What do you do when a manufacturer doesn’t offer your grip of choice?

[Mookieb10]

If you are a curmudgeon with big, sweaty sausages extending out of your palms, then you will perhaps know the value of the Z cord Mid (plus 2 top, 3 bottom), but there are quite a few manufacturers who don’t offer this grip. Nearly all OEMs allow you to order with no grips attached, but I feel like you’re just rolling the dice with swing weights. I can use other grips, but really prefer not to. What is your choice? 

[phizzy30]

If I don't like a grip, I go to my local golf store and have my buddy who's the assistant manager slap on either Iomic sticky or Z-grip.  

[jah7838]

Order them with the closest grip in terms of weight and get the wraps as close to what you normally do with your grip of choice so they get built to the proper swing weight. Then I’ll change the grips myself once I make sure everything else is fine with them. 

[mat562]

Cut them off and put the ones I like on the club.

 

Unfortunately, I'm now in the position where the grip manufacturer themselves no longer offer my grip of choice. That's harder to remedy.

[WristySwing]

11 hours ago, Mookieb10 said:

If you are a curmudgeon with big, sweaty sausages extending out of your palms, then you will perhaps know the value of the Z cord Mid (plus 2 top, 3 bottom), but there are quite a few manufacturers who don’t offer this grip. Nearly all OEMs allow you to order with no grips attached, but I feel like you’re just rolling the dice with swing weights. I can use other grips, but really prefer not to. What is your choice? 

 

As others have said, just put them on after the fact. A close second is ordering the closest grip they offer for free. Lamkin Crossline Cord or TV Cord in mid should do the trick. 

[Drivingrangehero]

Have them send no upcharge grips loose, sell them, then put on the grips you want. 

[Stuart_G]

14 hours ago, Mookieb10 said:

Nearly all OEMs allow you to order with no grips attached, but I feel like you’re just rolling the dice with swing weights. 

 

I wouldn't worry about swing weight (not any more than you normally should).     It's actually better to adjust the head weights w/o the grips installed and weight sort the grips themselves before installing.

Edited June 10 by Stuart_G

[rsballer10]

find a grip that's close to what you like, instruct them deliver the grip uninstalled. Then, buy the grip you do want. Get that installed the way you want. If I were you and like your grips built up, I'd learn to install grips if you don't already do so. There's different thicknesses of build up tape, and for consistency sake you're better off DIY unless you take it to the same club tech.

[bm303]

If I custom order a club and want to put on a grip that isn't offered is it true hat the swingweight is going to be messed up vs ordering it with a grip from the manufacturer? I assumed it would make sense to order it with no grip attached, but now I am wondering. I should order a similar weighted grip installed and just cut it off vs no grip installed?

[Mookieb10]

37 minutes ago, bm303 said:

If I custom order a club and want to put on a grip that isn't offered is it true hat the swingweight is going to be messed up vs ordering it with a grip from the manufacturer? I assumed it would make sense to order it with no grip attached, but now I am wondering. I should order a similar weighted grip installed and just cut it off vs no grip installed?

So that’s kinda the question behind this thread. I’m not a total expert on these boards, but Stuart_G replied above and I believe he is really quite knowledgeable. I think he’s the person who enticed me to try the seemingly contrary strategy of putting stiffer shafts in my wedges to get more spin. That being said, I’m having a difficult time understanding the logic of what he’s saying. I guess the piece of information that is missing is this… if I order my set, 4-pw with no grips, will the manufacturer build to a specification that will be in the range I want when grips are applied? In other words, when I order, can I leave the following comment: “I’ll be installing 58 gram grips with two extra wraps, please build so that swing weights will be D3.5-D4 when grips and wraps are installed.”

[bm303]

2 minutes ago, Mookieb10 said:

So that’s kinda the question behind this thread. I’m not a total expert on these boards, but Stuart_G replied above and I believe he is really quite knowledgeable. I think he’s the person who enticed me to try the seemingly contrary strategy of putting stiffer shafts in my wedges to get more spin. That being said, I’m having a difficult time understanding the logic of what he’s saying. I guess the piece of information that is missing is this… if I order my set, 4-pw with no grips, will the manufacturer build to a specification that will be in the range I want when grips are applied? In other words, when I order, can I leave the following comment: “I’ll be installing 58 gram grips with two extra wraps, please build so that swing weights will be D3.5-D4 when grips and wraps are installed.”

Exactly what I am wondering too. I just ordered and requested ping leave the grip off, but now I am second guessing if that is a mistake and they will be building it to SW for 0 weight grip. 

[Mookieb10]

Just now, bm303 said:

Exactly what I am wondering too. I just ordered and requested ping leave the grip off, but now I am second guessing if that is a mistake and they will be building it to SW for 0 weight grip. 

they can’t be. Maybe Wilson would, but Ping cannot ve so dim as to think someone will play either without grips or wants a swingweight of C5. 

[Stuart_G]

33 minutes ago, Mookieb10 said:

So that’s kinda the question behind this thread. I’m not a total expert on these boards, but Stuart_G replied above and I believe he is really quite knowledgeable

 

Think of it more as being optimistic in this case that they have some process in place to deal with that type of order -

 - or maybe it's just confidence that they wont screw things up so badly that they can't be easily fixed after you get them.    😁

 

I honestly have no idea what the factories do when you order without the grips installed, but since they do allow it, I would say it's a pretty good guess that they are not simply going to ignore swing weight or the typical head weight adjustment.   

 

I've seen a video of the Ping factory where they use a computer to figure out what tip weights need to be installed before even cutting down the shaft.  That seems like a common practice - since tip weights can effect playing length in some cases.  Now that said, they also go back and fine tune the SW after the grips are installed with the hotmelt in the hollow irons.  

 

But most factories are not very transparent about their practices - especially when dealing with specialized orders.   So it's hard to say for sure how they will handle this particular scenario.  

 

Second, I have read a lot of post here in the forum about people ordering with no grips installed - and I have yet to see anyone complain about the resulting swing weights - at least not any more than they complain about swing weight for orders with the grips installed.

 

 

Edited June 10 by Stuart_G