How to Grip a Golf Club, Commonalities of a Functional Golf Grip

[iacas]

11 hours ago, GOLFNINJA said:

MVMAC, apologies if this has been covered, do you teach your guys and gals to relate the grip to their clubface?

I'm not sure what this means exactly… but two things:

• @mvmac is not an instructor (he was for a brief time, kinda).
• I am an instructor, and… the grip has a few purposes, but among the top two is obviously how it "relates to the clubface." See also: Key #5.

[mvmac]

12 hours ago, GOLFNINJA said:

MVMAC, apologies if this has been covered, do you teach your guys and gals to relate the grip to their clubface?

Not 100% sure of your question but every grip relates to the clubface in some way.

[colin007]

What issues can arise from having too strong of a grip?

[Shindig]

This may or may not be the right thread for this, but how often do you check your grip?  I just went through the first set of instructions from page one (which I know I've done before) and it didn't feel super familiar.  Considering I've had some issues throwing the club away too early (even for me) lately, I wonder if I should consciously think about this when I go to the range next (on a trip, but will likely go tonight anyway, or tomorrow at least).  

[mvmac]

1 hour ago, colin007 said:

What issues can arise from having too strong of a grip?

I'm in favor of most golfers erring more towards strong than weak. 

It'll effect everyone a little differently but generally having too strong of a grip would create a condition where the face gets overly "shut" and could potentially lead to de-lofting the club too much. So for a righty you would be fighting the ball curving left (maybe even starting more left then going more left) with not enough height on shots. Then the golfer could start trying to tip back to add a higher launch which could then start moving low point too far back. Distance control on shorter shots could also be an issue for better players.

 

1 hour ago, Shindig said:

This may or may not be the right thread for this, but how often do you check your grip?  I just went through the first set of instructions from page one (which I know I've done before) and it didn't feel super familiar.  Considering I've had some issues throwing the club away too early (even for me) lately, I wonder if I should consciously think about this when I go to the range next (on a trip, but will likely go tonight anyway, or tomorrow at least).  

Good question. I try to check it on a regular basis, like almost every range session. Most of that is due to a tendency I have with the left hand getting out of place.

[Jeremie Boop]

I am constantly fighting getting palmy with my grip. I don't know why I have that tendency, but I have to check it all the time. I don't have trouble keeping my grip strong, but that doesn't help much when the grip sneaks closer to palm.

[Shindig]

40 minutes ago, mvmac said:

Good question. I try to check it on a regular basis, like almost every range session. Most of that is due to a tendency I have with the left hand getting out of place.

Hmm... I think the last time I checked was with your help in person, so I'll start checking more often.  Thanks

[Grizvok]

1 hour ago, Shindig said:

This may or may not be the right thread for this, but how often do you check your grip?  I just went through the first set of instructions from page one (which I know I've done before) and it didn't feel super familiar.  Considering I've had some issues throwing the club away too early (even for me) lately, I wonder if I should consciously think about this when I go to the range next (on a trip, but will likely go tonight anyway, or tomorrow at least).  

I'm super particular about this. I'd say I spend like 10 seconds minimum before each shot both on the course and at the range verifying that my grip is perfect. I've also started stretching out the right index finger as like a trigger finger which is a slight change for me so I've been spending even more time lately making sure my grip is perfect. It's actually a small change that I really like.

[iacas]

4 hours ago, Shindig said:

This may or may not be the right thread for this, but how often do you check your grip?

I almost never check it. It's almost always the same. Maybe once every few months?

It's a little weaker on pitch shots, and sometimes some other shots, on purpose, but also subconsciously, if you know what I mean.

[Mr Golf Addict]

I personally have different grips for different clubs. For irons and drivers both of my thumbs run straight down the middle of the grip. For short game like chipping i have my thumb on my left hand straight down the middle of the grip however for my right hand the middle of the grip goes straight in between my thumb and index finger. For putting i have both thumbs straight down the middle of the grip but have my right index finger pointing out towards the bottom of the grip which personally enables me to control my distance better.

[Grizvok]

1 hour ago, Mr Golf Addict said:

I personally have different grips for different clubs. For irons and drivers both of my thumbs run straight down the middle of the grip. For short game like chipping i have my thumb on my left hand straight down the middle of the grip however for my right hand the middle of the grip goes straight in between my thumb and index finger. For putting i have both thumbs straight down the middle of the grip but have my right index finger pointing out towards the bottom of the grip which personally enables me to control my distance better.

Grips can certainly vary golfer to golfer but the grips you describe are WAY too weak for the vast majority of players.

[DrMJG]

I am Stil at the point where I am checking my grip on just about every shot.  I do my best to keep my grip strong but not grab the club to hard.  Usually happens when I get too much palm in the grip.

Edited July 31, 2018 by DrMJG

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, DrMJG said:

I am Stil at the point where I am checking my grip on just about every shot.  I do my best to keep my grip strong but not grab the club to hard.  Usually happens when I get too much palm in the grip.

"Strong" is not how firmly you're gripping the club.

[saevel25]

I check it more often now because I am trying not to grip the club closed at impact. So, I've added a step to my routine. I don't really check for where the club is positioned in my hand, or how strong my right hand is. I've got that down pretty good. I've been moving away from a super strong grip, which my grip tends to go towards overtime. My grip is still on the strong side. 

[DrMJG]

3 minutes ago, iacas said:

"Strong" is not how firmly you're gripping the club.

I should have made it clearer, I use a strong grip in terms of how I hold the club.  I do have a tendency to hold onto the club too hard; and usually it's  when I have too much left palm involved.

 

Edited July 31, 2018 by DrMJG

[Mr Golf Addict]

10 hours ago, Grizvok said:

Grips can certainly vary golfer to golfer but the grips you describe are WAY too weak for the vast majority of players.

I am also a gloveless player. I guess it just works for me.

[GOLFNINJA]

On 7/31/2018 at 3:27 AM, iacas said:

I'm not sure what this means exactly… but two things:

• @mvmac is not an instructor (he was for a brief time, kinda).
• I am an instructor, and… the grip has a few purposes, but among the top two is obviously how it "relates to the clubface." See also: Key #5.

Yes, thank you. My point was to expand upon what we see a lot of in teaching the grip. We see hands placed on the club in a certain way rather than that being unique to the player. Whether that is strong, weak or whatever - how does one point that out to their students and how it relates to the clubface? I'm quite aware of how I do it, I'm just interested in your thoughts. BTW I am also an instructor.

[iacas]

3 hours ago, GOLFNINJA said:

Yes, thank you. My point was to expand upon what we see a lot of in teaching the grip. We see hands placed on the club in a certain way rather than that being unique to the player. Whether that is strong, weak or whatever - how does one point that out to their students and how it relates to the clubface? I'm quite aware of how I do it, I'm just interested in your thoughts. BTW I am also an instructor.

I'm still not entirely sure what you mean by "relates to the clubface." I mean, I know what you mean, but I don't talk about it like that with students. I typically point out how the grip affects the clubface (Key #5), but I don't specifically often talk about how it "relates."

I move a lot of grips from the palms into the fingers. I strengthen a lot of weak grips that people have to flip and roll. I do start-line drills with students.

I don't often talk about how, for example, your right palm is like your clubface.