What is Forum Member Testing?
MyGolfSpy offers a unique opportunity to all of its readers of all abilities, ages and handicaps to test, review and keep a variety of different golf equipment, apps, apparel and more. Successful candidates are selected by forum staff.
Members who are selected interact, engage and write a review on the specific product while enjoying the fun of trying new gear!
Member testing is vital because it gets gear in the hands of you, the golfer. Our members give honest feedback on how any product or service works for a variety of handicaps and abilities to ensure our readers are even more informed when making purchasing decisions.
To learn more about how testers are selected, go to this forum thread: Want to be a tester?
The Testing Opportunity
When was the last time you thought about what grip was on your putter? Is it something that you are picky about or are you happy to play whatever originally came on the putter?
Garsen putter grips may not be as well known as other brands but they have had success at all levels of professional golf and offer a variety of putter grips to suit various strokes and grips.
Testers were given three grips as part of testing: the Ultimate, Quad Tour and Max. As we had 12 testers for this opportunity we split them into three groups of four so each putting grip had equal representation during testing. In this article, we will review the Ultimate. Reviews of the Quad Tour and Max will follow at a later date.
This is how Garsen describes their Ultimate putter grip:
“The Garsen Ultimate grip brings the innovation of side facing thumb position to a full size, comfortable, and slightly less exaggerated feel. This grip is a great way to gain all the biomechanical advantages to your putting stroke while maintaining a more traditional overall feel to the grip.
Unlike a traditional putter grip, the ULTIMATE has three flat sides. Like the original G-Pro design it allows you to place your hands in a position so the palms face each other and the wrists are in a neutral position.
It also allows you to place hands into many other positions creating your desired grip. It works extremely well with the claw grip. This grip was developed with input from players on the PGA Tour.”
A lot of our Member Tests focus on data and objective evidence. However, putter grips are much more subtle and subjective. Nevertheless, our testers gave us a lot of valuable information. Here’s what they discovered about the Garsen Ultimate putter grip.
Forum Member Reviews and Insights
Our four testers had handicaps ranging from 5.2 to 37.6. Some had “putting” listed as a strength and others as a weakness. Here are their initial impressions of the Garsen Ultimate putting grip.
From tester Revkev:
“I found the Ultimate grip “stiffer” than I expected. It reminded me of a leather midsized grip that I had on a prior gamer. That’s not necessarily bad, just different from what I’ve been accustomed to the past five or six years”
“The grip has a consistent tackiness and softness in the hand that is quite pleasing. What immediately stood out to me is that the Ultimate is very light at just 55 grams. That is not much different than a regular iron grip and quite different from most of the putter grips I’ve used in the past that have been in the 70-85 gram range. Still, my first thoughts when holding the Ultimate were that we need to get this on a club ASAP”
Our testers then shared how these grips performed on the course and in practice.
Tester Golfinnut found the Garsen Ultimate putter grip helped with his lag-putting from a variety of distances.
“I have only had one 3-putt with it since it’s been installed. That speaks volumes to me. That has been my downfall in my putting stats, throwing away strokes needlessly. Any time I can get my distance control right, I have a better chance of scoring well.”
“The ULTIMATE also has a seam in the back that lines up with the center of the flat front thumb pad. This helped me to envision my face alignment with my hands so I wasn’t fooled into the optical illusion of being aimed inside. I would however like it to be just a smidge thicker. I think it would keep me from inadvertently twisting more, so minus a point. Maybe I’ll try and add more tape.”
The biggest criticism of the Garsen Ultimate was the end cap. Two testers noted that there was a noticeable gap and edge to the plastic top as shown in the photo below.
Tester Scooterhd2 had a Scotland golf trip planned during testing and the Ultimate made the trip. During this, he took some stats of putts per round and did find his putting average went up with the Ultimate. However, he had a side note:
“I think it’s a tough comparison under any conditions, but even more so putting in Scotland on massive greens. I feel like it’s hard not to putt more and often a three putt feels like a good thing when you are 50 yards away”
Tester Revkev took similar stats but with a different conclusion.
“I’ve played a number of rounds with it, including 2 competitive ones where I needed to putt everything out and I’ve yet to three putt! According to Shot Scope I was averaging 1.2 3-putts per round prior to this test.”
With on-course testing completed and the practicing done, our testers wrapped up their reviews with their final thoughts.
The Final Verdict
We ask our testers to grade the Garsen Ultimate putting grip in various categories, culminating with a total score out of 100. After testing, the grades ranged from 82 to 95 out of 100 with three of the four testers saying they will continue to use this putter grip.
Mr. Mushball summed his review up by saying “The Garsen ULTIMATE putter grip is a fantastic upgrade for your putter. The grip design lets you get the feel you need to line up and execute your putts reliably. Bright color options help it stand out, and the grip feels firm yet tacky. The best of all worlds. Well priced, good distribution, and easy self installation if you choose to go that route.”
Golfinnut shared similar sentiments by saying “I’ve enjoyed testing this grip & it will be in my bag for the foreseeable future, that is for sure. I actually enjoy putting now & believe I can make it from anywhere. And that’s the best thing to have … confidence.”
And even though Scotterhd2 will be going to a different grip, he still had some good final points on whom may benefit from using the Garsen Ultimate putting grip.
“That being said, I think the Ultimate is probably the most versatile of the bunch and was a great introduction to Garsen. I think any grip style could get comfortable on this grip, and besides fitting a neutral grip well I feel it’s especially favourable to left hand low and claw styles.”
By all accounts this was a successful Forum Member Test. The grip worked for most, but not all, which is expected with different golfers and strengths and weaknesses. Some found the top cap to be a turn off while others didn’t come across this issue.
With testing being wrapped up and three of four testers keeping the grip on their gamers, I think Garsen got something right with their Ultimate putting grip.
TJ
7 months ago
Convinced me to get one of these grips, and I secretly love the neon green.