Midsize grips -> Jumbo: Will extra tape wraps weaken grips?

[ChipNRun]

I'm helping a friend get back into golf, but is keeping a tight budget. He scored some Tommy Armour 845s Titanium irons (circa 1998). The grooves are still in excellent shape. He let me hit some shots with them, and irons felt quite solid and were easy to control.

 

Problem is, the grips are standard and he needs jumbo.

 

I've found some boutique grips that come in 9- and 13 packs, and with tape, tool and solvent cost out to about $4 each. The targeted models have a good reputation, but most come in standard and midsize, but no jumbo.

 

 

If I got them in midsize (30 mm. butt diameter)...

• how many total wraps of tape would it take to build up to jumbo?
• will applying an extra 3-4 layers of tape cause the grips to weaken from over-stretching?

Note: golfer probably will be playing about 20 rounds a year with a couple of range sessions a month.

Edited July 14 by ChipNRun
Remove double-strike of photo

[rsballer10]

7 hours ago, ChipNRun said:

I'm helping a friend get back into golf, but is keeping a tight budget. He scored some Tommy Armour 845s Titanium irons (circa 1998). The grooves are still in excellent shape. He let me hit some shots with them, and irons felt quite solid and were easy to control.

 

Problem is, the grips are standard and he needs jumbo.

 

I've found some boutique grips that come in 9- and 13 packs, and with tape, tool and solvent cost out to about $4 each. The targeted models have a good reputation, but most come in standard and midsize, but no jumbo.

 

 

If I got them in midsize (30 mm. butt diameter)...

• how many total wraps of tape would it take to build up to jumbo?
• will applying an extra 3-4 layers of tape cause the grips to weaken from over-stretching?

Note: golfer probably will be playing about 20 rounds a year with a couple of range sessions a month.

You should be able to get 4 wraps of tape around most grips. I do it with full cords, so anything that's non-corded can probably handle it. I don't know if the extreme budget grips will be fine, but I can't see why not.

 

If you want to go the budget route, I'd recommend the royal classic V jumbo grip. You can get buy 6/get6 from golfworks, and they are as good as any plain rubber grip out there.

[DooZ]

Anytime I've gone multiple wraps, it's just made the grips feel more firm. Which makes sense because you're stretching them .

[Socrates]

Making grips larger (and in this case much larger) will cause the material to stretch out which will make the grip walls thinner.  Depending on the grip material, they may split or tear while trying to get them on.  Once on they will be more susceptible to damage.  It is advisable to purchase the right size grips so that they don't rip or tear and don't feel like they are rock hard.

[bigdriveandy]

Counter point.... many tour pros use extra wraps without issue. Bubba Watson uses something crazy like 15 wraps. Tony Finau uses 13 wraps of tape. Scottie Scheffler uses 7 wraps of double sided tape. Its been done forever

[ScooterMcTavish]

4 hours ago, DooZ said:

Anytime I've gone multiple wraps, it's just made the grips feel more firm. Which makes sense because you're stretching them .

 

I've used some budget Amazon midsize grips, and typically use air to blow them on to a single wrap of duct tape (fabric type).  Approximately 2-3 wraps of thickness, and has texture to keep the grip from twisting.  Although it firms the grip, it is offset by a bit of softness from the fabric weave in the tape, which is a feel I like.  Possibly two or three layers of duct tape could be an easy experiment.  

Unfortunately, I've found the benefit from increasing wrap thickness is partially lost as the grip itself is being stretched thinner.  If they genuinely need Jumbos, there must be some lower cost alternative available.  Karma Revolution 360 (for example) look pretty good.  I've used their version of the Tour Velvet and they're decent grips.