Product: Cork Tree Slim Jim Putter Grip
Who tried it: Golf junkie and AmongMen contributor Mike Dojc
Price: $29.95
Available: Corkputtergrips.com
The Slim Jim is not as rail thin as the preserved deli meat sticks whose name it cleverly appropriates. It’s Cork Tree’s regular grip model for golfers who’ve yet to enter their arthritis easing big fat grip years. Large and wide grip fans should check out their ‘Stumpy’ model.
Made of cork leather, the sensation of holding your flatstick, once you’ve fitted it with a cork tree grip feels at once more supple and natural than the run of the mill rubber affixed to the vast majority of putters.
Ever toyed around with a cork between your fingers after pouring a glass of wine? Along with being buoyant and impermeable to water—necessary qualities to have in a bottle stopper—they’re also soft, spongy, yet solid and strong.
Scientific edge: Cork cellular structure looks like a honeycomb with polyhedron air pockets creating a strong yet durable waterproof membrane that absorbs all vibrational impact.
Verdict: The overall tactile experience of gripping an organic material stripped from a trunk of a stand of oak trees in Portugal is far more pleasant than locking your digits around a hunk of synthetic rubber churned out of a factory in China. While an organic and awesome feeling grip may not help you sink more twelve-footers, feel is definitely part and parcel of the putting equation. So, if your three-putt percentage happens to diminish, feel free to give the cork leather some credit.
If you want to get all corked out they also make a cork leather golf bag.
