Multiple curses have befallen golf players who lack a sense of strength in their grip. If you are someone who battles with swings over-the-top swings or slicing the ball, then read on.In this “how to” guide, we look at everything you need to know about playing with a strong grip.
Defining a Strong Grip
A strong grip can be identified by the ‘V’ shapes your thumbs and hands make when they are pointing somewhere to the right side of your head.
When you apply a strong grip you will avoid swings that are over-the-top and slicing the ball.
A strong grip lets you get a more in-to-out swing as well as giving way for a closed club face through impact. If you want to hit shots that spin from right to left, using a strong grip will be best.
- Who Should Use a Strong Grip?
Using a strong grip will appeal mostly to golfers who are ready to a whole lot of practice on the fairway and at the gym. Remember that a strong grip is intended to be used with an equally strong body action. The strength you use in your grip, needs to go hand-in-hand with the rest of your upper body muscles as you twist to create the best swinging speed.
In case you are a golfer who prefers to use their arms and hands then you shouldn’t grip the club with much strength. Focus more on a natural flowing swing using your arms and hands.
- Strong Grip Vs Tight Grip
You might not be sure but yes, there is a big difference between a strong grip and one that is simply too tight. Using a tight grip only means that you are applying pressure on how you grip the club. You should never want to have an overbearing amount of pressure in your golf swing.
The more pressure you put into your grip, the harder it will be to get through a golf ball and release your shots.
Having a strong grip means the way your hands are placed on the golf club. When your left hand is turned further away from the target, you are holding the club with a strong grip. Golf grips can either be strong, weak, or neutral.
- The Pros and Cons of A strong Golf Grip
A strong grip has quite a few benefits such as
- A consistent right to left ball flight,
- Ability to hit lower shots,
- Improved touch and distance control with wedges.
However, there are quite a few negative sides to a strong golf grip. They include:
- Early severe snap hooks
- Weak rotary motion of your arms through impact.
On the other hand , many will tend to argue that this is the best way to learn the grip. A strong grip keeps the club face very square through impact.If you feel like you want a stronger grip in your golf swing, with the aim of landing more consistent shots, take a look at the following tips.
Grip with Your Fingers
There seems to be a tendency amongst new golfers to grip the club more with the palm of their hands instead of their fingers. When you grip your club with your palms you run the risk of losing adaptability in your wrist. This can prevent you from getting the club into a good position when you do your backswing.
Have you ever tried gripping a hammer with your fingers when you need to hit a nail? You will actually be surprised with how much accuracy and strength you will be able to hit the nail using just your fingers.
If you want to move from having a fair to strong grip there is a simple technique you can practice. The very first thing you need to do is hold the club’s grip with your left hand.
Hold it with your right hand, if you are a left handed golfer. Next, run the grip on a little slant along the base of your fingers. Now fold your fingers over the grip and then put your thumb on top.
A good way of determining if you have a good grip with your lead hand is to start by standing straight keeping your arms at your side.
Pick the club up and when you are able to get the club symmetrical to the ground, you have plenty of range of motion in your wrist.
What you need to do next is to use your right hand, left if you’re a left handed golfer, and just check that the grip of the club moves in line with the base of your fingers.
Now fold your hand over up to the point where your right thumb completely crosses over your left thumb. Doing this will let you become aware that your hands are properly adjusted and unified on the club.
- Three Knuckles Equals Stronger Grip
If you followed the steps in our first tip and you only see one or two knuckles, then it’s quite likely that you have gripped the club in your palm. Needless to say this is an indication of having a weaker grip.
For all intents and purposes, it would be preferable that you can see three knuckles on your lead hand when you look straight down.
By lead hand we mean the hand you place highest on the club. In case you are able to see four knuckles, that’s a big mistake and indication that you are holding the club a bit too strong.
Matching Lines Facing Your Right Shoulder
One more way of checking that you are using a strong grip, is to tell whether lines shaped in the middle of your thumbs and index finger are aligned.
You can control this by getting into your setup and make certain that your hands are working together.
The lines between your thumb and index finger should be adjacent to each other. This will make it easier for your hands to work together throughout your swing.
Following this, the lines should be directed at your right shoulder, or your left shoulder if you are a left handed player. Lines pointing at your chin, is an indication that grip is weak. Watch out for lines that are facing in two opposite directions. This is definitely a strong indication that either one of your hands is not on the club as it should be.
Shaft Tilting Towards the Target
Our last tip for checking that you hold the club with a strong grip, is by letting the shaft of your golf club tilt slightly towards the target.
Players who have a strong grip fall in the habit of holding the club behind the ball at setup. If you don’t hold the club strong enough, you may risk some unwanted shots like slicing too thin, hooks or hitting too high.
Conclusion
Having a strong golf grip might not be the right fit for all golfers. The amount of grip you place is the only connection you have with the golf club. It would be best for you to make grip changes while practicing on the golf course. As expected, your initial few swings could feel very awkward. Nevertheless, find a grip that is suitable for your own unique swinging abilities.
