Understanding Golf Grip Size (With Chart)

When buying new clubs, the majority of golfers just use whatever shaft and grips they come with. Many people overlook how important the right shaft is, but even more commonly, they don’t even think about what type of grip they should be using.

As a general rule, golfers who wear small to medium size gloves prefer using standard grips while golfers who wear medium to large gloves prefer using midsize grips. There are a few benefits and drawbacks with each size, but what’s most important is how comfortable you find them.

Most of the articles out there will simply say that you need to measure the length of your hand and then pick a matching grip. Yeah, it’s partially true, but there are other factors you need to consider. Everyone is different and there really isn’t a one size fits all answer.

The Best Golf Grip Size For You

If you’re just here to find out which grip size will be best for you, this section is all you’ll need. If you want to know more details about why a certain size is recommended or some of the different benefits, we’ll cover that as well.

Here is a general chart that matches grip size to glove size:

Just because this is the “recommended” pairing doesn’t mean it’s the right option for you. My hand size is a bit less than 7.5″ (standard grip size), but I prefer using midsize grips.

The main thing comes down to what feels the best. If your hand size is 7.2″ and you find midsize grips to be more comfortable, use them. The opposite is true if you prefer the smaller grips.

I’d only recommend going up or down 1 size though. If your recommended size is standard but you kind of like how jumbo grips feel, I’d probably go to midsize instead.

The reason is that you might run into some problems when you take them to the course. We’ll cover some of the pros and cons in one of the later sections.

It might also be worth mentioning about oversized putter grips. I used to use standard size putter grips but switched to one of the jumbo options, which is something I’d highly recommend.

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What If You’re Between Sizes?

You might have measured your hand size and found that you were right on the edge in terms of size. Maybe you just made it into the midsize range but found them to be a little too big.

Instead of playing grips that are a bit uncomfortable, you can use standard-size grips and put a few extra wraps of tape on the shaft. This will add some bulk to a standard grip.

Whenever grips are put on your club, there is also a single layer of tape used. One layer of tape with standard grips is most commonly seen on new clubs.

If you want to make your grips slightly thicker, you can add two, three, four, or even more wraps of tape (Bubba Watson uses 11). Just as an example, a standard grip with +3 wraps of tape will be somewhere close to midsize.

If midsize grips are recommended to you but you find them a bit too big, try adding 2 wraps of tape to standard grips. They should end up somewhere between the two.

You might also find yourself between sizes, but find them both comfortable. If that’s the case, you might want to consider looking at the benefits and drawbacks of different sizes. I did a test to see if I could tell the difference between them, so let’s talk about that now.

Standard vs Midsize Golf Grips

Rather than going online and seeing what other people say about grip size, I wanted to try it out for myself to see if there really was something noticeable between them.

I’ve noticed in the past that what works for some people won’t work for others. Just because I had certain results or liked one thing better doesn’t mean you’ll be the same.

Anyways, the test I did wasn’t perfect, but it did give me a few key insights.

On day 1, I played 9 holes with my 6 iron, sand wedge, and putter. My iron and wedge had standard-size grips. On day 2, I played the same 9 holes with the same clubs, the only difference was that I put midsize grips on the clubs.

After playing 18 holes, here are the main things I noticed about midsize grips:

• Holding the club felt more comfortable because I wasn’t gripping it as tightly
• I felt like I was able to swing the club more smoothly while maintaining distance

The first thing I noticed after taking a few practice swings was that I didn’t seem to be gripping the club as tightly. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “hold the club as if you were holding a baby bird.” I don’t actually agree with that, but the average hacker is probably squeezing too much.

When your arms aren’t as tense and flexed, you feel more relaxed. When you feel more relaxed. your swing will be smoother. When your swing is smoother, you should be more consistent.

I really noticed this on my wedge shots. I tended to hold the club pretty tight and would sometimes take sandwich-sized divots behind the ball. For whatever reason, I don’t do that as much with bigger grips.

I also found that my distances were pretty much the same. The only thing to note is that I “felt like” I wasn’t swinging the club as hard. I didn’t have numbers to agree or disagree with that, but I liked the way my swing felt.

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Those 2 factors were enough for me to add midsize grips to all my clubs.

Other people have mentioned that bigger grips are good for people who hook the ball while smaller grips are better for people that slice the ball.

Having a bigger grip can reduce the amount of wrist and hand movement in the swing. If you “flip” at impact and draw the ball too much, this could slow that down.

If you’re someone who slices the ball off the planet, you might need to add some wrist/hand movement to close the face at impact. A smaller grip could help you out.

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I actually didn’t find this to be true or false. Just because it didn’t impact my game doesn’t mean it won’t for you. I don’t usually hook or slice the ball too badly, but if you do, it might be worth trying.

One additional thing you might want to consider is using a multi-width grip (the Golf Pride MCC Plus4, for example). The top part of the grip can be standard or midsize and then the bottom part of the grip will be larger (equivalent to +4 wraps of tape).

I haven’t actually tried this myself because I’m comfortable with my midsize grips. If you don’t find midsize grips comfortable, but they’re the right size for you, these might be worth checking out.

The Types Of Golf Grips

Other than size, you have a few extra factors to consider. Grips come with different materials, some of them are firmer than others, and some of them even taper (change in size).

It mostly comes down to what feels the best to you. That said, they’re all designed for slightly different things, so depending on a few things, a certain type might perform better for you.

Material

Firm vs Soft

I’m sure you know that some grips are softer than others. I’d imagine that most people prefer the feel of softer grips, but there are some differences that you should be aware of.

Soft grips: For most people, these grips will feel more comfortable compared to firm grips. Softer grips are good for golfers that hold the club too tightly or have hand/wrist discomfort. They also help reduce the amount of vibration at impact.

Firm grips: These grips are designed to help you “feel” more through impact. You’ll get more feedback, which is usually what tour players are looking for.

Taper

Standard: These grips are bigger at the top and then get smaller (taper) as you move down the grip. Some people say this helps you close the face of the club through impact.

Reduced: These grips are similar to standard, but the difference is that the taper isn’t as aggressive. It still decreases in width, but just not as much.

None: These grips are the same size throughout and are found on softer grips (usually) and are good for reducing grip pressure and the amount of vibration you get through impact.

What Grips Do The Pros Use?

I’ve always been curious about what gear the pros are using and why they’re using it. I think a lot of people are the same, and I think a lot of people actually like to use the same stuff as their favorite player (even if it’s not the right option).

The most commonly used grip on tour is the Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip. Most players will use standard to midsize grips, but the majority of professionals use standard grips with extra wraps of tape.

I wasn’t able to find the specs for all golfers, but some of them are listed below. It’s also worth noting that professional golfers like to change things up, so what they used before might not be what they’re currently using.

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