How to Add Grip Tape to a Hurley

Hurling is an Irish stick and ball sport that has been played for at least 2000 years. It is often considered to be the fastest game on grass. 

I recently got a new hurley, the stick used to play hurling. It arrived with a plain ash handle so I decided to add some grip tape. This makes the grip a little bigger around and a lot easier for some folks to hang on to. Especially when the hurley gets wet. 

If you are curious about the sport itself there is a lot of information on the web. Just Google "hurling". You can start here at the wiki page. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurling 

If you don't live in Ireland, I live in San Francisco, you will either have to order hurling grip tape or use something else. 

I decided to just use tennis racket grip tape. It's not quite as durable as actual hurling grip tape but tennis racket grip tape is comfortable, available and even if it lasts half as long, cheaper than an international order for the real deal. As far as I can see it's pretty similar but I'm by no means a regular or avid player. 

So, just go with whichever brand you like. I chose Wilson grip tape and got Gamma over wrap I didn't end up needing. 

You can pretty much just follow the directions on the back of the package. The only caveat would be that you need to wrap with a bit of tension on the tape so it seats well and isn't prone to move or "bubble". This actually is the same as a tennis or racket ball racket outside of the fact that the grip is longer and smaller diameter. 

The tape has a mild adhesive but it's not enough to hold it in place the way something like duct tape would. This means you need to wrap it tight and pay attention to how the tape overlaps. You also need to be sure and start and the end of the hurley rather than starting in the middle and working your way out. 

You'll need to add a small amount of PVC tape or something similar to keep the ends from coming apart. I just used some red UL listed electrical tape we had laying around. 

It only needs enough to hold the ends of the grip tape in place and add a clean look to the grip. You could use any color you like. 

I added a little tension to this tape as well but just a little. You could probably also use heat shrink tubing if you could find it that large. 

If you want to give hurling a try you can get hurleys from Ollie Grace and Sons. Just hunt them down on the internet. They usually have some for sale on eBay or you can give them a call!