How to discover the best grip for your body type

By: Tina Tombs, Top 100 Teacher

April 14, 2021

Finding your most natural trail-hand grip position is a cinch.

Tina Tombs

Every golfer has a different relationship with their trail arm, wrist and hand. So why has everyone been taught to grip the club the same way?

Our bodies are anatomically aligned and pre-dispositioned to move a certain way. That’s why it’s very important to find out what your trail-hand grip should naturally be. Then, you can play your best without an increased risk of injury.

A good question to ask is, “Why do we swing like we do?” We swing like we do because of what we learn, physical methods and the anatomical alignment of the trail hand, wrist and arm. And if you can learn to match your grip to your natural style, it will dictate what the rest of your swing will do.

Why is the trail-hand grip important, and why do you need to know which one is right for you?

We need to answer this question so that we can swing the golf club in the most efficient and safest way — that’s how we can achieve the best results! Here’s how to discover which trail hand grip is right for you.

1. Get into golf posture and make sure your arms are hanging freely, so that your middle finger is at the top of your knees. (See photo above, on left.)

2. Put your hands together and lower your trail arm so that your hand is a little lower than your lead arm. We do this because the trail hand grips down lower on the club. (See photo above, middle).

3. From this point, stabilize your shoulders and swing your arms back to waist-high, allowing your trail elbow to bend a little. (See photo above, on right.)

When you position your trail hand on the golf club in the correct position, you will find that the trail-hand grip has more effect on the downswing pattern and will also affect the ball’s release pattern.

There are basically three different trail-hand grips: Cover Grip, Side-On Grip and Under Grip.

All three grips have different trail-arm actions and release patterns. The key is knowing what your trail arm’s natural movement is so that you can feel the most confident when executing your golf shot. Setting up with your natural trail-arm grip will allow you to be more effective with your downswing sequence and release pattern, which will in turn lead to more successful golf shots.

So, trust what your natural screening result is, put your trail hand on the golf club to match it, and start playing great golf!

To add more pop to your swing, get a driver fitting from the experts at our sister company, True Spec Golf.