Over many years working directly with the AmateurGolf.com Equipment Panel, we have learned that better players want their grips to be tacky everyday and perform equally well in wet conditions.
Lately, the idea of different getting grips in new shapes and textures has become a topic of conversation as we see Tour players using bold shapes on their putters, and the rest of the clubs in their bag. Reduced taper designs that were formerly achieved with "extra wraps" of tape are now available for order, and Lamkin is at the forefront of this idea with several of their models.
One of those models is called Sonar, featuring a tacky and resilient compound called Genesis, and a reduced-taper shape that helps remove some of the tension from the golf swing.
We sent 100 of our Equipment Panelists a pair of the grips to try in the spring, and the evidence was apparent - these weren't just grips they enjoyed making a couple of swings with. Half of those testers went ahead and ordered the grips for their entire set.
The Genesis material, reduced-taper shapes, and Fingerprint surface pattern make Sonar almost create a grip category of their own. Call they a hybrid if you want, but they really bridge the gap between a comfortable, tacky grip (that sometimes sacrifices on control) and a firm player's model (that makes you feel like you have to grip it as opposed to it gripping you).
We sent the Sonar grips to a sample of our panelists that like each category of grip, and the praise was almost universal. Below is some of the feedback, followed by a video with the third-generation of Lamkin family members to run the company, Bob Lamkin.
"I gripped up the driver and a 4 Hybrid. I felt like I could use much lighter grip pressure without sacrificing control. Very impressed with the tackiness and slip resistance even though the Houston weather has gotten very hot and humid this month. Will be ordering a full set." -- Member of the historic Champions Golf Club
"I put both grips on my driver and three wood in exchange of my GP New Decades. I loved them. I just got done with a tournament with them in play and was really impressed with the feel and the durability of the Sonars. I'm likely to regrip all my clubs with them. -- An avid tournament player in the Southeast
"I was a little skeptical at first as I thought the grip would be too soft or mushy feeling (prior to installing it). When the grip was installed I realized I was wrong it was just right. I used to play a Golfpride CP2 on my driver as I liked the soft feel with the non taper design for this club. But I think the Sonar is superior. It is a little more tacky and I like the hand pattern and reduced taper." -- A (former) Golfpride CP2 player who made the switch