About G.R.I.P.

G.R.I.P. (Golf Research in Play) was founded in 2002 by my friend Rob Blumberg. Rob found a forgotten niche market in the golf club industry and is now designing, manufacturing and selling directly to that niche. G.R.I.P.’s theory is to build “innovative, well-constructed clubs that add to the enjoyment of the game, while not breaking the bank.”

G.R.I.P.’s current lineup includes a new 460cc driver, new fairway woods, new wide sole irons, putters, wedges and hybrid golf clubs.

GRIP Hypersteel 3H

Having played with a GRIP Hypersteel 4H for a while I was anxious to get my 3H in play. As I’ve gotten more used to the 3H (and 4H) I’m becoming more and more happy with leaving my three and four irons in the garage.

Technology

GRIP uses what they call “hyper steel” in their hybrids. Hyper steel is a heat-treated, cast steel which is stronger than the steel found in most golf clubs. Hyper steel makes that nice ping noise which gives you feedback on your shots.

The 3H is slightly offset to provide forgiveness and make it easier to hit for the average player. Personally I prefer a neutral club face so sometimes I have to be careful not to hook it or pull it since my normal shot is straight or a draw.

Movable Weights

There are two weights, a six-gram brass screw and a three-gram aluminum screw. The default configuration is draw enhancing, with the six gram in the heel and the three gram in the toe.

Given the offset of the club and my natural draw I decided to put the weights in my 3H in fade bias mode. This (at least in my head) counteracts the draw bias of the face and helps me hit a straight ball.

Get A Grip

Each GRIP hybrid comes with a very nice ultra-soft, all-weather polyurethane, two-piece grip. I can’t see a brand name on the grip but it’s similar to the soft offerings from Winn, like the V17.

Shaft

The shaft on the 3H is a uni-flex. In English I suppose that means one size fits all. You see this in wedge shafts too. The specially designed shaft has a mid/low kick point which helps launch the ball higher and more easily. There is low torque in the 3H shaft, providing minimal twisting of the club face at impact and thus helping you hit more accurate shots.

As I mentioned in my 4H review, there is no steel shaft option. But if you really want steel you could pick up a 3H and have it re-shafted. Even with the expense you’d still be ahead of the game on price versus other hybrids.

Head Cover

I do like to write a paragraph or two about the head cover of clubs if they have one. How irritating is it when you have a poorly designed head cover? How irritating is it when you can’t get the cover off or put it on? No problems with the GRIP 3H head cover. It’s fully functional, easy to put on and remove and perhaps best of all it doesn’t take up too much space in your bag.

On The Course

I guess I’m a bit behind the times but I’m now on the hybrid bandwagon. Maybe it was just the fact that I hadn’t found the right hybrid for my “unfolding lawn chair” swing.

The 3H is very easy to hit, goes very high and travels about as far as a solid 2-iron or 5 wood for me. That’s around 240-250 yards. I airmailed a 230 yard par three with the 3H last week!

I’ve wondered if “shot making” was possible with hybrids. Well last week I found out it is with my 3H. I had a 210 yard shot uphill with a large pine tree right in front of me. I had to put the ball way back in my stance and play a huge punch-fade. I needed the ball to stay about five feet off the ground and slice about 50 yards. Not only did I pull off the shot, I put the ball five feet behind the pin!

Conclusion

For $69.95, and as low as around $50 in quantity you can have a hybrid with movable weights and some great performance. For the price of one movable weight version from a big name company, you could buy a whole set of GRIP hybrids.

I recommend any GRIP hybrid or even a whole set for any golfer, low or high handicap.

GRIP Photo Gallery

I have a whole photo gallery dedicated to Golf Research In Play and many other companies in the HOG Photo Gallery’s equipment section.

GRIP’s Golf Space profile: http://www.thegolfspace.com/gogrip