Selecting the right golf grips for you

So you've read "The Value of Regripping Your Clubs" and you're convinced, you need to optimize your equipment to play your best golf. Now what?

Selecting the right grips for you is a combination of art and science. The science is the newest technology that makes the grips more effective, longer lasting and providing better performance than ever before. The art is what looks best to your eye and feels most comfortable in your hands. But both may be taller tasks than most amateurs really want to tackle according to most top golf professionals.

"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 top PGA Teaching 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 you hands, which will impact everything from distance, trajectory and direction. Those are important, no?"

Tattersall also pointed out some common mistakes to avoid as you select the right grips.

"Ideally, you want to have your grip measured, in your stance, with your clubs. 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."

As far as the type of grip, the options are more varied than ever before, which is a good thing.

"It used to be, you selected a cord, a wrap or hybrid grip. 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 a little more this upcoming golf season.

Next week, we'll provide you a step-by-step guide into how to change your grips yourself.