By the 2024 Mexico Open, the typical putts per spherical on the PGA Tour is 29.23. With a Tour common rating of 71.425, putts equate to roughly 41 p.c of strokes per spherical on Tour this season.
With a median of 4 out of each 10 strokes in a spherical happening on the inexperienced, there’s no more true expression within the recreation than “drive for present, putt for dough.”
Whereas many amateurs are assured a shiny new Scotty Cameron putter for $450 will resolve their placing perils, Golf Delight believes it’s engineered a a lot economical answer: the Reverse Taper grip.
Accessible starting April 15 at retail and golf course areas in addition to on-line, the $29.99 Reverse Taper grip flips the putter grip the wrong way up. A slimmer higher half and a wider decrease part anchor the highest hand for stability whereas lowering pressure within the decrease hand for clean acceleration by means of the placing stroke. The reverse width and weight additionally prevents micro-levers within the stroke to assist golfers keep away from flipping their wrists at impression.
“It’s a refined reverse taper—it’s not loopy,” Golf Delight Chief Innovation Officer Andy Erickson mentioned. “What we noticed within the SAM PuttLab information is that it’s noticeably extra sq. at impression throughout the board (in comparison with a parallel putter grip) for almost each participant we put by means of testing.”
In a recreation of trivia and millimeters, any benefit, particularly on the inexperienced, will pay main dividends to assist golfers go decrease. Research have proven that an putter face open simply two levels at impression will miss the outlet from 5 toes. The room for error is lower than one diploma from eight toes and fewer than half a level open or closed from 15 toes.
After intensive analysis together with interviews, assessing greater than 300 placing grips and methods, 18,000 SAM PuttLab putts, outside testing and 100 iterations, the Golf Delight Reverse Taper grip is on the market in three shapes (spherical, pistol, flat) and two sizes (medium and huge).
That includes a historically spherical higher part that tapers right into a wider decrease part, the spherical grip is a universally fashionable possibility for all hand-gripping methods. Serving to golfers lock of their higher hand, the pistol form is usually fashionable amongst gamers who make the most of a left-hand-low method. Boasting a barely extra oval-shaped higher part, the flat grip is usually most popular by golfers with a palm-to-palm placing stroke method.
No matter dimension and mannequin, every of those polyurethane Reverse Taper grips had been designed to weigh between 63-70 grams.
“We tried to search out that candy spot so, irrespective of in case you are a big pistol or medium flat, we attempt to hold you in that very same weight vary to type of remove one variable,” Erickson mentioned. “There’s a consolation piece the place you don’t need one thing that appears like a bizarre, overseas, nearly training-aid-feeling in your hand, so it was hanging that steadiness between being useful and refined.”
In improvement since 2021, the Reverse Taper grip is the second product in Golf Delight historical past to be conceptualized, designed and examined at their state-of-the-art World Innovation Heart in Pinehurst, N.C., positioned subsequent to the world-famous Pinehurst No. 8.
Already utilized on the DP World Tour and LPGA, the Reverse Taper grip can also be a key product highlighting Golf Delight’s emphasised messaging across the significance of grips as efficiency gear.
Final yr, the corporate got here out with a research that confirmed a definite distinction in common ball velocity and carry size between gamers utilizing a brand new Golf Delight Tour Velvet grip in comparison with a grip positioned in a climate chamber for twenty-four hours.
On common, ball velocity elevated by 1.3 mph and the typical carry size improved by 2.3 yards, whereas face impression location of the brand new grip in comparison with the worn one confirmed a dispersion improve of 11 p.c and 10 p.c within the X-axis and Y-axis, respectively.
Outfitted with an modern product within the Reverse Taper grip and information backing up its efficiency, Golf Delight continues to induce all golfers to pay extra consideration to their grips.
“We do view grips as efficiency gear and we’re seeking to change that narrative,” Erickson mentioned. “Once I first began taking part in golf, a $40 metal shaft was nice. Now swiftly I’ve a $250 shaft on my driver, so sooner or later in time any person satisfied me {that a} shaft issues.
“Equally, the extra we get into the science of grips and what we do, there may be definitely the psychological and emotional half because it’s your solely level of contact with the membership. Should you’re not feeling safe and robust at deal with, we will simply cease the dialog since you’re not going to have the ability to management the clubhead.”
