Quick answer: Golf Pride if you want the widest choice of models, sizes and colours and do not mind paying for it. Lamkin if you want the same constructions for a few dollars less per grip — its Crossline is the value pick in all-rubber. SuperStroke if you are buying a putter grip; its swing-grip line is newer and much narrower than the other two. One thing most comparisons miss: SuperStroke bought Lamkin in 2024, so two of these three brands now share an owner.
The short version
- Golf Pride — the default. Most played on tour, stocked in every pro shop, the deepest range of sizes and colours in golf. You pay a premium for that breadth and for the tour association.
- Lamkin — the value alternative. Making grips since 1925, when Elver B. Lamkin produced golf's first leather grips. Its rubber lines undercut Golf Pride at a comparable build. Smaller catalogue, thinner retail presence.
- SuperStroke — the putter specialist, and since 2024 also Lamkin's owner. It built its name on oversized putter grips, and that is still where its depth is.
Two of these brands now share an owner
SuperStroke announced its purchase of Lamkin in May 2024. Lamkin had been family-owned for nearly a century; longtime CEO Bob Lamkin stayed on as a board member after the deal.
What it means for you, honestly: not much yet. The two still run separate catalogues, separate model names and separate pricing — a Lamkin UTx and a SuperStroke Traxion Tour remain two different products from two different lines, and nothing about the grips in your hands changed on the day the deal closed.
Where it does matter: any "Lamkin vs SuperStroke" comparison written before 2024 is describing two independent rivals, which they no longer are. And it is worth watching whether the two ranges start to converge — shared compounds or overlapping models would narrow the choice that made Lamkin the value pick in the first place.
Golf Pride vs Lamkin, model by model
This is the comparison most people are actually making. Match them by construction, not by name — each brand's models line up almost one to one.
| If you like… | The Lamkin equivalent | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| Golf Pride Tour Velvet (all-rubber, ~$7–8) | Lamkin Crossline (~$6.50–7) | Crossline runs firmer with a drier, less tacky surface pattern. Tour Velvet is softer and tackier when new. |
| Golf Pride MCC / MCC Plus4 (hybrid cord, ~$13) | Lamkin UTx (hybrid cord, ~$10.50) | Same half-cord idea. The MCC Plus4 adds a thicker lower-hand section — it plays like four extra tape wraps under the bottom hand. |
| Golf Pride CP2 Pro (soft rubber, ~$10–13) | Lamkin Sonar+ (soft rubber, ~$10) | Both are the comfort-first option. CP2 uses a softer inner core; Sonar+ leans on surface tack. |
The pattern: Lamkin sits a few dollars under Golf Pride at every equivalent build. Across 13 clubs that is roughly $30 saved on hybrid cord (UTx ~$137 vs MCC ~$169) and $10 on basic rubber (Crossline ~$88 vs Tour Velvet ~$98). Whether that matters depends on whether you value Golf Pride's colour and size selection, which is genuinely the deepest in the category.
Where SuperStroke actually fits
SuperStroke is not really competing in the same aisle. Its reputation — and most of its own catalogue — is putter grips: oversized, non-tapered shapes built to quiet the hands. If you are shopping for a putter grip, it belongs on your shortlist alongside the shape question we cover in putter grip shapes explained.
Its swing grip, the Traxion Tour, is a two-piece rubber-and-PU design at around $7 per grip. It is a real product with a real following. It is also one line against Golf Pride's dozens — though with Lamkin now under the same roof, the group's combined swing-grip range is a different story from SuperStroke's own.
Specs, side by side
Standard-size figures for each brand's most-played models:
| Brand | Model | Construction | Std weight | Core | Price / grip | 13 clubs* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golf Pride | Tour Velvet | Rubber | 50 g | .580 / .600" | ~$7–8 | ~$98 |
| Golf Pride | MCC / MCC Plus4 | Hybrid cord | ~50 g | .600" | ~$13 | ~$169 |
| Golf Pride | CP2 Pro | Rubber (Control-Core) | 50 g | .600" | ~$10–13 | ~$143 |
| Lamkin | Crossline | Rubber | 50–52 g | .580" | ~$6.50–7 | ~$88 |
| Lamkin | Sonar+ | Rubber | ~52 g | .580 / .600" | ~$10 | ~$130 |
| Lamkin | UTx | Hybrid cord | 52 g | .580" | ~$10.50 | ~$137 |
| SuperStroke | Traxion Tour | Rubber + PU (2-piece) | 48 g | .600" | ~$7 | ~$91 |
*Grips only, per-grip street price × 13, excluding tape, solvent and installation labour. Street prices drift — treat these as the shape of the gap, not a quote.
Which one suits you
- You want a specific size, core or colour: Golf Pride. Nobody else carries that many variants.
- You want the same build for less: Lamkin. Crossline against Tour Velvet is the clearest example.
- Your hands sweat or you play in rain: hybrid cord from either — MCC or UTx. Construction beats brand here; see corded vs rubber.
- You are buying for the putter: SuperStroke, and pick by stroke rather than by brand.
- You are unsure of your size: settle that first. All three use the same Standard / Midsize / Jumbo system — our grip size chart takes two minutes.
The part nobody prices in
Every figure above is for grips alone. Add tape, solvent and $3–5 per club if a shop does the work, and a full regrip at major-brand prices lands well north of $100. That is not a knock on any of them — it is what buying premium grips one at a time costs.
It is also the reason factory-direct sets exist. We build the same three constructions — hybrid cord, soft rubber and TPE — in our own factory and box 13 with the tape included. If you want that comparison with Geoleap in it, it is here: golf grip brands compared.
The same builds, boxed as 13
Hybrid cord and soft rubber, molded in our own factory and sold as a 13-piece set with the tape in the box. Read what 622 verified buyers said before you decide.
FAQ
Did SuperStroke buy Lamkin?
Yes. SuperStroke announced its purchase of Lamkin Grips in May 2024. Lamkin had been family-owned since 1925; longtime CEO Bob Lamkin remained on the board after the deal. The two brands still sell under their own names, with separate catalogues and pricing.
Who owns Lamkin Grips now?
SuperStroke, since the 2024 acquisition. Lamkin continues to operate as its own brand — buying a Lamkin grip today is not the same as buying a SuperStroke grip.
Which is better, Lamkin or Golf Pride?
Neither is better across the board. Golf Pride wins on selection — more models, sizes and colours than anyone — and on tour presence. Lamkin wins on price at equivalent builds, typically a few dollars less per grip. Pick the construction you want first, then take whichever brand offers it in your size.
Is Lamkin cheaper than Golf Pride?
Usually, at the same build. Crossline runs about $6.50–7 against Tour Velvet's $7–8, and the hybrid-cord UTx about $10.50 against the MCC's $13. Over 13 clubs that is roughly $10 to $30.
What is the Golf Pride equivalent of the Lamkin UTx?
The MCC. Both are hybrid cord — cotton cord on the upper half for wet-weather traction, softer rubber on the lower half for feel. The MCC Plus4 variant adds a thicker lower-hand section.
Is SuperStroke only for putters?
Not only, but that is where its depth is. SuperStroke built its name on oversized putter grips and still leads there. Its own swing-grip range is newer and much narrower than Golf Pride's — though it now owns Lamkin's range as well.
Do the specs really differ between brands?
Less than the marketing suggests. Standard weights across all three sit in a narrow 48–52 g band and the core sizes are the industry standard .580" and .600". The meaningful differences are surface texture, firmness and how much you pay.
Whichever badge you land on, buy the construction, not the logo. Pay for the feel, not for the logo.