Instructions for Achieving the Ideal Golf Grip
In the world of golf, achieving the perfect grip can make a significant difference in your game. Alex Elliott, a Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach, provides a visual demonstration of the ideal grip on his Instagram and YouTube channels. Here's a breakdown of the neutral golf grip, a technique beneficial for golfers of all levels.
To establish a neutral grip with your left hand (lead hand for right-handed golfers), start with an open hand. Let the club handle run from the middle joint of your index finger through to the fleshy pad at the bottom of your hand. Wrap your fingers around the grip, and roll your thumb into place. Ideally, you should see between two and three knuckles on your lead hand as you look at your grip from above.
Your right hand (trailing hand for right-handed golfers) should be placed with fingers on the underside of the grip and wrapped over so that the left thumb is beneath the palm of your right hand. The 'V's' formed by your thumb and forefinger on both hands should point near the chest. This grip is balanced—not too strong (rotated too far right) or too weak (rotated too far left)—and allows for a natural clubface position at impact.
A neutral grip offers several advantages. It promotes a square clubface at impact for straighter ball flight, consistent strike, and better shot control. Because the neutral grip is neither promoting a closed or open clubface, it encourages a straighter ball flight and more consistent strikes. It also allows for better feel and control of the clubface position throughout the swing.
Grip pressure should be firm but light, with the club primarily in your fingers, not your palms. Scottie Scheffler's tip suggests adjusting hand placement slightly on the club to balance your ability to open and close the face equally, defining your neutral grip in terms of muscle feel and clubface control.
Experimentation with slight variations around the neutral position is recommended to find what fits your swing and correct specific ball flight problems like slicing or hooking. However, it's essential to grip the club in your fingers, not your palms.
Notable golfers like Tiger Woods use variations of the neutral grip, such as the interlock grip. The overlap grip, where the little finger on the right hand is between the index and second fingers on the left hand, is another popular choice. The baseball grip, where the fingers underneath the club are completely separated, is less common but can work for some golfers.
Matching a release style with your grip can help you feel more in control of your swing and understand where the golf ball will travel off the face. A strong grip favors a roll release, where the club face moves back a bit open and then rolls through impact. On the other hand, a weak grip favors a release where there is more flexion in the lead wrist, preventing the toe of the club head from rotating as much as the roll release through impact.
In summary, mastering the neutral golf grip can significantly improve your ball flight and strike. The lead hand should have the club handle diagonally across the fingers with about two knuckles visible, and the thumb down the shaft. The trailing hand should cover the lead thumb, and both 'V's' formed by the thumb and forefinger should point near the chest. Grip pressure should be firm but light, with the club primarily in your fingers, not your palms. This grip is balanced and allows for a natural clubface position at impact, promoting straighter ball flight, consistent strike, and better shot control.
A proper golf swing can be enhanced by mastering the neutral golf grip, a technique beneficial for golfers at all levels, as it promotes a square clubface at impact for straighter ball flight, better shot control, and a consistent strike. This technique involves starting with an open hand when establishing a neutral grip with your left hand, and seeing two to three knuckles on your lead hand as you look at your grip from above.
For a balanced grip, your right hand should be placed with fingers on the underside of the grip and wrapped over so that the left thumb is beneath the palm of your right hand, with the 'V's' formed by your thumb and forefinger on both hands pointing near the chest. Adjusting hand placement slightly and experimenting with slight variations around the neutral position can help correct specific ball flight problems such as slicing or hooking.
