Part 1: Gripping the Golf Club with the Left Hand

We’re going to start with the grip!

When you pick up a golf club your hands are the only part of your body that touches the club. For many years the hands (grip) have often been referred to as the steering wheel of the golf swing. I don’t believe this could be more true. Gripping the golf club correctly makes playing this game a much better experience.

Gripping the golf club at first glance does not seem like a very difficult thing to do, however, it can take a lot of trial and error to figure out the correct grip for you. This is a very interesting aspect to the game of golf. Gripping the golf club is a VERY INDIVIDUAL thing for everyone that plays golf. There are no two grips alike.

During the time you spend experimenting on finding the correct grip for yourself, you will have to record in a journal what grip you were trying and the results of the shots you hit. You can only find what works for you through hitting golf balls. I can and will guide you, but ultimately, results on the golf course speak louder than me.

Here is a guide, on the way I have taught my students since I began teaching this game over 30 years ago. I haven’t changed my theory of the grip in that time span, so I hope you can take this and learn from it.

Golf Grip Mechanics

As you pick the golf club up in your left hand, the golf club goes across the left palm – from the base of the forefinger to the pad above the pinky. The more you grip the golf club in the fingers (#1), the faster you can swing the golf club and the quicker the clubface will close (causing a hook or draw ball flight). If you grip the golf club further up in the palm (#2), the slower the golf club will travel and the longer it takes for the clubface to close (causing a slice or a fade). If you are slicing the golf ball, you will want to move the grip more into the fingers (the base of the fingers), if you are hooking the golf ball, you will want to move the grip more into the palm area (higher up in the left hand).

In the fingers

In the palm

Golf Grip – Effects on Ball Flight

The grip does more to effect actual ball flight than anything else in the game. That’s why we’ve started with the grip. It’s the foundation of the swing, and a quick fix for those of you that have undesirable ball flight patterns.

Once you have placed the left hand on the golf club you can close your hand around the grip.

A side note:** Most golf clubs either have a “ladies” grip or a “men’s” grip on the golf club. If you have small hands it is very important to make sure you have your clubs gripped with a ladies grip, it doesn’t matter if you own men’s clubs. If you have large hands you should have your clubs gripped with men’s grips. There are a couple more options, if your hands are really small you can have “junior” grips placed on your clubs or if you have x-large hands or arthritis you can have “jumbo” grips placed on your clubs. The grip size also effects ball flight. Large grips tend to make a person fade the ball and small grips tend to make a person draw the ball.**

Part 2: Gripping the Golf Club with the Right Hand

The left hand is in place and now you are going to place the right hand on the golf club. With your right hand on the side of your right leg, slowly bring it towards the bottom of the golf club. The right hand will be placed on the golf club more in the fingers than the palm (#6). You will simply fold the right hand around the fingers of the left.

In the hand

Closed right hand

No matter which grip you choose, BOTH PALMS MUST ALWAYS FACE EACH OTHER (#7). It is not a difficult thing to do but it is mandatory, no grey area.

You have now GRIPPED the golf club. There is a good chance you have NOT gripped it properly for you, so you will have to experiment. However, I have given you a great starting point. The placement of the hands on the golf club controls what the clubface will do during the golf swing and ultimately what the clubface will look like at impact.

Part 3: The Seven Different Golf Grips

There are seven different ways to grip a golf club. Although it sounds overwhelming, it truly is not. Once you begin to experiment you will eliminate four or five of them instantly. I will give you a guide to get you started on the right track.

Finger-Baseball Grip

Split-Hand grip

For starters, if you have small hands and fingers, the interlocking golf grip will probably work best for you (#14). It helps you wrap your fingers and palm around the grip handle. On the other hand, if you have large hands, the Harry Vardon-overlapping grip will probably work best for you (#13). Out of seven, two are eliminated right away. If you are struggling with which one to use, hitting 50 balls at the practice facility one day will give you the answer. The next popular golf grip is the baseball grip (#11). Some people feel comfortable gripping the golf club with all 10 fingers on the club. This is not the most popular method, but if it works, use it. The next grip is one I have used during the past 20 years of teaching and it is referred to as the split-hand grip (#12). If you are really struggling with not hitting the ball or if every time you hit a shot it goes to the right, this grip is for you. You might use this grip for six months and then switch over to a more conventional golf grip or you might stay with it forever. I have used it with new golfers and have had great success.

Harry-Vardon Overlapping

Interlocking

Strong, Neutral, and Weak Golf Grips

The above-mentioned four grips are the proper way to hold a club- however there are three different ways you can apply them to the golf club. You can grip the golf club in a weak position (no knuckles of the left hand showing) (#8), neutral (one knuckle of the left hand showing) (#9) or the strong position (2 or 3 knuckles of the left hand showing) (#10).

Weak Grip

Neutral Grip

Strong Grip

Effects of the Golf Grip on Golf Ball Flight

During your experimenting, if the golf ball has a tendency to curve to the right, you will want to move BOTH hands to the right (strong). When you move the hands make sure you do it slowly. If the golf ball has a tendency to curve to the left, you will want to move BOTH hands slowly to the left (weak). Now, if the golf ball is flying without a curve, you have the correct grip for you. DO NOT EXPERIMENT WITH ANY OTHER GRIP.

Part 4: Golf Grip Pressure

OK, you have found the correct golf grip for you. There is one last item we need to deal with. The amount of pressure you apply to the golf club plays a major role in how you swing the golf club. The tighter you grip the golf club the slower your arms will swing and the longer the clubface will take to release in the downswing (causing a slice). This is a good thing if you HOOK the golf ball. This will definitely stop the ball from curving from right to left. On the other hand if you have problems SLICING the golf ball this amount of grip pressure will make the golf ball slice more.

Effects of Grip Pressure on Golf Ball Flight

If you are struggling with slicing the golf ball, you will have to hold the golf club like you were holding a baby’s hand. Gently, the lighter you grip the golf club the faster the club will swing and the quicker the club will release in the downswing. If you do not have any problems with the ball curving, you have the correct amount of grip pressure.

Now that wasn’t very painful was it? One lesson down and what is it seven to go. You will never know how important this lesson is. It is very difficult to explain how important this part of the game is. Next we will examine the Address Position. That does not mean you can just drop the grip. You have to continue to be very diligent with this part of the game.