What is a good grip? Which style should be selected? Being bombarded by tips, hints, secrets
from books, newspapers, magazines and TV must raise some basic questions for the player
seeking the truth about the golf grip. What should the player do? Interlock or overlap? Grip
tightly or lightly? Use a long thumb or a short thumb? Show three knuckles or two knuckles?
Lay the grip in the roots of the fingers or diagonally across the hand? Try to keep the hands quiet
or active? Apply constant or changing pressure? And how about all of the variations within and
choices beyond these examples? There must be countless combinations.
Back to the question: What is a good grip? It is the one that lets the player hit the most good shots! More specifically, it maximizes the number of shots that meet the criteria for distance and direction. Since solving the problem of distance and direction is golf's ultimate and absolute challenge, then whatever combination of PREFERENCES a player utilizes to accomplish that objective becomes a "good grip."
Actually there are more areas of agreement than disagreement on grip among teachers and players. The areas of consensus are listed below:
Even though there is a natural position in which the hands should hang, the correct golfgrip does not seem to come naturally to the novice player. When the club is placed in the hands of a beginner, he invariably holds it in a position that will not return the face to square, nor provide for the greatest clubhead speed. Therefore, the grip must be learned. If a golfer learns the grip incorrectly from the start, it can be changed, but it will take longer for it to feel natural. In addition, he can expect that during stressful situations, he will instinctively want to return to the former grip. Despite the discomfort or repetitive practice one experiences in achieving a proper grip, it is worth the effort. For most players, the palms of the hands should basically face each other or be turned slightly inward because that is the way most arms hang. But there are exceptions. In some cases, particularly with heavy, barrel-chested people, the hands can work effectively if each is rotated slightly outward, i.e. weak left, strong right, provided the rotation is equal, i.e. the same number of degrees. Opinions vary on where the 'v' should point and how many knuckles one should see. These are only guidelines, since it is easier to see more knuckles from a low hand address position than a high one. But even among those who disagree on how rotated the hands should be, the majority feel that when the palms are not aligned close to, or in, a parallel fashion, "they work against each other." For those teachers who allow one of the hands to be further adjusted, it is usually the left that is turned clockwise to a more closed-face position while the right palm still faces the target. Grip pressure should be light enough to encourage clubhead speed without losing directional control. It should be firm enough to keep the club from turning in the hands on contact, yet not so firm that it destroys feel or speed.
Ultimately, the player should become comfortable with his grip and confident about the position of the club face during the swing. The grip in the left hand should be where the last three fingers of the left hand capture the club handle against the butt portion of the palm, while the grip in the right hand cradles the club handle more in the fingers. These are just guidelines to use to develop a grip philosophy. But there is so much more. This part of the chapter also deals with recognizing PREFERENCES, those little variations within the PRINCIPLES that can make a big difference. |
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The placement of the hands should allow them to work together as one unit, with no slippage or
repositioning.