How you grip a golf club greatly affects the direction and power of your shot. However, many golfers pay less attention to this aspect of their game than they do to things such as swing plane and body alignment. Golf Channel instructor Frank Nobilo notes that without a proper grip, the game itself becomes "near impossible" because it is the only point where your body contacts the club.
Features
Your golf grip is composed of three main components: hand placement, grip size and grip material. Your hand placement on the grip affects how the club turns during your swing and subsequently how the club face impacts the ball. The grip size and grip material add comfort and control to your swing. The grip material is grooved with a pattern that allows the hands to better hold the club in position.
Types
Golf grip material is typically made from leather, polyurethane, cork or foam-rubber composites. The material is grooved with lowered and raised areas of different depths. Grip size varies depending on your hand size, but generally ranges from 1/32 inch less than to 1/8 inch more than the industry's "standard" size. The three most common ways to hold the golf club grip during a swing are the baseball grip, the Vardon grip and the interlocking grip. In the baseball grip, all 10 fingers wrap around the club. The Vardon grip has the pinkie of the top hand overlapping the forefinger of the bottom hand. And the interlocking grip is executed by weaving these two fingers together.
Significance
Properly gripping the club increases your chances of hitting the ball squarely and transferring the maximum amount of force from your swing to the ball. How your hands are placed will ensure an even distribution of gripping strength on the club, thus allowing you to apply a lighter squeeze to the club. If you have large hands, it is wise to use the Vardon grip, while people with smaller hands should use the interlocking grip to keep the club steady throughout the swing.
Function
The size and material of the club grip affect how the club reacts when it comes in contact with the ball. If the material is too small in diameter, you are more likely to grip the club tightly at the bottom of the swing. This results in a closed club face. If the grip is too large, it can turn in your hand and become too open. The material of the golf grip must be fresh enough to provide tackiness in your hands, which keeps the club stable.
Considerations
When choosing your hand placement on the club, pick one that is comfortable to your hand size while also giving you the maximum amount of control. The grip material on the club should be changed every one to two years depending on how much golf you play. Some professional golfers change their club grips more frequently to prevent any botched shots due to natural wear.
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