50 Words or Less
Star Grip backs all their grips with a 3 year warranty. Solid performance, weight consistency, and several styles to choose from.
Introduction
For several decades, U.S. manufacturing moved overseas for cost cutting purposes. Quality often suffered, but hey, the goods were cheaper. These days manufacturing is returning to the U.S. for quality control and civic pride. Star Grip is one of those products. I wasn’t familiar with the brand, but their story sure rings true.
There are two facts about Star Grip that are worthy of consideration. First, Star Grip offers a 3 year warranty that their grips “will not get hard, slick, crack or unravel”. Second, Star Grip manufactures to a weight tolerance of +/- 1 gram. I checked the website of the #1 grip on tour and their published number is +/- 3.5 grams.
In the pictures above and below, the Star Grip products are as follows top to bottom: Classic Wrap, Smoothee, Sidewinder, Tour Star, and Mid Size.
Looks
If you are a fan of simple black grips, you just hit the jackpot with Star Grip. Four of the five grips have the classic leather wrap look, with varying depths of dimples. The odd grip out is the Sidewinder, which incorporates surface engraving to emulate the rattlesnakes found near the factory in Phoenix, Arizona.
Feel
All the Star Grip grips are made from the same formulation of high performance rubber and share a similar tacky feel. The Smoothee provides maximum surface contact and a supple feel. With the addition of dimples the Classic Wrap has a much more secure feel. In between those two, the Tour Star has subtle dimples but less taper, simulating the extra wraps of tape in the lower hand. This is similar to the MCC Plus4 design and allowed me to feel like I could grip with less pressure in my lower hand. For my cadet medium large hands, the Mid Size grip felt too much like I was holding a baseball bat. I did like the secure feeling the cut lines on the bottom side provided. With the most texture, the Sidewinder gave me the most confident feel.
Performance
I’ve been as guilty as the next person of picking grips based solely on how they feel on a display stand. Testing with an actual swing is a whole different thing. Size, texture, and how you grip the club can all impact swing performance.
All the Star Grip grips performed well in maintaining the club securely in my hands during the swing. Two grips stood out for me on overall performance: Sidewinder and Tour Star. That wasn’t surprising to me as they are the closest to the composite grips I’ve been using for several years.
Conclusion
All five grips from Star Grip are in the $5 – $6 range which is very comparable to other brands in the rubber category. Most golfers wait too long to change grips to the detriment of performance. So, not having to change grips for 3 years is very intriguing from that standpoint, and from an annualized cost perspective.
The consistency in weight seems relatively impressive, but what does it mean to the average golfer? According to master fitter Rob Stumpf of Club Champion, variations in grip weight “will without question affect the swing weight through the set, which even average golfers will notice. At Club Champion we actually put grips on shafts before we glue the heads as a way to make sure the swing weights come out perfect in spite of varying grip weights.” Think about that next time you are only changing grips.
For more on swing weight check out this Golf Myths Unplugged.
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I like these and the fact they are made in the USA. Price is ok, what about colors? Black only!
I do like the weight . Can it be personalized?
Black is your color choice RAT. You’ll have to check directly with Star Grip regarding personalization.
– Matt M
These look like the Champion brand, could this be? I like the finish .I will order a few to see how they are.
I’ve used Star grips for over 10 years now…and can not say enough about their excellent quality and consistency.
I will continue to use them because they provide a secure, stable connection with my clubheads…and because I have always received exceptional, knowledgeable advice and service from their sales/customer service staff. Star is a company that is known for accurate, quality rubber moldings, and that skill is reflected in their grips.
I am interested in the Classic Wrap grips where can I purchase them?
A good place to start is the Star Grip website Gordon. Just click on any of the links in the review.
Matt M
I have used these grips for 17 years. That is to say unbelievably the same grips for 17 years! These grips do not wear out. I have installed hundreds without a single complaint from my customers.
Good news – Star Grip now offers colors! There are 8 color choices for the Sidewinder (Black, Red, White, Blue, Gray, Green, Orange, Pink), and 4 choices (Black, Red, White, Blue) for the Classic Wrap, Midsize Wrap, and Tour Star. The Smoothee and Putter are still only available in black, but color choices in the putter are coming soon!
The grips sound good. Pity they are not available in the UK.
We don’t have any dealers in the UK at the moment, but you can contact our main European distributor who is in Stockholm and he can ship some to you. Get in touch with Anders at +46 70-555 77 60 or anders@foursome.se