Perhaps the most important element of learning the game, is the grip and its purpose in your golf swing. Obviously, the grip’s primary purpose is to communicate your desires to your golf club. Unfortunately, like most communications the grip is often given too many jobs to do.
For example, suppose your child says, “Dad, I’m staying over at Jimmy’s house on Friday night.” Now, that seems pretty straight forward, unless you check your calendar and notice that Saturday morning is the date to get the family portrait. You also remember that’s when the grass usually gets cut. Now, a simple sentence is complicated.
The same holds true for the grip. If our goal is to hang on to the club, that’s simple. But, also asking our grip to power the golf club and steer it complicates things. So, how do we simplify the grip?
First, your grip should help you feel the club head. Compare holding the club to steering a car. To feel the car moving left and right, you hold the steering wheel in your finger tips. When the road gets icy our natural tendency is to grip tighter out of fear. However, a tight grip no longer enables us to feel the road. The same is true for holding the golf club.
Second, you need to decide which hand does what job. Two-person cannoeing is easier and a lot more fun than single-person cannoeing; IF the two people know who’s doing what. When two people are paddling, the person in the front provides the power and the person in the back steers. The same is true for how the hands should work together in your golf swing. The forward hand (the one closer to the golf hole) provides the power, while the rear hand (usually the dominant hand) steers the club head.
Often beginners erroneously believe that their dominant hand should be the one that holds onto the club, provides the power, AND also steers. Too many hats.
Remember, golf is a game of opposites. Let your forward hand provide the power, your rear hand steer the club, and both hands lightly hold the club like your steering wheel. Your club will thank you for it.
