By CHRISTOPHER "CB" MAXWELL

When KJ Choi walked into the media tent for his interviews after winning for the second time on Tour this year, at the AT&T National hosted by Tiger Woods, it wasn't a surprise that he was asked about the "big, ugly" putter grip that had been the talk of the TV crews all week.
Q. You made a lot of good putts this week, and I saw you use a wide grip. What's the story?

K.J. CHOI: "I first saw that grip on TV watching an infomercial last year. You know, when you watch infomercials, half the time you don't believe it, and half the time you believe it, and you don't know what's right. But I just kept on watching it, and I felt like it might work for me. So I ordered one.
"It's the SuperStroke™ Grip. When I first got it, it was ugly, it was big. But I practiced with it and it actually felt good. SO I kept with it, but I wasn't sure if I could just bring it out on Tour. I was very hesitant because it was so big and ugly. But I kind of gathered the courage to bring it out here, and for me, its all about business here. If you perform well, there's a lot of money involved. I felt like I had to go with what I feel confident in. And when I used it, it actually, you know, reduces the movement of your wrist and you just use your shoulders, and it just makes the ball roll better and it gives me confidence. So that't why I used it this week."

The fact of the matter is, during that week K.J. lowered his putting stats in GIR by nearly two strokes per round, enough to take the win. And he hasn't stopped using the SuperStroke since. Along the way, he's finished second in the Barclays, the first of the FedEx Cup playoff tournaments; eighth in the British Open; 12th in the PGA Championship; and 11th in the World Golf Championship. An impressive record. When K.J. made his purchase, Stroke Solutions, the maker of the SuperStroke Grip, didn't have a Tour rep at any PGA events. Now they do, in Jeff Dill. In just a few short months, Jeff has compiled quite a list of players who are either using the grip, or are testing it for future use.

Jim Furyk has used in a practice, and a custom-made grip was sent to him in advance of the President's Cup. All and all, during this summer, the grip placed in well over a dozen tour events, with five Champion Tour players putting it in play at the Greater Hickory OPen and Dana Quigley riding it to a second-place finish in the SAS Championship. Jeff's work with the Tour players is chronicled on the SuperStroke Grip website under the "Tour Blog". Go to www.superstrokegrip.com and check it out.

As for K.J., he has gone on to earn over $2.145 million since putting the "fat" grip into his hands, has moved from 15th to 5th on the money list and challenged for the lead in FedEx Cup points, where Tiger of course took home all the marbles.
So, for all practical purposes, this putting grip has changed from a "big, ugly" grip, to a very effective tool for players to putt more confidently.

Simply put, the SUperStroke works better because it reduces tension in your hands, wrists and fingers; this, in turn, keeps the putter face on line throughout the stroke. As reported earlier this year in Golf Today, the grip is very easy to install. The secret is the inner sleeve which, after you've removed your old putter grip, simply slides over the shaft and can be positioned any way you like - flat side facing the target, flat side away from the target, or flat side under your thumbs. Once you pick a position, you permanently fix the grip into place via the tightening screws... thereby becoming USGA conforming. And it can just as easily be removed.

Naturally, as in all things golf, once the folks at home saw K.J.'s improved putting performance, orders have skyrocketed. The SuperStroke Grip can be easily ordered on their webiste. Plus, over 500 dealers including the PGA Super Stores, Edwin Watts, Golfsmith and local shops have put it in stock.

Demand has not let up. Dealers are finding the grips are consistently selling through, and they have to reorder several times per month. In other words, there is a trendsetting pace to the growth of the product, its acceptance and most of all its performance. A hat trick to be sure.

While there have been a handful of other oversized grips introduced over the years, the SuperStroke has moved to the head of the class. Stroke Solutions was very aggressive in their marketing via the Golf Channel infomercial. Golf Life on Fox Sports Network and other means. However, nothing works better in golf than a WIN on Tour, and K.J. delivered that, turning what once was considered a novelty into a "must have" for those of us who love our putters. We can now have the best of both worlds - the right putter head, AND a better grip.

Stay tuned. Stroke Solutions has several new models in the design phase based on PGA Tour players' input.

©2007 Golf Today