Good iron play requires a good grip. Without such a grip it is virtually impossible to control your shots to the green and score with any degree of consistency. Most golfers, particularly beginners, fail to appreciate the importance of the grip and its influence on the over-all swing.

After some 20 years of playing golf, both for fun and as a profession, spending countless hours of thinking about the swing and how it should function, and hundreds of other hours on the practice tee, I have reached one emphatic conclusion: No one who aspires to become a good golfer can do so without a correct grip. It is as simple as that. Your hands, as the gripping force, are the only physical contact you have with the club. They must, therefore, be positioned on the club correctly if you are to achieve the directional control that is so necessary for consistent iron play.

I experienced trouble with my grip for years before I finally made a major change in 1958. Prior to that time, I had been fortunate enough to win a number of tournaments, but I always had a tendency to hook the ball. The reason was that I had carried my right hand under the shaft too much, invariably resulting in a closed face at the top of the swing. In the fall of 1958, Paul Runyan, La Jolla Country Club professional, advised me to change my grip and position of the clubface at the top of my swing. He suggested that I move my right hand slightly counterclockwise, or more on top of the shaft, to have the clubface more open at the top of the swing. These changes were related, and it took me a month or more to become accustomed to this new right-hand position. The open stance, and closed clubface positions are illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

By moving my right hand more on top of the shaft, there was less tendency to have the right hand exert initial control during the backswing. The right hand merely rides on the shaft, thus allowing the clubface to remain square, or slightly open, as the body is turned away from the ball. Also, this new grip prevented my right hand from taking over too soon at the start of the downswing.

I would say that this change amounted to moving my right hand about an inch, so that the V formed by my right index finger and thumb pointed to my right eye instead of to my right shoulder as is conventional for the average golfer. The movement was ever so slight, but it allowed my left hand, arm, and entire left side to exert more control over my swing, particularly, as I have just pointed out, during the early stages of the backswing and downswing.

In the golf swing, the body movements generate the power and the hands apply it through the shaft and clubhead with a terrific lashing action of the right forearm and right hand. This movement can be likened to cracking a whip underhanded. A tremendous amount of clubhead speed can be generated this way, provided you have a proper grip on the club and are on the proper swing plane coming into the ball.

On the other hand, if the club is not gripped properly, you lose control at some critical juncture in the swing and the clubhead cannot be accelerated to its maximum speed.

Fig. 2. Open position of clubface will result in a slice or pushed shot. Note
left wrist, which is in an extremely weak position.

Fig. 3. Square clubface position puts the left hand in a stronger position at the top of the swing and will ensure left-side control at the beginning of the downswing through good left-arm and hand control.

Fig. 4. Closed clubface is least desirable of the three basic positions. Clubface is pointing toward the sky, which will result in hooking. Left wrist should be positioned more under the shaft, as shown in Fig. 3.

THE OVERLAPPING GRIP. Although there are many ways to grip the club, the most effective and widely accepted one is the overlapping grip. This grip promotes excellent unity of the hands, allowing them to function as a one-piece unit throughout the swing. The overlapping grip places initial control in the left hand and keeps it there throughout the backswing and early in the downswing. The right hand then takes over and applies the power through the clubshaft and clubhead.

Positioning your left hand on the club correctly is the first step toward building a good grip. Figure 5 illustrates the proper left-hand grip on the club. To obtain this position, place the open palm against the left side of the shaft (Fig. 6) and then close the palm and fingers around the shaft (Fig. 7). This puts the shaft under the muscular pad and slightly above the roots of the last three fingers of the left hand.

Fig. 5. The left-hand grip. Left hand should rest on top of the shaft, with two or three knuckles showing at the address position.

Fig. 6. Start by placing the open palm against the left side of the shaft. Then grip the club by closing the fingers around the shaft and moving the big part of the hand in a slightly clockwise motion. This will ensure that the top of the left hand rests on top of the shaft.

A good test to tell if you have the correct left-hand grip is to bring the club up to eye level and open the last three fingers. If the club does not move, you have the correct left-hand grip, because the pad of the palm and the crook of the forefinger around the shaft will maintain a firm grip for you.

About the left thumb: There are two accepted positions for it on the shaft, depending upon your experience and skill. The straight-down-the-shaft thumb position is generally used by better players and those who are prone to hooking (a right-to-left flight pattern). The other position has the thumb slightly on the right side of the grip. I have illustrated this position in Figure 5 and recommend it for the beginner and average player.

As you progress in experience and acquire a better fundamental knowledge of the grip and swing, it is possible to make the slight adjustment of putting your thumb straight down the shaft. Before doing so, however, I suggest you seek the advice and counsel of your club professional. He knows your swing better than anyone else and can advise you if it would be wise to do so.

When you have completed your left-hand grip, the V formed by the thumb and forefinger should point to your right shoulder, or to your right eye if you are prone to hooking. Looking down, you should be able to see at least two or three knuckles of your left hand. If you can see only one knuckle, your grip is too weak; and if four knuckles are showing, your grip is too strong.

Such technicalities may seem a bit trivial to a golfer, but this precise, exacting game requires the utmost attention to detail. The more thorough you are in building a good grip, the easier it will be to swing and control the clubhead, which, in turn, will give you better results and better scores.

One more thing about the left-hand grip, and it is so important that it merits special study and thought. It concerns the gripping pressure applied to the shaft by the left hand. I have seen some golfers grip the club so tight that they can't even flex their wrists. Remember, there is a difference between firmness and tightness. Never grip the club tightly and with such rigid tension that you lose the feel of the clubhead. The pressure points for the left hand should be the last three fingers of the hand, with a lesser amount of pressure exerted by the palm pad and the forefinger. In other words, the fingers press up and the pad presses down, thus locking the shaft in-between.

Fig. 7. Inside view of the left-hand grip shows finger position and muscular pad on top of the shaft.

It is a little more difficult to position your right hand on the club, because it is the overlapping hand. With your left hand affixed on the shaft in the correct manner, extend your right hand down to meet the left hand. The palm faces toward the target (Fig. 8), and the center of the palm fits snugly against, and over, the thumb of the left hand. Now close the fingers around the shaft (Figs. 9 and 10), allowing the little finger to overlap between the forefinger and middle finger. Actually, the little finger sort of hooks around the middle knuckle of the forefinger, creating a firm yet flexible union of the hands.

The third finger fits snugly against, and alongside, the forefinger of the left hand and maintains equal pressure on the shaft with the middle finger of the right hand.

The thumb and forefinger are also important because of their position and feel on the club.

As the forefinger is folded around the shaft, it separates a little from the other three fingers, as shown in the hands-up view in Fig. 11. This allows the forefinger and thumb to exert a pincer grip on the club shaft. It also does one more important thing: It forces the forefinger knuckle almost up on top of the shaft and makes the inside thumb pad fit firmly and snugly on top of the left thumb. This has the effect of welding the hands together and prevents the right hand from separating from the left at the top of the swing.

Other checkpoints concerning the grip are:

1. The V formed by the thumb and forefinger of the right hand should be pointing toward your right shoulder (Fig. 12).

2. Pressure points of the right hand are the two middle fingers. They are the gripping fingers, while the forefinger and thumb provide the finesse and feel of the grip.

3. Position the right forefinger (as noted above) so that it points directly toward the target and intended line of flight during address.

4. The right-thumb position is on the left side of the shaft—not straight down the shaft.

5. Do not allow more gripping pressure in the right thumb and forefinger than in the two middle fingers. The thumb and forefinger tend to "take over" too soon if they are in firm control of the swing during the backswing and early part of the downswing. They are the agents which help destroy your rhythm and timing, and they forcefully come into play only as the hands enter the hitting area.

All things considered, you must, create the feeling in molding a good grip that the hands are working as one. The closer you can come to this—and it takes time and practice—the more uniform and consistent your hand action will become.

THE UNLAP GRIP. This grip differs from the overlapping grip only in that all fingers of the right hand are on the shaft. From the overlapping grip, the right hand is merely slipped down the shaft a bit to allow the little finger to grip the shaft. Two of the greatest exponents of this grip are Art Wall and Bob Rosburg. Both are great players and seem endowed with extremely sensitive hands which they use to great advantage, particularly on the green, where they both rank with the greatest putters of our time. Neither Wall nor Rosburg has large hands, so by employing the unlap grip they can achieve not only a good unity with this grip, but maximum hand action as well.

Fig. 8. The right-hand grip. Face the palm of the right hand toward the target so that the center of the palm fits snugly against, and over, the thumb of the left hand.

Fig. 9. Target-side view of full grip. The two middle fingers are the gripping forces in the right hand. The little finger hooks around the middle knuckle of the left forefinger.

Many junior golfers start out with this grip and later change to the overlapping grip as their hands become bigger and stronger. Lady players who have small or weak hands are advised to use this grip as it will give them a freer hand action than the overlapping grip.

THE INTERLOCKING GRIP. Although not widely in use today, this grip still finds favor with certain players. It is basically the same as the overlapping grip except that the little finger, instead of overlapping, interlocks with the forefinger of the left hand. This is achieved by extending the forefinger out and letting the little finger come between it and the middle finger. The fingers are then clasped around each other to form the interlock. Once again, this grip is generally used by players with small hands and short fingers.

Fig. 10. Front view of full grip. The thumb and forefinger of the right hand exert a pincer grip on the shaft. V formed by thumb and forefinger points to the right shoulder, or to the right eye for a stronger player.

Fig. 11. Hands-up view of the grip. Note slight separation of the right forefinger from the other fingers of the right hand. This ensures a better right-hand grip and tends to lock the shaft under the knuckle joint.

Fig. 12. Player's view of the grip. Note good left-hand position and V's of both hands pointing toward vicinity of right shoulder.

THE HOOK GRIP. This is an extremely strong hand position (Fig. 13) and usually results in a ball that is hooked from right to left. The hands are positioned farther to the right than in the normal grip (Fig. 10), with the entire top of the left hand on top of the club and the right hand slipped more to the side of the shaft, making the V point toward the right hip.

With the hands positioned in this manner, the clubface will close immediately as it is swung away from the ball. Unless an effort is made to square up or open the face coming into the hitting area, the clubface will impart terrific right-to-left English to the ball. This is the position in which the hands should be placed to hit an intentional hook.

Fig. 13. The hook grip positions the hands farther to the right on the shaft.

Fig. 14. In the slice grip, the hands are moved to the left, or weak, position on the shaft.

THE SLICE GRIP. The hands are placed in a weak position (Fig. 14) by moving them to the left. The V of the left hand then points to the left shoulder instead of the right shoulder, and the V of the right hand is toward the chin. This type of grip promotes a slice or, at its best, a fade, in which the ball curves in a left-to-right flight pattern. It also forces the clubface into an extremely open position going back, instead of the more desirable square-face position.

To my way of thinking, mastering the grip, and mastering it well, is the most singularly important step a golfer can make while learning the fundamentals of the swing. Once a golfer arrives, if I may use such a term, at the point where he is shooting consistently in the 70's, the importance of the grip and its relationship to the over-all concept of the swing becomes more meaningful to him. He suddenly realizes why the grip is so important to the swing, and a wonderful sense of achievement sweeps over him, for he is now the master of his hands, and not vice versa.

Golf, being the fascinating game that it is, is also a game of extremes. A person can go from being an extreme slicer to a wild hooker, and a good measure of this can be traced right down to the grip he is using. That is why experienced players of today, particularly the pros on the PGA circuit, spend considerable time molding their hands into the right position on the club. It may come as a surprise to you, but they actually practice gripping the club just as they practice their shots. They do this on the practice tee and in the locker rooms and their hotel rooms until it is almost second nature to them. They try to create a certain feel and sensitivity in their grips, and they transmit this into their shots in a crisp, precise manner that makes it look quite effortless to golf spectators.

The truth of the matter is that it isn't quite so. Behind the machine-like swing of a professional, lies countless hours of practice, planning shot-making strategy, and quite a bit of playing, under different weather conditions and on many types of courses. He tries different methods of hitting the ball, and what may have seemed like a sure-fire bet yesterday is abandoned today because it failed to hold up under the stress of competition. Slowly, but surely, the mold of the golfer is formed. It's like taking a precious stone and polishing it to a brilliant hue. No detail is neglected in the process of shaping the stone and bringing out its natural value. And the polishing continues through the years.

Such is the case with the golfer. He begins by acquiring the correct grip —the first fundamental of golf—and works from there.

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