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The Best Golf Grips in 2026
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The golf grips you choose to play drastically impact your ability to hit the ball on the sweet spot and your general accuracy.
For whatever reason, no one in the golf industry wants to talk about this fact.
Whether that is because golf gear companies make a lot less money selling grips rather than clubs or because grip engineers aren’t always great at explaining their product’s benefits, we can personally attest to dropping multiple shots by having a more comfortable, confidence-inspiring grip on our golf clubs.
Independent Golf Reviews ‘Best of the Year’ lists come backed by a team with 10+ decades of cumulative golfing experience reviewing equipment and accessories and playing in high-level competition.
Our Top Tested Picks
In More Depth: Our TOp Picks
Best Golf Grip Available
Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Pros
- Best combination of grip, sweat support and feel on the market
- Were sold out for years but finally back in mainstream circulation
- Preferred by nearly all professional golfers
Cons
- Very rough on the hands during the first few rounds and practice sessions
Bottom Line
Golfers seeking the best golf grip of 2026 have found their match made in heaven with the Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cords. If they’re good enough for Tiger Woods for his entire career, they’re good enough for us.
God’s gift to the golf grip world has finally returned with the Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord making a triumphant splash on our list as the genuine number-one golf grip on the market.
The Tour Velvet Cord was sold out during the pandemic and the years following because Golf Pride struggled to import the special materials the grip used and wanted to be sure PGA TOUR pros had their favorite grip available whenever they wanted.
Their design includes weaving cotton “cord” throughout the rubber grip’s exterior. This combination of materials creates enough natural traction and sweat support that you don’t even need a glove, and in my experience, they perform the best in wet weather compared to all others.
Arguably, the nicest of all about the Tour Velvet Cords is that they last longer than any other grip I’ve personally tested since they can be cleaned/roughed up for more cord exposure and a more tactile feel.
Runner Up
Golf Pride Tour Velvet MCC Align
Pros
- Design incorporates a grip training aid on the underside
- Promotes more consistency and clubface control
- Completely Tournament and Competition-legal
Cons
- It feels a little strange to some golfers
Bottom Line
Players struggling with grip consistency, clubface control, or a combination have a great grip-training option in the Golf Pride MCC Align.
World Number 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler was recently quoted saying “I suck at gripping the club, so I use a grip trainer.”
If he is using a trainer and still double-checks his grip before he makes every swing, shouldn’t we be doing the same thing as amateur golfers hoping to play our best?
Introducing the Golf Pride Tour Velvet MCC Align, the grip training/reinforcing golf grip that’s 100% legal for competitive play.
The MCC Align features a small rod that runs down the center of the underside of your grip and steals some technology from the Velvet Cord line for added moisture protection on the dominant hand side.
This technology encourages players to form a correct grip (more inside the fingers of the hand) while providing extra contact points for your fingers and hands to recognize for greater consistency and clubface awareness.
My 15-handicap friend struggled with grip consistency so much that he installed the MCC Aligns last year and cracked a single-digit handicap for the first time. Coincidence? You be the judge.
Tackiest Grip
Iomic Sticky
Pros
- Tackiest, stickiest grip we’ve used
- Reduces twisting through impact significantly for greater accuracy
- Endless color varieties to match player style and preferences
Cons
- Fairly premium price (unless buying bulk)
Bottom Line
Golfers struggling to grip the club with full confidence or the club slipping out of their hands through impact need the tackiest grip available, the Iomic Sticky.
Are you a sweaty-handed golfer? Do you experience wet, foggy, or misty golfing conditions frequently? Do you need more tackiness on your grips for complete control?
If you answered “Yes” to any or all of the above questions, the Iomic Sticky golf grip is here to provide a little color and clarity to your golf grip needs.
Where most golf grips on the market are made using standard rubber, Iomic uses a proprietary elastomer (resin and rubber) combination that has 2 goals: Create excellent grip and feel and reduce torque through impact for golfers.
This makes sense when you think about it – stronger grip = less twist and accuracy loss through impact, but no one expected the results the Iomic Sticky has achieved.
Iomic found their Sticky grip reduces torque through impact by up to 41%, creating more accuracy for all users and up to 9 yards less of off-line dispersion.
Softest Grip
Golf Pride CPX (newest Golf Pride Grip)
Pros
- Combines ultra-soft feel with multiple textures for great grip performance
- It is the softest grip Golf Pride has ever made
- Reduces wear-and-tear on hand skin for less blisters
Cons
- Multiple textures can take a little getting used to
Bottom Line
Golfers that prefer a soft feeling grip and more feedback/less vibration have their perfect fit in the all-new Golf Pride CPX.
Searching for a softer feel and less wear and tear on your hands? Would you benefit from more feedback from contact but less harsh impact on your fingers and wrists?
Golf Pride’s newest and softest grip they’ve ever made, the Comfort Performance Extreme (CPX), is the answer to our prayers as it truly felt like a cloud in our hands. It’s so soft that it might take a little getting used to compared to standard old grips, but once you’re comfortable, wow, can you swing freely without any fear of slippage.
The CPX grip features a new rubber pattern called the EXO Diamond Quilt, which strongly resembles a bike’s rubbery handle in both look and feel.
Interestingly, Golf Pride combines multiple textures throughout the CPX, with the Diamond texture on the sides/finger-gripping sections (for improved stability throughout the swing) and a traditional, sticky waffle weave on the fingerprint areas for greater sensations through contact.
If you think a “Soft Grip for a Hard Game” could benefit your performance, the all-new Golf Pride CPX is your pick.
Most Durable Grip
Lamkin UT+
Pros
- All-weather, highly durable grip that feels “like new” for a long time
- Very affordable for a premium grip company, and a new design
- Ridiculously tacky feel (even in the rain)
Cons
- 1 color option
Bottom Line
Golfers wanting a highly durable, long-lasting, ridiculously affordable golf grip from arguably the best golf grip maker in the world have a great option in the Lamkin UT+.
While it doesn’t make any sense from a business perspective, the most durable all-rubber grip on the golf equipment market is also incredibly affordable – the Lamkin UT (Ultra Tac) +.
The UT+ combines Lamkin’s proprietary Genesis rubber with a fingerprint-resembling texture and reduced tapering toward the golfer’s dominant hand for insane control in all weather.
Lamkin’s Genesis rubber compound naturally repels water. When you combine that grip-boosting feature with a texture pattern that increases contact points drastically from standard rubber designs, you get insane tack, or “Ultra Tac,” I guess.
While we don’t understand why more grips aren’t this way, the UT+’s lower section is precisely the same width as the section of the grip closest to the butt-end of the club.
Lamkin says reducing the taper of the grip promotes consistent grip pressure in both hands and boosts distance on all shots in their testing.
Best Grip for Joint Pain / Arthritis
SuperStroke Traxion Wrap
Pros
- Best grip for joint pain available
- Wrap design creates perfect “finger slots” for consistent hand placement
- Most affordable price on our list
Cons
- Firm grip lovers won’t appreciate their soft feel
Bottom Line
Players who end rounds with sore fingers, wrists, elbows, or shoulders should end their suffering with the highly pocket-friendly Super Stroke Traxion Wrap grips.
While ‘Father Time’ remains undefeated, we can fight him like hell to the very end. One way to protect our knuckles, wrists, elbows, and shoulders is by reducing the forces sent to them through impact with a wrap-style grip, like the Super Stroke Traxion Wrap.
The Traxion Wrap features an ultra-traditional wrap style that resembles grips on clubs of 50+ years ago. This throwback look shouldn’t stop you from learning more about their great technology.
The spiral wrap nature of the Traxion Wrap creates perfect “slots” for your fingers and hands. While we only got to test them for a few rounds, we can confirm your hands want to go to the same spot on the club, and their almost “plush” feeling feels like you can swing as hard as you want without losing control of the clubface.
Where the Traxion Wrap shines is through impact on poor shots.
Where our traditional super-firm cord grip would sting our joints with bad vibrations on poor shots in the past, the Traxion Wrap simultaneously absorbs those unwanted sensations for injury prevention and ego protection.
Best Grip for Large Hands
JumboMax Tour Series
Pros
- Larger grips for bigger hands/golfers seeking more control
- Counterbalance design promotes smooth swing
- Grip design reduces fatigue to hands and encourages better grip pressure
Cons
- Larger sizes won’t benefit smaller-handed golfers
Bottom Line
Players who want to be like Bryson or John Daly and use oversized grips should use the JumboMax Tour Series. They combine cutting-edge grip technology with a larger profile for precision and performance.
Golfers with bigger hands no longer have to ask for 4-8 extra layers of tape beneath their grips when getting them installed. They now have an injury-preventing, faster swing speed promoting, Major Championship winning grip available in the JumboMax Tour Series.
The JumboMax Tour Series is the choice of the “Mad Scientist” Bryson DeChambeau, who, along with John Daly, says the size of your golf grips dramatically impacts your ability to play the game.
Arguably the most “tech-heavy” golf grips on the market, the JumboMax grips feature:
- Dual textures (in the interlocking/overlapping area of your fingers) for maximum comfort
- An oversized profile to improve clubface control and awareness
- Counterbalancing weights to promote smooth transitions throughout the swing
- An ergonomic shape to reduce fatigue during practice
And coolest of all, the grip provides enough tack (combined with its larger size) to promote light, even grip pressure. Bryson and JumboMax can attest to this design and tech, which creates faster swing speeds for more distance.
Best Looking Golf Grips
Stick Grips
Pros
- Insanely sweet colors and styles to choose from
- Highly performance-focused while still looking cool
- Hand and Clubface alignment aids should be illegal but they’re not
Cons
- Limited low-profile color options
Bottom Line
Players wanting to express their style and add a little flair to their golf bag without harming their play should choose one of the many awesome options from Stick Grips.
Want to be able to express your personality through your grip choice without sacrificing any performance? Stick Grips and their impossibly cool colors, designs, and grip technology are your perfect fit.
Where other grips expect you to feel their technology, Stick Grips shows you their technology through two alignment markers on the top and bottom of every grip.
These markers serve as “hand” and “clubface” markers to promote consistent hand and clubface alignment along with making a perfect reference for ensuring each grip is installed perfectly.
Like other high-performing grips, Stick Grips feature reduced taper and a highly tacky grooved traction pattern for enhanced power, swing speed, and control (in our testing and theirs).
If you want to show off a little style and personality through a cool-a** golf grip, one of Stick Grips 12 colors and styles will get you sorted.
Check out our hands-on review of Stick Grips here!
Buying Guide: How to buy the right golf grip
Having played the game for decades, I’ve personally gone through at least 2 dozen grips and 10+ styles to find what I like and play the best with.
We understand that not every golfer has the time or budget to try every grip on the market, so we’ve developed the following golf grip buying guide to narrow down any confusion you might have before finding your perfect grip match.
Here are the most crucial things we consider when getting new golf grips.
Grip Style
There are endless variations of “styles” of golf grips, but the term “style” relates to the texture and construction pattern of the grip itself.
“Velvet” is the most common style and features a consistent pattern/texture.
“Cord” is the most common Tour style and features a pattern with cotton cords woven throughout.
“Wrap” grips reduce wear and tear on hands and joints. They’re also generally larger in diameter.
“Dual Texture” grips are exactly as they sound and have multiple textures throughout their design.
Size
Check your local big box golf store’s grip section. They often display removable grip sections of clubs so you can test how each size feels.
Additionally, you can check some of the grip selector tools we’ve compiled below for a better size guide.
Firmness
Golf grips vary from incredibly firm (Cord style) to uber-soft (CPX style) and everywhere in between.
The firmness of your golf grip greatly influences how tightly you can or should hold the club.
Faster-swinging golfers tend to prefer firmer grips because they can hold the grip lighter with the same control while slower-swinging golfers tend to prefer softer grips for greater control.
Look
Some players (like myself) are easily distracted by bright colors while over the golf ball and prefer more muted looks and colors. Other players enjoy the opportunity to express themselves with some of the new colors, styles, and patterns available.
Our list includes looks and styles from all across the board for our reader’s convenience!
Online Grip Fitting Tools
Some golf brands are nice enough to create online grip selector tools to help you narrow your search for the perfect match.
Golf Pride
Iomic
Lamkin
Super Stroke
JumboMax