How to hold a golf club

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Having a comfortable and consistent golf grip is crucial. It’s easily the most important aspect of your swing and acts as its entire foundation. Without a solid and correct grip, you have little chance of being a skilled golfer. 

The Basics

Always start by placing your dominant hand at the end of the golf grip. Then place the thumb of your dominant hand on the top of the shaft, and not down the middle. Ensure that your palm faces away from you, so it sits parallel with the club face.

Then, place your other hand slightly above your dominant hand, towards the end of the grip. Your palms need to face each other and have no pressure between them while holding onto the club. This produces a more assured and secure swing path with each shot.

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Once you’ve got position of your hands right, you need to remember not to squeeze the club too tightly. Keep your hands nice and relaxed, as much as you can. You can check this by placing your dominant hand’s index finger along the side of the shaft towards the bottom of the grip. If you can feel pressure between two fingertips, then you are holding it correctly. This will help create a more consistent swing and more accurate shots with each swing.

The Different Types of Golf Grips

There are three different types of golf grips: the interlocking, overlapping, and 10-finger grips. You can experiment with these and find out what works best for you. Everyone is different, after all, and what works best for one person may not work well at all for someone else.

The overlapping grip is great for people with large hands. It is also one of the most used golf grips. It involves positioning the pinkie finger of one hand and placing it in the ridge between your other hand’s index and middle finger.

The 10-finger grip involves placing all your fingers on the club. It is a common grip for beginners, and it can be very powerful due to all your fingers being in contact with the grip. It is also great for golfers with small hands.

The interlocking grip, as its name suggests, locks your fingers together to increase the power of you swing. To hold the golf grip like this, you use the pinkie finger of one hand with your other hand’s index finger to move your hands closer together.

How to Play Golf​

Avoiding Common Mistakes

There are a few very common mistakes beginners tend to make with their golf grip. If your grip feels uncomfortable, read on.

  • Check your lead (non-dominant) hand: Make sure you can see the knuckles of your ring and middle fingers on your left hand (or right hand if you are left-handed). The club handle must run diagonally across your fingers.
  • Check your trail (dominant) hand): Check if your dominant hand is placed correctly so that your thumb and forefinger make a ‘V’ shape that points to the middle of your sternum.
  • Make sure you don’t hold it too high up: If you can’t see the tip of the handle, this means you have placed your hand too high up on the club. To fix this, move your left hand down so you can see the handle, as well as your right hand to match its position.
  • Don’t hold on too tight: We will mention this again because it’s vital. Try not to hold a golf club like you’re holding on for dear life. Hold it gently, as if it was very fragile, while still maintaining a solid enough grip so it doesn’t slip out of your hands when you swing it.

All in all, make sure to find a comfortable and consistent hold on your golf club that allows for maximum stability while swinging through impact. With enough practice, you will grow more and more confident with your grip.