Many of THP’s readers are already familiar with the Champ brand due to their FLYtees and soft spikes for golf. In addition, they are the industry leader for Traction Technology in a number of applications, including football, baseball, soccer, and even industry.
To bolster their golf line, Champ recently introduced their C Series grips, including the top-of-the-line C8 Grip.
Champ C8 Grips
The C8 is made from a new optimum feel TPO material infused with Kevlar® for greater torque control and incredible wear resistance. A special tacky compound creates a non slip feel during all weather conditions and an anti shock wrap provides a comfortable feel and excellent shock absorption. A great grip for performance and feel.
- Stock color options include: Jet Black, Cool White, Neon Blue, Neon Green, and Neon Orange.
- Standard and Midsize available
- 49g
- $16/grip MSRP
Aesthetics and Performance
Both the Jet Black and Cool White color options of the C8 grips were sampled for this spotlight. Both versions feature the same overall color combinations, though they are inverted. The aqua blue highlights at the butt and tip end blended especially well with the Cool White, but without being so overwhelming that they caused matching issues with certain clubs or shafts.
As noted above, the C8 features a new rubber material infused with Kevlar, which gives the impression of something quite different than a standard golf grip. In hand however, they feel remarkably tacky or almost ‘gummy’ on the surface, while remaining quite firm overall. The material retains the ability to stretch easily for simple installation, even with the inclusion of Kevlar. Champ claims the C8 grip will last substantially longer than others due to the materials they are constructed from, but THP cannot comment on long term durability at this time.
The combination of the aforementioned tackiness and a very aggressive surface pattern provide excellent traction in the golf swing, and testing with water poured on the grips showed they should provide great resiliency in wet weather. The surface pattern is slightly more abrasive to the hands than some grips out there, so they may perform best for those players that wear a golf glove. Finally, the C8 did appear to offer top-tier shock absorption, even on shots that missed on the classic trouble spots (low face or towards the toe).
At $16 per grip, the C8 is truly a premium offering, though the claims of increased durability may offset some of the cost. More information, including a list of Champ retailers, can be found on the company’s website at www.champspikes.com.
Very interesting to see Champ heading into the grip market. The use of Kevlar is an interesting concept, which I hope it truly helps with durability of the grips, especially at the “high” pricepoint.
Great review Ryan. I like the look of the grips, and the addition of Kevlar would certainly imply improved wear resistance. A premium price point, for sure, but, if the grips last a full season it would be a wash.
Nice write up Ryan. I like the looks but can’t get past the price, that’s way to steep for me for a grip durability or not.
Yikes. I’m put off, and quite intrigued, all at the same time. They better be Dur.A.Ble.
Thanks for the spotlight on these grips, Ryan. I’m intrigued by the addition of Kevlar for added durability, and the tackiness you describe. Looking on their website, the colors do look pretty nice, especially THP green. These will get a look the next time I’m in the market for grips.
Great write up James, these are truly interesting but I am somewhat put off by the price. I think I will follow along with your thoughts long term and then try one on a Driver or FW.
Looks like quite a bit of tech packed in, I like the clean look as well!
I like that I’m seeing/reading here. I didn’t know about their history with traction technology in other sports but I have to think that this a softer feel while not being too mushy. Almost looks like a bunch of small suction cups.
Not cheap but I would have to guess that the price will eventually come down some.
Honestly, I am a little surprised that they have waited this long to manufacture grips. If they truly are as durable as stated, then I see no issues with the price point. If you typically re-grip once a year and these, at a minimum, last two seasons, then you have effectively cut the price in half right there.
Thanks for the review Hawk. These look great and I like the color options. I use their spikes exclusively in my shoes. At that price point, I hope the grips would last for 2 seasons. I really need to get my hands on them.
Thanks Hawk…they look nice and I like the design. $16 a piece is pretty steep though.
$16 per grip? no thanks
$16 a grip, $100+ per set! It seems absurd, but perhaps they’re hoping for some sort of word of mouth cachet to spread a la SuperStroke. It’s not likely, but it’s possible if their claims of prolonged tackiness and durability hold up. Especially, if their buyer pool comes from Winn and remembers having their sewn-seamed multi-layer grips literally split apart and crumble to rubbery dust after one year.
I just picked up a set of 13 C8s on ebay UK for the princely sum (not) of £15.39. This, I suspect, was the result of a lack of awareness on the part of the buying public. The grips feel as good as they look but I’m a bit baffled as to how you’re meant to differentiate between the grips – the set has been designed to bring different characteristics to the different clubs in your bag – the firmer ones (Power) are meant for your woods, the medium ones (Control) for your long and mid-irons and the softer ones (Feel) for your short irons. As far as I can see, there is nothing to distinguish one type from the other which kind of defeats the purpose. That said, I’m sure I must be missing something.
Just figured out that the C8s I bought were not the Performance range as I thought but the standard version. What had me confused was the white hand positioning detailing on the grip which, in Champs own website, only seem to appear on the Performance range. The standard C8 in all the photos I’ve seen is an all black affair except for the plug. For the record, the plugs on the Performance range are colour-coded for identification.