WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: When SuperStroke, the overwhelming force in putter grips, acquired the Lamkin brand last year and its tech rich 100-year history in developing full swing grips, the big question was how the two would join forces. The answer comes this week in the REVL lineup of three full-swing grips that distinctly mix the legacy of Lamkin’s materials and knowledge with the individualistic creativity of SuperStroke. Each grip under the REVL line—Player, Element, Comfort—incorporates Lamkin’s premium rubber Geneisis material for performance, durability and comfort.
PRICE: Player ($8 per grip, not including installation) is an all-rubber model emphasizing durability; Element ($10) is a hybrid grip made of two proven Lamkin rubber compounds (Genesis and Ace); Comfort ($9) is a wrap-style grip with a larger lower hand diameter emphasizing a softer feel.
REVL Element
3 Cool Things
1. The Genesis of an idea. Dean Dingman, founder and CEO of SuperStroke is not joking that he and Lamkin CEO Bob Lamkin have been talking about a partnership of one kind or another for over a decade. But the partnership that became an acquisition is not just an opportunity, he says, but a responsibility. Even the name REVL reaches back to Lamkin founder Elver Lamkin while at the same time references “reveling” in this new tandem between SuperStroke and Lamkin.
“It really was about how do you pay tribute to the brand, and at the same time move it forward in a way that, would be respectful of the Lamkin name,” Dingman said, referencing that the Lamkin 100 logo associated with the new grips is like the grip equivalent of seeing “Intel inside” on a computer. “As we talked about this, Bob [Lamkin] and I kept saying, you know, this is the perfect marriage. It’s a marriage built for success.”
REVL Comfort
The foundation of that success is the Genesis material that debuted on Lamkin grips like the famous Crossline models five years ago, a hybrid rubber compound built on durability and feel. The Genesis material, which is featured in all three new SuperStroke REVL grips (Player, Element, Comfort), is the foundation for the new line of full-swing grips, which takes SuperStroke’s previous commitment to the full-swing category to a new level. “As a competitor, we tested grips every year,” Dingman said. “The Genesis material, well, we had never tested anything that was better from a durability standpoint, so we knew what we were getting, and for us it was probably the best move we’ve ever made.”
2. Tack sharp. It isn’t merely believing you have a material advantage—and Dingman pointed to the Ace material from Lamkin also fueling the multi-material Element grip—it’s what you do with it that creates new levels of success, he said. Specifically, he pointed to a new X-shaped pattern of indentations on the grips through the line to create more of a tacky feel across different levels of firmness. Called Ultra-Tac, the arrangement of slits across the grip are designed to increase surface contact. Horizontal dashes within the “X” pattern provide additional stability.
3. Rule of Three. The three REVL models cater to three different golfer types that are as much about an individual golfer’s preference if not more than certain swing speeds or ability levels.
The REVL Element is a multi-material grip with the Ace material blended with a tacky variety of cord on the top hand designed for better, firmer grip in a variety of conditions. The Genesis material is on the bottom hand for improved responsiveness with a softer feel.
REVL Player
The REVL Player is a single rubber grip featuring the Genesis rubber compound. It targets golfers looking for a heavy emphasis on durability. More of the grip features the Ultra-Tac pattern than on any of the three REVL models.
The REVL Comfort, as the name implies, is a traditional wrap format with a twist that includes not only the Genesis material in a softer format throughout, but also a larger diameter lower hand portion. The idea is to maximize comfort, enhanced by the Ultra-Tac pattern throughout.
Expect other versions and new models to come to SuperStroke’s REVL line in the future, Dingman said. “We just need to deliver now, you know, we just need to get the product out there,” he said. “We’re so far ahead of where we started, for us, I mean, and I just feel that this is going to be a fantastic opportunity, and I think we’re going to grow tremendously over the next three or four years.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
