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How to Grip the Golf Club like Tiger Woods.

First we need to establish some reference points on your hands so that you can easily place your hands in the correct position for each grip style that will be described. Although this article will give instruction as if you’re a right handed golfer, if you are a Lefty, then use the instruction in the same manner just reversing the hands (Right instead of Left etc.) An easy way to apply this golf grip exercise will be for you to use a marker to draw reference points on your hands and/or a golf glove(s).

Grip Reference Points

The reference points listed below have abbreviated identifiers marked in parenthesis that will be used to identify them throughout the remainder of this golf instruction guide.

Left Hand Marks

“(AS)” Anatomical Snuffbox – If you hold your hand in front of you with your fingers pointing away from you and your palm facing down, the “Snuffbox” (Actual Anatomical Name) is located on the right side of your wrist at the “base” where the wrist hinges. Continue pointing your fingers away from you and turn your hand counter clockwise pointing your thumb straight up. Flex your wrist so that your hand moves up and down vertically. While doing that, place the tip of the index finger of your Right hand on the “top” of your Left wrist. While your Left hand is flexed vertically upward, you will be able to feel two tendons on top of your Left wrist. In between those two tendons it feels like there is a “pocket. That “pocket” is your “Snuffbox.” Draw a small inch “X” on top of the “pocket.” “(BK)” Dots on your Big Knuckles – Make a fist with your Left hand putting the big knuckles that are located at the base of your fingers on “top” of your fist, palm facing down, and draw a inch size dot on the “top” of each of your first 3 knuckles. “(BIF)” Dot at the base of Index Finger – Looking at your palm, draw a inch dot at the base of your index finger in the center of the finger on top of the crease or fold in the skin. “(D)” D on the Callas Pad at the base of your pinky – With your palm facing you, draw a letter “D” (Short for Distance) atop the Callas at the base of your Pinky finger. “(N)” N on the Right side of your palm – With your palm facing you and your fingers pointing straight up, visualize a horizontal line in the middle of your palm. Now draw a letter “N” (short for Neutral) on the right side of your palm on the horizontal line you just visualized. The “N” will be located just below the “D” that you just marked. “(C)” C on the Heel Pad – With your palm facing you and your fingers pointing straight up, visualize a vertical line running through the “D” and “N” that you just marked. Draw a letter “C” (Short for Control) on top of the Heel Pad. The letter C should be about 1-1.5 inches below the N that you marked. “(TRS)” Line on the top right side of thumb – Point your thumb away from you with the thumbnail on top. Visualize the top center of your thumb, splitting your thumbnail in two equal halves. Focusing on the “right half”, now visualize the center of that half and mark it down the center by drawing a line from the first to second knuckles. This is the top-right side of your thumb. “(LV)” V between thumb and forefinger – With your palm facing away from you and your fingers pointing up, hold your thumb against your index finger. A “V” is formed between the top of your thumb and index finger.Right Hand Marks

“(BP)” Dot at the base of your Pinky – Looking at your palm, draw a inch dot at the base of your pinky finger in the center of the finger on top of the crease or fold in the skin. “(MIF)” Dot on the middle knuckle of the index finger – Looking at your palm, draw a inch dot in the middle of your index finger over the middle (2nd) knuckle where the crease is in the skin. “(LL)” The Lifeline – With your palm facing you and your fingers pointing up, mark the lifeline in the palm of your hand. It’s the line at the base of your thumb pad that runs from the bottom of your palm up and in-between your thumb and forefinger toward the top right side of your palm. “(RV)” V between thumb and forefinger – With your palm facing away from you and your fingers pointing upward, hold your thumb against your index finger. A “V” is formed between the top of your thumb and index finger. “?” and “(RV)” support the golf club – Hold your hand in front of you with your fingers pointing straight up, the palm facing left and your thumb facing you. Fold all 4 fingers over at the second knuckle. Tilt your index finger to the right so that it leans backward and notice that your index finger should now look like a question mark (?). Your question mark (?) shaped index finger and the “V” shape between your thumb and index finger (RV) are what supports the golf club at the top of your golf swing.A Few Rules

The palms on both hands “Always” face each other – The correct placement of your Right hand on the grip is determined after first placing the Left hand on the grip to ensure the correct positional relationship between both hands. If you hold your hands out in front of you with your fingers outstretched and your thumbs pointing up and press your hands together with the palms facing each other and then rotate your hands clockwise, and counterclockwise, that “relationship” between both hands maximizes your wrists ability to “cock” and “un-cock” during the golf swing and maximize the potential for club head speed. No matter whether your Left hand uses a strong grip or weak golf grip, your Right hand always mirrors what your Left hand is doing so that the palms face each other. One alternative to this rule is taught by some instructors. I’ve seen this grip style called a butterfly grip. Place your palms together in front of you. Leave your thumbs together and separate your hands at the bottom until your hands form a right angle or a 90 degree angle.Whilemaintaining the angle of yourhandsplace the lifeline of your right hand on top of your left thumb. Use this relationship when you place the right hand in “Step Two: The Right Hand Grip” later in this article. Each hand’s thumb and forefinger are “Always” held together creating a “V” as mentioned previously in the “Grip Reference Points” section. The Right hand “Always” uses a finger grip with the golf shaft lying across the fingers always at the same angle.Left Hand Grip Variables

Three Grip Angles

The Grip angle is the angle at which the golf shaft runs across the palm and/or fingers of your left hand.

The “Distance” Grip. – This is the one that Tiger Woods uses. Tiger says it gives him the best combination of sensitivity and control.

Advantages

Maximizes wrists ability to “cock” and “un-cock” for maximum club head speed. Good for distance and sensitivity.Disadvantages

Requires more strength and skill to square the club face at impact.A distance grip is achieved by gripping the golf shaft in the hand at an angle that runs from the base of the index finger (BIF) across the base of the fingers to the top of the callus that is located at the base of the pinky finger (D). After wrapping the fingers around the club, most of the gripping strength will be felt in the fingers with “some” pressure on the bottom of your heel pad. The thumb is placed against the index finger (LV).

The “Neutral” Grip. – Good grip for most people.

Advantages

Gives the most flexibility in terms of shot-making ability. Balance between distance and accuracy.Disadvantages

None.A neutral grip is achieved by gripping the golf shaft in the hand at an angle that runs from the base of the index finger (BIF) across the palm to the (N) marking. Wrap the fingers around the club. The gripping strength will be felt between the fingers and firmly against the bottom of your heel pad. The thumb is placed against the index finger (LV).

The “Control” Grip.

Advantages

Gives maximum control for accuracy.Disadvantages

Minimizes wrists ability to “cock” and “un-cock” resulting in less distance.A Control grip is achieved by gripping the golf shaft in the hand at an angle that runs from the base of the index finger (BIF) across the palm to the (C) marking. Wrap the fingers around the club. The gripping strength will be felt between the fingers, the palm and the top of the heel pad. The thumb is placed against the index finger (LV).

Three Grip Strengths

The “Strength” of the grip is determined by the position of your hand on the grip in comparison to the relative position of the clubface as you rotate your hand around the grip to the left or the right. The reference point used to determine the correct rotational position of the hand on the grip is the anatomical snuffbox (AS). To view the “Strength” of the grip using the (AS), setup to a golf ball as if you are going to hit it with the clubface pointing squarely at the target. Grip the club with your Left hand and look down at the top of your Left hand and determine whether the (AS) is over the top of the club shaft (neutral) or on the left side (weak) or right side of the shaft (strong). The following descriptions will include what the particular “Strength” being described looks like.

The “Weak” Grip.

Advantages

Helps eliminate hooking the golf ball.Disadvantages

Very difficult to hit the ball right to left.Looking down at the top of your hand, with the clubface pointing squarely toward the target, the anatomical snuffbox (AS) is just off to left side of the grip. Your thumb will be on top of the club shaft and your “V” (LV) points toward your chin and you can see 1 – 1.5 knuckles (BK).

The “Neutral” Grip. – This is the one that Tiger Woods uses. It’s a good grip for most people.

Advantages

Ideal grip for hitting the golf ball left to right or right to left.Disadvantages

Requires more strength to release the club squarely at impact.Looking down at the top of your hand, with the clubface pointing squarely toward the target, the anatomical snuffbox (AS) is directly over the top of the grip. Your “V” (LV) points toward your right ear and you can see 2 – 2.5 knuckles (BK). Tiger Woods sees 2.5 knuckles (BK).

The “Strong” Grip.

Advantages

Helps eliminate slicing the golf ball. Good for getting more distance. Good amateur grip as it requires less strength to square the clubface at impact.Disadvantages

Difficult to hit left to right.Looking down at the top of your hand, with the clubface pointing squarely toward the target, the anatomical snuffbox (AS) is on the right side of the grip. Your “V” (LV) points toward your right shoulder and you can see 3 knuckles (BK).

Three Unifying Grips

These Grips describe how to unify and snug your hands together so that your hands function as a single unit. Note: When placing your hands together, don’t try to smash them together to make them tighter because that looses valuable leverage. Just make them feel unified and snuggly fit together.

The “10 Finger Grip.” – This Grip places all 8 fingers on the golf shaft.

Advantages

Good leverage. Good alternative for kids and women.Disadvantages

Less Club head speed especially if the hands are allowed to spread out down the grip and not be snuggly against each other.
A 10 finger grip is achieved by gripping the golf shaft with all of the fingers on the shaft. The outside of your Right hand pinky finger is pressed against the outside of your Left hand index finger.

The “Overlap Grip.” – This is considered by many pros as the preferred method of unifying the hands.

Advantages

Good for larger handsDisadvantages

On people with small hands, the Right hand can tend to slip too far over or too far under the club in an effort to feel snug and fitted.An overlap grip is achieved by placing all of the hands on the shaft and lifting the pinky of the Right hand off the grip and pointing that finger straight out and then sliding the Right hand toward the Left hand until the third finger on the right hand is placed snuggly against the index finger of the Left hand. Now lay the Right hand pinky finger down over the notch that is formed between the Left hands index finger and second finger.

The “Interlock Grip.” – This is the grip that Tiger Woods likes. Tiger started using it because his idol Jack Nicklaus used it.

Advantages

Good for smaller handDisadvantages

There is a tendency to grip the club too much in the palm of the Right hand.An interlock grip is achieved by placing all of the hands on the shaft and lifting the pinky of the Right hand off the grip and pointing that finger straight out and then sliding the Right hand toward the Left hand until the third finger on the right hand is placed snuggly against the index finger of the Left hand. Now raise the index finger of the Left hand off the grip and point it straight out and interlock the Left hand index finger and Right hand pinky finger by laying the Right hand pinky finger down in the crotch between the Left hands index finger and second finger and laying the Left hands index finger down in the crotch between the Right hands pinky finger and third finger.

Maintaining stability throughout the swing

The correct placement of the Left hand down the grip is obtained by allowing inch of the grip to extend out or protrude out beyond the bottom of your hand. If you were gripping the club in both hands, you should be able to see inch of the end of the club shaft grip protruding to ensure that you have the maximum stability of the golf club in your hands throughout the swing. Doing this does not cause you to lose any distance.

Making a complete Grip

Step One: The Left Hand Grip

Square the clubface to the target line. Grip the club inch down from the top of the shaft on the “grip angle” you have chosen; “distance”, “neutral”, or “control”. The thumb and forefinger are placed together forming the “V” (LV). With the club head resting on the ground and the clubface still square to the target, look down at the top of your Left hand and rotate your Left hand around the club, counterclockwise to the left or clockwise to the right to the appropriate Left hand “grip strength” that you have chosen using your reference marks to verify the correct position as “weak”, “neutral” or “strong”.Step Two: The Right Hand Grip

With the golf club still on the ground in your Left hand, the easiest way to visualize how to get the Right hand on the golf grip is by grabbing the golf grip just like you were shaking hands with someone. With your Right hands palm approximately facing your left hands palm, place your Right hands fingers on the grip at an angle from the dot at the base of your pinky (BP) to the dot in the middle of your index finger (MIF). Place the Lifeline (LL) on the top right side of your Left thumb (TRS). Wrap your fingers around the grip. Keep your thumb and forefinger together forming the “V” (RV) and form the question mark (?) with your index finger. The tip of your thumb and index finger on your Right hand will touch or nearly touch. There will probably be a gap between your index finger and the second finger of your Right hand on the grip because of you forming the question mark (?) with your index finger.Step Three: Unify your Hands

Unify your hands using one of the “Unifying Grips.” Your hands should fit together comfortably and snuggly.

Grip Pressure and Feel

The golf grip should feel snug and unified in your hands, if it doesn’t then un-grip and re-grip making small adjustments if necessary. You should maintain a consistent unchanging grip pressure throughout the entire golf swing. Grip the club as loosely as you can while still maintaining control of the golf club throughout the entire swing.

Regular Practice

After you’ve determined which grip combination you intend to use regularly, practice it until its memorized and use the grip reference points to ensure you place your hands correctly every single time.

By: Shane Henrie

About the Author:

woodyfitzhugh asked:

The plane of the swing establishes the line that the club should rotate on in the backswing. Swing the club in a circle for proper swing plane. … “PGA Golf lessons” instruction swing play “how to swing a golf club” “tips of the week” tweak “professional lessons” “golf fundamentals” “how to play golf”

To learn how to swing a golf club can be one of the most challenging things to actually master especially if you’re a beginner. It requires commitment and effort on your part to put in the practice necessary to learn how to swing a golf club effectively. There are a few basic things you need to keep in mind in order to learn the golf swing and it is recommended that you take it slow and learn one thing at a time.

Once you feel comfortable with a particular aspect of the golf swing then move on to the next step. If you really want to learn how to swing a golf club then by mastering these 5 steps you will have it in no time at all, but you will have to practice to make it perfect. My 5 essential steps are: Grip, Stance, Backswing, Downswing and Follow Through.

#1 The Grip

There are basically three kinds of ways to grip the golf club. It is important to spend the time necessary to master your grip as this is a critical aspect of the golf swing. If your grip is incorrect it will affect your performance negatively even if everything else is fine.

The first kind of grip is the interlocking grip, this is where the index finger of the left hand and the small finger of your right hand interlock or hook each other. If you have short hands or your hands are very thick then this kind of grip may be the best for you.

The next kind is the overlapping grip. With this grip the little finger of the right hand will sit on top of the index finger of the left hand. You need strong wrists and arms to use this grip. Test each grip method and decide on the one that feels most comfortable to you.

The baseball grip is commonly used by most beginners. The index finger of the left hand and the little finger of the right hand do not overlap or interlock but they do make contact. This is basically as the name suggests the way you would grip a baseball bat.

#2 The Stance

The important point to remember with the stance is to keep your weight balanced and your feet position getting wider up to shoulder width as the club you are using gets longer. So for the driver you will want the most stability thus a wider stance with your legs shoulder width apart is ideal. Also the ball position should start at the center of your stance for a wedge and move up to the heel of your left foot for the driver.

#3 The Backswing

One of the biggest mistakes that beginners make is that they rush their backswing. Make sure that you take a slow relaxed backswing. You are better off being too slow than too fast when it comes to the backswing. Also work on keeping your left arm as straight as possible throughout the backswing.

#4 The Downswing

An important key to the downswing is to keep your head in the same position or as close as possible to its original location throughout the downswing. Make sure that you do not try to use your right arm to try to generate power. Instead you should get the feeling that you are pulling the club with your left arm. The power will come from the leverage that is created between the angle between the club and you left arm. The longer you can hold this angle the more power you will create.

#5 The Follow Through

At impact make sure that your head is behind the ball and keep your head down and let it come up with your right shoulder. Keep in mind also that at no point in the golf swing should you feel like you need to add power or strain yourself. Stay relaxed and you will soon develop an effortless swing that is not only accurate but also generates a lot of power and distance.

My advice would be to spend a week or two practicing your grip, stance and basic swing movements. Once you are ready to trust your mechanics then you can head out on the course and focus on your targets. When you are on the course do your best to stay away from thinking about swing mechanics and just concentrate on your targets. Train your swing and then trust it, this is the best way to get lower golf scores.

I realize that to master this process can take some time and some practice. Therefore i have spent months putting together a comprehensive package that teaches exactly how to swing a golf club the most effective way possible. To take a look at this guide click here: http://www.slideshare.net/improveyourgolfswing/how-do-i-swing-a-golf-club-1741725.

By: Tony Sharp

About the Author:

The very system used to teach the golf swing is the reason golfers are unable to repeat what they are taught during golf instruction even days later.

Golfers often wonder why three days after a lesson, they still struggle to hit the golf ball as well as they did during the lesson.”

Over twenty years ago, I felt the same way. I started a quest and eventually discovered the reason for golf instruction that fades. I want to make it clear that the golf instruction is NOT the problem. Although there are countless methods of swinging the golf club, the method is not what golfers should be looking for.

The problem is that with current memory methods, your mind cannot accurately keep your golf swing in memory. Here’s why.

Current golf instruction uses Muscle Memory to commit instruction into memory. There are 2 problems with the theory:
Every swing you make is different, so the feedback from the muscles is different… And, your muscles send the brain different feedback as they get tired or stiff from swinging the golf club…

Simply put, your swing changes as your muscles loosen up, get tired or become stiff. Since the feedback to the brain is different for every swing, the brain doesn’t know which swing to remember. It happens to every golfer and no amount of golf swing instruction can make up for for this change.

The problem isn’t your golf swing, it’s that the brain is guessing every time you make a new golf swing. Those guesses are based on a general idea of the swing and the variety of past repetitions, but to be deadly accurate, your brain needs to have an exact map in memory for your body to follow.

So what is the answer? Is there a way to have a map in your mind? The answer is YES.

Just as an automobile has steering and brakes to keep it on the road, the body has a system to control body movement and keep you from injuring yourself. Although the system exists, it is not normally used consciously during body movement. Because the feedback this system provides doesn’t change, this internal system is perfect for remembering and recreating the most exact movement possible for any non-reaction movement, including golf.

How does it work? While your muscles change during use, your nervous system functions with little day to day change. The feedback system the nervous system provides is in use 24/7 and all you have to do is to increase your awareness of the feedback already in your body.

This system is based on balance feedback; your body’s reaction to gravity. It is how you are able to stand up and walk without falling down. Since balance is a key factor in the process of swinging the golf club, it makes sense that balance feedback is naturally the best way to keep it under control.

Why is balance so important? Because your body has a built in auto-balance mechanism that always works to keep you in balance no matter what you are doing. That means, if you start your golf swing out of balance, the body will fight you to re-balance your movement, which throws off the swing. Golfers around the world are fighting themselves during the golf swing and don’t realize they are doing it.

The best part about using balance feedback instead of muscle memory is that the only change a golfer needs to make to improve his golf swing and consistently repeat the same swing is to become aware of the signals in his body. That’s it. The rest happens automatically as you respond to balance signals and follow them to stay in balance during movement.

But, I have taken the process further by developing a way to use this same feedback to increase swing power, improve visualization during golf, and to remove distractions and keep your mind focused in the game.

Balance is most important during the setup because if you start out of balance, which most golfers do, your body will fight you the rest of your golf swing. It’s not possible to make consistent contact with the golf ball if your body is fighting you during the swing.

For a free setup routine that guarantees a powerful, balanced start for your golf swing go to setup routine.

I have broken the swing process down into a set of simple routines designed to improve your awareness to balance feedback. Once you have become aware of this feedback you can use it to improve every aspect of your golf game.

This process truly shows golfers how powerful the mind can be when it comes to golf.

By: Tracy Reed

About the Author:

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “there’s more than one way to skin a cat!” Well, Golf is no exception. There are many different Choices and Preferences that you can make whilst trying to find the Correct Golf Grip. There are however some general areas of agreement amongst the best Teachers and Players in the World and these are:

The Correct Golf Grip needs to be learned! If you’ve never played Golf before in your life and I was to give you a Golf Club, you would almost certainly instinctively hold it in a way that would firstly, hinder the amount of Club Head speed that you could generate, i.e. you wouldn’t be maximising the potential distance you are capable of achieving and secondly, you would find it very difficult to get the Club Face back to square at impact on a consistent basis, i.e. you’d be spraying it all over the place.
Learn the Correct Golf Grip to begin with! of course it can be changed at any time but the longer your muscles and brain get used to a faulty Grip the longer it will take to feel comfortable when applying the Correct Golf Grip. However, if you want to start playing better Golf and reach your potential, then the pain and frustration that you will go through will be well worth it.
The Palms of each hand should be facing each other, or probably slightly inwards! If you stand up and let you arms hang naturally down by your sides you will notice their positions and this is how they should facing each other on the Grip to encourage them to work together. If they are not aligned in a parallel position then they will be working against each other and result in a greater lack of Club Head speed and consistency.
Grip Pressure, it should be light enough to encourage Club Head speed and Feel and firm enough to stop the club from turning in your hands. Think about the feel you get when shaking someone’s hands, not too firm so your crushing it and not to light that it slips out.

Ultimately you need to find the Correct Golf Grip that you feel comfortable with and one which will help you achieve your best potential results.

In terms of Choices and Preferences, there are 3 main Correct Golf Grip styles:

Overlapping Grip
Interlocking Grip
Ten Finger Grip

The Overlapping Grip which would generally be considered the Correct Golf Grip for Golfers with large fingers and strong hands and was introduced by one of the games great players Harry Vardon.

The Interlocking Grip should be considered if you have smaller weaker hands, as you may feel you hands are more secure and unified with this Correct Golf Grip. Jack Nicholas is a great example of someone who uses this type of Grip

The Ten Finger Grip is generally used by Juniors or ladies with smaller hands and not recommended for those outside of this group, as the right hand will have a tendency to put more pressure on the shaft and make it difficult for both hands to work as equal partner.

By: Jack Castanho


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