The Luxury of Leather: The Tour Laced from GripMaster USA

A while back I picked up an old putter. OK, it wasn't really old in terms of years but it was old in terms of design. It's a classic Bullseye and for some funny reason I really hit the ball solidly with it, and it feels like butter. It just looks so very clean behind the ball that it has actually found its way into my bag. Thing is, that there's just something not right about having a common rubber grip on a club like this.

Fortunately, I know a lot of very hard core collectors and one whom I trust a great deal told me about GripMaster. After looking at all of the many versions of leather grips at their web site I decided to try a Tour Laced in Redwood. Now, I don't get easily excited by golf equipment. Too much of it goes into and out of my hands, but I really found myself looking forward to the arrival of this grip.

It was worth the wait. The leather is smooth and the lacing on the back of the grip is precise and unobtrusive. The leather rides on an rubber underlay which makes installation pretty much as easy as with a conventional rubber grip. That said, you do have to be just a bit careful. Leather is far less forgiving than rubber and you'll only get one chance to get it right and you'll be very unhappy if you stain the leather or manage to dissolve the GripMaster logo with spilled grip solvent.

Of course, I have put on more grips than I care to remember so mine went on with no problem. You? Be careful and don't come crying to me if you foul it up (if you're careful it will go on just fine). Ah, the feel! It only took me one ball to feel the difference. Leather not only feels good on the hands it feels good on impact. Smooth, soft, yet solid.

This grip is really something of a revelation. I knew it would look the part but I really never figured that it would work so well. Who knows, maybe leather is the rubber of the future? I'm sure the folks at GripMaster USA would like that and maybe you will too.