How to Hold a Golf Club

For new golfers, learning how to hold a golf club can seem like an easy thing to do. However, there is more to golf than simply taking the golf club and hitting the golf ball. How you hold the golf club determines your swing and how well you hit the ball.

Why Can’t I Put My Hands on the Club How I Want to?

Your hands are in contact with the club. The placement of the hands is also an essential part of your stance and swing. If you do not have a good grip on the club, then you will not hit the golf ball as well. So, any hopes of teeing off and hitting the ball all the way to the green are not going to happen.

How to Hold a Golf Club Right-Handed

Your natural instinct will tell you to place your right hand on the top of the club. However, this is wrong. Your right hand should go on the bottom and your left hand on the top. Placing your right hand below your left hand gives you better control over the swing.

With the palm of your left hand facing inward, bring it in toward the glub. Grab the club with the base of your little finger and the middle of your index finger touching the club and slowly close your hand. Wrap your palm around the top of the club. Your left thumb should also be on the top of the club, not wrapped around it.

Make sure that you do not cover the end of your club with your hand. To check your left-hand grip, place the club on the ground and look at your hand. The “V” or crease that your thumb and forefinger make should point toward your right shoulder. If it does not, adjust your left-hand placement until it does.

Now, with the palm of your right hand facing inward, move it toward the club with the bottom of your hand aligned with the base of the thumb on your left hand. The thumb on your left hand should press against the middle of your right hand’s palm.

Wrap the fingers around the golf club and place the part of the palm below the thumb on your right hand over the thumb on your left hand. Again, the thumb should be on top of the club, not wrapped around it.

To ensure your right hand is in the correct position, your thumb and forefinger should make another “V” or crease that should point toward your right shoulder. Adjust your right hand until it does.
The purpose of placing your hands on the club like this is to ensure the club face at the end of the club head is aligned correctly to make decent contact with the ball when you swing.

How to Hold a Golf Club Left-Handed

If you are left-handed, holding the club is the reverse of holding a golf club for right-handed golfers. Simply reverse your hand placement so it is the opposite of right-handed people.

How to Hold the Back of the Grip

There are three different options on how you can hold the back of the grip, as follows:

• Overlap Grip – This is one of the more popular grips. It is where you overlap the pinky finger on your dominant hand and lay it in the crease on top of the index and middle finger.
• Ten Finger Grip (Baseball Grip) – This grip is similar to the grip you use when holding a baseball bat. The pinky finger on your dominant hand is placed on top of the index finger of your other hand. The hands should be close together without any gaps in between.
• Interlocking Grip – The interlocking grip is similar to the overlap grip, except you interlock the pinky finger on your dominant hand with the index finger on your other hand by sliding the pinky finger under and around the index finger.

The back of the grip you use should be the one that feels the most comfortable to you. However, the overlap and interlocking grips can give you slightly more control over your golf swing. Understandably, the grip can feel weird when first learning how to golf but, by practicing your grip and hand placement, you will get the grip correct and avoid many bad habits.

How Tight Should You Grip the Golf Club?

You want a firm grip on the golf club but not so much pressure it feels like you are strangling it. The amount of pressure you put into the golf grip should be just enough that someone can pull the club out of your hands. However, you should avoid weak grips where the pressure is too little. Otherwise, the club could go flying out of your hands when you swing.

When to Adjust Your Golf Grip

As a new golfer, you want to use this neutral grip to establish how you hit the ball. If you are slicing shots to the left or right, then adjusting the grip is a great place to start to see if that corrects the problem and allows you to hit the ball straighter.

Practice at Home with Our Simulator

To practice your golf grip and golf swing at home to determine the best placement of your hands, get a golf simulator and launch monitor from Foresight Sports. Our home simulators provide valuable feedback data while golfing the top courses around the world.

For further information or assistance in designing your home golf simulator, please feel free to contact us at (858) 880-0179 today!