Winn Lite Firm Grip Long Term Review

Bomb_n_Gouge

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So a little back ground on this, I bought the Winn Lite Firm grips about a year ago after I was playing in 100* high humidity weather and the standard R9 grips were failing me. I wanted something that was going to feel a little tacky, something that was not going to slip in my hand. I had purchased a Burner Superfast 3w and the grip on that was exactly what I was looking for, so I brought it in the golf shop and found that these Winn grips were the closest if not the exact grip. I put them on all my irons and soon after my woods.

I loved these grips from the very beginning, they were tacky, felt great and I was very confident in my shots. Honestly I couldn’t stop bragging about them to my friends, “feel this grip, you should buy some” was a regular phrase on the practice tee. Winn claims that the lighter grip helps with your swing speed and makes the ball go farther, while that may be true on their robots, I didn’t notice it at all. Maybe I am just not good enough to notice the difference but the lighter grip was not why I bought these. Winn also promotes the shock absorption in these and I have to say I do notice this much more than any other “standard” grip I have ever had. Although I haven’t hit too many stingers, the ones that I do don’t feel that bad, even a thin shot feels decent (enough) especially if you get lucky. In short I still love these grips and really can’t imagine playing without them.

Now since this is a long term review let’s talk about the #1 issue, durability. When I first switched to these grips, I made a post on THP about how much I loved them, and immediately someone mentioned that the Winn grips where good but that durability was a major issue. I play about 2-3 times a week from around March to October, weather permitting.

I have included 3 photos:

The first is my 5 iron, a club I rarely use. This grip looks brand new.
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The second two are one of my wedges, the club that I probably use the most. You can see where it has worn, the areas that are white. The pictures really don’t do it justice it looks much worse in person.
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Now showing you both ends of the spectrum is important (least used club to most used club) because in all honesty, the performance lost is minimal. I can defiantly tell that the grip is worn but it almost feels like it was molded to my grip instead of being so worn that it starts slipping out of my hand. While I am going to be replacing most of these they really could go at least another year without having a problem. I really don’t know how Winn has done it but I am really happy because I was worried after I had put these grips on and heard about the durability issues.

Overall the Winn Lite Firm grip is by far my favorite, the tacky feel, the shock absorption, the “light” weight and yes even the durability make this purchase very worthwhile.
 
Thanks for that awesome review! I am looking for some new grips I will have to give these a chance.
 
Great review. I wish I'd have seen this before I just got my new grips.
 
Review was great!!!!
 
Thank you for the great review, I will keep these grips in mind for my next re-gripping...
 
Great review. I actually just put a winlite on my driver about 2 months ago and have much the same experience as you but mine is still in great shape. Of course I'd expect mine to still be in great shape it's only been 2 months.
 
great review BNG, i have stayed away from Winn for the exact reason you mentioned, durability, but hearing you say that they are still tacky and havent lost any performace even though they are showing wear makes me feel a little better about trying one out.
 
Great review. I actually just put a winlite on my driver about 2 months ago and have much the same experience as you but mine is still in great shape. Of course I'd expect mine to still be in great shape it's only been 2 months.
The driver was another one that got a lot of use, it was the first one I noticed was getting close to replacement. I did replace it too, but it was because I wanted the white grip with the white driver, dorky I know...

great review BNG, i have stayed away from Winn for the exact reason you mentioned, durability, but hearing you say that they are still tacky and havent lost any performace even though they are showing wear makes me feel a little better about trying one out.
Durability is the biggest concern it seems, but as long as you don't mind investing every 2 years these are a great purchase. A lot of the people on here don't even hold onto clubs that long, myself included. When I buy a new club I don't even take it home now until this grip is on it.
 
Great review, interesting that it looks like that but still feels and performs well.
 
Great review, interesting that it looks like that but still feels and performs well.

I was really surprised to notice how worn they were visually because I couldn't feel the difference
 
Great review Bomb and good to hear. I just replaced my grips a week and a half ago with these in the Hero version. I picked up a set of 13 on ebay from an authorized Winn dealer for $90. I do like that they absorb some of the shock. I don't know about hitting it further but these do make a big difference in the swing weight. My irons were standard D2 and with the change, per the swing weight calculator, they are almost at a D7. I like the heavier swing weight as I can feel the club head much better.
 
I was thinking of getting those this summer, and a set for my buddy who just got back from Iraq today. Enjoy the grips you're gonna love them!
 
I think I'll pick up a few Hero Winn grips to put on a few of my clubs once they get worn a bit.
 
I love the Winn grips as well. I could honestly play any of them and be happy. There is something about the materials that just seem to work for me. The firm light grips are very nice, I'm kinda partial to the PCI right now though, I got a lot of them on clearance at GG and will be playing them for a while.
 
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