Take time to build a good grip on the golf club. It is the basic fundamental that will determine whether you find golf easy of hard.
A Good Grip on the Club
The ‘grip’ refers to the position of your hands on the club handle, not the strength that you hold the club. With the right hold the golfer should feel the club is almost an extension of their arms.
There are different ways you can place your hands correctly on the club and the one you choose depends on several factors: your age, strength and size of your hands. The grip is vital as it controls the way the hands work during the swing, and this in turn affects the distance you hit the ball. The swing path is also determined by the grip as it affects the plane on the backswing and your hand action through impact.
Building a good grip will make hitting a ball much easier.
Types of Grip
There are several types of grip, from the overlapping or Vardon grip, to the interlocking or baseball grip. You should select the one that suits you best but it is important that during the swing your hands work together as a single unit.
- The overlapping or Vardon grip is the most popular and suits people with average or big hands.
- The interlocking grip is best suited to people with short fingers.
- The baseball grip is a good way to start as it is easiest to understand. But if you want to progress and lower your handicap eventually you would have to change.
Most Important Aspect of the Grip
Although there are many aspects of a grip on the club, and time should be taken developing each one, there is one thing that is absolutely critical in promoting good hand action during the swing.
The most important part deals with the fleshy pad on the palm of your hand opposite the thumb and beneath the little finger. Most golfers have the club diagonally across this pad, which stops the wrists from hinging correctly. It is absolutely essential to have this pad sit on top of the club.
To see how to place your hands on correctly find a picture of a famous golfer in a magazine, cut it out and copy it. The closer you can get to looking like the picture the easier it will be to swing the club correctly.
As this is the most important part of the swing it really is worth asking a pro if your grip is correct before hitting many balls on the range. This is a case where practise is not necessarily a good thing, as a bad grip can quickly cause faults in the shape of your golf swing.
Take time to learn the grip, it is vital to get it right.
See also: How to Teach a Golf Stance - Pro Advice
John Hoskison - John is a class 'A' member of the British PGA and author of the acclaimed book 'Inside - One Man's Experience of Prison'.
