How you hold the golf club is a critically important part of your swing because your grip is the only contact point for your body. Even the slightest twist in your grip can send the ball hooking or slicing into the rough. Your posture as you hold the club also greatly influences the quality of your shots.
Step 1
Approach the golf ball and set the clubface squarely behind it. Stand with your leading foot slightly in front of the ball's perpendicular plane to you. Flare your feet outward slightly, shoulder-width apart.
Step 2
Lock your knees and then unlock them to put a slight bend in them. Some golfers bend their knees too much in their stance before a shot, but a slight bend is all you need. Bend forward from you hips to keep your back straight as you hold the club.
Step 3
Hold the club in one hand and allow your other arm to dangle freely from your shoulder. The height your free hand hangs at is the height at which you should be holding the club's grip.
Step 4
Wrap the hand closest to the hole, also called the leading hand, around the end of the grip. There should be less than 1 inch of the grip showing above your hand. Hold the club in the bend of your fingers, not the palm.
Step 5
Wrap your other hand around the club so the index finger of your leading hand and the pinky finger of your back hand are flush on the underside of the grip. Hold the club only in your fingers. Rest your thumbs in a straight line down the shaft.
Step 6
Choose between the Vardon and interlocking grip, the two most popular grips used by professional golfers. For the Vardon grip, lay the pinky finger of your back hand on top of the index finger of your leading hand. For the interlocking grip, place each of these fingers in the crux of the other to interlock them.
Step 7
Make sure the backs of your hands are parallel to each other while you hold the club. If you are making a chip or short-iron shot, PGA star Tiger Woods advises using light grip pressure to keep unnecessary tension in your arms to a minimum.
Tips and Warnings
- There should never be pressure in the middle of the grip when holding a club with the Vardon or interlocking grip.
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