Your connection to the golf club is the only thing that directs the face at impact, so getting it right is fundamental to good golf. Popular golf personality and instructor Paige Spiranac tirelessly emphasizes starting with solid fundamentals, and no fundamental is more important than how you hold the club. This guide breaks down the process into simple, actionable steps, showing you how to build a reliable grip that promotes power, accuracy, and consistency on the course.
Think of your grip as the steering wheel of a car. If the wheel is pointed left or right before you even start driving, you're going to have to make all sorts of awkward corrections just to go straight. It's the same in golf. Your grip has a direct and massive influence on where the clubface is pointing at impact. An improper hold forces you to make complex and often inconsistent compensations during your swing just to hit the ball toward your target.
Paige Spiranac often teaches that a good, neutral grip is one of the easiest ways to eliminate major swing flaws before they even start. It sets you up for success. By building a fundamentally sound grip, you create a foundation that allows the rest of your swing - the rotation of your body, the flow of your arms - to work efficiently. You're building a simpler, more repeatable motion that doesn't require last-second manipulations to save the shot. Getting this right means you can focus on swinging a club, not fighting it.
Building a great grip is a process of small, deliberate steps. Don't rush it. We’ll build it one hand at a time, just like you would with a coach on the range.
Your lead hand is the primary controller and stabilizer of the club. Getting it in the right position is the absolute first priority.
The trail hand provides additional support, feel, and power. It needs to work in partnership with the lead hand, not against it.
Once you have the hand positioning down, you need to connect them. There are three primary styles. While Paige often advises that comfort is key, one might fit your hand structure and feel better than the others. There's no single "best" one, but it's worth trying all three to see what feels most secure and natural to you.
This is the most popular grip among professional golfers. In this style, the pinky finger of the trail hand (your right hand) rests on top of the space between the index and middle fingers of your lead hand (your left hand). It's great for promoting hand unity and is often comfortable for golfers with average to large-sized hands.
This is the style used by legends like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, and it's also a favorite of Paige's. Here, you interlock the pinky finger of your trail hand with the index finger of your lead hand. Many players with smaller hands find this grip provides a more secure, "locked-in" feeling, making it almost impossible for the hands to separate during the swing.
Don't be afraid to try this one, especially if you're new to the game, have smaller hands, or suffer from arthritis or a lack of hand strength. Just as it sounds, all ten fingers are placed on the club, with the pinky of the trail hand right up against the index finger of the lead hand. It can feel very powerful and is an excellent way to learn to feel the clubface rotating.
Imagine you're holding a tube of toothpaste with the cap off. You want to hold it firmly enough that you don't drop it, but not so tight that toothpaste starts squeezing out. This is the perfect analogy for grip pressure.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is barely holding on and 10 is a white-knuckle death grip), your grip pressure at address should be about a 4 or 5. It should be firm, not tense. Tension in your hands and forearms is a swing-killer. It restricts the natural, flowing motion of the clubヘッド and prevents you from generating effortless speed. A light, yet firm, pressure allows for maximum feel and lets your wrists hinge and release properly through the impact zone.
You'll often hear golfers talk about their grip being "strong" or "weak." This doesn't refer to pressure, but to the rotational position of your hands on the club. The neutral grip we outlined above is your ideal starting point.
While you can experiment, most coaches, including Paige, will tell you to master the neutral grip first. It gives you the best chance to deliver a square clubface at impact without needing to make major swing compensations. Only change from neutral if you're consistently battling a slice or a hook and want to use the grip as a corrective measure.
Building a quality grip isn't a one-time fix, it’s a habit you reinforce every time you pick up a club. Your hold is the foundation of your entire swing, influencing everything from power and direction to consistency. By focusing on positioning the club in your fingers, getting your hands to work as a unified team, and maintaining a light, tension-free pressure, you are setting yourself up for better golf.
While establishing the feel for your grip takes practice, sometimes you just need a quick, reliable answer when doubt Creeps in on the course or at the range. Since your grip can affect shot shape so dramatically, getting instant feedback can be invaluable. This is where a tool like Caddie AI comes in handy. You can ask it anything about your grip_ - _from "which grip style is best to fix a slice?" to analyzing a photo of your hands for feedback_ - _and get an instant, coach-level response. It's like having that expert second opinion about your fundamentals right in your pocket.
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