Free Golf Tips For Beginners For Gripping The Club
Mick Euan Tait
The golf grip is fundamental to having a good swing, so here is how to get a good golf grip with these free golf tips for beginners. The more experienced golfer should also find these golf tips useful if you want to re-examine your grip. By understanding the description of the nine different grips you will be able to identify any swing faults you may have, such as a slice, and be able to fix it.
The interlocking grip, the overlapping grip, and the baseball grip (or ten finger grip) are the three basic grip types. For each grip type, there are three grip angles that you can use; control, neutral, and distance. Furthermore, you can apply three different grip strengths; a weak, neutral, or strong grip. Which grip should you use? It will depend on what size of hand and fingers you have, your strength and how you want to play the ball. The most important thing is to find a grip that is comfortable and efficient.
Grip Styles
The ten finger grip is not recommend for most golfers as the overlapping or interlocking grips are far more adaptable. This grip gives you good leverage and is a substitute grip that can be used by children or women. The disadvantage is that it produces less club head speed which means less distance.
Considered by many professionals as the best grip to unify your hands, the overlapping grip is ideal if you have larger hands or longer fingers. With this grip, when you bring your right hand under the club, you slide it up and hook your pinkie on top of your left hand index finger or between the index and middle finger.
The interlocking grip is similar to the overlapping grip except that the pinkie of the right hand interlocks with the index finger of the left hand. It is the preferred grip of golfers with small hands or short fingers. With this grip, the tendency is to grip the club in the palm of your right hand instead of at the base of your fingers.
The Three Grip Angles
The distance grip maximizes the wrists flexibility and is good for distance and also offers sensitivity. Place the grip across the base of the fingers, from the base of the index finger to the pad at the base of the little finger on the left hand. The disadvantage is that it requires more strength and skill to keep the club head square through impact.
The neutral grip is most likely the best grip angle for most golfers. This grip runs diagonally from the base of the index finger to a point below the heel pad of your palm. The neutral grip offers a good compromise between distance and control as you have the most flexibility to undertake any type of shot making.
The last grip angle you can use is the control grip which runs from the base of your index finger to the point on top of your heel pad. This grip gives you maximum control for more accuracy but results in less distance due to less flexibility in the wrists.
Grip Strengths
If you want to reduce slicing then try the strong grip which is also good for distance but you won't be able to fade the ball. With this grip you have to rotate your hands so that you will see the "V" made between thumb and forefinger pointing towards your right shoulder. Also, find the hollow between the two tendons in the wrist directly above your thumb and you will see that it is lined up with the right side of your club shaft.
The neutral strength grip is the ideal grip for the majority of golfers. With this grip you can draw the ball or fade the ball easily. It requires a bit more strength to square the club at impact. This time, the "V" should be pointing towards your right ear and the point of your wrist that I mentioned before will line up with the center of your shaft.
The weak grip can be used to get rid of a hook. Some disadvantages are that you will not be able to hit a controlled draw and it requires more strength to keep the club head square at impact. Looking down at your left hand, you will see the point in your wrist lined up with the left side of your shaft and the "V" pointing at your chin.
Summary
With these free golf tips for beginners, you now know all the different techniques you can use to grip the club. No matter which of the nine grip styles and positions you use, remember the following points: The palms of your hands should always face each other; the right hand is a fingers only grip and the left hand is a fingers and palm grip; leave half an inch of the grip protruding beyond your left hand when you grip the club; grip the club firmly and with constant pressure throughout the complete golf swing; and your hands will feel unified when they fit snugly together.
About the Author:
|