You’re buying a new set of golf clubs or regripping the tried and true set. Then the question is asked. Would you like midsize or standard grips? Huh? So what’s the difference between midsize vs standard grips? Why might I choose one grip size over another? Oh, we’ll speak about some other grip sizes as well because if you are like me, you might be far from the norm.
So it is good to have a little knowledge whether purchasing new clubs, taking your clubs to a golf or sporting goods store to be regripped or tackling the putting new grips on yourself.
Midsize vs Standard Golf Grips – Which Is Right For Me?
If it is given no thought, you will most likely end up with a standard golf grip. ie you walk into a sporting goods store and ask for the clubs that are on the rack or pick up the latest and greatest driver being sold. Side note. I don’t use either standard or midsize golf grips. I use what is called an undersize golf grip.
There are a couple of different ways to determine which size golf grip may be best for you and there is even the possibility of an in-between size golf grip. More on that later. For now, just understand that all you really need is a good fitting golf glove that you like and use on the golf course and a tape measure.
The golf glove you wear could tell you what golf grip size you should use
What golf glove size do you wear? Depending on the golf glove, I either wear a men’s small or a kids glove. Yeah, hate to admit it but its’s a fact. Now this golf glove is tight on me but the men’s small glove I currently have does not fit my fingers properly and I’ve gotten so fed up with starting to get a blister while using it that I often take it off by the 9th hole.
- Men’s Small, Women’s Small or Women’s Medium
- Use an undersize grip
- Men’s Medium, Men’s Medium Large, or Women’s Large
- Use a standard grip
- Men’s Large
- Use a midsize grip
- Men’s XL or Men’s 2XL
- Midsize or Jumbo (oversize) grip
Now the above are all recommendations when it comes to golf grip size. So if we backup and again ask the question of midsize vs standard golf grips, it would basically be where a men’s medium or medium large and a women’s large golf glove would command a standard golf grip. A men’s large golf glove would most likely equate to a standard golf grip.
Measure your hand to figure out your golf grip
So maybe you don’t wear a golf glove. I go back and forth only because I sometimes have a tough time finding a golf glove that will fit me. If that is you or you simply want another way to determine which golf grip to use, you can measure your hand size.
Without wearing a glove, measure from the middle of the crease below the palm of your hand to the tip of the middle finger.
- Crease to tip of middle finger is less than 5 inches
- Use a junior grip
- Crease to tip of middle finger between 5 inches and 6.5 inches
- Use an undersize grip
- Crease to tip of middle finger between 6.5 inches and 7.5 inches
- Use a standard grip
- Crease to tip of middle finger between 7.5 inches and 9 inches
- Use a midsize grip
- Crease to tip of middle finger between 9 and 10 inches
- Use a jumbo or oversize grip
I like the CHAMPKEY Traction-X golf grips for standard, midsize, and oversize which you can find on Amazon. For undersize (and light grips), I prefer Golf Pride Tour Velvet.
So what if I feel like I am an in-between size golf grip?
I’ll tell you what was recommended to me when I was wondering if I was using too small of a golf grip. I was told to use that same undersize golf grip but to add tape to it. So think of it this way. If you were to regrip a golf grip, you typically add a single piece of tape before putting on the grip. Removing and putting a new grip on your golf clubs is a great DIY and with the right tools in hand (grip remover hook, tape, solvent, and grips) it can be done in a matter of only 5 minutes or so per club.
Now if you were to add an additional 4 pieces of tape, you’ve just done the equivalent of upsizing the grip. So a standard grip just became close to the equivalent of a midsize grip. What was recommended to me was to add just a single additional piece of tape and if that still felt a little off, to add one more piece of tape. If you look at the picture of my hand above, I am within the range to use undersize golf grips. The bottom line is there is about a 1/8″ difference between a standard and a midsize grip.
There are some positives and negatives about using a grip that is smaller or larger. A larger grip (ie going from a standard to midsize) can allow for a straighter ball flight by not allowing the hands to move as fast through impact. On the negative end, it can reduce clubhead speed by not allowing fast hand action.
Final Check on Grip Size
The final thought process on golf grip size is to put your left hand (for right handed golfers) on the club.
If your two middle fingers just touch your palm then your grip size should be right.
If your two middle fingers press into your palm then your grip is too small. Either a larger grip size is needed or you can perhaps use a smaller grip with a couple added pieces of tape underneath the grip to beef up the grip.
If your two middle fingers do not wrap around enough to touch your palm, your grip size is too thick.
