Iomic Technology

This means that unlike rubber grips, Iomic grips do not soak up water in wet weather. Just wipe the grip off and you get the same great tacky feel you had at the start of your round. This waterproof quality ensures the grip will not soak up any dirt or sweat from your hands, a major contributing factor to loss of feel and performance. Also, as the grip does not soak anything up, if they get dirty, simply bring them back to their original look by washing with warm water.

Standard rubber grips get hard, shiny and brittle over time, reducing the grip and feel. Much of this is caused by the sun’s UV rays. Iomic grips are UV resistant, meaning they will not suffer this problem and will last longer.

Instigating a positive feeling in your hands every time you grip the club.

In the past, most golf grips were made out of rubber, which was not resistant to ultraviolet rays. Those grips would soon begin to go hard and crack, and would not be of use within a short amount of time. So, to make the rubber last longer, companies would add carbon which would make the grip more resistant to ultraviolet.

But similar to pencil lead, carbon’s colour is black; therefore the only colour available was black.

Recently, other companies have produced coloured grips like ours. They are using a material called ABR. (Thermoplastic Rubber). We also thought about using ABR, however during testing ABR showed problems with adhesiveness and was slippery when wet. We therefore abandoned testing. We also decided rubber was an unacceptable material and looked for something totally new, low in torque, waterproof and more resistant to ultraviolet rays.

We considered silicon, which had the softness that was ideal for grips but it had a high adhesion factor which a grip cannot have. We then tried elastomers. There are over 30 different elastomers and by repeated testing of different combinations, we decided upon a combination of 5 of these elastomers for the Iomic grip. We then added different materials for water-resistance, just the right amount of adhesiveness and friction-resistance. Elastomer’s natural colour is white, so we can manufacture Iomic grips in any colour.

The manufacturing method for the Iomic grip is different from the rubber grip. It is called “injection manufacturing.” This method produces the product by injecting it into a die at high temperatures (200 degrees Celsius). This produces a product with little weight variation (Error within ±0.5g). In contrast the rubber grip has a high weight unevenness (up to ±4.0g) and its surface needs to be scraped after being removed from the die. The product from the injection method has no need to be scraped, once moulded, the product is ready for play.

Looking at a rubber grip through a microscope, there are innumerable air holes like a sponge. When looking at the Iomic grip, its shape is similar to a tightly wrung out sponge. As a result, its friction-resistance-ratio and water-suction ability are high.

The shaft maker tries to make a shaft that suppresses torque and twist. However, a grip with torque reduces the effectiveness of a high quality shaft.

Normally a soft grip would have a large amount of torque. Iomic has been successful in making a grip with less torque but still soft. Iomic grips have a surface design that reduces torque. Also because of the material Iomic grips are made of, they are made in a depth of 0.3mm as opposed to rubber at a depth of 0.5mm. This reduction in depth helps to reduce torque. Iomic grips are used by many top amateur and tour professional players. We proudly take that as evidence that our grip can support the 50 m/s head speed that these player reach.

Within a grip are two areas, the primary grip area and the end of the grip. If the end of the grip is soft the player tends to hold the club to tight. We make the Iomic grip with hard material at the end, so that the player has a more relaxed grip.

At present, most golf grips are made in China, Taiwan, and Mexico. Other company produces in these countries because their labour costs are less by holding down those expenses, they hold down the product cost. But we have found that the only way to maintain the quality that we insist on is to produce our products in our own factory in Japan.

Iomic is making grips to meet each player’s individual needs for their playing style and preferences.

The grip is where the golf club and player connect. We believe that an improved grip will translate to a improved golf score.

Iomic would like to help you finding the perfect grip for your playing style.