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Article 2 - Grip - March 2007

Grip

Apologies to all left-handed players just swap the word right for left!

There is no more truthful statement  than “Good Golf Starts with a Good Grip”.
The way you hold the golf club in your hands dictates the way the clubface moves throughout your swing and crucially its position at, and through, impact. 

A good golf grip allows the following things to happen in your golf swing:

1 - Your hands to work together as one unit.

2 - The clubface to return to a consistent position at impact, not too far away from a perfectly square clubface.

3 - The  greatest possible amount of energy to be released by the hands into the clubhead at impact

4 - The wrists to hinge and cock naturally to their fullest extent throughout the swing.

The Position of the Hands
 There are three terms used to describe the position of the  hands on the grip - Weak, Neutral and Strong.

 
Weak Grip - is characterised by the creases formed between the thumbs and index fingers of each hand pointing between the players chin and right ear. From the players point of view one knuckle should be visible on the back of the left hand. Players with a very fast rotation of the hands and forearms during the downswing will tend to use this grip to prevent the clubface from closing down too much through impact and producing a hook. Therefore, if you have a tendency to hook the ball then a weaker grip may be for you.

However, we hardly ever find ourselves recommending this grip to the average golfer that we teach simply because most golfers don’t play or practice enough to develop that hand and arm rotation required to play effectively with a weak grip.

Neutral Grip - is characterised by the creases formed between the thumbs and index fingers of each hand pointing between the player’s right ear and shoulder.  From the players point of view two knuckles should be visible on the back of the left hand.  We use the term neutral grip to describe the most natural position of the hands on the grip. Players who use this grip tend to have very good golf swings and don’t need their hold on the club to compensate for a less than perfect swing motion. They tend to hit the ball fairly straight with little sideways deviation in flight.

The neutral grip is the model grip or the so-called  “natural” grip that a player can use and therefore, is the  one that we teach to most new golfers. We will only recommend a change once the new golfer has started to develop a consistent swing motion and we can see some benefits that  a weaker, or more likely, a stronger grip might bring.

Strong Grip - is characterised by the creases formed between the thumbs and index fingers of each hand pointing towards the right shoulder or just outside it. From the players point of view three knuckles should be visible on the back of the left hand. Players who don’t have the necessary rotation in their hands and forearms on the downswing to return the clubface back to square at impact benefit from this type of grip as it promotes a draw spin on the golf ball and helps to maximise clubhead speed.  The strong grip works equally well for  slicers of the ball and for golfers with smaller weaker hands such as juniors and ladies.

In many cases we find ourselves recommending a strong grip to the average player that we teach simply because it helps them return to club face back to a square position at impact and is a great way to help counter-act the affects of a slice producing swing motion. .

From all three sets of photos above the most important thing to note is the element of equality that can be seen in the position of the hands on the grip of the club. In the weak, neutral and strong grip the creases formed between the thumbs and index fingers of each hand run parallel to each other. The creases running parallel to each other indicates that the hands are also in parallel alignment. If the hands are not in parallel alignment the wrists cannot hinge and set (cock) properly in the backswing, or rotate and release properly in the downswing and crucially through impact. Whether you hold the club in a weak, neutral or strong position it is essential that the hands are in parallel alignment. It is certainly one of the many things we look for when teaching since, not only does it ensure that the hands are aligned properly it also helps to ensure that the arms are aligned properly at address too which in turn helps the shoulders to be aligned properly.

Grip Nightmares! - A hold on the club where the hands are not aligned properly is sometimes referred to as a “dishrag grip” since the hands appear to be wringing the grip like a dishcloth. Sadly these sorts of grips are very common where the creases formed by the thumbs and index fingers on each hand do not run parallel . This is a very dangerous way to hold the club as it can literally hit the ball anywhere at any time because the hands do not work together as one unit when the hands are out of alignment. Players who struggle for any sort of consistency with any club in the bag should check their grip as a matter of urgency!

Joining the Hands

           Overlap                         Interlock                Baseball (10 finger)

Much importance seems to be placed on how the hands are joined on the club and although this is something to consider it is not the most important thing. What we have mentioned above with regard the positioning of the hands is.

There are three ways to join your hands on the club:
The Overlap - where the little finger of the right hand overlaps the left hand and sits snugly in the crease between the index and middle finger. This type of join is recommended to most male players or those with powerful or larger hands.
The Interlock - where the little finger of the right hand and the index finger of the left hand intertwine. This type of join is recommended to those with smaller to medium-sized hands or lady and junior players since it helps to add power by allowing the wrists to function more efficiently.
The Baseball (10 finger) - where all ten fingers are on the grip and the hands sit snugly together. This type of join is recommend to those with smaller, less powerful hands and wrists, particularly juniors and lady beginners. Since all the fingers are on the grip it adds an element of power and feeling of security.  

The hands should be joined in one of the ways shown above simply because it ensures the hands are united and further helps them to work together as one unit. Essentially you can use whichever type of join feels most comfortable, as long as the hands are close together and work as one unit.

How to check if your grip is working for you

Hinging of the Wrists

A good grip allows your hands to hinge on the backswing and through impact. If your hands are placed on the club correctly you should be able to hinge your hands back on themselves approximately forming a 90 degree right-angle between your left arm and club shaft, and likewise on your through swing forming an approximate 90 degree right-angle, this time between your right arm and club shaft.
Check to see if you can do this in a mirror. You should be able to get the club close to parallel to the ground and ball-to-target line with ease just by hinging you wrists back and through with little arm or shoulder movement. If you can’t do this your grip may be overly weak or strong.

Setting (Cocking) of the Wrists

Similarly, a good grip thats correct for you, will allow you to set or cock the club up to its fullest extent, approximately forming a  90 degree right-angle between your arms and club shaft. Check this simply by assuming your address position and using just your hands and wrists set the club head up towards your face. Again if you can’t do this with ease your grip may be overly weak or strong.

The All-Important Top Hand Grip Check

The positioning of the left-hand is so vital in a good grip that it deserves some special attention. A simple way to check that your left hand is in a great position is to assume your address position holding your club in your left hand only.Lift your thumb middle, third and little finger from the grip. Now see if you can set the club up towards your face with ease. If you can’t, or the club slips out of your hand, check that the heel pad is on top of the handle (as shown above). Only if this heel pad is correctly positioned can you set the club properly.

Use a Training Grip - the easy way to practice a good grip

Having a training grip fitted to an old practice club is a great way to help you achieve a good grip. The thing they do well is help you get your hands properly aligned in that all important position of equality. They can be fitted in a weak, neutral or strong position.

We hope you have found this article helpful. If you have any questions or for further information please email us, we are more than happy to help.