Golf Tips - grip
Although it seems that gripping a golf club may
be the most elemental part of the golf swing,
and maybe it is, it could also be the most
important part of the swing. Gripping the
club too tight or too loose, gripping it the
wrong way or in the wrong place,
could throw off your entire swing.
Having an improper grip can greatly
detract from the power and accuracy
of the swing, and for the advanced golfer,
it can hamper the way they try to shape a shot.
There are primarily two types of grips
that a golfer should use, and neither
of them is a hand-over-hand baseball,
or axe handle, grip. The interlocking
is where the golfer slides his left index finger
between the ring and pinkie fingers
of the right hand. The overlapping grip
occurs when the golfer lays his left
index finger on top of his right pinkie
or on top of the notch between his
pinkie and ring fingers. These grips
allow the hands to hold the club steady
while cocking and rolling the wrists throughout the swing.
The grip should begin about one
finger width from the end of the club,
or more, for shorter controlled shots.
When the hands are together, the club
should lie along the callous pad line
of the hands and not in the palms.
When the hands are closed around the
club, the thumbs should be aligned
straight down the club grip.
Your forearms should form a "V" down toward the club.
Although there is no hard fast rule
as to how firmly the golfer should grip
the club, the prevailing belief is that
it should be loose, yet firm enough to
keep it from moving in your hands.
The swing will naturally cause the
hands to strengthen the grip, so try
to keep "loose grip" in your mind
throughout the swing. Because there
is no rulebook on the grip, it is just one
of those aspects of the game that the
golfer will have to experiment with,
and adjust, through repetitive practice and play.
Through practice, the grip is something
that should become second nature to
the golfer. It is not something that
should require as much thought as
other aspects of the golf swing,
but its importance should never
be forgotten. It is recommended that
a golfer always keep a club nearby,
and just practice applying
and reapplying the grip over and over.
