Equipment

Bob Lamkin on the wrap grip reborn, 90 years of history

Published

12 years ago

Dec 2, 2014

2015 marks the 90th anniversary of Lamkin Golf Grips. The longest-standing gripmaker in the golf industry is fresh off the success of the UTx and R.E.L. grips in 2014 and is poised to unveil something even more exciting in the year ahead.

“The Wrap-Tech is our ‘hero launch’ for 2015,” said Bob Lamkin, third-generation president of the company. “And it’s part of the puzzle when you see the products that are going to be launched in 2015 and beyond.”

According to the president and CEO, “The grip has had rave reviews from everyone. We’re very excited about the initial feedback that we’ve had. That’s resonated through our focus groups, retailers, PGA Tour professionals.”

Wrap-Tech

Revolutionary new wrap-style grip with dual surface patterns for superior comfort and grip traction.
Made with the patented ACE compound engineered for unmatched tackiness and shock absorption.
Exceptionally tacky grip surface in all weather conditions.
Slightly softer material ideal for players who prefer not to wear a glove.

UTx

UTx-Blue-Std

Proprietary Tri-Layer Technology: Softer ACE foundation for enhanced feel. Moisture-wicking full cord fabric weave. Firmer, incredibly tacky top layer
Unmatched performance in all climates and weather conditions.
Exceptional torsion control & grip stabililty.
Promotes the ideal light pressure grip for longer, more consistent shots.

R.E.L. Ace

REL-ACE-3GEN-Orange-Std

Made with super-tacky ACE synthetic rubber.
Patented shock-absorbing technology dulls painful vibration without dulling shot feedback.
Extremely comfortable grip ideal for a wide range of golfers.
Unique surface pattern maximizes surface contact with a golfer’s hands for added control and stability.
Golf’s widest assortment of size and color options.

Lamkin’s offering for 2015 will also include stalwarts such as the Crossline, i-Line, and X10.

The CEO of Lamkin Grips was kind enough to talk a little about the family business and what’s ahead for the grip company.

On what’s coming down the pike

You’ll see line extensions on UTx. You’ll see this type of material technology move into the putter grip category. The end goal for us from the consumer perspective: develop products through material surface patterns.

What we’re really centering on in each one of the grip categories is performance. Performance materials, performance surface patterns; the combination of [the two] will increase playability. Performance for me equates into competence.

Golfers who regrip their golf clubs consistently stay within a product category. Instead of trying to convert them, or have them jump ship, what we want to do is have that same Ace material and the performance characteristics in all the product categories, whether it’s a putter grip, or a cord grip, or a wrap grip.

On the purpose of the grip

Get golfers to have a very light grip pressure and have confidence in the material and surface pattern where you don’t think you’re going to slip.

If you’re able to have a secure, tension-free swing from your elbows down, that really is going to be able to help the golfer…help a golfer make a full turn, generate swing speed.

If you’re really choking the grip because you don’t have confidence, it’s really going to impede your ability to freely swing the golf club.

On the company’s 90 years of history

I’m very proud of the fact that we’ve had three generations of evolution in the grip category. We’re the longest established grip company…from 1925 on. I have to applaud my grandfather and my father for instilling the core principle of continuous improvement.

We changed from when all grips were made of leather. My father came in and said we need to be able to offer a rubber material. My grandfather, it took a little while for him to warm up to the idea. We went into cord, and synthetic rubber, and then colors came out.

The dynamic changes from a manufacturing perspective to keep pace and to continue to develop new grips and new materials…a huge undertaking…new materials…new equipment…a constant learning…how to improve and get better…

We’ve brought a team of engineers together to really look at the materials side of the category and improve…with Wrap-Tech and the Ace material compounds.

It’s not just color. It’s not just cosmetic driven. People like the colors, but color doesn’t mean it’s a better product. Through the Ace materials, we’ve been able to combine the cosmetics with the functionality of a new material.

Each generation is a rebirth. It’s like a new company, and that’s been instilled in us through the generations.

We’re a privately held family business. We’re very proud of how much we’ve accomplished. Our management team, we have over 500 employees. It’s a collaborative effort worldwide. [We have a] singular goal: make it better each year.

On the company’s future

We keep bringing better products to market that are hopefully going to help golfers play more consistently or at least enjoy the game more. If we can do that, we’ve achieved our goal.

If you don’t improve, and you don’t keep trying to make the product category better, somebody else will. All we do is make golf grips, so our core focus is on that continuous improvement model in the materials side.

Lamkin indicated the company is doing extensive focus-group research globally to determine the optimal grip characteristics for, say, the United States’ West Coast versus the coast of Scotland.

Related Topics:grips Lamkin

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Ben Alberstadt

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

25 Comments

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Golfraven

Dec 5, 2014 at 6:26 pm

Glad for the comments folks. I was about to try the UTx on my driver first but need something that will last me longer than couple of months. will either stay with the Tour Velvet Cord or try the Golf Pride Multi-Compound Platinum – love the look of Platinum/White.

Reply Report comment
Jeff

Dec 4, 2014 at 1:19 pm

Revolutionary new style grip? For Lamkin, yes. But it’s not revolutionary or new for golf. It’s just an updated version of the Sand Wrap offered by Royal Grips (remember them?) back in 1994. That being said, I’ll probably give them a try.

Reply Report comment
Steve

Dec 3, 2014 at 3:20 pm

Wow, I love their new grips. The updated logo and the new wrap seems like a winner.
Companies don’t make it 90 years by doing the SOS forever. Congratulations to Lamkin. They have been a part of the fabric of the game.

Reply Report comment
- Shallowface
  
  Dec 4, 2014 at 6:35 am
  
  Seems a lot of us here think the SOS is just fine.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Chuck
  
  Dec 7, 2014 at 3:37 pm
  
  Lamkin makes dozens of different grip models. If they want to introduce new innovations, I think that’s great. If they want to put a new logo on every new model as it is introduced, there’s nothing wrong with that.
  
  Just don’t make changes to existing models that are working beautifully and are part of equipment choices that I don’t want to change or re-adapt. And don’t even think of discontinuing a truly classic product like the Crossline.
  
  Reply Report comment
tom

Dec 3, 2014 at 12:12 pm

Hated the feel of the UTx. Ordered my Z545’s with Tour Velvets instead.

Reply Report comment
FTWPhil

Dec 3, 2014 at 11:25 am

Bring back Crossline Black it’s one of our best sellers! Why was the crossline pattern changed on the standard crossline? It is much smaller now.

Reply Report comment
- tom
  
  Dec 3, 2014 at 12:02 pm
  
  Agree. Love the Crossline black.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Tim
  
  Dec 4, 2014 at 2:22 pm
  
  Cross line and corded cross line are the most timeless grips, and very reasonably priced as well. Great grips for all weathers, have used them for years and multi compound for years, but the lambkins are about half the price of the golf prides.
  
  Reply Report comment
No bueno

Dec 3, 2014 at 1:00 am

Crossline is the only decent grip in the whole line that lasts any length of time. The rest are too soft and doesn’t last at all.

Reply Report comment
jonno

Dec 2, 2014 at 11:51 pm

all of the ace compound grips wear out too fast, utx lasts like a month on the driver

Reply Report comment
Dave

Dec 2, 2014 at 10:14 pm

Have used Lamkin for years. I don’t understand why most of their grips are available only in .580 when most shafts have a butt size of .600. I guess they think everyone needs oversize grips. I’d like to hear the reason for the .580 size.

Reply Report comment
obo

Dec 2, 2014 at 9:27 pm

The UTx are absolute garbage. They didn’t even last a year. Cords break down way to fast and the color will stain your golf glove and bare hand. Back to iomic for this guy.

Reply Report comment
- ron
  
  Dec 3, 2014 at 12:17 am
  
  iomic is trash
  
  Reply Report comment
- CM
  
  Dec 8, 2014 at 7:22 pm
  
  They do wear fast but like the firm tack. I can’t grips to last 5-6 months. No grip last a year with heavy use.
  
  Reply Report comment
Dbuck

Dec 2, 2014 at 8:05 pm

I have used Crosslines for several years on virtually everything and am glad they are keeping them in the line.

I will be trying the Wrap-Tech when it is available.

Reply Report comment
- FTWPhil
  
  Dec 8, 2014 at 10:23 am
  
  I’m very interested in the wrap grip color options as well. I currently use Golf Pride Tour Wrap blue. The different texture is pretty interesting.
  
  Reply Report comment
Shallowface

Dec 2, 2014 at 7:40 pm

I will never understand why they did away with the distinctive Lamkin logo as shown on the grip that’s in the picture of Mr. Lamkin, in favor of a white block letter logo that reminds one of Golf Pride.

Big fan of the Crossline as well as older products such as the Perma Wrap and the Sure Tac 85th Anniversary grip from 2010. I’ve tried a couple of the ACE products, but didn’t like the feel of them as well as the Crossline.

The old Sure Tac grips from the 80s were a remarkable product. Wilson used those on some of their Staff irons, and I have found some of those that were still playable after a light sanding and cleaning with soap and water. Incredible for 30 year old grips.

Reply Report comment
- Jafar
  
  Dec 3, 2014 at 9:39 am
  
  Perhaps money and manufacturing costs.
  
  A small design change could save millions possibly.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Shallowface
    
    Dec 4, 2014 at 6:31 am
    
    Don’t see how it could make any difference. The logo is part of the mold, is it not?
    
    Reply Report comment
- Chuck
  
  Dec 4, 2014 at 10:32 pm
  
  Yes; keep the old logo!
  
  At the very least, PLEASE keep making the old Crosslines the exact same way, including the old logo.
  
  I will never understand why it is so hard to get a matching set of grips with options for rib and round. It’s hard enough finding any rib grips anymore.
  
  I’ll keep buying .580 rib and round Crosslines as long as they keep making them. (Ribs on Driver thru PW, Rounds on GW and SW.)
  
  Reply Report comment
David Gebhardt PGA

Dec 2, 2014 at 6:12 pm

Have used Lamkin for years,love the feel and durability of the Crossline. As a company you have always provided great r&d, but you are missing a growing market. Your wrap has been the best, except – it is righthanded. Try a model reversing the wrap for us lefties.

Reply Report comment
joey

Dec 2, 2014 at 3:21 pm

great article haven’t tried the new lamkins yet have golf pride tour wraps on and they are great

Reply Report comment

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Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

15 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.