For over a century, the name True Temper has been synonymous with the backbone of the golf club. If you look into the bag of almost any PGA Tour professional, or even your own, the odds are high that the steel shafts connecting the head to the handle carry the True Temper seal. From the legendary 1945 season where Byron Nelson won 18 tournaments with True Temper steel to the ubiquitous dominance of the Dynamic Gold line launched in 1980, the company has owned the “engine” of the golf club.
However, in a move that surprised the industry in late 2024, the world’s most dominant shaft manufacturer decided to move north of the steel — straight into the golfer’s hands. The result is the True Temper ICON golf grip, a high-performance rubber compound designed to challenge the status quo of the grip market.
Jake Morrow / GOLF
A Century of Steel Dominance
To understand the ICON grip and the pathway they took to get here, you must first understand the heritage of the company. Originally known as the American Fork & Hoe Company, True Temper transitioned into golf in the early 20th century, pioneering the transition from hickory to steel.
By 1929, they developed the first seamless tapered step-down shaft, a breakthrough that allowed for consistent flex and weight. Since then, they have become the winningest shaft manufacturer in history. Their flagship product, the Dynamic Gold Iron Shaft, remains the industry standard against which all other iron shafts are measured. With a staggering 80% market share across professional tours, True Temper isn’t just a participant in the game; it’s the leader everyone is crawling to catch up to.
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Jake Morrow / GOLF
Why would a shaft company make a grip?
This is the question that echoed through the golf equipment industry, equipment trailers on Tour, build shops around the country, and in my group chats with other gear insiders. Why would a company that has perfected the “middle” of the club want to tackle the “end” of it?
The answer lies in the physics of the connection.
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Jake Morrow / GOLF
True Temper’s engineers spent three years developing the ICON because they realized that a shaft’s performance is only as good as the player’s ability to stabilize it. A grip is the only point of contact between the athlete and the tool. If the grip slips, even microscopically, the carefully engineered properties of a Dynamic Gold iron shaft are rendered useless.
By moving into grips, True Temper is attempting to create a unified system. They understand the vibrations, the weight distribution and the torsional requirements of a steel shaft better than anyone. Designing a grip allows them to control the “input” of the swing, ensuring the shaft performs as intended.
The tech behind ICON: The “iX Factor”
The ICON isn’t just a rebranding of existing rubber technology; it is an engineering project. The standout feature is the iX perforation pattern.
- 30% More Traction: True Temper utilized laser-ablated tooling—a process more common in aerospace than grip manufacturing—to create a surface texture that provides up to 30% more traction than the leading “velvet” style grips on Tour.
- Six-Directional Channels: Most traditional grips use simple line or dot perforations. The ICON uses a complex “X” shape (the iX pattern) that provides bite in six different planes. This ensures slip resistance in both longitudinal (down the shaft) and torsional (twisting) directions.
- EPDM Rubber Compound: The proprietary rubber blend is designed for a “standard firmness” that appeals to high-speed players who demand stability without the harshness of a full cord grip, or the mush of a comfort style grip.
- Unparalleled Consistency: Because of the laser-machined molds, the grips require no secondary machining. This means no matter where you buy your ICON from, it’s mathematically identical to the next one you purchase, a level of quality control that mirrors their “Tour Issue” shaft standards.
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Jake Morrow / GOLF
The Verdict: A Natural Evolution
The True Temper ICON is a statement of intent. It takes the “Tour Velvet” aesthetic that better players have loved for decades and injects it with modern material science. While some may see it as a “shaft company making a grip,” the better way to view it is a performance company closing the loop.
True Temper ICON Club Grips
The True Temper Icon grips feature a iX250 perforation shape that optimizes slip resistance both longitudinal and torsional directions. The iX250 perforation shape channels moisture away more effectively than traditional perforations. Six directional channels provide bite in more planes than line and dot perforations. The Icon grips are manufactured using a proprietary EPDM rubber blend formulated for maximum grip and durability providing 20% more traction surface than the leading golf grip on tour. Manufactured from laser ablated tooling for the most precise finished part requiring no secondary machining of the molded surface to provide unparalleled consistency from grip to grip.
I have had the ICON grips on a couple of sets of irons and over 15 test shafts in different woods. I installed a few for some friends as well, and our feedback is all the same. It starts off with “who would have thought?” and ends with “I guess I need to order some more.” The grips are tacky but not sticky, soft but with feedback, and they’re very simple. There’s no frills, just performance. They seem to keep adding different options to the lineup as well with Standard, Midsize, Oversize and Undersize available as well as a 58 round in the standard size and a ribbed version too.
For the golfer who already trusts a Dynamic Gold or Project X shaft, the ICON offers the opportunity to complete that connection with the same level of engineering rigor. It turns out that the best people to help you hold onto the club may very well be the same people who’ve connected you to the clubhead all these years.
