Introduction
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.
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'm looking to regrip after this season and appreciate your reviews. I have tendon issues in my lead wrist, but I would think any grip that provides relief for an elbow would be helpful for the wrist as well.