The Most Common Grip Issue

The most common grip issue that I see with most beginners and intermediate players is the strong, ten finger grip. This simply means that the hands are positioned too far to the right on the club as well the hands are not connected. This will often cause a multitude of issues including ‘hook’ shots to the left and ‘thin’ shots. The reason why this grip is very common however is that it feels the most comfortable as there’s less pressure on the wrists and the hands are spread apart which gives us a real sense of control.

Now the reason why this causes ‘hook’ shots is that at the first position of the backswing, the clubface will tend to be very closed. This will then cause a ripple effect to the top of the backswing and then into the strike. Now also with the hands being separated, the tendency will be that the hands will start to ‘flip’ up during the impact area instead of the hands staying in front of the clubface. This ‘flipping’ is also exaggerated by the closed clubface. This is because a closed clubface will tend to de-loft the clubface and therefore our instincts will kick in and will try and lift the ball up instead of hitting down through impact.

Now the best way to change this obviously is working toward a neutral grip and connecting the hands. This will involve positioning the lines formed between the index fingers and thumbs of both hands toward the right shoulder. We want to also connect the hands by choosing an interlock or an overlap grip. The interlock grip will feel tighter and involves placing the pinkie of the left hand underneath the index finger of the right hand. The overlap grip is where the pinkie will now sit on top of the index finger of the right hand. This will feel a softer grip.

Trust me when you first transition to this grip, you will feel weak in the hands and feel less control. But give it a couple of weeks and your hands will feel strong again as well see real differences in your strike. You will constantly be tempted to go back but just be patient and stick with it! Now the benefits of this neutral grip is that the clubface now will want to naturally rotate in the correct position on the takeaway. This will cause straighter shots. As well with the hands joined, your impact area will improve as the hands will now want to stay more in front of the clubface at impact.

If you’d like any further help in understanding the grip, just contact myself at David Waters Golf.