Do you ever feel a lack of stability in your hands on the green? Struggle to keep the clubface as square as you would like and hit your start lines? Or even worse, have you ever experienced a bout of the yips?
Well, Golf Pride, maker of some of the best golf grips around, thinks it might have the answer, releasing a new putter grip family to the market for 2024, Reverse Taper. The market leader in golf grips for many years, it has been busy conducting extensive research into the science behind putting and it thinks we might have been getting things upside down.
“Within the putter grip category, we observed a trend in which manufacturers were actively trying to design products that removed the hands from the putting process, whereas our research indicates that by optimizing the connection between the hands and grip, players can improve their performance,” says James Ledford, President of Golf Pride.
“Through hundreds of concept iterations, our innovation team created Reverse Taper, which has tested quite positively with players of all skill levels.”
Essentially, to put it simply, Reverse Taper is a new shape of grip that is thicker in the lower section than the top, which is a break from traditional putter grips that have tended to taper down thinner from top to bottom.
Golf Pride has designed Reverse Taper with a slimmer upper half and wider lower section to anchor the top hand for stability and to reduce tension in the lower hand to facilitate smoother acceleration throughout the stroke. Golf Pride also says that Reverse Taper prevents what it refers to as ‘micro-levers’ in the stroke, helping golfers to not flip their wrists at impact, which will be music to the ears of anyone who has ever suffered with the dreaded yips.
They come in three distinct profiles, with two sizes available in each. Firstly the round grip which features a traditionally round upper section that tapers into a wider lower section, and should be suitable for many grip syles. This is followed by the pistol that has been designed for all, but Golf Pride feels will be particularly popular with those who like to grip cross-handed. Finally, there is the flat profile which has a slightly more oval-shaped upper section, which is expected to be popular with golfers who prefer a more palm-to-palm putting grip.
We have yet to place our hands on the new grips as of yet but keep your eye out for a full review coming shortly to Golf Monthly.
Reverse Taper grips are available for purchase from today, March 4th.
