Selecting the right grips for your game is part art, part science

Selecting the right grips for your game is a combination of art and science. The science is the newest technology that makes the grips more effective, longer lasting and provides better performance than ever before. The art is what looks best to your eye and feels most comfortable in your hands. Finding that combination is the challenge.

"A common mistake is for a golfer to go into a shop or store and just pick up a box of grips based on price or look," says Jon Tattersall, a PGA Professional in Atlanta, Ga. "Finding the correct grip for you really should include the help of a PGA Professional. The size of your grip is critically important, not just for your comfort level, but it will affect how you release your hands, which will impact everything from distance to trajectory and direction. Those are important, no?

"Ideally, you want to have your grip measured, in your stance, with your clubs,” said Tattersall. If you wear a glove, have a glove on. Two people with the same size hands don't automatically have the same correct grip size, based on how they hold their clubs, how their wrists hangs, what type of shots they want to hit.

"New grips aren't going to help you if they're not also the right grips."

"It used to be, you selected a cord, a wrap or hybrid grip," says Tattersall. "Now the synthetic materials are so good, you have a host of different types of grips that you should at least look at to see what feels best in your hands. The quality and the options available today are tremendous."

And speaking of looking, the look is still important, for both aesthetics and for confidence. The color, designs and customization of golf grips can say a lot about your game and your personality.

But it still comes back to the true reason you buy golf grips: To help you play better golf. As you go through your options, understand that this decision is not just about the "tacky" feel or the color you want, it will have a direct effect on the flight of your golf ball. Knowing the variables that matter, you can select the grips that will help you enjoy your game even more.

Wherever your golf journey is heading, let’s get you there. There are nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals ready to help. Find yours at pga.com/journeys.