How to Have a Perfect Golf Grip

Your golf grip is one of the most vital links in your golf swing. Don’t be afraid to re-look and or re-evaluate this critical fundamental. How about now?

The golf grip is a funny thing. You sort of pick up a club and that’s your grip. But is it a solid grip? is it fundamentally solid? Could it be a root cause for a swing that is just not producing results?

All good questions (if I do say so myself!) but no one wants to look at their grip. They want some sexy, easy-peezy technique or tip that will turn their game completely around and having them hitting shots like Rory in no time. Get real!

Let me ask you another question, “Would you be willing to change your grip?” I know, for me personally, that’s the last thing I want to hear but I would try to at least be open about it. And I know (being left-handed) that my top hand (right) is probably in a slightly too strong of a position but I’m moving it slowly to a weaker (more neutral) position.

So what to do?

1. Take an inventory of your current grip – Where do you stand currently. Do you have a more of a weak grip? stronger one? neutral? Ideally, you want the club to fit more toward the base of the fingers (see green tabs in pic above) rather than toward your palm.

2. Assess your general golf shot patterns – where do your shots generally go? Are they “sliced” to the right”? pull hooked to the left? something else? Also, your divots can give you immediate feedback to the path of your swing. What clues are they showing you? Good players are good detectives. Use objective analysis to find out your unique patterns.

3. Feel a “neutral” golf grip – do you even know what a neutral golf grip feels like? Many players don’t. They are just used to the grip they have “always” used. I don’t have to remind you that just because you use it doesn’t make it optimal or the best thing for your golf game, do I?

One way to “feel” a neutral golf grip is to put your hand on a wooden yardstick as if you were gripping a club. It will instantly put you into a neutral grip so you can feel what that’s like.

4. Give yourself time to initiate a new grip – like it or not it’s going to take some time. You’ll hit tons of bad shots. But keep at. Walk around at home with a club in your hand and constantly re-grip it properly. Remember, Larry Bird wasn’t a “natural” left-handed basketball player but he learned to shoot and dribble with it until it became second nature to him and which totally transformed his game. It’s work but it’ll pay off. Why not start now?

5. Ease up on your golf grip pressure – this can be a real killer and, honestly, you might not even know you’re doing it. You need a light grip so you can really feel the club “whipping” down through the hitting zone. Too much golf grip pressure really will take a “perfect” grip and render it virtually useless. As Johnny Miller once said, “Only one golfer in a thousand grips the club lightly enough.”

6. For beginning golfers – It’s often hard to know (if if you’ve been shown) what a good grip feels like. You really have to practice it and get used to it. So I recommend getting one of the training aids below to really know how your hands should feel in a proper grip.

7. Grips are unique – all you have to do is take a quick glance at major champions in golf and you’ll quickly find (Paul Azinger, Lee Trevino, David Duval, Zach Johnson, etc. etc.) all sorts of “non-conventional” grips that held up under pressure and produced great golf shots. Take this with a grain of salt, of course. If you have a slightly (stronger or weaker) grip and it’s producing results—by all means leave it alone.

8. Get some good golf grips – there are so many to choose out there, I realize, but go with one of the top dogs. They have been around for years and have some great new styles and products. The actual grip itself should feel good and comfortable in your hands. Combine that with a technically solid hand grip and your good to go my little chickadee!

I know, re-visiting your grip is probably one thing you would rather not do. But if it’s in need of a tuneup then why not now? This one change could be the key that unlocks your best golf ever!

RESOURCES

VIDEOS:

Hank Haney on the Golf Grip

David Leadbetter on the Golf Grip

TRAINING AIDS:

Lamkin Training Grip Right-Handed Golf Grip (Black, Standard)