|
Golf Grip
The grip for a beginning golfer won’t feel comfortable
at first, but it is essential in the long run that you do not create
bad habits (with your grip or anything for that matter). Having a
balanced, neutral, and “even” grip will help your game immensely
because a golfer’s hands are the only body parts that comes in contact
with the golf club, so it partially determines what kind of shot you
will hit.
Too loose of a grip will allow the club to slip sometimes and
completely change your shot, for the worst most of time. Too tight of
a grip would not allow you to “feel” the clubhead and not allow you to
many other things that would affect your shot.
Place your hands around the grip, overlapping your right pinky over
your left index finger.
Wrap your hands around the club placing your left thumb down the
center of the grip.
Then place your right thumb over your left thumb off to center about
65 degrees.
This is what your grip should look like from the back view. This is
known as an overlap grip.
This is known as an inter-lock grip, although not many people use this
grip, the overlap is more common.
The position
of the left thumb on the shaft is critical. I have said that it should
favour the right side of the shaft (picture 1), and is placed in this
position by rotating the hand as described earlier.
The purpose of this adjustment was to establish muscular unity between
the fingers, wrist and forearm, welding all together into a firm,
controllable unit. The left arm hand can now swing through the ball
with firmness and authority, holding the face of the club square
through the ball.
To test this for yourself, place the left hand correctly on the shaft
as described, and grasp the left forearm with the right hand. Note
that when the arm and hand is correctly placed on the shaft the
possibility of independent wrist movement (breaking or rolling of the
wrist through the ball) is eliminated. The hand and arm is firm, and
will remain so through the stroke.
Further, by placing the left hand (and especially the thumb) correctly
on the shaft, one establishes the correct left arm position (see the
"arm-set") that we require in the set-up.
|
