A major component of beginner golf swing instruction programs is teaching students how to correctly grip the golf club.
A proper grip is vital to swing control, speed and consistency.
Beginner golf swing instruction programs understand the influential role grip plays in a successful golf swing and dispense valuable advice and direction on proper grip technique.
In the book, “How to Master the Irons, An Illustrated Guide to Better Golf” authors Gene Littler and Don Collett offer some beginner golf swing instruction of their own regarding proper grip mechanics.
They write;
“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.
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. 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 they are 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 them. They suddenly realizes why the grip is so important to the swing, and a wonderful sense of achievement sweeps over them, for they are now the master of their 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 they are 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. They try 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. They begin by acquiring the correct grip —the first fundamental of golf—and works from there.”
Beginner golf swing instruction programs understand the importance of a proper grip in a winning golf swing.
Try implementing Littler and Collett’s advice in your next practice session!
Check back soon for more beginner golf swing instruction posts and tips!
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