I’ve blamed many poor golf shots on the path, the time, the condition, and any other normal excuse I can find on a miserable walk to find my ball. But what if the real problem will be raised before the club?
I’m talking about the golf grip, which can be a basic fundamental, but often once it’s done, many average players (including me) rarely stop after hitting bad shots.
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We grab a nail, get comfortable, and start leaning – never considering that “more comfortable” might actually mean something completely wrong.
In the Golf Starter Club video below, top-rated golf instructor Rick Silva breaks down how to properly hold a golf club, explaining why moving the grip out of the palm of your hand and into your fingers can create more leverage, improve control, and give the clubface a better chance to return to square.
How to Hold Golf Properly?
What most amateur or beginner golfers forget about the golf grip is this: Your only physical connection is to the club. However, plenty of golfers build their own hands by simply wrapping their hands around the handle and just hoping everything works.
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But according to Woods, that approach can cost you a lot of money before it even gets started. That’s why he compares throwing a soccer ball to throwing a hammer.
“For leverage, much like if you’re hitting something,” says Silva, “the pin needs to sit in a position that allows the hands and fingers to control it effectively.”
Silva then points the lead with his hand – which is to shoot with his left hand.
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Silva wants to “decline as much as he can” with his first hand. Then he puts the handle up to the palm like “90 degrees”, putting it on the fingers as much as possible.
So instead of running the grip across the center of the palm of the club, it should sit diagonally across the base of the fingers.
Why is it so important for the palms of the fingers to have grip? Because putting too much of a stick into the palm can restrict movement and make it more difficult to apply pressure than Silva remembers. But holding it primarily in the fingers allows it to support the driving club without being too tight, giving the hands and arms a freer role in the golf swing.
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Silva then adds another stone, saying he wants to be held “as far from the wrist as we can get him.”
That is, the pad of burying the handle against the heel should be avoided.
After taking the lead hand, Silva lets his hand trail into the “grip side” and manages both hands at the same time for fighting power. The perfect temptation should feel connected and secure, but not crammed into the palms or strangled by tension.
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As Silva explains, this frees golfers from putting the “nail in the square” to create square and powerful shots.
So before you reset your backswing or blame your decline on another mishit, first try to look at the simplest part of your image – how you hold the club. Who knows, your best swing may start moving the club from your palm to your fingers.
What is Golf Starter Club?
The Golf Starter Club is a new, all-in-one golf instruction and community platform designed to help players improve — whether you’re a beginner golfer, an average player, or even somewhere trying to play Division 1 golf.
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Instead of sending golfers down an endless tunnel of conflicting swing tips — which too many amateur players do — the Golf Starter Club offers trusted and established learning paths for beginners, younger, established golfers looking to break 100.
Rather than stressing about golf, members can practice every week learn their schedule alongside world-class golf instructors with practical drills, live sessions, lead discussions, and a growing library shaped by member feedback.
But what really sets the Golf Starter Club apart is its roster: Top-rated instructors — including GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 teachers, LPGA Masters of the Year, and elite coaches — alongside some of golf’s most well-known authors and enthusiasts. By combining credible education with relatable personals, GSC makes getting better simpler, more personal and more fun.
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Here’s how to choose your path at the Golf Club!
Ready to take the leap and join a community of golfers looking for more golf tips and structured golf instruction? SIGN UP for the Golf Starter Club! And make sure to follow Nick Dimengo on Instagram and subscribe to Rainmakers Golf on YouTube, too!
This story was first published by Athlon on the 28th of October Golf section Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.