Recreational players often grab a club like a baseball bat. It’s the first club that they ever grabbed so it feels natural to hold it in your palm (not your fingers). But it is not helping in your swing, tempo, arm muscles and game. This week a number of pros commented on the right grip, the right pressure and the right speed to get the results that you want.
Don Trahan discussed the importance of gripping in the fingers not the palm. Holding the grip in the palm or the fleshy base of your hand will cause strain all the way up your arm. It will cause strained muscles in your arm and elbow if you grab it too tightly.
A doctor commented in the Trahan blog: “For someone with frequent elbow soreness they may be gripping the club too tight”. He recommended thicker grips to help anyone with elbow issues.
Holding the grip in your palm also gives you less flexibility when you hinge your wrist for lag.
“A light grip will calm the nerves and slow down your swing and give you control.”
In a recent interview, one of the contestants in a Longest Drive event said: You can’t develop lag with a tight grip. He also suggested that the driver head needs to impact in the center of the face, with an ascending blow on the inside of the center line of the ball (swinging from the inside).
Gary Player talked about a 3 knuckle grip to hit further. When you are ready to swing make sure that you can see the 3 knuckles on you glove hand (leading hand) to avoid slicing the ball (the primary problem for the recreational golfer). This actually forces you to swing from the inside and up the target line.
Gary Player also advised that a light grip does not mean that you allow the club to release from your fingers at the top of the swing. “You must own the club. Your grip has to be complete throughout the swing.”
Another blog reported: To hit longer drives you must have relaxed hands for a fast release through impact. Most golfers who want longer drives grip the club waaaaay too HARD!
So use a relaxed but complete grip in the fingers of both hands so that you can see 3 knuckles on your glove hand. Practice with GOLFSTR+ to limit the bend in your elbow in the back swing. Learn to keep your wrist flat (no bowing or cupping of the wrist). And practice your 90 degree wrist hinge for lag in your back-swing. CLICK HERE TO Practice and play with GOLFSTR+ for more POWER & CONSISTENT HITS.
Next Week’s Swing Tip: Halleluiah Moment! Don’t Freeze up in the Back-Swing
“The club is not held in the center of the palm. The main pressure points are the last three fingers (pinky, ring, middle). The pointer does not really grip but will be used mostly for wrist-cock and connection with the other hand. And, (what Ben Hogan calls) a short thumb works better than a long thumb. This means that the left thumb is drawn up so that it does not extend beyond the forefinger of the left hand. This will be a good reminder for you because it is a deterrent from “clutching out of nervousness.”
Excerpt From: Mike Stair. “Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons.”
I’m glad to see that you have found a blog that we issued in 2013. I do agree and love your details about the grip and thumb. I am a believer in anything that works for Ben Hogan.
I have never seen the concept of a “shortened left thumb” (by putting a slight bend at the knuckle). I have to try this.
Thanks for your input.