- So, how to grip the golf club,
pretty darn important, really,
we're talking about a full swing here.
I'll show you not only some things
about how to grip the club,
but some pitfalls people get into
in their routine of when they take the grip.
Some of the things I would suggest you try to do,
and some of the things you want to avoid.
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(rhythmic strings music)
Okay, so we're gonna look at the lead hand,
left hand for the right handed golfer in this video,
that's the one we're gonna focus on.
I'm gonna show you how you can get a natural grip,
one that's natural for you, and easy to repeat.
Now, let's just say, there is no one right grip,
you've had Lee Trevino, David Duval,
lots of other players, Paul Azinger,
with very, what we call strong grips here,
but they were able, with their swing style
to square the club, hit the ball with power.
And of course, you have on the other side, very weak grips
on this side,
maybe Johnny Miller, Ben Hogan'd be classic examples.
Equally great players, of course.
And they were able to get the job done with that.
But I think, if you can get a grip that's natural for you,
one that fits your body, and that you can repeat,
you're gonna find it's a lot easier to play with.
It's a lot easier to stay with when it's natural to you.
And I just think it's easier for the average golfer
to learn how to do that.
The two things the grip has to allow you to do, really,
mobility, has to allow you to cock your wrist pretty freely,
if you're gonna create speed.
And of course, it has to allow you
to square the club face up.
It's not the only factor in squaring the club face,
but it's pretty darn important.
So, let's have a look at three things you can do
to kinda find this natural grip, and pitfalls as follows.
Let's look at number one with a close up.
Okay, first on my little list,
these are mistakes I see so many people make.
Number one, when you take your grip, don't try to look down
inside your hand, and so we get a look at what you're doing.
Invariably, you'll put your hand in an unnatural
and poor position.
I recommend gripping it more at the side of your body.
You can't see my face, I'm just looking out there.
And just let the club settle in there.
Just let it find its spot, without looking inside it.
Number two, very similar to this, when you take the club,
or you let the club come towards you, don't grab for it.
Don't elongate and stretch your hand.
I cannot tell you in golf lessons over the years,
how many times, literally, tens of thousands of times
I've tried to get someone to calm down,
not look at their hand,
sort of hand them the golf club,
and every time I do, they're grabbing
and they're elongating their hand.
It creates a lot of tension, and most importantly,
it's hard to get the club under this pad,
which is what you need.
You look at my hand at rest here,
that's a natural contour, your fingers naturally curl up.
It is a perfect spot to just feel that club go in there.
Do not stretch the thumb and the hand.
So, just get it at the side, relax your hand,
don't look at it, and just take it in a relaxed way,
that doesn't change the anatomy of your hand.
So easy to get the correct grip, if you'll just relax
and let it fall in there.
Okay, the next one for me,
we've shown you how not to look at your grip,
not to straighten your hand out,
but when you take your grip,
and I recommend taking it over here at your side,
it's a very easy way to take it,
create the proper angle between the shaft and your left arm,
and you're gonna find that really helps.
A lot of golfers have their arm too high,
there's almost a straight line
between the shaft and their arm.
Almost always, that will make your grip weaker.
Conversely, if you get too much of a right angle in there
and you get your hands low,
almost always, it's gonna make your grip stronger.
So, what we're looking for is a straight down hang
of the arms, from good posture, that's how they should hang,
straight down.
And obviously the design
of the golf club sets the other angle.
Now golf clubs, remember, at address, are built to rest
just a little tiny bit on the heel,
the toe will be slightly in the air.
But if you can, when you take your grip,
that your arm's hanging vertically,
get the shaft at the correct angle,
and set this angle in there at address,
it is really, really gonna help you find
that consistent, neutral grip you want.
Okay, so here's my final one
for how to get a natural position,
and this involves the setting of the arm,
how your arm and wrist hang at address.
Obviously, this is stronger, this is weaker.
But, different people, they're just made differently.
Some people's arms, are more like this.
Some people's more like that.
So Fred Schumacher, you've heard me mention him before
wrote a wonderful book called Extraordinary Golf.
He showed a group of us this once,
and it really, really was helpful.
And the idea, you need a partner for this drill,
but it's take your grip
as you think your arm should set most naturally,
totally relax it, without letting go of the club,
and have your partner stand at that end of the club,
and kinda pull it straight,
like he's pulling it away from you, if you like.
And you'll find, when that happens,
if your grip is too much over here for your natural anatomy,
when your partner pulls the club, it'll go left,
or it'll go closed.
And conversely, if it's weak, it'll tend to straighten up.
In other words, when they put pressure on your arm,
it'll tend to find that alignment that's natural for you,
and obviously, if you do it properly,
it should be no problem,
as they pull the arm straight,
the face'll tend to stay nice and square.
Now, why's that important?
Because in a really good golf swing,
if it's working properly, as you get down to impact,
the thrust of the golf club down and away from you
tends to pull your arms longer and straighter.
And you want something that is natural for you
to square the club up.
So give that a try next time you have an opportunity.
And I think it's an important component
in getting a really good, natural grip.
So I hope that helps you with how to grip the golf club.
Work on that routine,
this is something you can work on at home,
and get good and comfortable with.
Hope it helps you with your golf.
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if you like the video,
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Hope you'll check that out.