Aaron Rai Keeps It Simple, All the Way Down to His Grips

Aaron Rai's story of humility has been told anew in the wake of his PGA Championship title, from why he uses iron headcovers to his unflashy, hard-working demeanor.

Not surprisingly, the tools he has used for years as a pro are unflashy. But no one would question them now.

Rai's driver is a TaylorMade M6, which was released in 2019. Same for his TaylorMade P7TW irons. And the grips on all of them? Golf Pride's Tour Velvet, which hit the market in 1995 and has been hardly changed since.

"He's a basic guy when it comes to pretty much everything," Golf Pride tour rep Brett Zollman says. "I don't know he's playing anything that's a current product except his putter [a TaylorMade Spider]. He finds what works, what he likes and then doesn't change much.

"A welcome sight in the golf industry, people blame the arrows more than the shooters."

Zollman says Rai doesn't do much tinkering to his clubs and said regrips just a couple times a year-plus when you wear two gloves like the Englishman does, your grips won't wear as fast.

Rai's grip size is standard and he only uses two rolls of tape underneath, building them up just slightly for personal preference.

Some 35% of players on the PGA Tour use the Tour Velvet, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. (Women's world No. 1 Nelly Korda also uses them.) The textured rubber grip retails for all of $6.99 at Golf Pride's website.

And even though the best players in the world could get all the free grips they want, many don't partake as often as you think.

"We see most of the better players kind of not doing that tinkering-just-to-tinker," Zollman says. "They have a purpose with it. When it's worn out, that's the time to change. It's kind of a trend amongst better players, sticking with your equipment."

Zollman also believes for many players that the Tour Velvet can be traced to their junior days, when an inexpensive grip might have been most practical but then turned into a comfortable keeper. The clubs and the competition would change as one climbed the ranks, but the grip could stay consistent.

Turns out that sticking with what works can even end in a major championship.

More Golf from Sports Illustrated

• PGA Champ Aaron Rai Heartwarmingly Explains How Much His Wife Means to Him and His Golf: ‘I'm So Lucky'
• Iron Covers Are O.K. for Aaron Rai but Not for Everyday Golfers
• Inside Brooks Koepka's Chase to Find a Putting Fix
• PGA Tour Targeting Bigger Markets As Schedule Evolves for 2028, per Report

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Rai Keeps It Simple, All the Way Down to His Grips.

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 3:02 PM.