Have you ever been in a situation, like the ball way above your feet, where you have to choke down so much that you actually run out of grip?
It happens. Not a lot, but it happens.
In those situations, what you give for, oh, I don’t know, another four-and-a-half inches of rubber to hold on to?
That, friends, is the solution JumboMax brings you today with its new line of JMX UltraLong grips.
They’re 15 inches long, perfect for those shots when 10.5 inches of grip just aren’t quite enough.
So, friends, is this a cool idea or a solution in search of a problem? Let’s examine and see if we can’t figure it out together.
JumboMax JMX UltraLong grips: More to hold on to
Have you ever wondered why golf grips are 10.5 inches long? Turns out that the reasons aren’t totally arbitrary. That length allows golfers with a wide range of hand sizes and grip styles to choke up or down for trajectory and distance adjustments. It also allows for gradual taper and, perhaps most importantly, the combination of length and weight won’t materially alter a club’s swing weight.
It’s in JumboMax’s DNA to say pshaw to tradition. Not only are the company’s grips, well, jumbo, its standard grips are a tad longer at 11 inches. Why, then, is the company going UltraLong with 15-inch grips?
“We pride ourselves on using data to provide innovative solutions,” says JumboMax President John Mazzanoble in a press release. “By offering the JMX UltraLong as a longer grip with more points of contact, we can show golfers how a little creativity can result in a lot of control and consistency for better on-course performance.”
JumboMax says the extra length in its new UltraLong grips is all about versatility. Those extra 4.5 inches give you three points of contact on the club. That allows you to choke down even more for different trajectories and distances without running out of grip.
Additionally, JumboMax says the new UltraLongs are also ultralight, at least for their size. That’s important because larger grips are heavier which can throw your desired swing weight way off.
Do I need UltraLong grips?
That’s a fair question.
If you’re a creative wedge player or get into weird positions on the course, the UltraLong concept does make some sense. As the clubs get longer, the added length becomes less important, but grip consistency through a set is never a bad idea.
Since its inception in 2009, JumboMax has made its bones by being a little different. As the name suggests, it deals in grips that are jumbo to the max. The new JMX UltraLong, for example, are pretty big. The smallest is the Standard Jumbo with a butt diameter of just under 1.2 inches. By comparison, the Golf Pride CP2 (my preferred grip) in standard has a butt diameter of less than 0.9 inches. The CP2 midsize is 0.96 inches and the Jumbo is 1.02 inches.
The JumboMax UltraLong Medium has a 1.3-inch butt diameter while the Extra Large is just under 1.4 inches.
In terms of weight, you do need to be careful. The Standard Ultralong weighs only 46 grams. The Medium is 74 grams while the Extra Large is 81 grams. Compare those to the CP2 standard at 51.5 grams, the midsize at 64 grams and the Jumbo at 81 grams.
If you play a CP2 midsize and replace it with an UltraLong Standard, that’s an 18-gram reduction in the grip end. That could wind up changing swing weight from, say, a D2 to a D5.5 or 6. That may or may not be a bad thing as you won’t be adding weight to the head but by removing weight from under your hands, the balance point shifts toward the head. In that case, the head will feel heavier. That could have benefits as golfers will often feel as though they have more control and can load the club more during transition.
“Hold on loosely but don’t let go …”
The idea behind the whole JumboMax concept is that a bigger grip can help golfers hold the club with a little less pressure. As 38 Special told us back in 1981 in a rocker every golfer should know, if you cling too tightly, you’re gonna lose control.
The larger grip, in theory, fills your hands better, reducing the tendency to, ahh, cling too tightly. Less hand and forearm tension, in theory, can improve tempo and swing consistency and can quiet overactive hands and wrists. If you struggle with a hook or over-rotation at impact, a larger grip can help.
Additionally, larger grips can help if you have arthritis, hand pain or grip strength issues. JumboMax says its own independent testing shows golfers have seen increased clubhead speed and carry distance after moving to properly fitted oversized grips.
JumboMax UltraLong grips: Price and availability
As mentioned, the new JumboMax JMX Ultralong grips are 15 inches long compared to conventional grips at 10.5 inches. The UltraLongs are available in three sizes: Standard Jumbo, Medium and Extra Large.
JumboMax has a grip fitting tool on its website to help you decide what size grips would be best for you. It takes into account hand size, typical ball flight, typical grip pressure, typical miss, desired trajectory and driver swing speed before recommending a size and model.
The company has also released a new IOS app that can actually measure your hand to help select the right grip.
JumboMax counts Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day and Retief Goosen among its notable players.
The new JMX UltraLong grips run $18.99 each. They’re available on the JumboMax website.
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