As we’ve stressed many times, the grip is one of the most important fundamentals in all of golf. Your hands are the only point of connection between you and the club, so it’s crucial that you know how to properly hold it.
Over the past several weeks, we have run a couple stories explaining the nuances of the grip. In our first piece, we showed you the best beginner grip, and in the next, we explained the difference between a strong grip and a weak one. Today, we are getting a little more complex as we show you how to figure out the best way to grip the club based on your body type.
A neutral grip is a great place to start when learning how to properly hold the club, but as you get more and more experience, you’ll come to realize that not everyone has a perfectly neutral grip. Why is that? Well, it all has to do with how your body moves and the matchups you have throughout your swing.
In the video below, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Debbie Doniger shows us a test that can help tell you the best way to grip the club based on how your body moves.
How to learn the best grip for your swing
When you watch a great golfer swing the club, take note of the way they are holding the club. Chances are, they have a grip that isn’t perfectly neutral.
“It makes sense because when you look at all the tours and all the people that play great golf, there are so many different grips that work,” Doniger says. “So it can’t be that your hands have to be on the club in one spot and that’s the right grip for everybody. It makes no sense.”
Doniger’s mentor, GOLF Hall of Fame Teacher Mike Adams, noticed this earlier in his career and came up with a test that can show you which grip is the best for your body. In his words, “There’s no universally ideal way to grip a golf club, but there is a way that works best for you.”
The test is all about learning how best to place your trail hand on the club. Should it be weak, neutral or strong?
First, you want to get into golf posture and make sure your arms are hanging freely, so that your middle finger is at the top of your knees. Next, put your hands together and lower your trail arm so that your hand is a little lower than your lead arm, much like it would be on the club. Finally, without turning your shoulders, swing your arms back to waist-high, allowing your trail elbow to bend a little.
The orientation of your trail hand at this point will tell us a lot. For example, in the video above, my trail palm is facing more toward the ground, while Doniger’s trail palm is facing the camera. This happens because our bodies work in different ways — and it determines the best method for us to grip the club.
For me, this orientation of my trail hand tells us that I should have a weaker trail-hand grip. While for Doniger, she should have a more neutral trail-hand grip. And this can all be seen through this simple test.
“Each style [grip] affects how the club moves on the backswing and the downswing,” Doniger says.
Once you know how your body moves and can match the grip to your body, you will be able to make much better swings with more consistent results.
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