How tight should we hold onto the club? Often when I am playing with amateurs, I notice the “whites” of their knuckles in their set-up and witness a tense swing where the ball tends to “slice”. Gripping the club to firmly causes tension in the body and the club is not allowed to swing freely, so the golfer usually ends up with a “hit” and not a swing. Afterall, the clubhead weighs more than the grip therefore in order to utilize the club properly we must allow the club to “naturally” accelerate with gravity.
First, we need to find our ideal grip pressure. Start by gripping the club with just your thumb & forefinger of both hands and hit a ball with this 4 fingered grip – and call this pressure level 1. Next grip the club normally, but as lightly as you can & hit another ball – calling this pressure level 2. Hit eight more balls gradually increasing your grip pressure, until you are squeezing as hard as you can – level 10. You’ll find that you will produce your best swings in the 3-6 grip pressure range.
Under pressure situations on the golf course we all tend grip the club with a bit more pressure than we need to pull off our shot. Being able to recognize that you are gripping tighter than the 3-6 range will enable you to swing more freely under “the pressure”.
