So-called “reminder” grips aren’t anything new.
In fact, they date back to the 1930s when golfers and clubmakers would add a hunk of wire, string or even a coat hanger under their leather grips. The idea was to “remind” golfers of proper hand placement.
If you think that’s silly or that any real golfer should know where to place his hands, Ben Hogan did it to help cure his dreaded hook. The concept fell in and out of favor over the ensuing decades but in 2017, Golf Pride brought the idea back to the mainstream with its ALIGN grips.
ALIGN has since earned a sizable and loyal following. Last year, Golf Pride added ALIGN MAX to the ALIGN family, with a 25-percent larger ridge. Today, Golf Pride is doing what any smart company that has a product with a sizable and loyal following would do.
It’s expanding the line.
If you love corded grips or jumbo grips, today’s your lucky day.
Golf Pride ALIGN MAX ZGRIP and Jumbo MCC Plus4
We talk a lot here about how smart companies know what business they’re in. Golf Pride may seem like it’s in the grip business. If you think about it, though, it’s really in the connections business. Yes, the grip connects to the club but it also connects to the golfer. And Golf Pride pays attention to both of those connections.
“We hear feedback from players that they like the concept of ALIGN MAX and want to try it in a different style or size,” says Golf Pride President James Ledford. “The engineers in our Global Innovation Center began a rigorous design and testing process to execute that vision.”
So, today, Golf Pride is adding ALIGN MAX to its popular ZGRIP line of corded grips. The ZGRIP is already available with the original ALIGN technology but Golf Pride is adding an ALIGN MAX model for golfers who need a more robust reminder.
The ZGRIP is the firmest grip in Golf Pride’s lineup. Its heavy texture is designed for maximum moisture control and plenty of feedback. Mishit a shot and you’ll know it.
Additionally, Golf Pride is adding a jumbo size to its existing standard and midsize MCC Plus4 ALIGN MAX grips. MCC Plus4 combines Golf Pride’s popular dual-material construction. It features a firm cotton-cord upper section for moisture control and a softer rubber lower section for feel and responsiveness. The Plus4 element simulates four additional wraps of tape in the lower section to reduce hand tension and lower grip pressure.
So … it’s line extension?
Yep, that’s pretty much it. The ZGRIP was already available with the standard ALIGN feature. It’s now getting the bigger ALIGN MAX ridge. The MCC Plus4 was already available in ALIGN MAX but it’s getting a bigger grip option.
That’s what smart companies do when they have a product people like.
When Golf Pride started making rubber slip-on grips in 1949, it included a subtle molded spine in some models. The built-in “reminder” became popular with better players and professionals. Reminder grips fell out of favor over the years, however, for a couple of interesting reasons.
The first one is obvious. If the reminder aid is even a few degrees misaligned during installation, the whole concept goes down the drain. The second isn’t so obvious. By the 1980s, club fitting was becoming more commonplace and the perceived need for reminders waned.
Golf Pride’s original ALIGN technology, introduced in 2017, brought back the concept. The external visible ridge made installation easier and more consistent. It’s still available, while the new ALIGN MAX features the most pronounced ridge height allowed under the Rules of Golf.
Is a “reminder” grip right for you?
More than 150 players across the major professional circuits use some form of a reminder grip. Are they right for you? That, as you’d expect, is a big old “depends.” Generally, two types of golfers benefit from reminder grips. First, if you tend to re-grip the club a couple of times before swinging to get the right “feel,” and tend to miss both left and right with similar swings, you might benefit from a tactile reference point for your hands.
Second, if you fight a persistent hook/pull or a weak fade/slice, the reminder can help you at least get the club face in a consistent position.
Additionally, mid- to high-handicappers building their fundamentals often benefit from reminder grips as they can remove a major swing-to-swing variable. And if you’re a golfer who doesn’t “work” the ball – better known as a regular golfer – a reminder grip can help you consistently keep the face square at delivery.
Price, availability and free installation
The Golf Pride ZGRIP with ALIGN MAX is available starting today in standard and midsize. The MCC Plus4 with ALIGN MAX, already available in standard and midsize, is now also available in jumbo.
Also, and maybe most importantly, now through March 28, select retailers will install any new Golf Pride grips – including the new ALIGN MAX models – for free when you buy eight or more. Participating retailers include Golf Galaxy, PGA TOUR Superstore, DICK’S House of Sport, Carl’s Golfland and all Worldwide Golf stores.
The new ALIGN Max models will retail for $15.99 each. For more information, visit www.golfpride.com.
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