Lamkin Sonar Tour Grip

One the latest innovations to come out of the Lamkin laboratory is the new Sonar Tour grip.  Not to be confused with the original Sonar grip, the Lamkin Sonar Tour features a classic taper shape and a consistent texture throughout the grip.  The Sonar Tour is high performance but a more traditional design for those that don’t want an over-complicated grip.

The Looks

I really appreciate the simplicity of the Lamkin Sonar Tour grip.  Frankly, I’ve never been one for a big flashy grip, but a little bit of character is ok with me.  That’s where I feel the Sonar Tour falls.  Grey is a pleasant diversion from traditional black without crazy neon colors or something that shows dirt and grip rub quickly.  Closer inspection gives you a glimpse at some of the technology in the Sonar Tour.  The “consistent micro-texture” pattern is part of the Fingerprint technology that we’ll discuss later.  Another nice little addition is a default “logo down” design inspired by preferences of many players today.

How Does it Feel?

Call me boring and old school (I like to think I’m sophisticated and classic of course), but I like the simplicity of the Sonar Tour’s feel.  Though Lamkin used some new features to enhance the Sonar Tour’s feel, they still managed to maintain a more traditional feel overall.  As mentioned before, the taper is more traditional and a new Genesis material makes the grip a bit firmer.  Fresh out of the box, the Sonar Tour is extremely tacky and has held up fairly well over my testing time.  This doesn’t mean you won’t ever need to give your grips a good cleaning.  That’s just good maintenance no matter what tech your grips have.

Lamkin also used a micro-texture pattern that is consistent throughout the grip.  I’ve learned that I much prefer for my grips to have one “type of feel” and I appreciate that the Sonar Tour didn’t mix up the patterns with its Fingerprint technology.  The end result is a reliable feel that is consistent throughout the set.  I felt very connected and in control of the club with the Sonar Tour’s “groove pattern.”

On-Course Performance

Simply put, I felt more locked in with the Lamkin Sonar Tour grip than I have with many of the more recent Lamkin models.  Don’t get me wrong, the other grips have been good (as our reviews will attest), but nothing ultimately gave me the same confidence as my trusted UTx in the long run.  The Sonar Tour’s combination of a simple design with more modern materials and “groove patterns” just clicked better through the swing.  Given the rainy Spring we’ve had in Chicago, most of my testing with the Sonar Tour has been in wet conditions and so far so good.  Admittedly, I haven’t tried them in heavy rain yet so we’ll see how that goes at some point in the future.

Another important area to consider in a golf grip is the response, or shot feedback, you get in your hands.  Of course, what’s good and what’s bad is largely going to come down to personal preference.  I personally don’t like a lot of shock absorption and prefer very direct feedback in my hands.  My experience was that the Sonar Tour provided this level of feedback that I prefer.  While there are many modern designs that are dampening the feel a bit too much, the Sonar Tour is still precise and reliable.

Final Thoughts

A little old, a little new.  That’s what I like about the Lamkin Sonar Tour grip.  When you’re closely inspecting the grip, it looks and feels very modern and advanced.  It’s clear that the industry has come a long way and companies like Lamkin are using higher quality materials than ever before.  But when I get that grip out on the course, it feels like an old friend.  I used the term “locked in” to describe my feeling with the Sonar Tour and I really can’t think of a better way to easily sum up my experience with this grip.  From the first swing, I just felt I was able to really lock in with my club and swing away.  Of course, there’s a lot of season left, but the Sonar Tour will be under heavy consideration for my bag.

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