Golf Research In Play, or GRIP, is a very young company in the golf equipment world. As we wrote a while back when the company debuted, "GRIP's clubs are original designs targeted to what the company calls "middle market recreational golfers." The company defines its target market as golfers who are looking for the latest technologies and latest designs in their clubs, but who want those clubs at lower price points."
We can't admit to being fans of the name the company chose, but after trying a couple of its products, we're definitely fans of its approach to serving that market.
GRIP Hyper Steel Hybrids
"Hyper Steel" is a heat-treated, cast steel that produces a recognizable and reassuring "ting" at impact. The GRIP Hyper Steel Hybrids come in 2H (16 degrees loft), 3H (19 degrees), 4H (21 degrees) and 5H (25 degrees) models. We've been using the 3H model (19 degrees), intended to replace the 3-iron or 7-wood in a golfer's bag.
The shaft is a high-modulus, low-torque, high-launch, 65-gram graphite shaft branded by GRIP. The generic grip is soft, comfortable and tacky (as in, easy to hold onto).
The GRIP Hyper Steel Hybrids carry an MSRP of only $69.95 per club, certainly a much lower price than hybrids offered by most better-known companies. Yet, this club also comes with weighted screws that can be repositioned to affect ball flight.
The clubs come with a 6-gram brass screw in the heel and a 3-gram aluminum screw in the toe for a draw bias. The screws are easily removed with a torque wrench (included) in order to be swapped, thereby changing the draw bias to a fade bias.
We found the difference in ball flight to be very small, barely noticeable for some players. These clubs won't work miracles for chronic slicers or hookers - but every little bit helps. For golfers with minor issues, however, in those areas, a bias toward a fade or a draw can be very helpful.
The GRIP Hyper Steel Hybrid head is compact face-to-rear, but not too short heel-to-toe or too shallow on the face. There is a good-sized hitting area that helps on off-center strikes, but the head is still compact enough to glide easily through rough and to help get the ball launched on a good angle. It also works well for chip shots around the green.
This is an effective club at any price, especially for that middle market GRIP is targeting, but a very good club for under $70.
GRIP CNC Milled Wedges
The GRIP CNC Milled Wedges carry an MSRP of $49.95 per club. Models offered are the Gap/Scoring wedge (52 degrees loft, 10 degrees bounce), Sand/Fairway wedge (56 degrees loft, 14 degrees bounce), and Lob wedge (60 degrees loft, 12 degrees bounce).
We've been using the 56-degree wedge, and have been very impressed with performance in spin and control.
The CNC milling ensures precision in the head construction, and the 8620 mild carbon used in construction offers a soft feel. But GRIP has also added a series of arcing micro-grooves that really grab onto the ball, promoting additional spin. Getting balls to stop on the green with this wedge wasn't a problem.
These wedges are a lot of club for the money.
