A lot of golfers sometimes look for big changes to their swings and try out new modern methods for changing their golf swing. However, 90% of the golfers who come in for a golf lesson have a bad golf grip. As a result, of holding the club incorrectly this leads to many other compensations and issues in the golf swing. In this article, we cover the difference between a strong and weak left hand grip. The fundamentals of how to hold a golf club correctly and the importance of being able to hold the golf club correctly.
Table of contents:
What is the difference between a strong or weak golf grip
A strong or weak golf grip can have significant effects on your desired ball flight. There are a few essential characteristics that determine the grip strength. The left hand golf grip is extremely important. In contrast, the right hand purely modifies the strength of the left hand grip. Firstly, how far in the base of the fingers are you holding the club? The further the grip is to the base of the fingers the weaker the golf grip. Secondly, the pressure point that is created between the thumb and forefinger creates a V. As you can see in the images below, when the V points outside of the shoulders this is determined as a strong golf grip. However, when the V points straight up the sternum this would be considered a weak golf grip.
Is this a true fundamental?
When we analyse PGA tour golf professionals we see different players with a variety or strong or weak golf grips. As a consequence, how can a strong or weak golf grip be a fundamental? There so many different variations of grips and club face positions. However, the way the PGA tour players hold the club in their hands is a fundamental. As a result, Tee Box professionals only change golfers grips based upon their swing patterns and ball flight.
The fundamentals of how to grip a golf club correctly
As mentioned previously, Tee Box professionals don’t consider the strength of the golf grip as a fundamental. A Tee Box swing fundamental to a good golf grip is more to do with the positioning of the left hand on the golf club. Therefore, this is much more to do with the placement of the fingers and the hand on the club to hold the golf club correctly.
Fundamental 1)
Firstly, it is important to note that the club does not sit diagonally in the fingers. The club rests much more perpendicular to the fingers. As mentioned earlier, grip strength is not considered a fundamental as grip strength varies between different players. However, the angle the club is resting in the fingers is important. Looking at the image below, the strength of the grip should be determined by how close the grip is to the base of the fingers. You can see that in the image the grip is at the base of fingers representing a neutral grip. If the grip was to appear further towards the tips of the fingers, this would be considered a strong grip.
Fundamental 2)
Secondly, there are two very basic anatomical positions of the hand. The heel pad and the thump pad. The heel pad is the fleshy pad of the palm directly below the pinky finger. In contrast the thumb pad is the fleshy pad that is directly below the thumb. How a golf club is held under these two different pads can create very different looking golf swings. When you hold a golf club with the thumb pad on top some of the common issues are; compromised wrist positions, low clubhead speed, poor attack angle, open clubface and slicing the golf ball.
The Key to a good golf grip
This image shows a heel pad golf grip. You can see the grip is much more in the fingers and the lifeline of the hand is much further away from the golf grip. As a result the heel pad of the hand sits on top of the golf club. This is the fleshy pad that runs directly inline with the pinky finger.
This image shows thumb pad golf grip. This is where the fleshy pad that runs down directly in line with the thumb is resting on top of the golf club. Holding the club out in this position with the three back fingers off the club will feel very heavy.
The importance of hand positioning on the golf grip
Summary
As you can see by this article, in order to hold a golf club correctly you need to position the club correctly in your left hand. As a result, you will be able to get into better positions in the golf swing and learn more advanced techniques. Before you can learn how to use the wrists properly in your golf swing, it is vital that you have achieved this golf swing fundamental first.
Are you looking to change your golf grip or undecided what golf grip would best suit your game? Please click here to visit our free golf swing evaluation page and seek the advice from our Tee Box golf professionals
BETTER GOLF, STARTS WITH A BETTER SWING
Book a FREE 50-minute golf swing evaluation at Tee Box London today. Your golf improvement must start with a plan, a plan you receive from your golf swing evaluation
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