Many times, the golf grip and especially the pressure are overlooked when giving golf lessons. Everyone holds the golf club a little differently. However, there are 3 main grips that are generally discussed by PGA Teaching Professionals. The first is the simple baseball grip, where all the fingers touch the handle. The second is the over-lap grip where the small finger of your hand overlaps the forefinger of your other hands. The third is the inter-lock grip where your small finger interlocks with the forefinger. Nearly all PGA Teaching Professionals will suggest using either an over-lap or an inter-lock. Either way, all grips can work if it’s developed properly and the pressure is constant and precise.
Now that we’ve touched on the different ways to grip the club, let’s discuss the pressure of the fingers on the handle. This is highly overlooked when talking about how the hands hold the grip. I like to tell golfers that ideally only 5 fingers really hold the golf club. Let’s start by focusing on the left hand for the right handed golfer. If you are left handed, please just reverse what I’m about to say.
When you put your left hand on the club first, hold the grip with your three rear fingers. Let the forefinger and the thumb remain loose and relaxed. Don’t choke the club; just hold it firmly for control. Waggle the club back and forth. You’ll know if it’s too tight and the club will fall out of your hand if it’s too loose. You should do this for both the inter-lock and over-lap. If you choose to inter-lock, take the small finger of your right hand and dangle it around the forefinger of your left hand. Now apply pressure with the two middle fingers (try to keep the pressure the same as the 3 fingers of the left hand) and allow the right forefinger and thumb to remain relaxed. You now have your pressure with only five fingers. If you choose to over lap, keep the pressure on the fingers the same as just mentioned, but overlap the small finger of the right hand on top of the forefinger of the left. You’ll have to be sure you don’t apply any immediate downward pressure with the small finger of your right hand or the left forefinger. Stay relaxed, patient and calm and work on developing a better grip with secure and stable grip pressure. You’ll find that if you can make the same good grip with consistent pressure, you’ll give your swing a better chance of repeating itself.
Please accept my information and don’t be afraid to ask any qualified PGA Teaching Professional for more information. Each PGA Professional may have there own way of explaining grip or finger pressure. Also, a golf grip is like a finger print. No two are exactly the same. In the end, it’s the golfers’ responsibility to allow the hands and fingers to form to the grip of the club. The golfer must feel comfortable and confident, while at the same time keeping the club face square throughout the swing.
Regards,
Greg Greksa
PGA Professional
Director of Instruction
G&B Golf
Cleveland / Srixon Staff
