Golf Pride’s new Concept Helix system is here to revolutionize the way you change grips. And Golf Pride’s new installation system is as much about how it works as it is about what it lets you do. Go ahead – forget everything you knew about changing your grips and if you didn’t know anything, no problem.
Golf Pride has been known for developing great new products and compounds and giving golfers exceptional grip options, but there has always been one messy, universal process of installing grips on your clubs. Honestly, I never put a single thought into this process because it has just always been done this way my entire golfing life. You buy a grip, install the grip (or pay someone to install it), and you wait until it is dry. The old process added time and cost to a grip change but Concept Helix changes everything. While I never gave it a second thought, we can all be happy that plenty of people gave it plenty of thought. Now, with Concept Helix, you can change any grip anywhere – in the golf course parking lot, in your garage, or even sitting on the couch – without ever using chemicals or a breaking a sweat. If you haven’t picked up on it yet, Concept Helix is truly disruptive technology (and great for golfers too).
So, what is Golf Pride’s new ground breaking technology? Concept Helix is a new installation system that lets you change a grip in minutes and take it right to the course using a friction and torque-based installation that doesn’t require vices, solvents, or adhesives – just a specific “horn” device and some twisting by hand. Say goodbye to the added installation cost, materials, and waiting time after changing grips… if it works. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it works, and really, really well. Let’s jump into the process:
Concept Helix system is marketed as super easy to use and is designed to let anyone change a grip regardless of your familiarity with the old process, how handy you are, or what materials you have in your garage. Although Golf Pride has a video series that explains the process in great detail, the process of installing a Concept Helix grip is: (1) remove the old grip (if present), (2) remove old tape and substances (if present), (3) insert the horn into the mouth of the grip and slip the grip on the shaft, (4) use the horn to twist and tighten the end cap, and (5) hand twist the grip and end cap until tight. Seriously – that’s it!
But to really prove this point, it is important to get this into the hands of someone who has little to no experience changing grips and see how it goes. And that’s where my confession comes – I have never changed a grip in my life and I have none of the traditional tools and materials needed to change them at home. In short, I was the perfect test subject to show just how revolutionary the system is and how easy Concept Helix grips are to install.
Eight minutes. Seriously, eight minutes was all it took to go from a worn Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip on my utility iron to swinging a new Concept Helix grip, and the only thing I used was a pocket knife. In fact, the actual installation process of the Concept Helix grip couldn’t have taken more than a minute or two and the old grip removal took the reminder of the time. I’m happy to report that the Concept Helix grip stayed perfectly secured during my range session immediately after changing the grip.
As you might expect, the Concept Helix grips are designed a bit different than ordinary grips to work in the revolutionary system. Despite being different, they were purposefully designed to feel similar to Golf Pride’s ever popular Tour Velvet grips. The proprietary grip formula is currently all rubber (sorry cord and Align lovers) and has a textured pattern to maximize grip. No word on the possibility of other textures, compounds, or options but if I was to make a prediction, it would be that the future of golf grips is bright and the sky is the limit for Golf Pride’s Concept Helix.
The installation of golf grips may never be the same now and it has opened the door to self-installation of grips to any golfer in their own home and at a moment’s notice without any messy installation. You can learn more about Concept Helix by visiting www.concepthelix.com.
I took a 7 Iron, 50 Deg Wedge and my Driver and stripped them down no tape, no stickers, take the cute 1" label off th graphite shaft…clean
THAT WAS THE HARDEST PART !
I was skeptical at first because i swing with authority and figured they was no way this would hold true, but it really works. I grip my own clubs anyway so to be able to slide this on lock it into place and yes i went to the range before the first game a tried them out, they were ON THERE ! and yes, as part of my review to them was please send me 10 more since we got 3 up front, i would have done the whole set of clubs.
I am one of those who puts an extra wrap on my clubs and a half wrap for my lower hand, but these felt great. Can you grip you clubs in your man cave with no solvent, no tape and not cut your finger with that hook knife? Yes u can……Still got it on my 50 degree wedge too, and that is my money machine from 115 yards in to 80….try them, please try them….or don’t, that way they will be in stock for me….
Its a very cool concept and could be a game changer.
removing the old tape was easier than I thought, you can either pull the tape directly off with no heat, or use a heating source (hair dryer) to make it even easier. Rubbing alcohol can then be used to remove any residue left (I used goo gone since I had it handy). For someone who has never changed their own grips, I was surprised at how easy the removal/cleanup process was for getting the shaft ready for this new helix system.
Good point about the gloves. I thought about that too, after doing the 3rd grip. If I was doing a full set, i would recommend a glove for the twisting of the grip.
It really is a simple concept that works!!! Your hands will be tired at the end from all the twisting, but once tightened down I haven’t had any issues yet with one of the grips coming loose.
The nice thing about this is the simplicity of it, in the future you could change a grip out in 5 minutes or less.
It will be interesting to see the different designs and colors that these come in.
The utility here, as others have mentioned, is not the first installation. You still need to cut off old grips and remove the tape. This was my first time ever doing that, and boy I found that process to be tedious. Once removed, my first install did not go very smoothly. I don’t think I realized how much torque to put into the "twisting method" of tightening the grip, so I had loose pockets. I spent so much time trying to tighten the grip my hand actually got pretty raw. I was admittedly frustrated.
BUT Golf Pride asked you to remove the grip and re-install. THAT’s where you see the massive benefit. Tape gone and experience with the process: Boom–next install went very quickly. And I didn’t have any issue tightening the grip this time around (same grip, same club). I actually remember saying out loud, "oh, this IS easy," haha.
Once installed, the grip has a very nice feel to it. Not too soft, not too firm, and definitely tacky. The grip feels a little thicker than standard but not by much.
On the course, the helix grip got most work on my gap wedge, which I use a ton–full swings, pitching, and chipping. The grip felt great, and with the colder temps I had to play in, I was especially grateful for the extra tackiness. While I was only able to get a couple rounds in, I used clubs with the helix grip probably two dozen times per round. And I had no issue with the grip becoming loose. It performed very well.
Overall, I am impressed with Golf Pride’s new Helix concept. It is very clever, and the grip itself is quite nice. I don’t think I’m ready to move on from my beloved MCCs, and with the little amount my shop charges me to change grips ($1.50/grip), I’m not sure whether any cost-savings would move me over to Helix full-time yet. But it was really cool to be able to change grips with no prior experience–especially without screwing them up. I could definitely see myself switching over eventually.
I got to test these. Installation wasn’t that bad. I’ve never gripped my own clubs, but with this it was doable. First one took awhile, but like others said it got easier on my later attempts.
The concept is really cool, but twisting the grips on is kinda annoying. I did not experience any slippage after installation.
I also really liked the style of grip they gave us to try. I had a Z Grip style grip.
For me, the pros of this system are the ease of use, minimal tools required, minimal time required, and the fact that it feels and plays like a premium rubber grip.
The cons were the amount of turning and twisting needed (could get worn out doing a whole set), thinking I had to overtwist to get the grip to feel stable (for some reason the grip just felt loose on the shaft unless I really twisted it, which resulted in over twisting/stretching out the grip pattern), only having rubber as an option (as a MMC user Im not sure this tech can be used on a grip like MMC/cord, but we’ll see if GP can figure it out!), and also the fact that the grips can not currently be used with popular data collection systems (Arccos/Shot Scope/etc.).
Overall I’m really excited about the tech and the possibilities it holds for the future, and most importantly, the fact that I’ll be able to change my own grips when I want and where I want.
Smart! I did that on accident the first time. I did find the grip slightly thicker than my MCCs.
Great point on the gloves! I didn’t think of that, and my right hand was pretty raw when I was done installing mine.
Yeah that was me too and I definitely mentioned it in our feedback.
Really interested to see if they expand these if they end up being successful, not a huge fan of Tour Velvet, but I’ll definitely pick one up and give it a try
I think it all depends on original installation. As long as you get good tightness evenly it should stay! If not id remove completely and reinstall as it takes no time.
Are you looking for any specific feedback that hasn’t been covered? I’d be happy to share more thoughts if you do.
with the twisting that is needed to apply the grip to the shaft, I’m not sure if cord will be a viable option for this technology.
Same!
i am very much like @Molten in that i’ve never changed a grip in my life. and while i can’t speak to this about him, i will confess that i am the anti-diy guy. i don’t cut my own grass. i don’t wash my own car. and if i had a handyman i could rely on i wouldn’t attempt to fix anything around my house. i suck at all of those man tasks.
so naturally i’ve never even attempted to change a grip. i just pay someone else to do it.
when i received my box of concept helix, and watched the tutorial videos, i got agitated. like nope, no way, i won’t be able to do this. it’s too complicated. but i needed to fulfill my obligation, so suck it up buttercup.
i went to home depot to buy the correct blade for my utility knife so i could remove the old grip, as well as adhesive removal. cutting the old grip wasn’t bad, but removing the adhesive was a b1tch. honestly, i still have no idea how to do that. it took me SO LONG to remove the adhesive from the 4 clubs i chose for the test. obviously i just wasn’t doing it correctly, but if the goal here is to give anti-diy guys like i am a chance to do the work themselves, i think more info should be provided on how to quickly and cleanly remove the existing adhesive.
once the adhesive was (mostly) removed, i got my phone and started the installation process. watched a video for a step, then do the step. here’s where i was blown away: i could actually do it!!! like, it is SO easy, and SO fast, i was shocked. the only part of this process that i think could be a problem is the manual twisting needed to fully secure the grip (i believe this is the last step?). it requires a lot more force than i originally thought, and i could see this being challenging for golfers with less than average forearm strength, or maybe arthritis or other physical limitations.
at the time, the rest of my clubs were gripped with tour velvet plus 4. in hand, i don’t think i could tell a difference which grip was concept helix and which was tv+4. to me, that means 1- ch is a high quality grip, and 2- ch is thicker than a standard grip. vibration dampening was very similar to tv, again a very good thing in my book. and in hot, humid conditions i did not experience any slipping at all. personally, i loved the ch grip and would absolutely choose them as a long-term gamer.
unrelated to this test, i decided i wanted to drop down from the thicker tv+4 and put a standard size grip on my clubs. that meant it was time to remove the ch. so again, called up a video for a step, then do the step. and again, shockingly easy. the only club that gave me fits was the club that i was unable to remove the majority of adhesive, so i think that was my fault and not a flaw in the ch design. all the other grips came off exactly as designed.
my parting thought with this concept is that it was fantastic for a 360-type grip; something that doesn’t have a spine or other align tech, or a logo or other graphic alignment aid that needs to be perfectly positioned. that limits the type of grips this works for.
concept helix is an incredibly innovative product that will allow even the most motor-challenged of us to bypass the expense of grip changes, without sacrificing the quality of the grip itself. i can also see this being great for people in more remote areas who do not have quick access to a clubmaker. pricing will be interesting here, but i hope more thp’ers get a chance to try these grips and provide some feedback.
Excellent writeup my man. The bolded is what I’m curious about. If they are priced too high I don’t think they will do well.
They are $10.
Ok. thats not out of line at all. I expected them to be more honestly.
thanks dude. yeah, if the price is quite a bit higher than a normal grip, i don’t think this will gain much traction even though it’s a fantastic concept.
a couple things i didn’t mention in my write-up but are probably worth pointing out (i think others may have mentioned this), is these grips are not currently compatible with any data capturing system like arccos that requires a sensor to be screwed into the butt end of the club. also, these grips are HEAVY, so swingweighting should be monitored closely for golfers who are sensitive to and/or care about that.
i’m pretty surprised by this. i expected them to be a lot higher.
Will be interesting to see if that is possible, right now the acrnonym of the tech is in the middle of the red cap
Always nice to be pleasantly surprised on price! I too expected more.
The only advice I’d give is if you are going to replace more than 1 grip, wear gloves. By the fourth grip installation, the turning made my hands raw.
The concept is super cool. I’ll still need a bunch of validation as I believe myself to be a ‘glue down for life’ kind of guy, but it seems pretty damn sound.
Its a lot of turning and twisting but literally no mess and only takes a few minutes. Plus you don’t need a vice or anything. It took me a few times to get it right but once you get it, its fairly easy.
nope, no concerns with over tightening. based on my experience, i don’t think this would adversely affect the grip. and after hitting a bunch of balls over several weeks, including in hot humid conditions, i saw no release of tension whatsoever.
I, too, was chosen to test these and that pretty much in a nutshell was my experience. The hardest part was removing the old grip, mostly the old grip tape. Other than that the installation of the grip and even removing it were extremely easy even though I have never changed a grip before. I have had no issues with the grip slipping or moving and I really like the feel of the grip in my hands. I have not used built up grips before but these felt a little built up compared to what my standard grips feel like.
I just checked the price on their site and at $9.99/grip it is a pretty reasonable price, especially when you consider no other tools or materials are needed and you don’t have to pay anyone to install them for you. I believe there have been other attempts using different methods to try to achieve what these Helix grips are able to accomplish with little widespread acceptance or success. I think these grips will succeed where others have failed.
For me, the biggest drawback is incompatibility with any shot tracking system out there as there is no way to screw a sensor into the butt of the grip. I suppose if someone wanted to cut the threads off the sensors and glue or tape them to the grip that could be done but would not, personally, be my choice as I have lost a putter sensor I could not screw into a Stroke Lab putter very securely. Maybe those who make the shot tracking systems could offer sensors without threads to be glued on, similar to what Shotscope has done with putter sensors.
For me it’s more like… velcro vs laces.. There’s something incredibly comforting in knowing the grip is totally glued.
Once on, these feel pretty dang solid, more solid than velcro . It’s like the grip gets tied to the shaft as you twist.
66 grams? Wouldn’t that drop your swing weight by 3 or 4?
That is a pretty good explanation. It does get to a point where you can’t twist it anymore and you know it is solidly on the shaft and won’t move.
I had hesitations, but it’s amazing how tight the grip gets, then how solid it feels when it’s on.
Not really, most of the big points of interest for me are coming out. The weight of the grip may be a non-starter for me as I am sensitive to SW as well as the tackiness and comfort of the grip, which can only be discerned by handling them myself. Great job on the reviews so far by everyone chiming in!!
Clubs assigned for testing: Wedge, 4i, Hybrid
Pros:
Cons:
Overall, I came away from this testing super impressed with the innovation from Golf Pride. Grips that are priced in line with other top tier offerings with the added benefit of not having to pay the cost of installation? Yeah that’s a good deal. Also, the implications of the tech are huge. I can customize the grips based on the weather or climate. I can change them to match my golf shafts or paint fill…assuming other colors are forthcoming. I can change them because I can and I’m not paying to do so each time. I mean how many times have you bought grips you wanted to try and wanted to save the previous ones that were still in good shape? Watching that razor blade slice through your
walletold grips hurts a little every time, but with these, it doesn’t have to. I love seeing the innovative thinking in this space and I hope it continues to evolve.No alignment per say. No real markings to worry about.
it obviously depends what you’re currently gaming. i’m using z cord, which i believe are around 50g. so a 16g difference would be 4 swingweight points. the grips i had on my other clubs at the time were tour velvet plus 4, which weight 52g, so the swing weight dropped between 3 and 4 points like you posited. however, i honestly couldn’t tell any difference when i switched from 8i with the concept helix, to 7i with tv+4. maybe i’m just not that sensitive to swingweighting? i also played a few rounds, and didn’t notice any issues on the course. ymmv