Free Golf Tips For Beginners - The Golf Grip
As the golf grip is so important, here are some free golf tips for beginners on the golf grip. If you are a more experienced golfer then these golf tips might help you to reassess your grip. If you have a certain swing fault such as a hook, use the description of the different grip types and positions to learn how to fix it.
The interlocking grip, the overlapping grip, and the baseball grip (or ten finger grip) are the three basic grip types. For each grip type, there are three grip angles that you can use; control, neutral, and distance. Furthermore, you can apply three different grip strengths; a weak, neutral, or strong grip. Which grip should you use? It will depend on what size of hand and fingers you have, your strength and how you want to play the ball. The most important thing is to find a grip that is comfortable and efficient.
3 Grip Styles
The ten finger grip gives you good leverage and is an alternative grip that can be tried by children or women. It produces less club head speed though, resulting in less distance. It is not a grip that I would recommend for most golfers as the overlapping or interlocking grips are far more versatile.
Considered by many professionals as the best grip to unify your hands, the overlapping grip is ideal if you have larger hands or longer fingers. With this grip, when you bring your right hand under the club, you slide it up and hook your pinkie on top of your left hand index finger or between the index and middle finger.
The interlocking grip is good for golfers who have small hands or fingers but be careful of gripping the club too much in the palm of your right hand. With this grip, the pinkie of the right hand interlocks with the index finger of the left hand.
The Three Grip Angles
For maximum wrist flexibility, use the distance grip which will create more distance and more sensitivity. To take advantage of this grip you will need more strength and skill to keep a square club head through impact. The position of the grip is across the base of the fingers of the left hand, starting from the base of the index finger to the pad at the base of the little finger.
The neutral grip is most likely the best grip angle for most golfers. This grip runs diagonally from the base of the index finger to a point below the heel pad of your palm. The neutral grip offers a good compromise between distance and control as you have the most flexibility to undertake any type of shot making.
The last grip angle you can use is the control grip which runs from the base of your index finger to the point on top of your heel pad. This grip gives you maximum control for more accuracy but results in less distance due to less flexibility in the wrists.
The Three Grip Strengths
Finally, with regards to grip strength, the first is the strong grip. When looking down at your left hand, the “V” between your thumb and forefinger point towards your right shoulder and the point between the two tendons in the wrist should be in line with the right side of the shaft. The strong grip is used to eliminate slicing and is also good for distance. Don’t use this grip if you want to fade the ball.
The neutral strength grip is what the majority of golfers use. You have more ability with this grip to fade the ball or draw the ball more easily but it requires a bit more strength to keep the clubhead square at impact. Now the “V” will be pointing towards your right ear and the point of your wrist will be in line with the center of your shaft.
The weak grip is used to straighten out a hook but you will not be able to hit a controlled draw. You need more strength to keep the clubhead square through impact. This time, you will see the point of your wrist in line with the left side of your shaft and the “V” pointing towards your chin.
Summary
Which ever grip you use, remember that the palms of your hands face each other. The grip is held in the fingers of the right hand and the palm and fingers of the left hand. Also, when gripping the club, leave a half inch of the grip protruding beyond your left hand. Your hands should fit snugly together and feel unified and you should grip the club tightly and consistently throughout the entire golf swing. I hope these free golf tips for beginners for gripping the club will help you with your golf.
Author Mick Euan Tait is a golfer, golf fan, and golf writer. Visit his website where you will find free golf tips for beginners, and sign up to receive an exclusive free report on golf swing tips.
