The art of playing golf will require you to adopt different techniques and skills that have to do with your swing, your stance, the movement of your body, your club face, your equipment and so much more. However, at the root of it all is how you hold your golf club. Golf is played with this very grip.
You would think that there is not much to hold a golf club. You just hold the club and swing it to do its thing, right? Well, not really. There are many factors within the way you hold the stick, and the grip itself can make or break your game.
How to Grip the Golf Club in your Hands
You have to make sure the clubface is adjusted according to the kind of shot you want. Aligning the movement of your body to the movement of the golf club is very important. That helps you to figure out which kind of grip is necessary for which shots, and all of these are possible with the following guide.
Why is a Golf Grip Important?
How powerful your shots will be and how well you can control the shot will depend on the grip on your golf club. The positioning of your fingers and palm can enable you to have a powerful grip.
You need to be able to control the lead hand placement to create a precise grip. Such a grip can create compelling shots. At the same time, it can give you control over the movement of your wrist which can, in turn, control the hinge.
Too much of your palm contacting the golf club can completely change the configuration of your shot as well. It may create a weaker flight. Therefore, the better your grip is the better you can shoot your balls.
How to Grip a Club
The proper way to grip a golf club consists of two aspects: the lead hand position and the trailing hand’s position. The lead hand is the hand that remains on the top of the club, which is usually the left hand for right-handed golfers; while the trailing hand remains at the bottom of the stick.
The classic grip that is deemed proper by golfers is known as the neutral position. There are many adjustments that players do to this position involuntarily. Sometimes these adjustments work best to their interest and their comfort.
In other words, they can also lead to a wavering shot. Thus, there are strong and weak grips that affect such adjustments.
You can take help from the following step-by-step guide to get a better grip and position your hands correctly. Likewise, you will be able to avoid any slight errors that can affect your swing:
Holding A Golf Club
The very first step for holding a golf club would be to place your dominant hand on the club. If you are a right-handed golf player, it means that your dominant hand is your right. If you are left-handed, the hand would be your left.
Once you know which hand is your dominant, you need to place it at the top of the club. This means the hand needs to be placed at the top of the club where the shaft meets the soft grip.
You need to lift the club in such a way that it is about 45 degrees from you. While doing this, make sure you rest the club at the top of your palm to support the club before the next step.
It is important to note that this position is not the ultimate place where your lead hand. This is done to help you to figure out how to place your weaker hand beforehand.
Off Hand on the Club
The next step is to place your off hand on the club. To do this, know that the offhand of yours is the opposite of the dominant hand. If you are right-handed, it would be your left hand. If you are a leftie, it is your right.
Now, make sure the palm of this weaker hand is facing you while the golf club is rested on the palm. The top knuckles should touch the club at this point. Similarly, the palm of your hand will also contact the club.
Slowly and carefully, you should curl the bottom fingers, that is your pinkie and the middle finger, in such a way that those last three fingers can now contact the grip as well. Then the inner part of your fingers will be touching the grip.
The pinkie finger needs to be placed in a position where the bottom of the club aligns with the joint of this finger.
Hitting Gesture
Now, you have to make sure that the offhand is secured in its position. Keep the hand on the grip as explained in the last step. In addition, you have to move the rest of your fingers to place it on the grip of the club. If you are a righty, the thumb of this finger will be placed on the right of the grip or the handle.
Consequently, the index finger along with the thumb will be rolled back to contact the handle and lie flat on the grip. At this position, the knuckles of your weak hand’s fingers will be facing you.
In addition, you should also be able to feel completely that the insides of your hand are touching the grip of the golf club. On the other hand, it is essential is to ensure that the thumb is not over your index finger, but rightly placed a bit more on the right of the handle.
Placing of the Weak and Dominant Hand
Having placed your weaker hand, you now have to correctly place the dominant one. Remove the dominant hand from the shaft and simply place it on the top of your off hand, which is already placed on the handle.
Here, the knuckle that would coincide your pinkie finger will be on top of the left hand. The shaft of the club should be between the knuckle of your index finger and the side of your palm.
Using the Fingers
You have to roll your fingers the same way you did for your left hand. Yhe pinkie finger along with the middle fingers will be curled to be placed on the grip of the handle as well as on top of the left hand. The fingers need to be put strongly since it is your dominant hand.
For your comfort, many golfers recommend that you place your right pinkie finger right between the knuckles of your index and middle finger. This can lock the finger into place for a stronger grip.
Grip
Finally, to complete the grip, you have to roll the thumb on your right hand to the left of the stick or the handle. You should make sure that the part below your thumb is right on top of the left thumb which is already on the handle as well.
At this position, you need to adjust according to what it feels right to you, but make sure that it is locked nicely.
Types of Grips
Here is a list of all the grips that you should know off. Keep on reading to find out.
10-Finger Baseball Grip
For this type of grip, the dominant hand needs to be lower on the grip of the club. This has to be done in such a way that the space between the two fingers from the left and right hand comes to a close.
Here, the pinkie finger will not be interlocked as instructed. Instead, the golf club will be held just like a baseball bat, hence the name.
This is a grip commonly used by players who are beginners. People who have smaller hands and who suffer from pain on their joints also prefer this grip. You can shoot the ball too long distances using this grip due to the leverage it provides. However, it may not always lead to well-executed shots. Be mindful of that.
Vardon
Vardon grip can be achieved by placing the pinkie finger of your dominant hand on the top of your left hand over the fingers. In this regard, the placement will be somewhere between the top two fingers.
This grip is one of those that are most commonly used by golfers. People who have smaller hands struggle with this, but those who have bigger hands are more comfortable using this grip.
Interlocking
This can be achieved by pulling the index and middle fingers apart on your offhand. After that, make sure the pinkie of your dominant hand is placed into the space between these fingers. At the same time, the three fingers are interlocked like bolts on a lock.
Beginner players and those with weaker grips tend to opt for this grip. At times, a few professional golfers used of this grip as well. There is no speciality for people with larger or smaller hands in this case.
However, what is important is that the fingers are gripped in such a way that it is locked. This can cause discomfort to some players. Therefore, figure out if it is suitable for you.
Strength of Grips
The stronger grips do not produce the same kind of shots as a weaker grip would. When should you strengthen it then? The answer is below:
Practice Strong and Weak Grip
You need to be able to practice with both strong grip and weak one to figure out for yourself what kind of outcomes it produces. Weak grips will push the club to handle more to the target while a stronger one will go beyond and away from it. They are complete opposites.
You need weaker grips when you want to add more height and spin to your shots although it can be difficult to pull off a proper swing. On the other hand, a stronger grip is good for shots with lower altitude and is comfortable for golfers even though it can sometimes lead to hook shots.
Things to DO If You Have A Bad Grip
If your grip is weaker, you have room to be more precise and control the distances you want the ball to travel. Weaker grips are often the best choice for short game. The creases on the forefinger and thumb during the grip should tell you how to approach it.
If your dominant hand is on your right, the crease will be pointing at your left and vice versa. The creases may also form a sort of ‘v’ shape. This shape should be more towards the target to make it easy for you to play the short game.
Hand Movement
For putting, the movement on your hand, especially your wrist needs to be minimized. Keep the putter in your right hand and make sure that the wrists are angled downwards in the grip.
You can use the baseball grip here and avoid any movement. If you’re using the 10-finger grip, it is best to keep the wrists locked by keeping them down. The action should be like an oscillating pendulum.
Grips to Avoid
Besides knowing how to hold a club, you need to know the aspects of the grip that can sometimes ruin the entire configuration of it. These are;
Club Position Shouldn’t be Too High
The club should never be positioned too high. If the lead hand is very high, it can prevent proper movement of the wrist and ruin your swings. It can primarily affect the power of your strike and waver it.
Therefore, make sure the grip is a little lower so that the wrists are freer to be used efficiently and navigate comfortably.
Don’t Use Interlock Grip
Even though the interlock grip is very popular among golfers and is comfortable with many players, you do not have to use it. Some golfers have complained that the club face cannot be adjusted in a position like this.
Hence, it is recommended that you use the baseball grip to keep the hold in a more ‘neutral’ position. Then You can figure out what feels comfortable to you.
“V” Shaped Grip
Your dominant hand is dominant because it is your stronger hand. Nevertheless, some golfers have the problem of having weaker trail hands. This leads them to tend to open their clubface more often. This can prevent your swings from creating power and being consistent.
As a result, make sure that the ‘v’ shape formed by the grip is towards your right. This will ensure that the swing is consistent, and the clubface is strong.
Our Final Thoughts
The guidelines in this article should give you an idea about the general instructions you need to be more precise in your grip.
Since the importance of mastering the grip on your golf club is undeniable, it is important to try out and learn to better enhance your game with these tips and tricks. Finally, enjoy the game while you’re at it!
