Once we realise that the grip is the only connection between the player and the golf club – we will also realise why it is so crucial to get this part of our game right. Essentially, we need to achieve the correct golf grip.

Placing your hands correctly on the club will give you the best possible control of the club face at impact with the ball. For the perfect grip, the club should be held in the fingers more than in the palm of the hand.

Beginning with your left hand (right handed golfers), lay the grip across your fingers` joints – running at an angle from the base joint of your little finger to the first joint of your index finger. Wrap your fingers around the grip and place your thumb to the right side of the shaft (left side for left-handers). When you look down at the back of your hand, you should see two knuckles – those of your index and middle fingers.

Place your right hand below your left hand on the shaft,(reverse for left-handers), using either the overlap or interlocking grip. Initially, as with any change you make to your swing, set-up, grip, etc. it will feel rather strange, but after some time and practice it will soon become second nature.

Another important element which, helps with the correct golf grip, is the wearing of a glove. The reason for wearing a glove is to enable us to grip the club as lightly as possible while still having control of it. The lighter we are able to grip the club, the faster we are able to swing – which in turn generates more club head speed, which equalsgreater distance.

We can also use the glove as an indicator of an incorrect grip – if you notice excessive wear in the heel or palm of your glove, then your grip may need some adjustment or fine-tuning.

By: Jim P Martin

About the Author:

One of the problems most golfers have is slicing the golf ball. It causes great frustration and some struggle for years hoping to improve this problem. There are many tips and tricks to eliminate the problem, it’s up to you to identify which areas of your game, grip or stance needs work.

Proper Grip

Start by moving your hands until they are in proper golf grip position. Take the club in your left hand and place your thumb on the shaft. If the line between your thumb and your index finger is pointing towards your right eye then it’s placed correctly. Now you have to wrap your right hand over the left hand and place your left thumb on the palm of your right hand.

Avoid gripping the golf club too tightly if you are right handed, it could cause the ball to hook towards the left. But you could cause the ball to slice towards the right if your grip is too weak; therefore you have to practice having a neutral grip when holding your golf club.

Proper Stance

Ensure that your shoulders are aligned with the ball. You are allowed to adjust stance to feel comfortable, but stance does play quite a big role when it comes to eliminating golf slice. Pay close attention to how you stand and address the ball – if you are doing everything else right but still slice the ball, you might want to practice your stance in the mirror and see if you find any areas to improve.

Tips to Avoid Golf Slice

As mentioned previously as well, the easiest to fix is your grip. Don’t tighten up when you get nervous, relax and keep the grip as neutral as you can.

If nothing you try seems to work – experiment with a stronger grip bit by bit. This won’t work for everyone and it should be something you try when nothing else seems to work for you.

During the downswing, your left hip will be leading and during the early downswing it will be your right shoulder that lowers and your right elbow should return to your side. A slice will be produced if your elbow is flying or flapping in the breeze, you must avoid this.

Proper position means your right arm will be closer to your torso than your left, your shoulders will be in line with the target line and your right shoulder will be lower than the left.

Avoid turning your hips too much, limit the movement. If you have too much movement the club will go too far inside and loop over the top.

Move into your forward swing with a leg thrust to the left.

By: Mike A Murray

About the Author:

Any golfer who wants the best performance out of the golf tournament must learn the golf grip tips. Talk of Tiger Woods, Nancy Lopez, Ben Hogan and the rest known world golf pros, none of them entered the list of the best golfers without having worked on their grips. It should be known that the only point of contact between a golfer and the club is the grip. A bad golf grip may not enable a golfer make good golf swing and this is why every golfer-beginners and pros need to make good use of the grip tips to help them improve their scores.

But what are the perfect golf grips that can make a golfer improve his or her performances? To get the best grip, it is advisable that the practicing golfer will always work on every method learnt from the golf grip tips. First and importantly, to get the best golf grip, ensure that the golf club is held with your right hand. Your left hand should naturally hang from your shoulder and your hand maintained down on the side of the golf grip. While doing these, the left hand should slightly turn inwards towards the golfer body.

Secondly, the left hand should be brought forward from its hanging position and placed against the golf club grip. While doing these, the shaft should shaft of the club should run from thicker pad of the palm and proceed diagonally downwards. It is recommended that it should run about 6mm from the base of the index finger to the middle joint of the index finger.

The fourth golf grip tips require that the left hand fingers form the best golf club grip. A golfer should not grip the golf club tightly to ensure that no excess pressure is applied on the grip. The golf club grip should not be like a person squeezing out something out of the club. The thumb should be placed on top of the golf grip towards the center as the golfer look down. The left thumb should not be pushed far towards the bottom of the club grip. The feeling of a solid grasp on the club will prevent the thumb from supporting the club during backswing.

Lastly and profoundly, bring the right hand in case of the right-handed golfers from its normal position and place the club into the fingers. The right thumb and the index should form a sort of prompt around the club. Let the little finger be rested on the groove formed by the first and the second fingers of the left hand. With these golf grip tips, you can be assured of the best performance like Nick Faldo.

By: T Dugan

About the Author:

Many of my students overlook the most important ingredient to a good golf swing – grip pressure. This aspect of your golf technique is far from a science and each individual will need to experiment to find the right amount of pressure to apply. In this article I will give you a no-fuss-no-frills methodology that has help countless of my students to nail the perfect pressure in one session on the driving range.

Focusing on your grip is a no brainer. Your hands are the only points of contact between your body and the golf club. This means that all the momentum and torque your body generates has to be efficiently and precisely transferred through your hands into the club for it all to result into a good golf swing.

There is only 1 rule you need to bear in mind:

The TIGHTER you grip the golf club, the SLOWER and LESS FLUID your swing will be.

Points Of Contact

The question I get all the time about grip and grip pressure is ” Which fingers should I apply the pressure with?”. Firstly, pressure should only be applied in the FINGER TIPS, not the entire finger.

FORGET all the confusing mumbo jumbo about using “these fingers” for the left hand and “those fingers” for the right hand. For both hands, the pressure points are the thumb, index finger and pinky. The thumb and index fingers pinch the club, while the pinky is stabilises the grip.

The Practice Drill

Grip the club, applying pressure with the thumb, index finger and pinky. Start with your tightest grip you can. Now, gradually go from a scale 1 to 6. Grip pressure 1 will be your “death grip” and number 5 will be the lightest pressure you need to apply to prevent the club from flying out of your hands. Hit a few balls with the six different pressures. Majority of my students found number 3 and 4 to be their ideal grip.

Generally, as you vary your grip pressure from tightest to lightest, you’ll see the flight pattern change from a slice to a hook. In other words, the tighter a right hander grips the club, the tendency is to curve the ball from left to right. As you ease up on the pressure, you should see the fight path straightening out and at the lightest, the ball will curve in the opposite direction. If all this seems a tad bit complicated, it isn’t!

By: Auroleus Fadzleigh

About the Author:

A proper golf swing starts with the correct grip. While gripping
the club properly seems simple enough, an improper grip is quite
common.

And without the proper grip, even though the rest of your
golf swing may be solid, your shots and consistency will suffer.
So how do you make sure your grip is correct?

Everything starts with the grip, and the grip starts with proper
placement of the left hand on the club. The left hand is the
first point of contact between you the golfer and the club.

The
correct grip with the left hand is what allows the proper hinge
of the wrists that positions the club to swing freely through
the ball.

A big problem for a lot of golfers is that the grip can look
right from the outside, when the hand is on the club. But you need
to take a closer look and see what’s underneath.

Many golfers have the shaft of the club running high on the palm of
the left hand. This inhibits your wrist hinge, which can cause you
both distance on your golf shots, as well as accuracy.

The shaft of the club should run diagonally across your hand from
the base of your little finger to the middle of your index finger.

While this is still primarily a palm grip, you’ll feel the grip
a lot more in your fingers than when the club was running higher
up on your palm.

This adjustment in your golf grip will allow you more flexibility
in your left wrist, allowing for a greater range of motion in your
hinge that is necessary to generate clubhead speed through the impact
of the ball.

If you’re looking to improve your golf swing, start by taking a look
at how your gripping the club with your left hand. A proper golf swing
starts with your grip.

By: Tim Hathaway

About the Author:

Correcting a golf slice is the fastest way to shave strokes off of your golf game. Slicing a golf ball is one of the most common errors that an average player makes.

Some golfers remain frustrated for years because they never find out why they are slicing a golf ball. But if you are ever going to become a good golfer, correcting a golf slice is a must. These simple tips will show you how to cure golf slices just by practicing some basic golf swing tips and instructions.

Proper Golf Stance

A proper golf stance should be about as wide as your shoulders. Make sure your shoulders are aligned at your target. Point your right foot straight ahead and point your left foot slightly to the left. Keep your elbows as natural as possible to maintain a proper golf stance.

Even minor adjustments to your stance can make major changes in where your golf ball will end up. Practice the proper golf stance at the driving range and make small adjustments until you get the results you are looking for.

Proper Golf Club Grip

Another common way of correcting a golf slice is adjusting your hands for a proper golf club grip. Grip the golf club with your left hand and put your thumb along the shaft.

The line between your thumb and index finger should be pointing toward your right eye. Wrap your right hand over your left and rest your left thumb into your right palm.

A common mistake most right handed golfers make is gripping the club too tight with the right hand causing the ball to hook towards the left. But the opposite is true with a slice. A weak grip creates an open club face causing your ball to slice to the right.

The best way of correcting a golf slice caused by your grip is roll your hands back so that your non dominant back hand faces the target and your dominant back hand faces the opposite direction.

Practice the proper golf club grip at the driving range to determine if this is what’s causing you to slice the ball. Take your time and make small adjustments to your grip. Even though a proper golf club grip seems simple, it is one of the most common ways of correcting a golf slice.

Correct Golf Swing Mechanics

Correct golf swing mechanics is another cure for correcting a golf slice. A proper golf backswing starts with your hands, is immediately followed by your arms and shoulders all in one smooth motion.

A proper golf downswing begins with your hips, keeping your eyes on the ball and your head behind the ball as you follow through. Once you practice the correct golf swing mechanics, you’ll be amazed at how quick you will lower your golf score.

Becoming a good golfer is a matter of practicing and playing on a regular basis while developing good habits. Small changes can often make a big difference in your score. Once you practice correcting a golf slice you’ll soon be hearing, “great shot!”

Copyright 2005 1 Stop Shopping Online.com. All Rights Reserved.

By: Gary Gresham

About the Author:

A good golf swing starts off with the correct golf grip. There is however no such thing as one correct golf grip. This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on The Correct Golf Grip.

There are basically three different ways to grip a golf club and each is dependent upon personal preference.

The first and most common grip is the overlap grip – also known as the Vardon grip – where the small finger of your non-target hand rests in the slot between your index and middle finger of your target (left for right handed golfers) hand. A slight variation of this is to let it rest on the index finger itself. Regardless of which method you prefer be sure to have the middle fingers of your non-target hand resting closely against the index finger of your target hand.

This grip is popular amongst players with large hands as it is the most comfortable grip for big fingers.

The second most common grip is the interlocking grip. This grip is preferred by many golfers as it offers a secure feeling of control over the club. The grip is formed by interlocking your left hand’s index finger and non-target hand small finger. Once you’ve positioned your left hand on the club (see Part 1 of The Correct Golf Grip), add your non-target (right) hand and make sure that the palm faces the target. Now interlock the fingers and fold your thumb over your target hand. Do not interlock your fingers before you’ve established the position of your non-target hand.

Nor should you jam your fingers together as this often forces the non-target hand into a position excessively to the non-target side of neutral, too much under the grip. This may feel more powerful, for the club is held more in the non-target palm, it has instead a marked effect on clubface control, and commonly results in a hooked shot.

The interlocking grip is recommended for women and anyone with small hands.

The Ten Finger grip is the last of our three grips. There is no linkage between the two hands on the club. Highly recommended for juniors and less powerful players. If you want to maximize club head speed and can handle the possibility of less accurate shots try this grip.

Having positioned your left hand correctly on the club, put the three upper fingers of your non-target hand against the index finger of your left hand and fold the rest of your non-target hand over, ensuring that you conceal your left thumb. This style of grip works particularly well for golfers who slice the ball as it promotes more hand action.

At this stage of the 3 part series of The Correct Golf Grip you should know how to place your hands on the club and which type of grip you are more comfortable with. In the third and final part we will cover the four P’s - Placement, Position, Pressure and Precision.

I hope that part 2 of The Correct Golf Grip has further helped you with your game and look forward to seeing you in part 3.

By: Lawrence Bredenkamp

About the Author:

The grip is the foundation of your golf swing and developing the right grip is critical to your success in hitting the ball farther and straighter. There are many different and difficult grips out there that you can use. Here are few common grip types.

With the interlocking grip, the index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand combine and interlock. It is commonly used by those that have thick hands, or shorter hands. This grip is usually the best option for most people and will allow you to create proper leverage for maximum power.

The overlapping grip involves having the little finger of the right hand sit on top of the index finger of the left hand. This grip is used by most male golfers because it does require strong wrists and forearms.

With baseball grip the index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand do not overlap but do make contact with each other. This is usually the default grip for most beginners or golfers with weaker arm and wrist strength. You probably do not want to keep using this grip as the interlocking or overlapping will work better in most cases.

The natural grip is a very easy and basic method to learn and use throughout a beginner’s career. Through a few different techniques, this swing is a preferred choice for most and has many advantages. You hold this naturally in the basic grip-or natural hold.

By: William A Mitchell

About the Author:

One golf grip tip is to not grip the club too tight. By gripping the club too tight, you reduce your wrist action involved with the swing. This is important because your wrist action is a power source and allowing your wrist to rest comfortably will allow you to get the most of your power.

A tip to get the most of your wrist power is to place the club in your fingers rather than your palm. The fingers are the most sensitive part of the hands, and placing the club in the fingers will help increase the amount of wrist hinge.

Another way gripping the club too tightly can affect your shot is through the control you will have on your shot. By tightening up your grip, generally the muscles all the way up your arms and into your shoulders tighten up as well. By overworking these muscles and being tense, you won’t get the proper swinging motion that is necessary for an accurate shot.

There are a number of ways you can grip your golf club, but in particular there are three that are most common. The first is The Vardon Overlap, which is also referred to as the Overlapping Grip. This is by far the most popular and common grip among all types. To get a feel for this grip, you start by placing your hands on the handle with your little finger on the trailing hand placed between the index and middle finger on the lead hand. The lead hand thumb should fit in the lifeline of the trailing hand. For right-handed golfers, the lead hand is the left.

The next common grip among the three is the interlocking grip. The name of this grip says it all as you literally lock your hands together. You will take your little finger on the trailing hand and intertwine it with the index finger on the lead hand. The lead hand thumb should fit in the lifeline of the trailing hand. Many people with smaller hands and weak forearms and wrists tend to prefer this style.

The last grip style is the ten finger grip, which is sometimes referred to as the baseball grip. This is a rather simple grip, which is why it is often taught to beginners. All you do for this grip is place a perfect lead hand grip, and then place the little finger of the trailing hand close against the index finger of the lead hand. You will lastly cover your lead hand thumb with the lifeline of the trailing hand.

Although these are the three most common ways to grip a club, the best way to find what works for you is by going off of what is most comfortable. The more comfortable you are the better wrist action and power you will get from your swing.

By: Josh Spaulding

About the Author:

There are several ways that a player can link their hands together on the club. Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus favor the interlocking grip, but most other top players use the Vardon or overlapping grip, and many coaches recommend that juniors start off using the baseball grip.

The decision is really one of the personal choice, so try out all the main types of grip before settling on the method that you find most comfortable.

Three steps to a correct grip

1. Allow the grip of the club to run along the base of the fingers on your left hand. The index finger is used to form a slight trigger.

2. When you have closed your left hand round the club your left thumb should be pointing straight down at the ground, slightly to the right of center on the grip. You should be able to see two or three knuckles of the left hand. As you position your right hand on the club, the grip of the club is again at the base of the fingers.

3. The grip is completed when you close your right hand on the club, so that the lifeline of the right palm rests on top of the left thumb, covering it completely. If the grip is made correctly, you should be able to see two knuckles on the right hand.

Grip Options

Neutral Grip – A neutral grip, where neither left nor right hand dominated, gives the player the best possible chance of returning the clubface squarely to the target line at the point of impact.

Strong grip – If you can see more than three knuckles on the left hand and fewer than two on your right, the grip is too strong. You will be likely to hook or top many shots.

Weak grip – If you can see fewer than two knuckles on the left hand and more than two on your right, the grip is too weak. You will be likely to slice or block shots out to the right.

By: Paul Kramer

About the Author: