Andy DevaneyGolfers can become remarkably forensic about shafts, lofts and launch numbers while giving considerably less thought to the piece of equipment actually touching their hands.
The updated JumboMax Grip Fitting App is aimed squarely at that blind spot, adding grip weight to the size-and-shape recommendations already produced by its digital fitting system.
Grip fitting is moving beyond hand size
The significant part of the update is not simply another feature in an app. JumboMax is attempting to broaden the idea of what constitutes a properly fitted golf grip.
Using augmented reality and machine learning, the app measures a golfer’s hand in real time to establish a base grip size. It then asks a short series of questions about the player’s game before recommending both grip size and weight.
The app is available online and on iOS devices.
For JumboMax, founded in 2009 around the idea of a more ergonomic grip fit, that represents a logical extension of its argument: grip choice should be based on more than circumference alone.
Why JumboMax is focusing on weight
Grip weight is the interesting addition because it changes how the fitting conversation is framed.
JumboMax offers examples at either end of its own range. Bryson DeChambeau plays the company’s counterbalanced Tour Series grips, which are designed to make releasing the club easier while increasing stability. Jason Day uses the lighter JMX Zen Lite, intended to provide more feel of the clubhead.
Neither example proves that one philosophy is superior. Rather, they underline the point JumboMax is trying to make: two elite golfers can favour distinctly different weight characteristics.
That makes weight rather more than an incidental number on a specification sheet.
Technology removes one fitting hurdle
Traditional club fitting tends to concentrate attention — and considerable machinery — on the clubhead and shaft. Grip fitting is less elaborate, which is probably part of the reason plenty of golfers settle for familiar dimensions and get on with their lives.
JumboMax’s approach removes one obvious obstacle by putting the initial fitting process on a phone or web browser.
John Mazzanoble, president of JumboMax Golf Grips, said the intention was to give golfers greater certainty over both size and weight.
“JumboMax has always wanted to help golfers get fit into the best grip for their game,” said John Mazzanoble, president of JumboMax Golf Grips. “We’ve invested heavily in technology that makes grip fitting accessible to everyone through the JumboMax Grip Fitting App, and this update now gives golfers the confidence to know that in addition to the right size grip, they are also playing the proper weight.”
The technology cannot make the final decision for a golfer in the same way that hitting shots with different configurations can provide direct feedback. It does, however, turn a vague purchasing decision into a more structured one.
A broader equipment play for JumboMax
There is a strategic point here too.
JumboMax has long differentiated itself through grip dimensions and ergonomic fit. Adding weight to its fitting technology gives the company another way to explain why golfers might consider one grip over another without reducing the conversation to simple thickness.
That matters in a category where products can otherwise look deceptively straightforward. Golfers may readily understand why one driver head differs from another; explaining the performance case for one grip over the next requires rather more education.
The app effectively performs some of that work before the golfer reaches the purchasing stage.
DeChambeau and Day illustrate the argument neatly
The presence of Bryson DeChambeau and Jason Day gives JumboMax a convenient demonstration of its broader philosophy.
DeChambeau has long been associated with unconventional equipment thinking, so his use of a counterbalanced Tour Series grip fits naturally into a discussion about specifications most recreational golfers barely consider.
Day’s lighter JMX Zen Lite provides the useful counterpoint. Same fundamental component, different desired sensation.
And that, rather than the augmented reality itself, may be the most persuasive part of JumboMax’s latest update. The company is not arguing that every golfer needs a heavier grip or a lighter one. It is arguing that somebody should at least ask the question.
Golf has spent years teaching players to scrutinise every gram and degree at one end of the club. JumboMax would quite like them to remember there is another end.
