The Golf Grip

We were all taught that the grip is the most important fundamental in golf and I agree whole heartedly. But why is it so important? Why do all great golf swings in history have great grips? Why do so many poor golf swings begin with poor grips?

I believe that there are two main functions of a great golf grip. The first is that the positioning of the hands on the club, directly effects the position of the clubface throughout the golf swing. It is the greatest influence on whether we become a square clubface player, an open clubface player or a closed clubface player. This in turn effects the shape of our ball flight.

The second function of a great grip is to provide support and control of the golf club throughout the entire golf swing that will enable us to maximize the amount of pressure we can put into the ball in a consistent manner. Let’s examine the fundamentals of a perfect grip.

The Left Hand

There are four critical elements to a proper left hand grip:

The Left Thumb: The most critical element of the left hand is the positioning of the left thumb. The entire thumb, from the base to the tip, must be placed slightly to the right of the top of the club. This is a major support element for the club. It also rotates the entire hand slightly to the right.

The Fingers: The positioning of the thumb should place the club more in the fingers of the left hand rather than the palm.

The Pad at the heel of the Palm: with the thumb slightly to the right and the club more in the fingers, this should place the pad at the heel of the palm directly on top of the club. Never to the left.

The V to the Right Shoulder: The crease formed between the left thumb and the index finger, known in golf as the V, should point towards the right shoulder.

The Right Hand

There are four critical elements to a proper right hand grip.

The Fingers: The first element of a great right hand grip is that the club must be placed in the fingers and not the palm. The grip that holds the club in the fingers allows the golfer to develop a feel for the club, the club head and the overall swing.

The Lifeline: It is very important to have the lifeline of the right palm completely covering the thumb of the left hand. It must be completely meshed and feel glued to the left thumb. This is what turns three separate parts, the club, the left hand and the right hand into one cohesive unit.

The Trigger Finger: I consider this to be the most critical element of the right hand. Glue the right thumb to the side of the right index finger. We should have no gaps. Then form a hook with the right index finger, forming a shape as if you8 were going to pull the trigger of a squirt gun. This is the major support point of the club by the right hand.

The V to the Right Shoulder: Just as with the left hand, the V of the right hand should point to the right shoulder.

The Right Pinky

It is a point of personal choice to have a overlap, interlock or ten-fingered grip.

Overlap: The Overlap Grip is the most commonly seen grip amongst the world’s best player. With this, the right pinky finger rests on top of the left index finger.

Interlock: In the Interlock Grip, the right pinky and the left index finger are crossed. The grip is used by some of the game’s great, like Tom Kite, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Ten Fingered: The ten Fingered Grip is not as common as the Overlap or Interlock among good players, but is great for people with small hands. It is ideal for juniors during their early years.

There is a definite correlation between how good a player’s grip is and their development as a ball striker. Spend some time improving your grip and it will be the most important thing you can do for your overall game.

Remember,

If you control the clubface, then you control the ball

Dave Wesley

Clubface Golf

http://www.clubfacegolf.com

http://www.theclubface.com