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Golf Pride’s New Grip System: No Tape, No Solvent And Ready For Play Immediately

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Will golfers be keen on an innovative DIY approach that simplifies the process of installing new grips for their clubs? Golf Pride aims to find out with the release of its new Concept Helix grip installation system that eliminates the need for tape, solvents or specialized equipment like a workbench vice.

Golf Pride has consistently been the top choice for golf grips among recreational golfers, professional players and club manufacturers, while its grips are standard offerings on clubs from a host of big-name equipment manufacturers. For more than seven decades, the company has been a global leader in golf grip evolution and technology, including the introduction of the industry’s first slip-on rubber grips in 1953. Now, Golf Pride is seeking to provide golfers – and pros in green grass golf shops, for that matter — a new, easier way to install fresh grips that are ready for play immediately because no solvents or adhesive materials are used.

The Concept Helix system uses what Golf Pride describes as a friction and torque-based installation technique, with a key component being a proprietary “horn” device that widens one end of the grip, allowing it to be slid over the shaft of the golf club. The opposite end of the horn is used to turn the end cap at the butt end of the grip, which is then locked into place and ready for play.

“It makes grip installation much easier for the average golfer,” says Brandon Sowell, Golf Pride’s Global Sales and Marketing Director. “It eliminates a lot of the hassle factor and allows players to change grips multiple times without the usual need for tape, solvents, tools, and cleanup. The technology doesn’t just benefit players but can also help green grass pros regrip clubs much more quickly and easily than in the past. It also gives them the ability to custom fit much more quickly as they can switch out various grip sizes without a lot of delay.”

As a general rule, Golf Pride suggests that golf club grips be changed once a year, although that frequency will vary by use. As more golfers realize the benefits of re-gripping – grips are, after all, the only part of the club a golfer touches with every swing – Golf Pride has sought new solutions to lower the barriers to having them replaced. The company first started talking about Concept Helix at the beginning of 2018 and, thanks to an exclusive partnership with Ready Grip Technologies in 2019, the vision became an innovative reality that would make founder Thomas Fawick proud.

“(He) solved a problem by designing a slip-on rubber grip that provided a quicker and easier-to-install alternative to leather wraps,” Sowell said. “Concept Helix is simply our latest initiative in the area of installation, which we intend to continue to pursue well beyond this particular product.”

Will the new concept take hold? That’s the big question, although no tape, no messy solvents and no vises will likely have an appeal for many club professionals tasked with re-gripping, not to mention the ease for golfers themselves.

The next step for Golf Pride is getting the new Concept Helix in the hands of consumers for feedback while company continues the extensive R&D process at its facility in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

“There’s not much resistance at all to new grip technologies by the industry – people are typically fairly open to trying new designs,” says Sowell. “In this case the new technology we’re introducing helps transform the grip from just a handle to actual performance gear, which benefits players, pros, and fitters alike. As long as it’s convenient and functional, the game tends to embrace new tech quite readily.”

At least in the initial design, the Concept Helix grip isn’t compatible with shot-tracking devices like Arccos or ShotScope that have sensors that attach to butt-end of the club. While that caters to a relatively small niche of golf’s broad participant base, that’s an example of the considerations already in place for future evolutions of the concept.

“This first phase was primarily focused on solving ease of install,” said Sowell. “Combining that solution with current and future product performance features will be critical to its ultimate success.”

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