Secret Grip by Boccieri Review - Forum Testing

[StanTheCaddy]

I went to the range today. First ill talk driver.I'm still Seeing a straight ball flight out of mine. I'm also still hitting it 10 to 15 yards longer than normal. However today was only the second time I have had these out. I did notice today that the whole club did feel a little heavier than normal. I'm guessing that is where my extra distance is. If I keep seeing this distance gain and ball flight I'm going to look into a new 3W. With this grip on it.


Now onto the 5 iron. At first I was hitting some big slices. Once I slowed things down a little and concentrated on my swing path I got the ball to straighten out nicely, it also seems to be 1/2 club longer when I just take a nice easy swing. I'm really liking the way these grips feel in my hands. To me they feel a little bigger and softer than what I had.


My 9 seemed to be the club I couldn't hit bad today. Every time I hit it it was nice and straight. I didn't seem to see any distance gains with it today, however by the time I started hiring it I may have been a little tired. It was 98 degrees!
ill be playing a round within the next few days so we will see if things stay the same. I'm really liking what I've seen so far. To me it seems the easier you swing them the better they do? Thanks.

Jacob, nice to see you saw similar results for your 2nd time out with the grips. I notice from both of your reviews that you're hitting the driver as straight (and as long) as you've ever hit it. With your old grips, what was a typical miss for you with the driver? Thanks.

 

[jacob1]

Jacob, nice to see you saw similar results for your 2nd time out with the grips. I notice from both of your reviews that you're hitting the driver as straight (and as long) as you've ever hit it. With your old grips, what was a typical miss for you with the driver? Thanks.

My miss with the driver is a slice. Just to be fair, even before the grips I was starting to get the Slice under control. I think these grips have help. Like some testers have noted it helps with tempo. I agree with this a lot. Like I said in my review when I slow everything down the clubs seem to work better. I also think with it feeling a bit heavier that I stay on plane and can have a better swing path through the ball.

 

[StanTheCaddy]

My miss with the driver is a slice. Just to be fair, even before the grips I was starting to get the Slice under control. I think these grips have help. Like some testers have noted it helps with tempo. I agree with this a lot. Like I said in my review when I slow everything down the clubs seem to work better. I also think with it feeling a bit heavier that I stay on plane and can have a better swing path through the ball.

Thanks for the response Jacob. I know when I'm standing over a ball with the driver in hand I want to get after it sometimes and tend to get the club out of position. Crazy how slowing everything down leads to better distance. Thanks again, I look forward to more of everyone's reviews throughout the testing.

 

[jacob1]

Thanks for the response Jacob. I know when I'm standing over a ball with the driver in hand I want to get after it sometimes and tend to get the club out of position. Crazy how slowing everything down leads to better distance. Thanks again, I look forward to more of everyone's reviews throughout the testing.

Yep. I do the the same thing. When I try and smash it I slice the crap out of it.

 

[Hawk]

I took my stock 9.5° Cobra AMP driver with the Secret Grip installed to the range tonight. Hit balls for about an hour, maybe half of that with the driver.

First, let's talk about the actual grip itself. It was, yet again, a very hot and humid day here. Had no slipping or issues with the grip getting slick, which is a common thing I have issues with this time of year. I suspect that could change as the grip gets dirty, but tonight it was solid. I didn't really notice the extra length or the added thickness in the lower portion of the grip. I guess the grip feels a little more substantial in general than the Pure grip that was on there before, but that was about it. It certainly adds substantial weight to the driver, but I can't say that I felt like I lost the weight of the head. The grip end does feel heavier.

I started out by yanking a couple low ones way left, but got settled in pretty quickly. The best thing I noticed from the session was that I was hitting the center of the face a lot more than I have been recently. At first I was a little high on the face, but that was likely due to the fact that I've been playing such a deep-faced driver for awhile now. I adjusted the tee height a bit and it really settled into the middle nicely.

The second best thing I saw was the rarity of the dreaded high, weak, and right shot, which seems to be my stock drive these days. I won't say that I was hitting the ball farther than I normally do, because I really wasn't, but I was hitting a lot of fairway finding shots that had very minimal side-spin. Mixed in a few weaklings to the right, but also a couple real bombs (for me) that actually had the push-draw ball flight that I can never seem to obtain. The nice one that starts a little right and comes right back to center.

I also mixed in a few dead pulls, which seemed to come when I used the swing that I pull out to basically force myself to square the face when I'm struggling. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's a pretty drastic hip turn and it definitely wasn't necessary with this set up tonight.

I'll be testing this out in the coming weeks as well, but obviously not until the MC is over. First impressions were pretty strong based on the center contact and less frequent misses to the right, but I'll need to get it on the course to see if it holds up when the swings actually count.

 

[runpuddrun]

I put the Secret grips in play today and i'm just going to talk about the feel, grippyness of them, and how they could help someone. I have them on my 4w, 4i, and 55*. After this round i'm taking the 4i out, and putting it on the 7i instead.

It was 108* today when I teed off. Overall, the grips held up great, no slipping in the heat as I don't use a glove on my wedges and for any short game shot. My entire game was off today and I actually walked off the course after 13. I walked today and was pretty overheated and just felt horrible in general. I'll be playing again Thursday.

I used my 4 wood 5 times and had some pretty decent shots. My miss with the 4 wood is a big fade and I didn't have any bad shots with it. I popped one up that only went 150, but I had it teed up too high.

The 4i was a disaster today. I tried using it on numerous occasions (6) and every single shot was horrible. Dead pull hooks, every time. experiment over. I'll be moving it to the 7 iron tomorrow after my psyche recovers.

The 55* was great today, I really like the heaviness of the feeling, especially on 1/2 and 3/4 shots. I chipped with it a couple times as well and had a couple lip outs.

After today's experience, I might also move the 4w grip to the driver to see what happens. My driver is my most consistent club by a large margin but I want to see If I can squeeze any more out of it. We'll see. I really think these are expecially good on wedges, at least in my experience so far.

 

[jacob1]

Nice Reviews guys!

 

[Haggis]

Okay so I got the additonal 10 grips in so that today all of my clubs had the secret grips on them. And yes, the name seems kinda silly but I still put them on face up as I like to look at the emblem. Side note - I had no problem putting the grip over the end of the fat butt of my Cleveland Mashie hybrid. By the time I was done I had no time to go to the range as it was league night and we have a chance at making the playoffs for the first time ever and I am now playing as the number 2 golfer since our old number 1 died (I tell you that only to let you know that this is my second week playing against better golfers so my angst level is higher when I'm over a shot). I'm not gonna bore you with shot by shot data since you guys don't know the course so it won't mean much. Here's a summary, of sorts, since I can be long winded.

I never felt that the club felt goofy in my hands or lighter due to the grip weight on any shot.

Driver - I hit driver on 7 of 9 holes. I hit 5 dead straight great shots and 2 high push fades. The push fades were my fault as when I was done I was standing dead upright and my weight was on my right side. Operator error. I can't say that I gained any distance on the straight shots, but I didn't care as they were in the fairway. Greenside wedges continued to be a nice feeling as the weight just seems to help me hinge on the backswing and then lead with the shaft, if you will, on the way through.

Putter - oh, wait, I don't have one of these grips on that so never mind.

Irons - okay, this was great. Like I said, I had no time to hit the range before the round. I never missed with an iron tonight and did not suffer any shots bleeding to the right, which can be a shot I hit. 3rd hole, par 5, slight wind at our back. I'm 171 to middle of green. I hit a 7 iron since the pin was tucked back right and there's a bunker in front of the right so I can't hit a bleeder. I absolutely smoked my 7 iron dead straight onto the green to 25 feet (sucker pin I wasn't taking on). The next hole I had a 50 yard shot into a pin that was 10 feet on the green and sloping away. I hit my 56 degree wedge to 15 feet past. Next hole I smoked my drive on a par 4 leaving me 125 to the middle of the green where the pin was. Wind in our face. I normally hit my wedge 120-125 so I hit it. And did I. Straight at the flag, never left it, barely missed and left me with a tap in 3 inch putt for birdie. There were more shots as the round progressed and all I can say is I am cautiously optimistic after the first round's perfromance because other than the 2 drives I talked about earlier, and a couple of shots where I put bad swings on the ball, I must say that I was impressed. Upside is I beat my guy 12-6 to keep us going in hopes of honoring our buddy who died as it would be awesome to make the playoffs in his honor. I'm playing Saturday for sure (and possbily Friday so more updates will be coming). P.S. no slipping problems in the heat and I love, love, love the ability to grip way down on the wedges and have a full hand feel--granted you could get that from any grip by building it up.

 

[Jjmorris]

Sorry about your buddy Haggis.

Glad to hear these grips performed for you so well on your first try with them. It is pretty neat to hear that their wasn't a long adjustment period. Can't wait to hear continued feedback with your results.

 

[Colt]

So I got called in to do an overnight duty at the hospital tonight so my full review will have to wait until I get settled into my desk at work tonight. However, I did want to share this little beauty with y'all real quick.

303 yard short par 4 with a slight dog leg left. Perfect opportunity to unleash on a 4 iron right here. And I do mean unleash. I went AFTER this one.

So in case you can't see it, the blue tees are about 25-30 yards behind that water.

Left me with this into the green.

So in case anyone worries that the extra weight could make them lose distance...don't. Now I don't know the exact distance that I hit that 4 iron because I can't account for the scewed yardage from the dog leg turn but I was left with 61 yards in to the pin according to my Bushnell. That is definitely not typical yardage for me.

I know this probably sounds like more like a shot of the day post, but my point behind it and the reason why I swung so hard at that ball is this. The Secret Grip does a great job of keeping you on plane and in control if you're ever in between clubs and really need to dig into one to get the shot that you need.

Post over for now. I'll do a full write up later when I get back to work.


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[Hawk]

Lots of great updates last night. Haggis, did you get a chance to hit the Mashie?

 

[Colt]

Let me begin by saying that I believe that I came into this one extremely intrigued over and optimistic about the concept and idea of getting to game the Secret Grips on my clubs. Let me continue by saying that even though my eyes are open to the fact that at least for me there will be a slight learning curve with these, there are some early signs of promise shining through. Had some good and some bad today from the first full bag Secret Grip testing. The good was really good and the bad...well, I'm sure with some work I'll be over it shortly.

I thought long and hard about trying to come up with some pros and cons of the Secret Grips and so far here is what I've come up with.

Pros- 1. Extra weight steadies tempo.
2. If you know how to really go after a shot without losing consistency too much then these will help you in keeping a harder swing in check even more. (Disclaimer: If you really lose it with a harder swing then these aren't gonna save you quite as much. I absolutely can not muscle up on anything 9 irong or shorter, and with the Secret Grips that proved to be no different.)
3. Excellent grip in wet conditions. I found that out yesterday when it started raining on me about 3 holes in and continued to the 8th. Nothing even close to slippage occured.
4. Non taper profile really maintains wrist angle all around and in the short game especially.

Cons- 1. I walked with my bag on my back today and I have to say, d@mn my bag was heavy with all these grips in it!!!
2. I realize that this is a supply vs demand thing here and purely preference but I want some color on my grips. Black is just so... blah.
3. Although the back weighting is a great thing I do believe that there should be a slightly lighter option in the line up as well. Not all people will benefit the same from the one weight. Back weighting is a fitting tool, and the Secret Grip is a great idea for getting it done without having to buy extra items like weight plugs. However, as in everything golf, not all people will do best with a one size fits all fitting tool. We're all different. (Once again I realize that this can be chalked up to supply vs demand and if the Secret Grip starts seeing increased demand then maybe it will be financially feasible for Boccieri Golf to expand their weight options.)

On to my round.

July 24 2012
Navy-Marine Golf Course
Conditions: Low 80's and sporadic rain showers

Driver: My stock shot with a driver is either straight as an arrow (if I'm trying to fade the ball) or a fairly large push draw. I rarely miss to the right of the fairway. As a matter of fact I went back after today's round and checked my stats. Seven misses right in my last five rounds. Today I missed five fairways to the right and I don't believe I saw the left rough once. Four of my misses were a big push with one coming from me trying to hit a fade. (which usually just produces a straight ball flight for me) When I tried to hit that "fade" today I actually, for the first time in months, sliced the ball...hard. Three of my misses were all the way in the other fairway with that rogue slice being one of them. I'd say my driver is the biggest problem I'm seeing right now with the Secret Grip installed. Like I said before, I'm willing to keep trying to work the kinks out, but as of right now I'm just not seeing great results with the Secret Grip installed. Almost forgot to mention that I only hit my driver on 9 holes. Four fairways actually hit and I was aiming slightly into the left side rough on these and still landed fairly close to the right rough...just barely in the fairway. So this is a predominant issue for me.

Hybrids: A bit strange to me is the fact that my hybrids actually DO feel a bit lighter in the head with the Secret Grips installed. The rest of my clubs aren't really affected at all and it might be mental, but the "feel" is there for me none the less. It wasn't detrimental in the way that they performed however as I only slightly hooked one shot with these all day. First tee box was where that happened and I had absolutely zero warm up time. From what I saw my ball flight was slightly higher today and a little more penetrating than it has been. I believe that the non-taper design helps me to retain my wrists a bit longer and not scoop these like a fairway wood. Dispersion was mildly improved as well as I actualy stuck a 19* from 235 out to within 10 feet. I don't think I've ever gotten a 230 yard approach tucked in that close unless it was by pure luck. I also hit every fairway I teed off with a hybrid from. That's 5/5.

Irons: Irons were very consistent today. To be honest, from shot to shot they still play much like they did before as far as ball flight and miss tendencies. I still have the same miss tendencies, but they just happened less often today. The one thing I tried to do with my irons today was take the shorter club when I could and really step on the gas to see exactly how the Secret Grip helps me respond to getting a little loose and wreckless by my standards with my swing. I'll say that they held up well. It is most evident by the par 4 tee shot that I hit with my 4i that I posted on a few posts back. The Secret Grips really shined for me in the irons when I went after it. I have a tendency to hit a bit of a pull hook when I get into a shot like I did with these and that just didn't happen to me today. The grips just really help keep a harder swing from flying outside of "the slot".

Wedges: Not a lot for me to say about wedges as far as full shots go. My ball flight and accuracy seemed to be just about the same as it always is with my old grips. Where the Secret Grip helps in the wedges has to be on partial shots though. Little half swings and what I like to call my "punch pitch" all come out just a bit more crisp and spinny due to increased hinge retention and more confident acceleration through the ball due to the extra weight in the grip. That extra weight just gives you the confidence and feels so much more natural to accelerate properly into those feel shots. Chipping is the same thing. I found myself closer to the pin on average and actually lipped two chips out today. It's just so much easier to have positive thoughts about accelerating into a shot without the worry of a skulled ball or a tuft of grass getting lifted up behind the ball when you take some practice strokes and feel that angle being retained and that extra weight keeping your stroke almost perfectly in check. I'm notorious for chipping the ball past the hole as I do accelerate into my chips for clean contact, but unfortunately I have problems with stock weighted grips as I get a little too agressive with that a lot of the time. These, once again did the trick and help keep me in check.

All in all I find that the Secret Grips are helping in a lot of areas. Some things they aren't making a ton of difference with but it truly is the little things that help, that make a difference, and that give you the most important thing in golf...CONFIDENCE OVER A SHOT. These are definintely doing that for me. Now if I can just get the damned driver fiasco figured out.


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[Haggis]

Lots of great updates last night. Haggis, did you get a chance to hit the Mashie?

Only on a punch shot from out of the trees after an errant tee shot. I'm hoping to hit the range tomorrow night to work through the whole bag and give some updates.

 

[Hawk]

Nice rundown, COLT. The driver issues are interesting to me and I'll be watching to see how they change/don't change over time.

Haggis, looking forward to it. For some reason, those are the clubs I'm scared of messing around with.

 

[jacob1]

Colt we seem to be the opposite with the driver. I've been really hitting mine straight. I wonder why that is? It makes me wonder if my swing has improved over the last few weeks and it just carried over into the new grips. I will find this put this weekend. My friend has the same driver as I do that is all stock. So I'm going to hit them both and I should really be able to see if there's a true difference.

 

[Jjmorris]

Loved the review COLT!! I really want to give these a go on my irons. On tapatalk right now, what irons and shafts do you have these grips paired with again?

I am worried if I go with a heavier shaft, px 6.0 flighted and the secret grips, it's going to be a pretty substantial weight increase to what I have now (standard grips and a lightweight shaft <100grams)

 

[Colt]

Loved the review COLT!! I really want to give these a go on my irons. On tapatalk right now, what irons and shafts do you have these grips paired with again?

I am worried if I go with a heavier shaft, px 6.0 flighted and the secret grips, it's going to be a pretty substantial weight increase to what I have now (standard grips and a lightweight shaft <100grams)

I have em put on my Cleveland 588's with PXi 6.0 shafts.


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[Kmac]

Colt, when it comes to your driver how would you describe your tempo, downswing move, etc? More aggressive or smooth?

 

[StanTheCaddy]

Great reviews from all the testers. The grip on the driver really has me intrigued. Interesting to see very different results from the testers with the drivers. My miss is a push fade and it seems some of the testers are hitting it straighter and some are losing it right. Should be good to see the results as the testing continues.

As for the irons, my miss is I get a little too steep and release the club a little early and hit behind the ball causing a fat shot. Do any of the testers have a tendency to hit some shots fat with their irons? Thanks guys and keep up the good work.

 

[Colt]

Colt, when it comes to your driver how would you describe your tempo, downswing move, etc? More aggressive or smooth?

A little more aggressive. I don't try to kill the ball though. I swing hard and transition fairly quick but I do swing within myself and stay balanced.


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[jacob1]

Great reviews from all the testers. The grip on the driver really has me intrigued. Interesting to see very different results from the testers with the drivers. My miss is a push fade and it seems some of the testers are hitting it straighter and some are losing it right. Should be good to see the results as the testing continues.

As for the irons, my miss is I get a little too steep and release the club a little early and hit behind the ball causing a fat shot. Do any of the testers have a tendency to hit some shots fat with their irons? Thanks guys and keep up the good work.

My iron miss is a fat hit. But it's all about tempo and slowing down for me. I'm thinking these grips help that tempo.

 

[Haggis]

Great reviews from all the testers. The grip on the driver really has me intrigued. Interesting to see very different results from the testers with the drivers. My miss is a push fade and it seems some of the testers are hitting it straighter and some are losing it right. Should be good to see the results as the testing continues.

As for the irons, my miss is I get a little too steep and release the club a little early and hit behind the ball causing a fat shot. Do any of the testers have a tendency to hit some shots fat with their irons? Thanks guys and keep up the good work.

The driver right now is a work-in-progress for me. I thought I had worked out the push fade but since putting this grip on I have noticed some very big ones. I am still thinking they are more swing error related but will monitor that as that is a killer shot that just ruins a round.

As to the irons issue, I definitely have been one to get fatty with my irons in the past.

 

[StanTheCaddy]

My iron miss is a fat hit. But it's all about tempo and slowing down for me. I'm thinking these grips help that tempo.

The driver right now is a work-in-progress for me. I thought I had worked out the push fade but since putting this grip on I have noticed some very big ones. I am still thinking they are more swing error related but will monitor that as that is a killer shot that just ruins a round.

As to the irons issue, I definitely have been one to get fatty with my irons in the past.

Thanks Jacob and Haggis. I'll be interested to see as the testing goes on if you guys see less fat shots with the irons. I feel like the heavier weight could definitely get me in better position and prevent me from releasing a little early and hitting behind the ball.

 

[Colt]

Great reviews from all the testers. The grip on the driver really has me intrigued. Interesting to see very different results from the testers with the drivers. My miss is a push fade and it seems some of the testers are hitting it straighter and some are losing it right. Should be good to see the results as the testing continues.

As for the irons, my miss is I get a little too steep and release the club a little early and hit behind the ball causing a fat shot. Do any of the testers have a tendency to hit some shots fat with their irons? Thanks guys and keep up the good work.

Stan. One of the biggest pluses that I have seen with the Secret Grip is the increase in angle retention. You should buy one and put it on the iron that you fat the most. (if you have a trouble club)

Buying one to test shouldn't hurt the old' wallet. And if it works then can you really put a price on lower scores?


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[StanTheCaddy]

Stan. One of the biggest pluses that I have seen with the Secret Grip is the increase in angle retention. You should buy one and put it on the iron that you fat the most. (if you have a trouble club)

Buying one to test shouldn't hurt the old' wallet. And if it works then can you really put a price on lower scores?

I'm definitely thinking about it Colt. I have been following this thread a lot and may have to get one or 2 of these grips and give it a go. Definitely in ponder mode right now...