The correct grip is vital for getting consistency from your golf swing. For beginners, it takes lots of conscientious effort to get the right finger and thumb placement. If you’re new to the game fear not, it won’t always be like this. With the number of times you grip a club, it eventually becomes muscle memory.
Exactly how do you grip a golf club? We’ve broken down how to grip a golf club into 6 simple steps below:
Step 1: Align Your Left Hand
Please Note – References have been made for right-handed players, left-handed players should use the opposite hands.
Using your right hand, you’ll want to clutch the top of your grip where it meets the shaft; this will help you to stabilize the club as you hold it out a 45-degree angle. With your left hand, point your palm towards you and align your first knuckles with the grip of the club.
Step 2: Secure Your Left Hand
Keeping your left hand in the same position, twist your bottom three fingers around the grip, you should feel every part of the skin on the inside of your fingers pushing against it.
Step 3: Secure Your Thumb and Index Finger
Next, you need to secure your thumb and index finger around the grip. Use a rolling motion to move your thumb over the handle and curl your index finger around the club, so it’s in line with the rest of your fingers.
Step 4: Align Your Right Hand
Now it’s time to engage your right hand. Slide it down towards the left, and as you did in step 1 allow your first set of knuckles to align with the grip.
Step 5: Secure Your Right Hand
Next, turn your two middle fingers around the handle, slot your right hands’ pinkie finger in between your left hands middle and index finger.
Step 6: Interlock Your Spare Pinky
Next, turn your two middle fingers around the handle, slot your right hands’ pinkie finger in between your left hands middle and index finger (this is known as the interlocked grip). Make sure your right hands index finger is firmly placed around the grip.
If you don’t find the interlocking grip comfortable, you can leave your pinky in an overlapping position, or align it with your other hand’s index finger for the ten finger grip (also known as the baseball grip). If you can’t figure our which feels most comfortable, ask your nearest clubs pro for some advice on the different styles of grip.
Pressure
The amount of pressure you apply is one of the most important aspects of gripping a golf club. It’s common for beginners to grip too tightly once they’ve got their fingers and thumbs in the correct position. A mistake associated with wanting to maintain the unfamiliar, but proper hand placement. Gripping the club too tightly can lead other aspects of your swing feeling awkward, such as increased pressure on your elbows. The ideal amount of pressure would have you grip softly but firmly.
It’s essential you get the right balance and find what’s comfortable for you. If you feel your grip around the handle could leave you red-faced with friction burns, chances are you’re gripping the club too tightly. If you feel that your grip could change as you swing, it’s probably too loose. Don’t worry if you feel like even pressure is not being applied by both of your hands, studies show that players tend to grip tightest with their left hand.
Need More Help?
You’re able to use training clubs with finger and thumb guidance to help you get the correct grip. If you’re struggling to maintain proper hand placement on a regular club, these can be really useful. We’d recommend taking one to the driving range. Take shots until the correct hand position becomes more familiar. Once you feel more comfortable, adopt this hand placement with a regular club, you can always refer back to the beginner club to verify your grip if you need to.
Conclusion
Getting comfortable with your grip can take a long time, don’t rush into things before you’ve got it locked down. You can practice with a club at home, use a training grip and the advice of your clubs pro to help you become comfortable with how to grip a golf club correctly.