I see it all the time when giving golf lessons. The players with the highest golf handicaps pay the least attention to their grips. Typically, they grab the club from the bag, check their grip quickly, take their stance, and hit the ball. If they feel comfortable, they’re happy.
But golf is a precise game. The littlest things often mean lot. And having the right grip for golf is one of them. It’s often the difference between breaking 100 or 90 and not breaking 100 or 90. So if you really want to chop strokes off your golf handicap, you’ll make sure you have the right grip for golf every time you swing.
Losing Your Grip
Problems with your grip lead to problems with your swing. For example, losing control of your grip is a serious fault. Any loosening of your grip leads to a re-gripping of the club at some stage of the swing, which in turn affects clubface alignment at impact and flight path.
Applying the wrong grip pressure also leads to problems with your swing. Too light a grip and you lose control of the club. Too tight a grip and you slow clubhead speed. You must have the right grip pressure to generate your best swing, whether you’re putting, driving, or chipping, which I stress in my golf tips and golf instructions sessions.
And having the wrong grip is among the most common causes of a slice. With slicers, their right hand (left for left-handers) sometimes is rotated too much toward the target, creating a weak grip. This limits any chance they have of achieving proper hand rotation when they swing, making it difficult to rotate the clubface closed at impact.
Six Steps To A Sound Grip
Having the right grip for golf provides many benefits. It not only generates good swings, it also promotes consistency. And it goes a long way toward making sure that the clubface is in the right position at impact, improving ballstriking. Below is a six-step approach to the correct grip, developed by Jim Flick, the well-known golf teacher. Follow his approach and you’ll grip your club correctly every time.
In a sound grip your palms should face each other. Your wrists should be able to hinge up and down with ease. And you hands should be “compatible,” so one doesn’t override the other. Also, you want to hold the club in your fingers to enhance the sensitivity for the weight and position of the club. Now follow these six steps:
1. Start by gripping the club with your left hand first, if you’re right-handed. (If you’re left-handed, grip it with the right hand.) Always put this hand on the club first because it’s your guide to sensing the alignment of the clubface.
2. Make sure the side of the grip is firmly against your fingers, with the club’s toe pointing up.
3. The club’s handle should rest just under the heel pad and runs to your index finger.
4. Now add your other hand. Make sure the grip touches the middle joints of your middle two fingers.
5. Your right hand lifeline fits over your left thumb if you’re right-handed and vice versa.
6. Hold the club at a 45-degree angle to feel wrist hinging and proper grip pressure.
That’s it. For more feel let your right finger (left finger for left-handers) separate slightly from your other fingers. As you look down on the grip make sure your left thumb rests slightly to the right of the top-center of the shaft. And vice versa.
Here’s a tip: To make sure the club comes across the left hand correctly, draw lines with a marker on the palm side of your golf glove where the club should rest. It’s legal to do so. You can also draw a line with a marker on the topside of the glove where the thumb and the heel of the opposite hand meet.
This six-step approach to gripping your club is great. I like it so much I teach in my golf lessons. I’ve also written about it in my golf tips. Follow it religiously and you grip the club correctly every time. Placing your hands on the club the same way every time not only generates consistency, it also chops strokes off your golf handicap.
