The Perfect Golf Grip for Perfect Contact

Could the perfect golf grip immediately improve your contact, boost distance, and obliterate the slice? Revive your golf game with this easy fix.

You won’t play a better game until you master the perfect golf grip.

There’s just no way around it.

Grip isn’t exactly the most captivating golf skill. No one ever let out a long, low whistle and said, “Look at that grip.”

But the way you grip the club affects the way you move the club. Just like any other aspect of your golf setup, if you don’t get this right, nothing else you learn matters. You can’t nail your takeaway or conquer the transition if you don’t have a perfect golf grip.

So I’m about to walk you through this essential skill. You and your children will learn:

• The game-killing grip mistake almost every amateur golfer makes
• How to diagnose this mistake in your own golf setup
• A simple routine to ensure you’ve got the perfect golf grip

Let’s start by clarifying what doesn’t work.

What the Perfect Golf Grip is Not

Most golfers grip the golf club in the palm of their hand. 

And it’s killing their game.

When you grip the club in your palm, you create unnecessary tension and limit the range of motion in your wrists. What does this mean for your swing?

It means you can’t leverage the club with your wrist. You can’t get any torque or speed. And you can’t square the clubface. In fact, your clubface probably rotates open, and you know what an open clubface gets you.

That’s right. Rotten contact and slice after slice after slice.

Plus, a lot of golfers who grip the club in their palm also experience soreness in their wrist or forearm. Now, I’m not a doctor and I’m not qualified to make claims about what’s causing that soreness. I just know that the tension we create by gripping in the palm probably isn’t doing the body any favors.  

Now, here’s the good news:

If you’re one of the many, many amateur golfers who defaults to gripping your club in your palm, you’re likely to see immediate improvement in your game by making one tiny adjustment. When you master the perfect golf grip, you’ll have a much easier time hitting it solid and long. 

But what if you’re not sure if you’re gripping it in your palm? How do you know?

Just look at your golf glove for a dead giveaway. 

The Telltale Sign You’re Gripping the Club Wrong

When a new student steps up to my lesson tee, the very first thing I do is look at their golf glove for holes. If I see holes or heavy wear in the thumb or pad, I ask how long they’ve had that glove.

If they tell me they’ve only worn it for a handful of rounds, I know they’re holding the club in their palm. Before I do anything else, I gotta teach them the perfect golf grip. Nothing else matters until they get that down.

So take a look at your own glove. Are you getting holes in the thumb or pad? 

If you are, you’re probably gripping with your palm. Here’s how to fix it. 

How to Achieve the Perfect Golf Grip Every Time

The secret to a perfect golf grip is to hold the club in your fingers. This gives you a lot more mobility and control in your wrists. And again—I’m not a doctor—but it might ease any soreness you’ve been feeling in your forearms after a round.

So what does that look like?

I actually have a system for setting up a perfect golf grip. I teach this to all my students. It’s also part of my Vertical Line Swing System and I cover it in my book, The Bad Lie.

In other words, I consider this grip routine essential to every golfer’s success on the golf course. 

And it couldn’t be easier to do.

The 45-Degree Angle Grip

1. Use your trail hand to hold the golf club out in front of you.
2. Position the club so that the shaft is at a 45-degree angle in relation to the ground.
3. Grip the top of the club handle in the fingers of your lead hand. You’ll know you’re holding it in your fingers if the pad of your hand connects with the top of the grip and the handle passes over your hand diagonally. The shaft should exit your lead hand through the middle knuckle of your index finger.
4. Add your trail hand as you normally would. (I tend to encourage an overlap grip.)

Now you’ve found the perfect golf grip.

It may be tempting to try adjusting your grip with your club on the ground as you’ve always done. But trust me: you’re most likely to get that ideal grip when you hold the club out in front of you. 

For one thing, you can actually see what you’re doing when you’ve got the club in that position.

And for another, it’s more natural to grip the club in your fingers when you hold the shaft upwards at a 45-degree angle. When you get the club in a downward position, the handle naturally works up into your palm, which is exactly what we don’t want.

The Perfect Golf Grip: A Quick Recap

You’ll be shocked at what a difference this two-second adjustment can make in your golf game. But if you want to do an even deeper dive into the subject of grip, check out this article on the best grip to cure your slice.

For now, here’s the short version of everything you just learned—a quick-and-easy checklist for your next round. 

The Rules of the Perfect Golf Grip:

• Don’t grip the club in your palm because it creates tension and limits mobility.
• Do grip the club in your fingers to gain more control over your swing.

To Find the Perfect Golf Grip:

1. Use your trail hand to hold the club out in front of you at a 45-degree angle, clubhead towards the sky.
2. Position your lead hand on the handle with the pad of your hand at the top of the grip and the shaft exiting through the middle knuckle of your index finger.
3. Place your trail hand in its regular position.

Make these easy changes and I guarantee you’ll start seeing better contact, better distance, and more accuracy.

Any Questions?

What do you think? Was this helpful? Do you plan to try this out for yourself?

Drop into the comments and let us know. And if you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to ask. I love reading through the comments, learning where you’re from, and offering any help I can.

If you’re ready to take your game to the next level with customized coaching or one-on-one instruction, visit us at VLSCoaching.com. Or drop us an email at Info@VLSGolf.com and put COACHING in the subject line. We’ll get back to you right away.