Free Golf Tips For Beginners For Gripping The Club

In this article I will present some free golf tips for beginners on the golf grip positions. These tips are also for the more experienced golfer that needs to re-evaluate their grip. From the description of the different grip types and positions, you might be able to identify a swing fault such as a slice and learn how to fix it.

The three basic grip types are the interlocking grip, the overlapping grip, and the ten finger grip (or baseball grip.) Each grip has three different grip angles; distance, neutral, and control. There are also three different grip strengths; a weak, strong, or neutral grip. The grip you should use will depend on your strength, hand size, finger length, and how you want to shape your shot - just find the grip that suits you and that is comfortable.

3 Grip Styles

The baseball grip is not used by many golfers because the overlapping or interlocking grips are far more adaptable. It is a grip that gives you good leverage but the problem is that it produces less club head speed which translates into less distance. Some beginners, children or women use this grip but I would recommend they either of the other two grips.

Considered by many professionals as the best grip to unify your hands, the overlapping grip is ideal if you have larger hands or longer fingers. With this grip, when you bring your right hand under the club, you slide it up and hook your pinkie on top of your left hand index finger or between the index and middle finger.

The interlocking grip is when the pinkie of the right hand interlocks with the index finger of the left hand. It is used by golfers with small hands or fingers; just be careful of gripping the club in the palm of your right hand as it should be a finger only grip.

The Three Grip Angles

The distance grip maximizes the wrists flexibility and is good for distance and also offers sensitivity. Place the grip across the base of the fingers, from the base of the index finger to the pad at the base of the little finger on the left hand. The disadvantage is that it requires more strength and skill to keep the club head square through impact.

The neutral grip is most likely the best grip angle for most golfers. This grip runs diagonally from the base of the index finger to a point below the heel pad of your palm. The neutral grip offers a good compromise between distance and control as you have the most flexibility to undertake any type of shot making.

The last grip angle you can use is the control grip which runs from the base of your index finger to the point on top of your heel pad. This grip gives you maximum control for more accuracy but results in less distance due to less flexibility in the wrists.

The Three Grip Strengths

Finally, with regards to grip strength, the first is the strong grip. When looking down at your left hand, the "V" between your thumb and forefinger point towards your right shoulder and the point between the two tendons in the wrist should be in line with the right side of the shaft. The strong grip is used to eliminate slicing and is also good for distance. Don't use this grip if you want to fade the ball.

The neutral strength grip is what the majority of golfers use. You have more ability with this grip to fade the ball or draw the ball more easily but it requires a bit more strength to keep the clubhead square at impact. Now the "V" will be pointing towards your right ear and the point of your wrist will be in line with the center of your shaft.

The weak grip is used to straighten out a hook but you will not be able to hit a controlled draw. You need more strength to keep the clubhead square through impact. This time, you will see the point of your wrist in line with the left side of your shaft and the "V" pointing towards your chin.

To Summarize

Which ever grip you use, remember that the palms of your hands face each other. The grip is held in the fingers of the right hand and the palm and fingers of the left hand. Also, when gripping the club, leave a half inch of the grip protruding beyond your left hand. Your hands should fit snugly together and feel unified and you should grip the club tightly and consistently throughout the entire golf swing. I hope these free golf tips for beginners for gripping the club will help you with your golf.