I might be capable of producing. My iron numbers have often suggested that I underperform a little with the longer club, which is part of what makes this experiment interesting. Is the driver really limited by my body, or am I failing to access something that is already there?

I’ve also been aware of distance gradually slipping as the years pass. It has not been dramatic, and it would be easy enough to explain it away as age, caution, technique, or the simple habit of trying to keep the ball in play. But in this first lesson, my starting driver speed topped out at 94mph. That gave us a proper baseline. Not a guess. Not a memory of what I used to do. A number to work from.

Warming Up, And A 7-Iron Surprise

We started by warming up with wedges before moving into some 7-irons. James quickly helped me add around 10-15 yards of carry. That surprised me, not just because of the extra distance, but because it didn’t feel forced. If anything, it felt easier.

The change came from something simple, and annoyingly familiar. James got me to move my hands higher, which is a recurring problem for me and something I have worked on before. In theory, that should help me make a better shoulder turn, and in practice it seemed to free up the swing without asking me to swing harder.

It was an early reminder that more speed does not always have to feel like more effort.

ROTEX, Driver And HiiTS

After the 7-iron work, we moved into the ROTEX stretching. I’ve got a pretty good daily stretching routine and I’m generally fairly flexible, so I wasn’t expecting this to be the most revealing part of the lesson. But this was different. It was mainly about rotation, sequencing, and separating movement between the torso and hips. The interesting part was not whether I could get into the positions. It was whether I could use those positions properly in the swing

We then went back to the driver to test the speed again before moving into the HiiTS work. The process was simple: light, middle, heavy, then repeat, recording the maximum swing speed each time. The idea was not to hit perfect golf shots. It was to create speed, feel the difference between the weights, and see how much speed could be accessed while still hitting a ball.

Only after that did I go back to my own driver. That is when I reached 100.2mph, up from a starting best of 94mph. With the HiiTS driver, I had been faster again, reaching 103.5mph

Those numbers got my attention, but I’m being careful not to overstate them. One fast swing in a lesson is not the same as taking it to the course, and it is definitely not the same as cruising at that speed. But it does suggest that 100mph is not some distant memory from a younger version of me. It is still there. The issue is whether I can access it more often, more safely, and with enough control for it to be useful.

James talked about lifting the ceiling speed to improve cruising speed, and that idea makes sense to me. If I want to cruise at 100mph with driver, then my maximum probably needs to be higher than that. Maybe 110mph or more. I don’t want to play golf at my maximum. I want to play golf with control, and know that there’s more there if I really need it.

Why Hitting A Ball Matters

The HiiTS driver part interested me because I’ve used weighted sticks before. I used an unbranded system with interchangeable head weights, followed the programme and watched the videos. I can see the attraction: you can swing weighted sticks almost anywhere, at almost any time, without needing a range, net or golf balls.

I’ve also been able to generate good speed with them. The problem is that I have never translated that properly into driver speed when there is a ball in front of me. It doesn’t simulate impact, and that feels like a major difference. A baseball player doesn’t learn to hit hard by only making air swings. A tennis player doesn’t learn to serve hard without a ball. Golf is not played with practice swings either.

The HiiTS driver made sense because it allowed us to work on speed while still hitting a ball. The point was not really where the ball went. It was simply that there was a ball to hit. Strike, contact, balance and intent remained part of the exercise, but without turning it into a normal driving lesson. If I’m going to train speed, I want that speed to have a chance of transferring into golf, not just into a faster empty swing.

Is there a psychological angle?

I don’t know exactly what is causing my driver ceiling, and I don’t want to pretend I do. Some of it may be physical, but my suspicion is that there is also something subconscious going on. When I’ve tried this before, I’ve always seemed to top out at around 100mph, despite the read-through from my iron numbers suggesting there should be more available.

Am I protecting myself? Am I trying too hard to hit the ball perfectly? Am I worried about the consequences of a bad drive and tightening up before I have even started down?

That would make sense. With a weighted stick, the task is simple: move it fast. Put a driver and a ball in front of me, and the task changes. Suddenly I’m not just trying to create speed. I’m trying to hit a golf shot. On the course, that is exactly what I should be doing. In speed training, though, it may be the thing that holds me back.

Homework Before Lesson Two

The homework for the next four weeks is fairly simple. At the range, after a thorough warm-up with wedges and 7-iron, the driver work will be capped at twenty balls at maximum effort, or until speed starts to drop off. That cap is probably important. I know myself well enough to know that if the number is close, I’ll want one more go, and that is exactly how sensible speed training can become something less sensible.

I’ll also keep working in the gym and add some more explosive medicine ball work, including windmill throws and rebound throws. The aim for lesson two is simple: can I get above the level I reached in the first session, or was that just the easy jump that comes from being given permission to hit it harder?

That comes back to Freddie’s point before I started. The first session can produce easy gains because you are encouraged to move differently. The more useful question is whether those gains can be held, developed and turned into something I can actually use.

So lesson one set the baseline. My driver started with a best of 94mph and reached 100.2mph. The HiiTS driver got to 103.5mph. My 7-iron carry improved by around 10-15 yards without the strike falling apart.

Those are useful numbers, but they are still only starting numbers. The real question is whether I can move the ceiling again in lesson two, and whether some of that extra speed can start to feel a little less like a special effort and a little more like something I own.

I don’t know yet.

That is why there are three more lessons to go.

If you’re interested in whether an ordinary golfer can actually build usable speed rather than just find a number on a launch monitor, follow along with the next three lessons. I’ll report back on what changes, what doesn’t, and whether any of this makes its way onto the course.

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Further Information

For anyone interested in the people and equipment mentioned in this post:

James Tait Golf - Skillest YouTube Instagram

The Centre of Golf Excellence, St Andrews
HiiTS Golf
ROTEXMotion

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This is an update to the post I wrote last year on thoughtsfromthetrain.com. I have removed many of the personal swing-specific things Freddie identified and focused more on how technology was used to enhance the experience.

At the Centre of Golf Excellence, situated in the Bassagaurd business park, only a short walk from the centre of town, that exploration starts with Sportsbox AI — a motion-capture system that builds a fully interactive 3D model of your swing. Rather than relying solely on video or ball-flight numbers, it focuses on how your body actually moves: sequencing, rotation, and weight transfer. No sensors, no wearables. Just a phone or iPad, some smart software, and a surprisingly clear picture of what’s really happening.

“Instead of being told what my swing looks like, I could finally see how it moves.”

The Centre itself isn’t a traditional range or studio. Inside are 3 Trackman-4 simulator bays that can be used individually or with friends, coaching spaces, and fitting facilities. They are also a fitting centre for Wilson clubs. Wilson has developed an AI fitting system using Blast Golf that I would be very interested to return and review.

My session began with a conversation with my instructor, Freddie Lawrence. What was I working on? What did I feel was happening in my swing? As a golf nerd, I’ve long been fascinated with the biomechanics of the golf swing. In particular, in my own swing, I’ve wanted to explore how I transition from backswing to downswing. Do I load into my lead side effectively? Do I rotate in the correct sequence? Am I maximising my power, or do I have room to improve? Once we had established my priorities, we then moved to hitting shots, gathering Trackman data and exploring Sportsbox.

What struck me almost immediately was how the technology reframed the lesson. Instead of chasing ideal positions or rehearsing moves, the focus shifted to cause and effect. Why does a miss show up? Where does the movement break down? What’s actually happening between backswing and impact?

“The technology didn’t replace the coaching — it gave the coaching sharper edges.”

Seeing my swing rendered as a skeletal model made certain habits impossible to ignore. Things I’d always felt — getting stuck, losing sequence, hanging back — were suddenly visible in a way that video alone had never quite managed. To say I was impressed by what you can do with an iPad would be an understatement.

The 3D model also helps your instructor to show you things that are difficult to describe. As a visual learner, I particularly liked this aspect of Sportsbox. It was comforting to see that my swing was actually in good shape and only needed modest tweaking rather than wholesale change. But those modest tweaks have the potential to yield big results.

The clarity given by Sportsbox made the changes easier to accept. When you can see how one small adjustment influences everything that follows, the lesson becomes collaborative rather than corrective. I wasn’t being told what to fix; I was being shown why something mattered and then how to improve it.

“The technology didn’t replace the coaching — it gave the coaching sharper edges.”

Carrying that through to the rest of the session, Freddie demonstrated how I should work on the specific areas identified. Trackman numbers added context, drills reinforced the movement changes, and everything felt connected rather than layered on. Importantly, none of it felt rushed. The technology was there to support understanding, not overwhelm it.

Afterwards, I received a follow-up summary outlining the key takeaways and drills. It’s so easy to forget the instruction after the lesson, and that kind of detail makes it far easier to practice with purpose rather than guesswork.

What stayed with me most wasn’t a specific swing thought or data point, but a broader sense of how golf lessons are evolving and how technology can help you get more out of them. Innovations like Sportsbox AI don’t promise quick fixes or perfect swings. What they offer is a greater understanding — a clearer explanation of why things happen, and a better framework for improving them.

In a town defined by history, that felt like a thoughtful step forward. Not replacing tradition, but quietly supporting it. And for a golfer who’s spent years chasing feels without fully understanding them, that alone made the experience worthwhile. Old Tom Morris might be turning in his grave, but I think Young Tom would have embraced this wholeheartedly.

If you enjoy thoughtful writing about golf — equipment, places, people, and how we learn the game — please subscribe to the newsletter. It’s free, and new posts will land straight in your inbox.

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Links:

Centre of Golf Excellence

Sportsbox AI 3D Motion Capture

Freddie Lawrence

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Why get fitted? Times have changed!

The best analogy I can come up with is that buying new clubs is a bit like buying a new suit. You can buy "off the rack" and get something that's close, but not perfect. You can buy "off the rack" and have it adjusted ("tailor-made") to fit. Or you can go full bespoke, with total control over all aspects of the finished item.

While it's easy to find retailers who will happily sell you equipment "off the rack", most manufacturers now also offer "tailor-made" options with a range of different shafts as standard. Once you add in the premium up-charge shafts, the choices can get bewildering. But how do you know what will work for you? Just because a certain head and shaft combo works for your favourite tour player, or it got a good (most likely paid-for) review on YouTube, or you liked your mate's clubs when you tried them, doesn't mean it's right for you. New clubs are more expensive than ever, so before spending your money, you owe it to yourself to have a fitting. Whether you go for a free service with your retailer or a premium fitting elsewhere, the choice is yours. For the reasons discussed below, you've got nothing to lose and potentially lots to gain.

Ideally - find a fitter you know and trust

Most of us will be members of a golf club, so a good place to start is with your club professional. Given they've got to see you every time you come to play, they are much less likely to sell you something that's not right for you. They may also suggest you take some lessons before buying clubs. During my lessons with Sandy Smith at Ladybank, he identified that my current irons were a poor fit (not enough spin) and suggested I review them when we finished our lessons. While he could do fittings, there was no pressure to use him. One of the downsides to club shops is that they generally only carry a limited range of clubs, with some not stocking clubs at all. If they don't offer fittings, ask your professional to recommend someone they know. Some manufacturers have regional fitting centres where appointments need to be booked by your professional or retailer. Callaway, for example, has a fitting centre at the St Andrews Academy.

I'm fortunate to have built good relationships with Adam at Auchterlonies and the team at SGGT. I've known Scott Gourlay for over 15 years, since his early days at Craigmillar Park in Edinburgh and have had several fittings with the team. I've built my relationship with Adam since I moved to St Andrews. He now knows my game well, plays the same courses as me and understands what I'm trying to get from my clubs.

Be prepared

You owe it to yourself (and your fitter) to be armed with as much information about your game as possible when you attend your session. This helps the fitter to understand your tendencies and assess your current equipment for suitability. If you've got ShotScope, Arccos, or other playing data, take it with you or send it to the fitter beforehand. I use the Tangent App (reviews here) and have found the data useful for both fittings and general game improvement. Think about your good and bad shots, your typical shot shape, do you miss greens left or right, long or short, what are the turf conditions like at your course, is the bunker sand firm or soft, what do you like or dislike about your current clubs etc.

Also, think about what you want to achieve from the fitting and be focused. Are you looking for distance, accuracy, more/less spin, forgiveness, feel etc. If you're not prepared, then you risk being poorly fitted. The irons mentioned above had been custom fit. I went into that fitting just a bit unhappy with my previous clubs and had no real idea of what I was looking for in new clubs. The focus of that (single-brand) fitter was on distance (which flattered my ego at the time), so that poor fitting was my fault for not being prepared on the day. If I said I was struggling to stop the ball on the green, the fitting might have been very different.

Not all fittings are equal.....

...but any fitting is usually better than no fitting.

Most fittings will likely be conducted at a driving range, club practice facility or indoors in a net. Some will be brand-specific, while others will be brand-agnostic. Some will rely on the basic manufacturer fitting cart, while others will have a wider range of options. The best fittings will use premium balls rather than range balls and will also allow you to try the clubs off grass lies (which is especially important with irons and wedges). Some fitters (particularly your club pro) may allow you to take a demo club to try on the course. Indoor fittings are obviously not subject to weather conditions and enable you to use premium balls (or your own choice of ball). While I'm generally quite happy hitting into a net, my preference is to hit into the open so I can see the actual flight of the ball rather than relying on a computer simulation.

Over the years, I've done a wide variety of fittings. From single club sessions (usually driver) to irons, wedges and even full-bag reviews. From single-manufacturer to multi-brand. With irons, it's been common for the fitting to use just one club, usually a 6i or 7i and then get that shaft and head combination for the full set. For a large proportion of recreational golfers, that is probably adequate. But with the advent of hybrids and blended iron sets, how do you determine if the same clubs are right for you through the whole set? Should you still go with a 3, 4 or 5i? Do you have enough swing speed to hit a long iron well? Could you improve your speed with a different shaft in the long irons? Should you go with a hybrid? Do your distance gaps work throughout the set? With a single iron fitting, you either have to rely on the judgment of your fitter or simply guess. That's where a facility like SGGT comes into its own, as your fitting will involve trying 4, 6, 8 and PW, can bring hybrids in at the long end and will also look at the gaps to your woods.

When looking for graphite shafts last year, I had three fitting sessions covering all the styles discussed above. You can read about them in these posts:

Brand agnostic, full custom options: here

Brand agnostic, single club used for fitting: here

Brand specific but still single club used for fitting: here

You can also read about my experience at the Titleist GT launch event: here

And my experience at a similar Callaway day: here

Short-term cost, long-term saving?

As previously mentioned, golf clubs are expensive, and most of us can't just chop and change whenever we fancy. You should come away from a fitting with peace of mind that you have the best clubs for you - especially if you've done a multi-brand fitting. Unless you are about to make radical swing changes (maybe wait before buying) or have an unexpected injury, your clubs should last several years. Most golfers will never play or practice enough to wear the clubs out! With every new release, manufacturers love to play the conditional happiness game, claiming their new clubs are "better" than the last one and will take your game to the next level. But a good fitting should help you resist the future temptation of new clubs - at least for a while. A well-fit driver, for example, should last you at least two generations of new releases, if not more. I saw that with the Titleist GT range and the Callaway Paradym (link).

Some fitters can retrofit your existing clubs, which may offer a more economical solution to poorly fitted clubs. When looking at my irons last year, one of the considerations was to swap the shafts and keep my existing heads. With modern woods mostly having “screw-in" shafts, it has become much easier to fine-tune their performance. Don't give up on your existing kit too quickly. See if your fitter can improve it first.

You don't have to buy

You should never feel obliged to buy. If you are not convinced, then pay the fitting fee and walk away. But be honest with the fitter and tell them your concerns. They may offer to re-fit you at a later date or waive the fee. It is easy to get caught up in the experience of the day and the lure of the new clubs, but only you can decide if the (potentially marginal) gains are worth the (sometimes hefty) cost.

If you have paid for your fitting, you are perfectly entitled to ask for the fitting data and recommendations. Given how frequently new products are released, there is a good chance you can find your perfect clubs second-hand in a few months. Or even the same spec in a previous generation product. This is especially true of drivers and putters.

Psychological benefits:

Confidence through focusing on what you can control

I can't control the weather, the course conditions or the other players, but I can control the equipment I take onto the course with me. As an amateur golfer, I don't expect to go out and play like the professionals, but one way I can be level with them is through eliminating doubt about my equipment. We all know the phrase, "a bad workman blames his tools". Knowing I have the best tools for my swing takes that away. It clears my mind of doubt, letting me focus on the target and execute my shot.

My 3 wood is the only club in my bag that was not custom-fitted, and it's no real surprise that it's the one I am least comfortable with. Many fitters will tell you that fairway woods are notoriously difficult to fit and are often the oldest club in players' bags. When we find one that works, there's a tendency to keep it for a long time. Henrik Stenson still plays a Callaway Diablo from 2016 and describes it as his most reliable club.

Stop searching/tinkering

Some readers will probably say this is a bit rich coming from me, but a good custom-fitting session should allow you to step off the hedonic treadmill and accept that what you have is the best you can get. If you're a regular reader, you'll see that I've got a particular weakness for drivers and putters and have spent a lot of time (and money) on "experiments". I've fallen prey to the marketing of more yards or fewer three-putts, and despite having fitted clubs, I've continued to tinker. It's back to Solomon's Paradox - it can be easier to advise others than to take the advice yourself. But I am getting better!

If it hadn't been for my tendonitis last year, I would not have changed my irons, as the previous ones were already a good fit. Undoubtedly, I will still try new clubs and attend demo/launch days, but primarily because I enjoy the experience as part of my hobby. It also helps generate future review content for the blog!

Conclusion

I'm a great believer in custom fitting, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to all golfers. It doesn't have to cost the earth, and there's no obligation to buy. Clubs cost too much these days to buy them on spec. I enjoy the experience and believe the Trackman data also helps me understand my game a bit better. Ultimately, it eliminates doubts about my equipment and helps me focus on playing with, rather than questioning, my kit.