Your trail hand position could be sabotaging your swing. Here’s how to tell

By: Joe Plecker, Top 100 Teacher October 6, 2025

How you put your trail hand on the golf club has a huge impact on how you swing.

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After teaching thousands of golfers over the years, I’ve discovered something that might surprise you: there is no one “perfect” trail hand position on the grip. Yet checking how your palm aligns on the grip relative to the club face remains one of the biggest steps you can take toward better golf.

I’ve seen successful players with their trail hand positioned under the grip, to the side of the grip and more on top. The common thread among all of them? Their grip matches their body type. This isn’t about following a textbook position — it’s about finding what works biomechanically for your swing.

The real problems begin when a player’s trail hand is misaligned with their natural movement patterns. When this happens, I see golfers struggle with a cascade of swing issues. They fight over-the-top moves, develop a chicken wing through impact, hang back on their trail side or battle inconsistent face control. What looks like multiple swing faults is often just one fundamental error: a trail hand position that forces the body to compensate throughout the entire swing motion.

These compensations happen because your body is trying to solve an error in the face. When your grip doesn’t naturally square the clubface, your subconscious takes over and creates workarounds. Unfortunately, these compensations usually create more problems than they solve, leading to that frustrating cycle of fixing one issue only to have another pop up. Check out below to see what I mean.

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So how should your trail hand go on the grip? I use a simple “casting test” developed by Mike Adams, a GOLF Hall of Fame Teacher, through his groundbreaking research and work in BioSwing Dynamics. This assessment helps you discover how your hand naturally aligns with the clubface, taking into account your body’s structure and movement patterns to reveal the grip position that will allow you to swing freely without compensation.

Once you’ve completed the test and identified your ideal trail hand position, the next step is straightforward: match that grip at setup and then swing your swing. Don’t try to change your swing mechanics first — let the proper grip alignment do the heavy lifting.

Here’s what to expect once you match the grip correctly: the ball will fly with much less curve. That’s when you know you’ve found your natural position. With a straighter ball flight as your foundation, you can then fine-tune your alignment, ball position, and other preferences to complement your swing naturally. Instead of fighting compensations, you’re now making small adjustments that enhance what your body already does well.

If you’ve been struggling with your release or fighting multiple swing faults that never seem to fully resolve, this simple adjustment could be the answer you’ve been searching for. In my experience, getting the trail hand grip right has solved more swing problems for my students than any other single change. It’s the foundation that allows everything else to fall into place.

Stop fighting your swing and start working with your body. Your trail hand grip might be the key you’ve been missing. Once you solve it, you’ll be well on your way to playing better golf.

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