The Proper Golf Grip For The Left Hand

The left-hand grip is the most important for a right-handed golfer because it maintains the most contact with the club. Any golf lesson starts with gripping the club properly because it controls the direction of the club face more than the swing does. According to the late World Golf Hall of Fame player Byron Nelson, "The left hand guides the club at all stages of the swing." Nelson and his fellow caddie and hall of famer from Fort Worth, Ben Hogan, stress a few fundamentals of the left-hand grip.

Step 1

Move your left hand under the club's grip and align the handle at an angle so it meets below the first knuckle of your forefinger and at the third knuckle of your middle finger. The bottom of the grip should sit at the pad in your palm below your thumb.

Step 2

Close your left hand around the club. Nelson preferred to have his thumb rest between the top and right side of the grip. Hogan found that it worked better to "shorten" his thumb a fraction of an inch. Your thumb and your forefinger should form a "v" that points at your right shoulder, and you should see the knuckles of your middle and forefinger when looking down at the club at address.

Step 3

Use the proper tension. The last three fingers of the left hand should have the most tension. Nelson and Hogan both wrote that it was important to grip the club firmly enough to control it. Gripping the club too tightly builds tension in the hands and forearms, which saps power because it keeps you from releasing the club through the ball properly.