What Are the Largest Golf Grips?

A surprising number of swing problems and even physical discomfort can be traced back to the one connection you have with the golf club: the grip. If your grips feel too small, cause hand pain, or if you struggle to control a nasty hook, the solution might be a simple switch to a larger size. This guide breaks down what the largest golf grips are, who can benefit from them, and how to determine the right size for your game.

What Are Oversized and Jumbo Golf Grips?

When you buy a standard set of clubs off the rack, they almost always come with "Standard" size grips. However, just like shoes or gloves, grips come in a range of sizes to better fit different players. For larger sizes, you’ll typically hear two terms: Midsize and Oversized/Jumbo.

Think of it like this:

• Standard: The baseline. This is where most golfers start.
• Midsize: The first step up in size. It's noticeably thicker than a standard grip but not dramatically so. On a technical level, it's typically +1/16" larger in diameter at the top of the grip compared to a standard size.
• Oversized/Jumbo: This is the largest category of grips available commercially. They are significantly thicker and are about +1/8" larger than a standard grip. Some brands, like Jumbomax, specialize in even larger sizes that go beyond what is traditionally considered jumbo.

The primary difference is the feel in your hands. A standard grip held by someone with large hands can feel like holding a pen, forcing their fingers to dig into their palms. A jumbo grip, on the other hand, fills the hands more completely, allowing for a more relaxed, natural hold.

The Surprising Benefits of a Larger Grip (It's Not Just for Big Hands)

The most common misconception about larger grips is that they are only for golfers with big hands. While players with larger hands are certainly the primary candidates, the benefits of moving to a midsize or jumbo grip can help a much wider range of golfers, even those with average-sized hands. Let's look at the main reasons someone might make the switch.

Benefit #1: Reducing Grip Pressure and Hand Tension

This is probably the most significant benefit for the average golfer. A thinner grip often forces you to squeeze the club tighter to feel secure and stable. This excessive grip pressure creates tension that travels from your hands up into your forearms, elbows, and shoulders. When your muscles are tight, your ability to make a fluid, powerful, and rotational golf swing is seriously hampered.

A larger grip fills your hands more completely, meaning you don't have to clench it to feel in control. This promotes a lighter, more relaxed grip pressure. When your hands and arms are tension-free, you can:

• Increase Clubhead Speed: Tense muscles are slow muscles. A relaxed hold allows your body to rotate faster and transfer energy more efficiently to the clubhead.
• Reduce Pain and Fatigue: For golfers who suffer from arthritis, tendonitis, or just general hand soreness after a round, jumbo grips can be a revelation. By easing the need to squeeze, they can make playing 18 holes a much more comfortable experience.

If you find your hands or forearms aching during or after a round, it's a huge sign that your grips are likely too small and are forcing you to apply too much pressure.

Benefit #2: Calming Overactive Hands to Fix A Hook or Slice

From a coaching perspective, managing what the hands do in the golf swing is a constant point of focus. Your hands have a massive influence on the clubface, which dictates the starting direction and curve of your ball flight. Larger grips change this dynamic.

By making the grip thicker, you effectively restrict the ability of your hands and wrists to "flick" or manipulate the clubface at impact. This "quieting" of the hands can be a potent fix for certain swing faults:

• Fixing a Hook: A hook is most often caused by the hands turning over too quickly through impact, rapidly closing the clubface. A jumbo grip makes it more difficult for your dominant hand to get overly active and snap the club shut, encouraging a more passive hand action and a more body-led release. This often straightens a bad hook into a playable draw or a straight shot.
• Improving Consistency: By reducing the influence of your fast-twitch hand muscles, you are forced to use the larger, more reliable muscles of your body - your torso and hips - to power and rotate the club through impact. Because these big muscles are more stable and repeatable than small hand muscles, your swing often becomes much more consistent.

While many associate larger grips with fixing a hook, some slicers can also see an improvement. Their slice may come from an over-the-top swing path where they use their hands frantically to try and save the shot. By calming the hands with a bigger grip, it encourages a smoother swing plane powered by the body instead of a jerky, unstable arm-and-hand swing.

How to Know If a Larger Grip is Right for You

Finding the right grip size isn't a perfect science, but there are a few simple tests and observations you can use as a guide. The best approach is to try a few out, but here are some steps you can take to get started.

Step 1: The Classic Hand Test

This is the tried-and-true method used by club fitters for decades. It's easy to do yourself in any golf shop:

1. Pick up a club with a standard-sized grip.
2. Take your normal top-hand grip (your left hand, for a right-handed golfer).
3. Look at your middle and ring fingers. Where do they end up?

• Just Barely Touching: If the tips of your middle and ring fingers lightly touch the fleshy part of your thumb pad on your palm, your grip size is likely a good fit.
• Digging In: If your fingers are digging into your palm, creating an indentation, the grip is too small. You should try moving up to a Midsize grip.
• A Noticeable Gap: If there is a clear space between your fingertips and your palm, the grip is likely too big.

Step 2: Use Your Glove Size as a Guide

While not foolproof, your golf glove size is a great starting point for estimating your ideal grip size. People's finger lengths vary, but this gives a solid general recommendation.

• Men's Small or Women's Large: You may benefit from an Undersize grip, but Standard is often fine.
• Men's Medium / Medium-Large: A Standard grip is usually the correct size.
• Men's Large: You are a prime candidate for a Midsize grip.
• Men's XL or XXL: You should strongly consider testing an Oversized or Jumbo grip.

Step 3: Analyze Your Shot Pattern and Feel

Sometimes, the feel and the flight of the ball are the best indicators. Ask yourself these questions:

• Ball Flight: Are you consistently fighting a strong pull or hook? This could be a sign that your hands are too active, something a larger grip can quiet down.
• Comfort: Do your hands or wrists ache? Do you feel like you have to choke the life out of your club to control it? Increasing your grip size can immediately relieve that feeling.
• Confidence: Does the club feel stable in your hands at impact, especially on off-center hits? A more substantial grip can provide a sense of stability and control.

A great, low-cost experiment is to re-grip just one club, like your 7-iron, with a larger size. Take it to the range and hit it alongside your old 7-iron. The difference in feel and ball flight will be immediately apparent and will tell you if it's worth re-gripping your entire set.

Understanding Large Grip Sizing and Models

Once you've decided to experiment with a larger size, you'll find a few different options. The most popular brands like Golf Pride, Lamkin, and Winn all offer a range of sizes, materials, and designs.

Beyond the simple size designation (Midsize, Jumbo), you'll also see some grips described by their taper. A traditional grip is tapered, meaning it's thicker at the top than it is at the bottom. Some newer designs feature a reduced taper or no taper, where the grip maintains a more consistent thickness from top to bottom. This is designed to further reduce pressure in the lower hand and promote a more unified feel between both hands.

some brands have built entire businesses around larger sizes. a great-example is jumbomax which makes some of the largest grips on market and is favored by players like bryson dechambeau who want seriously reduce the influence of their hands on swing

Final Thoughts

Moving up a grip size is one of the most simple yet impactful equipment changes a golfer can make. By promoting lighter grip pressure, reducing hand tension, and calming unwanted wrist action, a midsize or jumbo grip can lead to greater comfort, consistency, and confidence on the course.

Understanding which equipment changes will actually help your game can be tough. The cool part is, a lot of the old guesswork is going away. For example, if you're trying to figure out if your hook is caused by your grip, your setup, or your swing path, our Caddie AI can help. You can ask any question, anytime, and get personalized advice based on your specific situation, taking the uncertainty out of getting better so you can focus on simply playing better golf.