Chapter 1 – The Origin Story

Shortly after Golf Pride was founded by Thomas Fawick in 1949 and moved to Akron, OH – work began on re-shaping the golf grip industry forever. Within weeks, work had started on one of Golf Pride’s greatest feats, using molded-rubber to create a grip surface. The molded-rubber grip quickly became the preferred gripping surface for golf grips, surpassing leather, the predominant material before we came along. This breakthrough was huge for the game – think hickory vs. steel shafts!

The Molded-Rubber grip and the Slip-On are two of the most significant innovations in golf equipment history. Our breakthrough with the molded grip established rubber as the golf grip of the future, while the Slip-On kick started our performance journey. It also created – almost out of thin air – the modern regripping market for both retailers and players alike. Both of these advancements were pivotal in our history, unlocking new ways of thinking about what a grip could be and how it could help players perform.

Chapter 2 – The Victory

First introduced in 1956, the Victory grip didn’t reach the height of its popularity until the 1970s and 1980s. The iconic black and green colorway and the “Grip Rite Swing Rite” design—a visual element created to help players with hand placement—were originally targeted at amateur golfers. However, it was tour players who quickly fell in love with the grip. Over the years, the Victory saw multiple iterations: it started with an all-rubber version, followed by a half-cord design that provided more traction on the lower section while offering more feel from the all-rubber upper. Finally, the full-cord version emerged and established itself as a cult favorite. Throughout its career, the Victory won more major championships than any other grip before being placed in the Golf Pride Hall of Fame in 2006. To this day, the Victory remains one of our most iconic and recognizable grips.

Chapter 3 – Tour Velvet

Tour Velvet is possibly our most widely recognized grip. Ever since it was put in play in the mid-90’s, it’s become a staple on tour trucks, stock sets and world #1 WITB’s. Its iconic velvety feel and perfectly blended rubber compound were designed to appeal to a wide variety of golfers looking for better performance and feel from their grip. Tour pros especially picked it up and quickly put it in their bags, carrying it to major victories seemingly overnight. Our corded Tour Velvet alone has seen more than 50 men’s major victories since 1995. We know who we can thank for that.

Even though you’ve seen it before, there’s a lot you probably don’t know about Tour Velvet. From its computer designed texture to its state-of-the-art rubber compound to the fact that it was the first Golf Pride grip to feature our now-staple logo on the front side. Tour Velvet might look unassuming, but it’s got more under the hood that’s made it a longtime favorite for all golfers from tour pros to beginners.