Good Grip is the First Building Block of Your Golf Swing

It’s safe to say that working on your grip is not the most exciting part of being a golfer. You would probably rather be out on the course with your friends as opposed to standing on the driving range working on the technical points of your grip position. However, if you want to get better at the game and reach levels that you haven’t before achieved, you would be wise to fine tune the grip you use to hold on to the club.

Your grip needs to be technically solid, and needs to feel comfortable as well. Once you feel that your grip allows you to swing the club naturally without any extra manipulation, you can move on to fine-tuning other parts of your game. Take the following three tips and work on your grip until you feel like it is as comfortable as can be.

  • Pick between overlap and interlock. In an overlapping grip, your pinky finger of the right hand (for a RH golfer) will rest on top of the pointer finger of your left hand. With an interlocking grip, those two fingers interlock to form the grip around the club. Either one can work nicely – it is up to your personal preference and what you feel comfortable with. In general, players with larger hands tend toward the overlap grip, while those with smaller hands are prone to use the interlocking method.

  • Keep the grip out of your palm. When the grip of the club runs up into your palm, instead of across the base of your fingers, you will have trouble using your hands correctly in the swing. Make sure the grip runs across your left hand at the bottom of your fingers before you close the hand around the grip. Once this is done, you will be in a better position to swing the club with a full release.

  • Light grip pressure. No matter what style of grip you use, you shouldn’t be squeezing the grip too tightly as to make it hard to let the club release. You want to hold on tight enough to keep control of the club throughout the swing, but no tighter. Practice making swings with a light grip without hitting a ball so you can get comfortable. Once you get the feeling of lighter grip pressure, you can move on to hitting some shots.