I will make no secret of the fact that the Lamkin wrap grips that I have played for, well, since forever, have been my all time favorite golf grip. Still, there are times when a change is needed (mainly when you can’t find them anymore) and people need to branch out. Early last year, I tried out various different grips and found a new love, the Golf Pride MMC4 New Decade grip. But then the whole budget thing kicks in and you realize that even with the best deal in town, they were still going to cost over $100 for a full set of them. Then I took the SuperStroke S-Tech grip for a spin, and while it was nice, I felt that the tack that the cord portion of the MMC style grips made me feel a bit more secure. That’s when I found a sleeping deal that should make just about any golfer excited to regrip their sticks. SuperStroke released the TX1 in late 2015 and it was in production for the entire 2016 season. Most of the fanfare surrounding the grip ended up dismissing it as a clone of the popular Golf Pride offering, which in my book makes it quite the steal at a sub $5 price.
Looking at the basic construction, you have the stiffer, corded portion of the grip is located at the top of the grip. This area provides just about the right amount of friction for my gloveless hand, but I could see how it might seem a bit slick to those that do wear gloves. Personally, I have never been a fan of cord grips, but there’s something either about the new threads that they are using or just the way the modern multi-compound grips are put together that make them far more hand friendly to me. Frpm the basic softer feel of the grip to the non-slip texture of the cord, the upper section of the TX1 just makes you feel like you don’t need to grip too firmly on the club to keep control of it.
The lower portion of the grip is a softer feeling, white compound that feels more like a traditional “soft” grip. There isn’t as much “tack” to it as my normal wrap grips, but with the stick of the cord section at the top, I just don’t need the extra stick at the bottom. The lower section also features a very subtle Super Stoke logo as an alignment aid, which is a nice way of doing it that doesn’t look out of place like many of the alignment lines do. The bottom of the grip is finished with a black ring, which on the colored options does look a bit peculiar, but it’s not a deal breaker by any means.
The TX1 performed very well during my first range session with them. I used the grip both with a glove and without. While it was more firm than I expected in a new grip, I do have to keep in mind that these have probably been sitting in a plastic bin for 2 years in a warehouse. Even with that firmness, they were far more playable than my Lamkin Crosslines (even out of the box) and after about 10 minutes, each grip softened up nicely where it needed to. If I were going to offer up a “complaint” about them, it’s solidly in the looks department. Using the “white” bottom section and putting a “black” cap on them results in black smudges on the lower portion of the grip. It’s just a cosmetic gripe and one that is easily solved with one of my grip wipes (I use the Lamkin GRIPES) and a bit of time.
I won’t go as far to say that the Super Stroke TX1 is the greatest grip I have ever used, but at just over $50 a set if you self install, they are by far and away a spectacular value. If you have some older sticks that need new life, these are a great way to revitalize them and make them feel new again.
Order Online:Super Stroke TX1 - Lamkin Gripes
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