Helpful Golf Grip Tactics

Different kinds of golf grip tactics come into play when you look at the way that you grip the golf club. First, let's start off with the different kinds of golf grips.

There are essentially three kinds of grips: the overlap grip, the interlock grip, and the baseball or "10 finger grip".

The purpose of this article is not to explain the different kinds of golf grips, but cover five key golf grip tactics. These tips apply across all types of grip styles and will help you play better golf.

Correct Hand Position

Proper hand position is the first of five golf grip tactics. The proper hand position on the golf grip will form a "V" on your right hand up to your right shoulder and another "V" on your left hand to your left shoulder. The left thumb fits in the thumb pad pocket of your right hand. This switches around for left-handed golfers.

Grip Pressure

The next key element of the proper golf grip is the correct pressure. This is more of an art than a science. You should not grip the club too tightly, nor too loosely. Here's a simple test:

As you grip the club, ask a friend to try and turn the club in your hands. You should be holding the grip firmly enough so that your friend can't turn it in your hands. With your glove off, you should also not be gripping the club so tightly that your knuckles are turning pale.

Golf Grip Quality

An often overlooked part of our golf grip tactics is the quality of your grips. This isn't the quality of how you hold the club...it's the quality of the golf grip that's part of your golf club.

A tremendous amount of torque is generated when you swing the club. If your grips are worn and slick, they will slip during the swing. It doesn't matter how good you grip the club, if your grips our worn, you will have errant shots

During golfing season, clean your grips at least once a week. Replace your grips at the end of the season. With the right equipment you can do this yourself. It's also fairly inexpensive to have this done at your local pro shop or local golf club repair house.

Grip Consistency

The consistency of your golf grip, just like the consistency of your golf stance and swing, is paramount to good scores. Make sure that you take your time during swing setup to analyze your grip. Make sure that it's accurate.

One of the challenges golfers have is that they are in a rush to hit the ball. We forget to take the time before our shots to make sure that our stance and grip or correct. Over time, our grips can shift which leads to inaccuracy. Take your time and get the grip right - every time.

Periodic Checkups

Routinely check your grip. When you get the grip right, have your friend or spouse take a picture. Make some notes. Once a month or once every month take a look at your grip to make sure it hasn't slipped out of position.

This is common with golfers...Especially those golfers who spend a lot of time in the range. As we hit balls, we tend to tweak our swings and tweak our grips. It's just human nature. But there are only so many ways to properly grip the club.

Check on your grip often and make sure you adjust accordingly if things get out of alignment.

More golf grip tactics.