Understanding how to grip a golf club is important because it is the connection you have with the club, it may sound simple but it’s not. Your golf grip is arguably the most important element of your swing because it creates the foundation for your golf swing.
We are here to make your journey great. For this reason, we have managed to research the best steps in order for you to grip your golf club correctly.
Additionally, we have decided to add a section in which we are going to be answering frequently asked questions related to this topic.
Always check with your golf course or coach.
Keep reading to find the step-by-step guide on how to grip a golf club.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Holding a Golf Club
- You should hold your club waist-high in front of you, horizontal to the ground, and square the clubface.
- It is a must to always grab the club with your left hand first, you should stretch out the fingers of your left hand, and align the club with your left palm so that it makes a straight line diagonally across your fingers.
- In this step you should close your hand around the club, as you grip the club with your left hand, the heel of your palm should rest along the top edge of the handle, however, you should still be able to see the tip of the handle.
- In this step, you will rotate your hand to the right until you see two knuckles on your left hand when you look down and this will give you a neutral grip, which is a very good starting point for a lot of golfers.
- In this step, you will position the heel of your right hand on top of your left thumb, so it’s covering the left hand. And then you should close your thumb and forefinger to create a ‘V’ that will point to the middle of your sternum.
Different Grips
- Neutral Grip
To form a neutral golf grip, you want to form a ‘V Shape’ between your left forefinger and left thumb. You also want to have the synergy between the right forefinger and right thumb as well. These v’s will point in the same direction, this position will benefit the golfer with a consistent strike on the golf ball.
Key Takeaways:
- This will give you a good foundation to build a consistent swing.
- With a neutral grip, less physically developed players may struggle to generate the clubhead speed and or square the clubface through impact.
- Strong Grip
With the strong grip, the two Vs formed between the thumb and forefinger would point more towards your right shoulder, Knuckles on the right hand are turned underneath the shaft, while three knuckles on the left hand are visible to the golfer at address.
Key Takeaways:
- A strong grip is often more used by players who draw the golf ball.
- The hands are more manipulated than in a neutral grip, this will make the squaring of the golf club impact less consistent.
- Weak Golf Grip
With a weak grip, your right hand is turned on the top of the golf club, so that the V actually points left of the center towards your left ear or beyond.
Key takeaways:
- Golfers that use a weak grip will have extra face rotation through impact than a player with a stronger grip.
- This is a grip that could help a golfer neutralize an extreme inside-out swing path.
- The disadvantage of this grip is that there’s no power to get it rough.
Styles of Golf Grip
Vardon Overlap grip
This is one of the most common golf grips, this grip is when you position your pinky finger of one hand and place it in the ridge between your other hand’s index finger and middle finger.
Key Takeaways:
- This grip will allow you to have more freedom during hand movement and wrist hinge, it can also translate into clubhead speed which will contribute to achieving an increasing distance for all shots.
- World-class players describe this grip as the perfect grip because of the union it creates between the two hands. If you master this grip, it will give you a great combination between power and control.
Interlocking Golf Grip
This grip starts with the 10-finger grip, which means that you will simply interlock one hand’s pinkie finger with the other hand’s index finger so that you get your hands closer together, this will form a firm bond between the two hands because all ten fingers will remain in contact with the golf club during the swing.
Key Takeaways:
- Your hands will remain contacted through the swing.
- It is a perfect grip for young golfers or golfers with small hands.
- If you don’t have as much physical strength it’s not a problem, this is a good grip for you because it will help you to grip the club easily throughout the round.
10 finger golf grip
This is the grip where you use all your fingers to hold the club, for a right-hand golfer the right thumb rests down the shaft from the left thumb.
Key Takeaways:
- It can be a powerful grip since all your fingers are holding the club.
- Not a lot of professional players choose to use this grip, however, some new players find it comfortable to use.
The Right Grip For You
The best golf grip for you depends on a variety of factors, such as your strength, stage, and what you would like to achieve with your grip.
Golf Grip for beginners
If you are a beginner try the neutral grip, it will allow you to create a baseline grip position and will help you to keep it simple. This grip will also contribute to weakening or strengthening your grip as necessary, it can also help to generate clubhead speed and hit the ball further. Make sure that your V’s are well positioned along the shaft and that you are ready to swing.
For Accuracy
If you are looking for accuracy, you should try out the weaker grip. This will make you lose a few yards, however, this grip will allow you to keep the ball in play more and it can neutralize a swing that is too much from the inside.
For Distance
If you want to increase your distance, try to strengthen your golf grip. It will allow you to hit a draw more consistently which can increase your distance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
We have taken into consideration that players may read our instructions and still have questions on how they can improve their grip.
For this reason, we have decided to answer some frequently asked questions.
1. How To Fix a Slice With a Golf Grip?
- You should make your grip stronger so that your hands are turned away from the target and your palms parallel to each other.
- Increase your grip pressure, it will help the clubface to close during the downswing.
- Do not grip too tight.
2. How To Fix Hitting on a Rock With a Golf Grip?
- Here you can use a weaker grip.
- This grip will allow your right hand over the club and make it easy to fade to the ball.
3. How To Hold a Golf Club With Your Right Hand?
Your right hand should sit so that the palm of your hand is near to the side of the grip and facing the target. Your palm of the right hand should rest on the top of the thumb of your left hand, the ‘V’ formed by your thumb and index finger should point to your right ear.
4. How To Hold a Golf Club With Your Left Hand?
Your grip on the golf club should sit diagonally across your fingers into your left-hand palm. When you close your left hand, you should be able to see the knuckles of your left
5. Difference Between Long Thumb and Short Thumb?
It is important to know that the position of a thumb can influence a golfer’s clubhead speed and control of the shaft at the top of the backswing.
Long Thumb
- Here your thumb runs vertically down the shaft and becomes separated from the other four fingers on the hand.
- If you would like to increase the length of your swing, try the long left thumb.
Short Thumb
- A short thumb is when the thumb goes down the right side of the shaft, the thumb will end in a position just beyond the forefinger on that hand.
- For an extremely long swing, you can try a short left thumb.
6. What is A Proper Grip?
The reality is that there’s no proper grip because for everyone it is different. All of it has to align and match with your style, strength, swing, and body style. The right (proper) grip is not equal for everyone, however, it is recommended for right-hand beginners to begin with a neutral golf grip.
