The most important fundamental in golf involves the grip. With this post, I show you the proper way to hold a golf club.
Why the grip is the most important fundamental in golf
The grip is the most important golf fundamental because it controls the clubface angle at impact.
As indicated in the discussion regarding the Ball Flight Laws, the angle of the clubface at impact is most important to determining ball flight.
If the clubface is open at impact, the ball will likely fly to the right (assuming you are a right handed player).
An open clubface is typically caused by a weak grip.
In other words, if you are a right handed player, your hands are turned to far to the left on the club as shown below.
If you are a left handed player, your hands are turned too far to the right on the club.
If the clubface is closed at impact, the ball will likely fly to the left.
A closed clubface at impact is typically caused by a grip that is too strong.
If you are a right handed player, your hands are turned too far to the right on the club as show below.
If you are a left handed player, your hands are turned too far to the left.
Ideally, what we would like is a NEUTRAL grip. So how do we achieve that?
The Proper Golf Grip
(Right Handers)
1. Your left hand should be placed on the club so that the left thumb points down the club shaft at about 1 o’clock. If your thumb is straight down the shaft, it is too weak.
2. The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should be pointed between your right cheek and right shoulder. Then, if I am standing in front of you, I should only see two knuckles on the back of your left hand. If I see more than 2, your hand is turned too far to the right (too strong). If I see only 1, it is turned too far to the left (too weak).
3. Your right hand should be placed in such a way that the pad of the right thumb covers the left thumb. You then wrap your fingers around the club from there.
4. Your right thumb should be pointed at 11 o’clock down the club shaft.
5. The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should be pointed between your right cheek and right shoulder…parallel to the V formed by your left hand.
6. You should form a trigger with your right forefinger, and that trigger should be directly beside the right thumb, not underneath the club, and not on top of the grip. When you place your hands on the club in this manner, the palms should be facing each other.
A neutral golf grip
Left handers will simply do the opposite of what I described above.
1. Your right hand should be placed on the club so that the right thumb points down the club shaft at 11 o’clock.
2. The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should point between your left cheek and shoulder.
3. Your left hand should be place so that the pad of the left thumb covers your right thumb. Wrap your fingers around the club from there.
4. Your left thumb should be pointed at 1 o’clock down the club shaft.
5. The V formed by your thumb and forefinger should point between your left cheek and shoulder, parallel to the V formed by your right hand.
6. Form a trigger with your left forefinger, and that trigger should be directly beside the thumb, not underneath the club and not on top of the grip.
Let’s talk briefly about how hard or soft you hold the golf club.
Grip pressure
In regard to grip pressure, most golfers have a tendency to hold on to the club too tight.
Most golfers tend to slice the ball, and holding onto the club too tightly will only make this worse.
The reason is that holding the club too tightly will lessen your ability to release the club at impact.
If you tend to hook the ball too much, try holding the club a little tighter.
Ultimately, work with the grip pressure that works best for you.
Final thoughts – the proper way to hold a golf club
To summarize…
The grip is the most important fundamental in golf. A proper golf grip will allow you to have better control over your ball flight.
Also, understanding ball flight and the grip will allow you to hit a variety of shots.
Just as an example…
Years ago, I was playing in a college tournament and I hit a poor tee shot way right.
I was faced with having to hit over some trees, but I had about 160-165 yards to the green, which was an 8 iron for me.
The shot required that I hit a high and sweeping draw.
Because I needed to hit such a big draw with a short iron, I used a slightly stronger grip than normal.
Incredibly, I pulled off the shot and hit it on the green. Shots like that are always memorable, which is why I still remember it nearly 40 years later!
I will use the same tactic if faced with a shot that requires a big slice. By holding the club with a weak grip, I can pull that off more easily.
Get this fundamental down… it will help in all areas of your game!
