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The Hands · Grips & Gloves

How to Measure Your Golf Grip Size

Two measurements of your hand tell you the grip size to start from — and if your hands hurt, why you should lean a size bigger than the chart suggests.

By Stephen V.Updated How we pick
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You can find your starting grip size with a tape measure and two minutes. Measure your hand two ways, take the larger reading, and match it to a size tier — then, if your hands are sore or stiff, lean one size bigger, because for an arthritic hand the relief of a larger grip outweighs the textbook fit.

Step 1: measure your hand

Take two measurements of your gloved (or dominant) hand:

  • Hand length: from the crease of your wrist to the tip of your middle finger.
  • Middle-finger length: from the base crease of your middle finger to its tip.

Use the larger of the two readings to place yourself. As a rough guide, a hand length under about 7 inches suggests a standard grip; 7 to 8.25 inches, standard to midsize; 8.25 to 9.25 inches, midsize; and over 9.25 inches, oversize or jumbo. Longer fingers, in particular, push you toward a bigger grip.

Step 2: match it to a grip tier

Grips come in tiers, each a set amount bigger around than standard: midsize adds about 1/16 inch, oversize/jumbo about 1/8 inch or more. Our grip size guide lays the tiers out side by side, and midsize vs jumbo grips helps you choose between the two most common steps up.

Step 3: adjust for sore hands

Here’s where a senior should deviate from the chart. The whole reason to size up is to hold the club with less squeeze, and the Arthritis Foundation lists building up grip size among its suggested equipment changes for golfers with arthritis. So if your hands hurt, take the size your measurement suggests and go one step larger. The measurement finds the neutral fit; your joints decide how far past it to go.

The cheap way to test a size

Before you commit to a full regrip, you can build up a single grip with extra wraps of double-sided tape to fake a larger diameter, or add an oversize grip to just your driver, and play a few holes. If the bigger grip feels better, regrip the bag; if it quiets your hands too much, drop back a size. Our how to regrip your clubsguide shows the tape trick. When you’re ready to buy, the best grips for arthritis roundup ranks the options by size and softness.

A glove size is a decent shortcut, too: a cadet or large glove often signals a hand that suits a midsize or oversize grip. But measure if you can — it takes two minutes and removes the guess.

Questions

Frequently asked

How do I know what golf grip size I need?
Measure your hand length (wrist to middle-finger tip) and your middle-finger length, take the larger reading, and match it to a size tier — roughly, longer hands and fingers want bigger grips. If your hands are sore, size up one step from what the measurement suggests.
Should seniors use bigger golf grips?
Often, yes. A larger grip lets you hold the club with a looser, less painful grip, which the Arthritis Foundation lists among its suggested changes for golfers with arthritis. How far to size up depends on how much your hands hurt and how much wrist action you want to keep.
Can I build up grip size without new grips?
Yes — extra wraps of double-sided tape under a grip increase the diameter a small, even amount, a cheap way to test a bigger size before you commit. See how to regrip your clubs.

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Sources

We do not run a testing lab, and we do not pretend to. Every spec number here comes from a manufacturer's published sheet or an official standard, cited above. Where we could not verify something, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving it out. Read our full method.