How often do you change your grips? If you’re like most golfers, it’s probably not nearly as often as you should. I see the same thing all the time; people playing clubs with the grips worn down after multiple golf seasons. The way grips wear out slowly over time makes golfers unaware of just how bad they really are. How much can new grips really help your game anyway?
The set of irons I’m playing went in the bag around June of last season. I played them for 6 months before winter hit and they were brought inside. When the email came that I’d be asked to do a review on the new line from Lamkin, my immediate reaction was that I didn’t “need” to re-grip my irons. I thought maybe I’d put the grips on my wedges or my driver, but neither are much older. Immediately after opening the package I knew I had to put them on my irons right away.
I’m typically more likely to gravitate toward a Crossline style grip, but for the purpose of this review I’d be installing the new Perma-Wrap ACE 3GEN from Lamkin. Before I get into my personal feelings about the grip here is an overview from Lamkin:
The new Perma-Wrap ACE 3GEN grip is fueled by the revolutionary Advanced Cohesive Elastomer material. An exclusive synthetic rubber compound, ACE was developed by Lamkin chemists to combine the performance advantages of 3GEN technology with an even softer, tackier grip feel. The result is astounding! The incredible tackiness of Perma-Wrap ACE is accentuated by a minimal, simulated-wrap texture and a unique unbuffed surface, making it one of the tackiest grips ever created. The amplified surface tack of Perma-Wrap ACE 3GEN provides golfers with tremendous griping stability to promote the ideal tension-free swing.
As I said, I really didn’t think I needed to re-grip my irons, but once these were installed I couldn’t believe how great they felt. Everyone that I’ve been around since installing them has had the same reaction when holding the club for the first time. “Oh wow, that’s nice” is something I’ve heard over and over again. The Perma-Wrap ACE 3GEN is a grip geared for players who do not wear a glove, but is certainly not limited to those players only.
While I was testing this grip, a new set of irons also came my way for a review. As I always do, I conducted some side by side testing with my own iron set. I could not get over how much better this grip felt than the brand new grip on the new set of irons. The tackiness of the ACE 3GEN provides such a good grip that I kept getting the feeling of not getting a good hold on the other set of clubs.
One thing that I really noticed after installing the grips is that I could grip the clubs much lighter without being concerned about the club slipping from my hands. As all golfers have been told, grip pressure and tension need to be light to free up our swing. Prior to this review I never imagined that a grip could have a hand in playing better golf, but seeing (or feeling in this case) is believing. Even with a relatively new set of irons I feel that installing the Lamkin ACE 3GEN has completely changed my set.
Testing these grips has been limited to cooler temps since our golf season just got started here in the upper Midwest, so there are some questions yet to be answered on how well the grips hold up in the heat and humidity of summer. If you stay tuned to the THP Forum I will definitely continue to update as the temperatures rise. At this point, I can say that I’m not a bit concerned. The cooler temps have given me a great look at another feature of the performance of these grips. The 3GEN technology helps provide outstanding vibration dampening on top of the other benefits. Playing a set of players irons can occasionally result in stinging hands when contact isn’t quite so flush in cool temps, but that has been kept to a minimum with these grips installed.
The Lamkin ACE 3GEN is available in Perma-Wrap and Crossline models now for around $5 per grip. It’s not very often that I feel a particular product is that much better than the competition, but that is the case with these grips. I recommend everyone takes a look at their grip, and unless they’re new this year, do yourself a favor and put a new set of ACE 3GEN on now. You can thank me later.
Great review Jake! I am seriously considering putting these on my clubs after the Morgan Cup this year. I’ve heard not a single negative about them! Heat and Humidity testing will be a big determining factor.
Great review! I have been a huge fan of wrap grips like this in the past, and have tried a few out as of late that I really liked. Love the feel of them, and find them quite easy to clean. Thanks Jake!
These grips almost got me to go with wraps. They feel amazing and the white looks great too. In the end I went with the ACE Crossline and I’m extremely impressed. I thought this was a great review. Thanks Jake!
Nice thoughts Jake, it’s been awhile since I played any type of wrap grip but your thoughts plus the price point make these a no brainer to consider when the time comes.
Great review Jake. I’ll have to try these out as I currently struggle with gripping the club way too hard in the fear it will slip out. Sounds like this will remedy that and still feel amazing!
Thanks for the review Jake, it comes at a great time as I’m needing to get my irons done very soon. These will start at the top of my list.
These sound like such a solid grip for the price. A relaxed feel in the hands could be a lifesaver for all of us with the death grip.
SOLD! I have 2G’s now so glad to see how you liked them.
I experiment with a lot of used clubs. I find what I often like and dislike has a lot to do with the grips. Find a grip that I like, and I typically like the club. On the flip side, you can give me the single best club made, and if it is has a bad grip, then it is worthless.
I think grips are probably the single most under looked piece of equipment in golf. I say this knowing I am as guilty as anyone.
Nice review. How’d you find the white holding up to discoloring from dirt? I have had a couple of white grips and have seen that happen.
Great review. This is coming from a young scottish golfer, the main problem i have with replacing grips is how expensive it can be for instance i wanted multi compound grips on my clubs and it cost me £130 and as a 16 year old 14 handicap golfer i cant afford that every year. I say this because i was wondering if any THPers xould reccomend a good cheap grip for wet conditions. i like multicompound but would rather a soft grip that is good in the wet for a round.please could somebody tell me if such a grip exists. Thanks
Jake I’m sorry I missed this the first time around. I’m not a fan of the wrap grips but these were soft yet firm. They had a good feel under hand.
After a whole season with the grips, how did they hold up? Did they manage well through humidity/rain and sweat? Did they hold up well, or even above average? I would love to see a follow up post! Thanks!