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A good golf swing starts off with the correct golf grip. There is however no such thing as one correct golf grip. This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on The Correct Golf Grip.

There are basically three different ways to grip a golf club and each is dependent upon personal preference.

The first and most common grip is the overlap grip – also known as the Vardon grip – where the small finger of your non-target hand rests in the slot between your index and middle finger of your target (left for right handed golfers) hand. A slight variation of this is to let it rest on the index finger itself. Regardless of which method you prefer be sure to have the middle fingers of your non-target hand resting closely against the index finger of your target hand.

This grip is popular amongst players with large hands as it is the most comfortable grip for big fingers.

The second most common grip is the interlocking grip. This grip is preferred by many golfers as it offers a secure feeling of control over the club. The grip is formed by interlocking your left hand’s index finger and non-target hand small finger. Once you’ve positioned your left hand on the club (see Part 1 of The Correct Golf Grip), add your non-target (right) hand and make sure that the palm faces the target. Now interlock the fingers and fold your thumb over your target hand. Do not interlock your fingers before you’ve established the position of your non-target hand.

Nor should you jam your fingers together as this often forces the non-target hand into a position excessively to the non-target side of neutral, too much under the grip. This may feel more powerful, for the club is held more in the non-target palm, it has instead a marked effect on clubface control, and commonly results in a hooked shot.

The interlocking grip is recommended for women and anyone with small hands.

The Ten Finger grip is the last of our three grips. There is no linkage between the two hands on the club. Highly recommended for juniors and less powerful players. If you want to maximize club head speed and can handle the possibility of less accurate shots try this grip.

Having positioned your left hand correctly on the club, put the three upper fingers of your non-target hand against the index finger of your left hand and fold the rest of your non-target hand over, ensuring that you conceal your left thumb. This style of grip works particularly well for golfers who slice the ball as it promotes more hand action.

At this stage of the 3 part series of The Correct Golf Grip you should know how to place your hands on the club and which type of grip you are more comfortable with. In the third and final part we will cover the four P’s - Placement, Position, Pressure and Precision.

I hope that part 2 of The Correct Golf Grip has further helped you with your game and look forward to seeing you in part 3.

By: Lawrence Bredenkamp

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Golf Swing Grip 1- The Vardon Grip

This grip was started with a famous old British player called Harry Vardon. It is the most common grip in use and promotes a neutral hold on the club. It involves getting the hands to work together by overlapping the little finger of the right hand with the left hand..by placing this little finger between the gap between your index finger and the next finger of your left hand. The aim is to encourage to encourage both hands to work together, rather than independently, throughout the swing. However it may not be the most suitable one for you and many amateurs and people who are not that strong could consider using an adaptation of the Vardon grip which is used be Tiger, Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus.

Golf Swing Grip 2- The adapted Vardon grip

This grip involve intertwining, rather than overlapping, the little finger of the right hand with the index finger of the left hand. If you struggle with a slice or weak striking you might consider this grip as it allows a freer release of the club with the right hand through impact. This interlocking of the little finger can give you a greater sense of security between the two hands and allows a freer release through impact with the right hand..it is more suitable for those who struggle a little to get a good free release through impact.

Golf Swing Grip 3- The Baseball grip

This grip involves no overlapping of the fingers..it is simply done by putting both hands fully on the grip of the club. Both hands sit independently on the club. This can lead to the stronger right hand taking over and the danger with this grip is that the 2 hands can work independently..which is not what you want when you want to promote consistency in your swing. A few professionals have successfully used this grip including Ronan Rafferty and Moe Norman, the eccentric Canadian who was rated one of the best ball strikers of all time. This can be an extremely useful grip to help rid yourself of a slice and promote a draw and is encouraged in younger golfers and ladies who may not have the strength to play with the conventional neutral Vardon grip.

By: Terry Gorry

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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

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The only part of your body that ever touches a golf club is the only part of the body able to control the club… and that part of your body is your hands. Your grip is an important placement because they literally are the only parts of your body in contact with the club. If you do not have the correct grip, small problems could be affecting your swing!

Here’s why:

If the clubface is not square on impact, it will cause unnecessary spin on the ball (or cause it to simply fly in the wrong direction). An “open” or “closed” clubface is the cause of bad shots. It can be said that improper hip rotation, or arm positioning could be the cause of bad shot and that is absolutely true. But the fact remains, is that the club did not make solid (and square) contact with the ball.

Pretend for a moment that a golf swing robot is swinging the club… the robot has a perfect swing right? Something no human can consistently do. If you turned the clubface inside the robots “hands” the ball would no longer go straight – even though the robot has an absolutely perfect swing! This should illustrate to you how important the grip, and the clubface position are in making the best golf swing.

So let’s take a look at your grip, and make sure you are holding the club properly:

One of the most popular grips in golf today is the “Vardon Grip.” It was popularized by Harry Vardon around the turn of the 20th century… and you may already be using it, and don’t even know it!

I’ll explain this for right handers first (lefties, just switch the hands as I explain). Your left hand should grip the club at the base; pointing the thumb down the shaft. The right hand overlaps the thumb by placing it into the palm, and the right hand pinky overlaps the index and middle fingers of the left. You can even interlock the pinky with the other two fingers if you feel more comfortable this way.

The grip should not be too tight, but not too loose either. If you have difficulty getting the “feel” of this grip, you can use a yardstick for practice. Grip the yardstick just as you would a golf club with the “Vardon Grip” and push your palms towards the flat face of the yardstick.

Make sure that the clubface is square when approaching the ball. This grip will help you maintain a square club face on impact, but you have to make sure the clubface is square first!

Get comfortable using this grip, and you will be sure to hit the ball consistently by keeping the clubhead square when you strike the ball.

By: Zac Cole

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A golf slice can often be cured by some simple, basic corrections in
set-up.

For instance, while a golfer can occasionally compensate for a poor
swing, you cant play well with a poor grip. It is important, if you
want to fix your slice permanently, that you take the time to check
your grip using this simple drill:

Take a blade of grass and trap it between the fleshy pad on the
underside of your right thumb and the top of your left thumb. Now,
complete your grip and swing the club to the top of the backswing. If
the blade of grass has remained in position then your grip is secure and
firm, but if the grass has fallen out, this is a sign that your hands are
separating, which causes the club to move about at the top of the
backswing.

Having the clubface in the correct position at the top of your
backswing is fundamental to correcting a golf slice. Unfortunately,
thats not an easy position to check when the club is out of sight and
behind you. The way to check the clubface position is to look up and
check the direction in which the knuckles on your left hand are
pointing.

If they are well to the right, the clubface will be closed to the target
line, which in the downswing normally produces a right-to-left hook
flight. If your knuckles point to the right, the clubface will be open and
the result will be a sliced golf shot. If the knuckles point straight up to
the sky the clubface is square to the target line.

In fact, grip faults can often be the main reason for slicing in golf, and
the problem with grip faults is that they can get into your game
without you really being aware of them. To prevent this slow decline
in technique perform the following check:

Grip the club and make sure that you can see around two and a half
knuckles on your left hand. Then take a pen and draw a small dot on
your golf glove on the last knuckle showing. To ensure your grip is
correct on every shot, all you have to do is to look down at your glove
after taking up your grip. If you cant see the dot then your grip has
probably become too weak. Likewise if you can see a knuckle beyond
the mark, then your grip is probably becoming too strong.

Many players have a golf slice by allowing their left side to slide too far to the left in the
downswing, making it difficult to square up the clubface correctly at
impact. This can be a difficult habit to correct but there is a mental
drill that could help you keep those hips from sliding.

When you address the golf ball, imagine you are next to an open door
with your left side positioned against the wall. When you swing the
club back down to the ball, imagine the wall stopping your legs from
sliding to the left, while your arms and hands remain free to swing the
clubhead on through the open door. This will prevent your legs from
sliding to the left. It will also encourage you to adopt the correct
active hand action in your downswing.

By: Dave Powell


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