Grips Nice
The Correct Grip
Regardless of how good a swing you have without the correct grip the ball is just not going to go in the direction you want it to.
Think about it for a minute. What is it that we use to hit the ball – a club right?
and the only part of us that has contact with the club is our hands!
Look at all good Professionals and all the different variations in swing technique. Jim Furyk is a great example of this. One thing that they all have in common is basic fundamentals and this starts with the grip.
Placement of the hands in the correct position is going to make all the difference to the direction of our shots. Ok, so let’s start:
(This instruction is for a right handed player. If you’re left handed just reverse the instruction).
Taking each hand in turn, starting with the left, the grip or handle of the golf club should run diagonally across the palm. It should run through the first joint of the forefinger and across the top joint of the little finger.
Now close your hand around the handle and place your thumb just to the right of centre on the top of the grip. To check if your left hand grip is correct. Place the club in front of you as if addressing a golf ball and look directly down at the top of your hand.
The ‘v’ formed between the thumb and the forefinger should point somewhere between your chin and right shoulder. 2 – 2 ½ knuckles should be visible on the back of the left hand.
Most of the pressure you apply in this hand will be in the last two fingers but the grip pressure nice and light. This will allow the club to hinge correctly during the backswing.
Ok now let’s apply the right hand:
What we are trying to achieve with the correct grip is a marriage of the hands on the club. Both hands must be working together as a unit so, the placement of the right hand is just as important as the left.
The right hand is held more in the fingers being placed through the first joint of them all. Now close the hand around the handle and place the thumb to the left of centre on top of the grip. Note how the thumb of the left hand sits under the fleshy pad of the right.
This is the important bit!
The ‘v’ formed between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand must run parallel to the ‘v’ of the left hand. With both ‘v’s running in the same direction the hands are more likely to work as a unit.
Pressure in the right hand must match that of the left with the main pressure being applied in the middle two fingers. Both hands should be fitted snugly together.
You have now made a basic golf grip. With both hands pushed nice and closely together this type of grip is referred to as a ‘baseball. We can further unite the hands together with variations on this grip called ‘Vardon’ and ‘Interlocking’. We will look at those in a future article.
With the hands on the club in this basic hold, the grip is referred to as ‘neutral’ and will help keep the clubface on line through impact for much longer. Both hands turned too much to the right on the handle will cause the clubface to close through impact creating a ‘hook’ (for a right hand player a shot which curves to the left).
The opposite occurs if the hands are turned too much to the left on the handle. This will keep the clubface ‘open’ through impact causing a ‘slice’ (for a right hand player a shot which curves to the right).
Practice in front of a mirror to check the correct placement of hands on the club until it starts to feel comfortable. Through practice you will be able to take up the correct grip as if it were second nature and start to see your shots fly straight and true!
Simon Firkins – Qualified PGA Professional
www.birminghamgolfschool.co.uk
About the Author
Simon Firkins is a fully qualified PGA Professional with over 16 experience teaching golf. He now runs a very successful indoor teaching facility in the West Midlands. For more information about the services he offers and to sign up for your FREE GOLF LESSON then visit http://www.birminghamgolfschool.co.uk
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