Equipment
Luxury and Function, the World of Best Grips
It is hard to dispute that leather is, in many ways, the definition of luxury. But in golf, where leather head covers are in vogue these days due to a fairly recent renaissance, and leather grips continue inch their way back into the mainstream, it has been somewhat forgotten. As technology continues to affect almost every wrinkle of the golf business, Best Grips is doing its part to keep leather relevant in the modern game of golf.
Located near Houston, Texas, Best Grips has been making leather grips since 2003. In 2010, Best Grips ceased acting as the U.S. distributor for The Grip Master and started manufacturing its entire line of grips within the confines of the State of Texas. For those around in 2014, GolfWRX reviewed some of the then-available products developed by Best Grips, highlighting both the pros and cons of those products.
Currently, one of the highlights of Best Grips’ Club Grips is its use of ProTac, which provides increased tackiness when wet. The downside being that upon application of ProTac into the leather, its color changes, limiting its use to certain color grips (i.e., black and tan). While there is arguably nothing quite like ProTac otherwise utilized in the leather grip industry, its application limited Best Grips’ ability to offer color in its grip line.
Fast-forward to 2016 and Best Grips has solved its color dilemma, at least with respect to head covers, putter grips (be on the look-out for a new midsize pistol grip in the near future), and putter covers (available soon) through its introduction of the GT-L line of products. Designed with the intent to push the boundaries of “stock” options, Best Grips is now able to offer 10 plus leather colors (with more coming) and what amounts to thousands of custom options (all handled in-house, even embroidery and laser engraving).
Consistent with its tenants to (1) sell only what they would play, and (2) never pay anyone (including, playing professionals) to endorse its products, Best Grips continues to focus on the consumer. Incidentally, Best Grips does offer “Tour Issue” products at a discounted price for those regular golfers proud to openly represent Best Grips at their local club. Generally, you have to grab them quick because Tour Issue offerings are only available once a year and while supplies last, unless Best Grips decides to extend their run (which can happen).
For those still wondering if leather might be right for you, keep in mind that despite upfront costs that exceed its comparable rubber counterparts, you will get your money’s worth. The reason being, with proper care such as regular cleaning after use, leather grips have a longer shelf life then rubber. Whereas, rubber immediately begins to deteriorate upon production, leather can last.
As a whole, the GT-L line was developed in response to customer demand for color and its GT-L headcover is a best seller for the company. In discussing Best Grips generally and the GT-L line further with Albert “Zach” Sewill, President of Best Grips, it was evident that the future is bright for the company. Beyond the pursuit of success, however, Zach made it clear that it remains important to Best Grips to continue pushing the concept of customization at a price point that challenges other companies to keep pace in order to benefit players such as you and me.
You can learn more about Best Grips on its website. Best Grips offers a monthly/semi-regular newsletter to keep up on not only the company, but other golf-related topics as well as a blog known as the “Grip Life Blog.”
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
TheNightTrain
Apr 3, 2016 at 11:43 am
As a recent customer I can honestly say these are so much better than any rubber or multi-compound grip out there. Yes they are more expensive, but they’ll last more than twice as long as other grips (and probably 4 times longer than my previous favorite, the Winn Dri-Tac). Do yourself a favor and order a couple to try them out.
John Pulley
Apr 1, 2016 at 5:38 pm
Why no pictures of golf club GRIPS in article about BEST GRIPS?
t-ball
Mar 31, 2016 at 10:29 pm
The GripMaster Cabretta Leather pittards , best putter grip in golf