What Does a Bigger Grip Do in Golf?

Changing your golf grip size can feel like a small, technical adjustment, but it has a surprisingly large impact on everything from your hand action to the shape of your shots. It’s one of the simplest equipment tweaks you can make, and understanding its effect can be a game-changer for your consistency and control. This article will break down exactly what a bigger grip does, who might benefit from one, and how to know if it's the right move for your game.

What's the Main Job of a Bigger Golf Grip?

At its core, the primary purpose of a larger-than-standard golf grip is to reduce or "quiet" the hands and wrists during the swing. Think of it this way: try writing your name with a slim, fine-tip pen. You can make very detailed, intricate movements. Now, try writing your name with a thick, oversized marker. The fine, twitchy movements are gone, you're forced to use your arm and shoulder more. A bigger golf grip works in the same way.

By filling up more space in your hands, a bigger grip effectively restricts the small, fast-twitch muscles from taking over the swing. This encourages you to rely on the rotation of your larger muscles - your torso, shoulders, and hips - to power the club. This philosophy is at the heart of a powerful, consistent swing. The body is the engine, and the arms and hands are just connecting parts that transfer that energy to the club. A bigger grip acts as a governor on that system, preventing your hands from getting too "handsy" and derailing the sequence.

How a Bigger Grip Influences Your Ball Flight

The most common reason a coach or club-fitter will suggest a larger grip is to help a player who battles a hook. A hook, for a right-handed golfer, is a ball that curves significantly from right to left. While hooks have many potential causes, one of the most frequent culprits is overactive hands that release, or turn over, too quickly through the impact zone. This closes the clubface and sends the ball left.

A bigger grip fights this tendency directly:

• Slower Rate of Closure: Because the grip is thicker, it physically slows down how fast you can rotate your forearms and hands through impact. It requires more effort and time to turn the club over.
• Promoting a "Held Off" Release: This slower hand rotation will often result in the clubface being slightly more "open" at impact than it would be with a smaller grip. For a player who aggressively shuts the face, this can be the perfect antidote, turning a sharp hook into a gentle draw or a straight shot.

Imagine your hands are in a race to close the clubface by the time you reach the ball. A bigger grip is like asking them to run that race while wearing bulky mittens. It just slows everything down enough to prevent them from getting ahead of your body's rotation. If you constantly see your shots start on target but then take a hard turn into the left rough, overactive hands are a likely suspect, and a larger grip could be a simple, effective change to test.

Finding Comfort and a Lighter Hold

Beyond ball flight, grip size has a huge effect on grip pressure. A grip that is too small for your hands will often cause you to squeeze it too tightly - the dreaded "death grip." When a standard grip feels too thin, your fingers wrap all the way around and can start digging into the pad of your thumb or your palm. This subconsciously triggers you to apply more pressure to feel secure.

Excessive grip pressure is a notorious swing killer. It creates tension that radiates up your forearms, into your shoulders, and throughout your upper body, leading to a stiff and jerky swing. It robs you of feel and makes it impossible to generate effortless clubhead speed.

A properly sized larger grip solves this by comfortably filling your hands. Your fingers can rest on the grip without overlapping and digging into your skin. This naturally promotes a lighter, more relaxed hold. Many golfers who switch to a bigger grip report that for the first time, they understand what coaches mean by "holding the club like a bird" - firm enough so it doesn't fly away, but light enough not to crush it. This reduction in tension is just as valuable as any change in ball flight.

So, Is a Bigger Grip Right for You?

This is the big question. While there are no absolute rules, here are a few types of golfers who stand to benefit the most from testing a larger grip size.

1. Golfers with Larger Hands

This is the most straightforward reason to try a bigger grip. If you wear a Large, XL, or even XXL golf glove, a standard-size grip is almost certainly too small for you. An easy at-home test is to take your normal grip with your top hand (the left hand for right-handed players).

• Look at your middle and ring fingers. Are the tips digging deep into the base of your thumb or your palm? If yes, your grip is too small.
• Ideally, the fingertips should just be lightly touching your palm or the base of your thumb.

For players with large hands, a midsize or jumbo grip isn't a "training aid," it's simply the correct size needed to hold the club properly and without tension.

2. Golfers Who Suffer from a Hook

As we covered, if your bad shot is a hook and you suspect your hands are the cause, a larger grip is one of the first and simplest things to experiment with. By slowing down your hand rotation, it can immediately have a straightening effect on your ball flight. Just remember, it’s not a cure-all. A hook could also come from an inside-out swing path or alignment issues, but if it's hand-related, a grip change can work wonders.

3. Golfers with Arthritis or Hand Pain

For golfers who suffer from arthritis, tendonitis, or general joint pain in their hands and fingers, a bigger grip can be a massive relief. Larger grips, especially those made from softer, vibration-dampening materials, disperse the shock of impact more effectively. More importantly, they require less finger-closing strength to maintain a secure hold, significantly reducing the strain on painful joints during the swing.

Potential Pitfalls of Using a Grip That's Too Big

Of course, more is not always better. It’s important to be aware of the potential negative effects if you choose a grip that’s too large for your hands or your swing type.

• The Dreaded Slice: Just as a big grip can fix a hook, it can cause a slice (a weak, left-to-right curve). If your hands are already passive or you struggle to release the club, a larger grip will only make it harder to close the face. This will leave the face open at impact and cause the ball to fly to the right.
• Loss of Feel and Finesse: For players with average or smaller hands, an oversized grip can feel clumsy and board-like. This can be especially noticeable around the greens, where you rely on the feeling in your fingers and hands to hit delicate chips, pitches, and bunker shots.
• Potential Loss of Distance: For some players, a component of their clubhead speed comes from the timely "snap" of the wrists through impact. Severely restricting this action could lead to a minor loss in distance. However, for most amateurs, this is often offset by the gains from making more consistent, center-face contact, which is a far bigger factor in distance.

A Practical Guide to Trying Out Bigger Grips

If you think a larger grip might help, don't rush out and regrip your entire set. There's a smart way to experiment with it.

1. Start Small: You don't have to jump from a standard grip all the way to a jumbo grip. Try a midsize first. You can also ask a golf shop to add a few extra wraps of tape under your existing grip. Two or three wraps of tape under a standard grip will give you a feel very similar to a midsize grip, and it's an inexpensive way to test the waters.
2. Test with One Club: Pick a single iron - your 7-iron is a great choice - and have it regripped to a midsize or with extra tape. Take only that club to the driving range. This isolates the variable and allows you to focus purely on the feel of the larger grip.
3. Give It an Honest Chance: It's definitely going to feel different at first, possibly even strange or awkward. That’s normal. Don't hit five balls and give up. Plan to hit at least a full medium bucket (50-75 balls) to give your hands and brain time to adjust. Pay attention not just to where the ball goes, but to how your hands feel. Do you feel less tension? Does the club feel more stable at the top of your swing?

Only after a proper test session should you decide whether to roll out the change to the rest of your set.

Final Thoughts

In short, moving to a bigger golf grip primarily helps to quiet your hands during the swing. This simple change can be a powerful way to straighten out a persistent hook, encourage a lighter grip pressure, and provide greater comfort. It's an especially useful adjustment for golfers with larger hands or for those who struggle with hand pain or an overly handsy swing.

Figuring out if a grip change is the true solution can be tough, as a mishit might stem from your grip, your setup, or a dozen other things. This is where I find having an on-demand tool can build your confidence and clarify your next steps. For example, with Caddie AI, you can describe your ball flight patterns or explain what feels “off” in your swing and get instant, personalized feedback on what the root cause might be. It takes the guesswork out of troubleshooting, giving you simple advice so you can make smarter adjustments and get back to hitting good shots.