9 Factors Affecting Proper Golf Grip: How to Grip a Club

Some say that your “V shape” should be toward your right shoulder, others will say that the “V shape” is outdated.

In The Complete Guide to Golf Grips, the V shape is toward the right shoulder, and this method is appropriate for most people. 

Of course, everyone has different arm lengths and wrist flexibility, so you need to adjust your hand position.

Next, we'll show a comprehensive overview of what factors affect grip and how to adjust it. 

The 9 Factors Affecting Your Golf Grip

1. Hand Shape and Length
2. Wrist Flexibility
3. Palm shape
4. Finger Joint Flexion
5. Hand Position(Upper hand & Lower hand)
6. Grip Pressure
7. Spacing Between Fingers
8. Club Face Alignment
9. Hand Posture

The proper grip is one that should be comfortable for you, with a clubface that is square in the swing to the low point.

1. Hand Shape and Length

• Big Hands: Reduce finger overlap and avoid tension pressure on the club grips. 
• Small Hands: Need a firmer finger overlap, with the little finger of the bottom hand overlapping the index finger of the top hand.
• Long Finger: Weak grips for long fingers allow for greater comfort and a smoother swing.
• Short Finger: A shorter finger grip with a weak grip may cause the grip to feel unstable during the swing, which can be well resolved by using a strong grip.

Different-sized hands and finger lengths require different sizes of Golf Club Grips. Regular grips come in standard midsize and oversize.

Players with large hands need to avoid excessive hand pressure that can cause a poor swing, while players with small hands need to ensure a firm grip to improve swing stability.

Long-fingered players need a more comfortable, liberal grip to promote a smooth swing, and short-fingered players need a stronger grip to promote swing stability. 

Find the Right Size Golf Grips here

2. Wrist Flexibility

• Flexible wrists allow for more wrist oscillations to be accomplished in the golf swing, contributing to a smoother swing.
• Inflexible wrists can use a more stable grip to reduce hand movement. Allow the body to generate more movement (rotation and swing) to propel the swing.

3.Palm shape

•  A flat palm is a hand that is relatively flat in shape so that when holding the grip, the angle between the palm and the fingers is smaller and there is less clearance between the grip and the fingers.
• A curved palm is one that has more curves in its shape.It creates more clearance when gripping the club, and players can choose the right glove to solve this problem

4.Finger Joint Flexion

• For more bent finger joints: Choose bigger size grips or avoid excessive grip pressure, as more curved joints will produce a tighter grip.
• For less bent finger joints:  Choose a smaller size grip, or increase grip pressure, as flat joints can create a gap between the joints and the grip, and cause an unstable swing.
• Mix of different finger joint flexions: Using the more curved knuckle as a reference, moderately adjust the grip of the other hand to ensure consistency and stability

Different curvatures of the knuckles require the selection of a suitable golf club grips size, and the appropriate grip pressure for the club grips. 

5.Hand Position(Upper hand & Lower hand)

• Upper Hand: The upper hand is also called the lead hand. For most golfers, it is your left hand, for left-handed golfers it is your right hand.
• Lower Hand: The lower hand is also called the dominant hand. For most golfers, it is your right hand. For left-handed players, it is the left-hand

Professional golfers keep a balance between their upper and lower hands. Sometimes the hands are adjusted up and down the grip to improve swing stability or to hit a high lofted shot.

When you adjust the fit of one of the upper or lower hands, the other hand needs a slight adjustment as well. 

6.Grip Pressure

• Overly Tight Grip: Hands and arms feel tight, which can lead to a less fluid swing.
• Too Loose Grip: Felt a lack of stability in the hand movements during the swing.

There are players who have special situations that produce huge changes in grip strength at different stages of the swing.

4 steps to get the proper grip pressure

• Preparatory Action:  Find a wide open area and adopt your normal grip and standing position
• Grip Hard Swing:  Grip the club hard and start swinging. You will hear the sound of the club cutting through the air. Swing it back and forth a dozen times.
• Grip Lightly and Swing:  Grip the club gently and begin to swing the club. Feel if the swing is faster and the sound of the air becomes louder!
• Swing Test: Swing and check for changes in ball speed and accuracy.

7.Spacing Between Fingers

• Wide Finger Placement: Judging a grip with wider finger spacing can be determined by observing the relative spread of the fingers and feeling a more relaxed grip
• Narrow Finger Placement:  Determine a grip with narrow finger spacing by looking at the fingers close together and feeling a great deal of strength and tension in the grip.

Wider and narrower finger spacing grips for different types of golfers and hitting situations   

• Wide Finger Placement: A grip with wider finger spacing is good for beginners as well as for precision shots. Examples include close swings, putting, and chipping.
• Narrow Finger Placement: A grip with narrow finger spacing is suitable for players looking for power and distance and is recommended for experienced golfers who know the swing action well.

8.Club Face Alignment

• Positive Alignment (Club Face Square) means that the face of the club is aligned with the target line or target point. There is a straight line between the clubface and the target.
• Negative Alignment (Club Face Close & Open) means that the clubface of the club deviates from the target line or target point. A certain angular difference is created between the clubface and the target.

In most cases, using a positive alignment is the better option. It results in a more consistent swing and accuracy.

Negative alignment requires more swing skill to adjust to the correct flight direction, so only use it if you need a specific flight path.

9.Hand Posture

• Natural Grip means that the "V" shape points to the center of the body(nose). Holding the golf club in a natural hand position that feels comfortable and relaxed. The club face is aligned with the target line for a smooth, controlled swing.
• Weak Grip means the "V-shaped" pointing to the left side of the body (left shoulder).In contrast to a natural grip, keep the club grip still and rotate the hands to the left side.
• Strong Grip means the "V shape" pointing to the right side of the body (right shoulder). In contrast to a natural grip, keep the club grip still and rotate the hands to the right.

First, understand how each grip changes your motion. What effect does it have on the swing and ball flight path?

Excessively "strong" and "weak" grip can cause an erratic overswing, slightly adjust your hand position and keep testing how it works.