The Rules Of Golf Copyright© 2005
The United States Golf Association

Appendix II, 3, a. Definition

“The grip consists of material added to the shaft to enable the player to obtain a firm hold. The grip must be straight and plain in form, must extend to the end of the shaft and must not be molded for any part of the hands. If no material is added, that portion of the shaft designed to be held by the player must be considered the grip.”

This rule specifies that grips used on clubs must be at least 7 inches in length to accommodate both hands. This does not apply to the two grips used on long putters. As mentioned in our intro, we are referring here to grips used on full swing clubs.

What constitutes a non-conforming grip? In general terms it is a grip that has been molded for parts of the hands to ensure the hands are placed on the club perfectly every time. These grips are typically training grips used to teach the proper grip by golf professionals. However, if you placed any type of material on your grips that enabled you to place your hands on the club exactly the same every time, solely from feel, then you have a non-conforming grip.

Grips with printed markings like what Golf Pride uses are conforming. You can use these markings to place your hands on the grip for repeatability. Any logos or indents such as lines, dots or patterns that are too small for a finger to fit into are permissible. Also, spirals used on wrap style grips are okay.

What about the rib that runs down the back of some grips?

Appendix II, 3(i) states:

“For clubs other than putters the grip must be circular in cross-section, except that a continuous, straight, slightly raised rib may be incorporated along the full length of the grip, and a slightly indented spiral is permitted on a wrapped grip or a replica of one.”

The Rules of Golf specifically defines how big a reminder rib can be. It cannot be more that 0.040 inches and it must extend to within 3 inches of the tip of the grip. Most grips for woods and irons are approximately 10 inches long.

There are stories about how some players have used a metal coat hanger as reminders in their grips by taping it to the shaft before installing the grip. Is this legal? If it is not larger than 0.040 inches, then it can be used as a reminder. Calipers can be used to measure the cross-sections of the grip to determine if the reminder is conforming. This does, however, add weight to the grip and will change the feel of the club.