As the summer sun begins to bake the fairways and your weekend four-ball moves from the indoor simulator to the local course, the hunt for ‘the secret’ begins. We browse the latest $600 drivers and $400 putters, hoping technology will mask our flaws.
Yet, according to the world’s best players, the most important investment you can make this season costs less than a sleeve of premium balls.
If you are serious about playing your best golf this summer, you need the molded rubber training grip. It is a simple, unassuming piece of equipment, but it is currently the most significant open secret on the professional tours.
The Scheffler Standard
It is impossible to discuss ball-striking excellence without mentioning Scottie Scheffler. His statistical dominance from tee-to-green is historic, often drawing comparisons to the heights of Tiger Woods.
While fans obsess over his "dancing feet" and unique footwork, PGA Professionals and equipment insiders point to something much more fundamental: his grip.
Scheffler is famously meticulous about his hand placement. In his bag, you will almost always find two 7-irons. One is his gamer; the other is a dedicated training club fitted with a $10 molded rubber grip.
He doesn't just use it occasionally - he begins every session with it. Even during the chaotic 2024 PGA Championship, where his warm-up was cut to mere minutes, the training grip was the first thing he reached for. It serves as a physical reset, ensuring his only point of connection with the club is identical every single time.
Beyond the World Number One
While Scheffler is the poster boy for the movement, the trend is sweeping through the professional ranks. I recently spoke with Callaway Tour Rep Kellen Watson, who confirmed that the adoption of these molded grips is an "open secret" among the tour players, and far more widespread than the general public realizes.
Watson noted that major champions and elite ball-strikers like Xander Schauffele and Sam Burns, among many others, are also utilizing this specific training aid to maintain their fundamentals.
On the DP World Tour, the results are equally compelling. 2018 British Masters Champion Eddie Pepperell has recently enjoyed a significant upturn in his long game form, a resurgence he directly attributed to "copying" Scheffler’s idea. Speaking on his podcast, The Chipping Forecast, Pepperell discussed the power of the simplest concept.
"So what I've worked on, I've centered it all around this grip reminder that Scottie Scheffler uses," Pepperell reflected. "It's Scottie Scheffler, the best player we've seen since Tiger, and he focuses on the most simple thing day in, day out. There's a lot of power in that clearly, and I'm experiencing some of those benefits."
Part of the reason for writing this piece is a desperation to share with anyone who would care to listen how much consistent use of the training grip has positively impacted my own golf game.
My Personal Experience
As a PGA Professional, keen to keep a level of competitive skill into my forties, I committed to a carefully thought-out cocktail of training aids this winter and have religiously stuck to the same formula come rain or shine. In addition to the training grip, my non-negotiables for practice are the T Square from Vision putting, and the TRS Ball for my backswing connection.
However, in my mind, the consistency of my delivery and the tightening of my dispersion can be directly attributed to the repetitive way I am able to put my hands on the club every time at the moment.
Even playing very little actual on-course golf, I recently managed to qualify for the British PGA Championships, and in my last tournament, I reeled off 14 birdies in 36 holes for an 8-under total and a top ten in a national PGA event.
This is not meant as a self-indulgent brag; I am just keen to pass on something that has been working incredibly well for me in the hope that others can see a similar uptick in performance and the associated satisfaction that comes along with good results.
A Layer of Insurance
Why is this $10 piece of rubber so effective? Because the golf grip is the most critical area of your fundamentals, yet it is the easiest to get wrong. Over a long summer of play, "grip creep" is real. Your hands might move a fraction of an inch into a stronger or weaker position, leading to subtle changes in clubface control that eventually turn into a full-blown case of the hooks or slices.
Adding this aid to your bag provides a layer of insurance. It forces your hands into a "neutral" position, training the muscle memory of your fingers and palms. You don't even need to be at the range to benefit; you can use it while sitting on your sofa, simply gripping and re-gripping to reinforce that vital sensation.
The Verdict
Golf is a game of variables, many of which we cannot control. However, the way we hold the club is entirely within our power. If the best ball-strikers in the world feel the need to check their grip every single day with a $10 training aid, then the amateur golfer is arguably at a massive disadvantage by ignoring it.
Don't spend this summer fighting your swing. Buy the grip, have it installed on an old 7-iron, and make it the first club you swing before every round. It is quite possibly the best $10 you will ever spend on your game.
