Good Golf Starts with the Right Grip

Mark Oswald
General Manager
The Highlands at Dove Mountain in Marana, AZ.
Marana, AZ
oswaldpga@gmail.com

More Information

A good consistent golf swing begins with a consistent grip. Two areas to focus on are: Position and Pressure.

Position:  (For a right handed golfer)
Put your left hand near the end of the grip, not going past the end. Grip the club in your fingers. Begin by opening your left hand and positioning the club at the base of your fingers slightly into the palm. If the club is in the correct position you will be able to wrap your fingers around the shaft holding the club more in the fingers than against the palm of your hand.  Position your left hand on the club where you will see two knuckles facing your chin and the “V” line between your thumb and forefinger facing your right shoulder. This is a neutral starting position with the left hand. Position your right hand on the grip again holding the club in your fingers slightly touching the palm. Looking down on your right hand you will see two finger nails coming around the club from your second and third finger. Your palms should be facing each other. This is a neutral position with the right hand.

From this neutral position you can adjust and make both hands stronger or weaker depending on the ball flight. If the ball is slicing you are leaving the clubface open at impact. You will move both hands more to the right on the grip. You will now see three to four knuckles on the left hand and the last three fingers on the right hand. If you are hooking the ball, move both hands to the left. If you hook the ball you may only want to see one knuckle on the left hand and only the second finger coming around on the right hand.

Move both hands more to the right to stop the slice or both hands more to the left to stop the hook.

Pressure: Grip pressure should be consistent and constant. You do not want to change your grip pressure during the swing. Changing your grip pressure can change the swing path and cause great inconsistency. Take a medium to slightly firm grip in the beginning and maintain this constant pressure throughout the swing. 

For more instruction tips, contact Mark Oswald at moswald@orovalleycountryclub.com or acceleratedgolfacdademy.com.