Neutral Hold

 A. Full swing and Pitch Shot

Why?

Holding the club is the ONLY connection a golfer has to the golf clubface, which is what connects to the ball when you swing.  The goal of the grip is to connect the most amount of surface are of the club to the hands and create a biomechanical efficiency of holding and feeling at the same time.  This efficiency allows the wrists to swivel with the club called wrist action.  Wrist action is one ?engine? of a power source in the swing and holding the club too much in the palm of your hand reduces wrist action.  Therefore, holding the club in the fingers is crucial if you are able. The fingers are the most sensitive parts of our hands. Placing the club more in the fingers rather than in the palm increases the amount of wrist bend, which results in power and feel.  For definitions sake a Lead hand-Righty golfer is the Left hand.  Lefty would be the Right hand. Trailing hand- Righty would be the Right hand.  Lefty would be the Left hand.

How?

 Step 1.  On the lead hand draw dots on your glove at a 45 degree angle on each finger as illustrated in the picture here.

Step 2.  In the trailing hand hold the club in the air with head of the club pointing to the sky.  Place the rubber grip end of the club on the lead hand dots shown in the picture below.  By taking hold of the club in the lead hand, naturally wrap the thumb around the top part of the grip. This thumb now becomes a major component to fasten the trailing hand to the club.  Do this much like a drummer would hold drumsticks or a magician would hold a wand in the fingers not in the palm.

Step 3. The trailing hand comes along for a ride to the hold by fastening the lead hands thumb in the middle of the trailing hands palm shown in the picture below.

Step 4.  The trailing hand fingers? take hold of the club by wrapping around the grip.  They can wrap around in three ways according to hand-size.  Remember the goal is to create the most amount of surface area on the club between the hands and the rubber grip, so chose the style that this maximizes.  Notice that only the trailing hand is the difference in these three hold styles in the picture below.

1. Baseball 2. Over-lapping 3. Inter-locking

Step 5.  Check the efficiency of the wrist action and that the club is in the fingers by swiveling your wrists freely with the club.  Verify the club naturally sits on the ground by placing it behind the ball.  How hard should you hold it?  Hold the club in your hands so that your wrists are free to swivel like they are oily hinges and your fingers are clasped around the rubber part of the grip.  If your wrists are free to move then your finger pressure should be perfect.

B.  Putting hold

Why?

Putting hold is so very personal and can be successful in a number of styles.  However, the putting hold that I recommend is a very natural style of the two hands coming together, like clapping.  This is a good starting point or regrouping point for all golfers.  The goal of the natural handhold in putting is so that the hands work together as clasps on the club and the shoulders rock the putter, like rocking a baby.

How?

Step 1.  Stand neutrally shoulder width apart and let your arms hang naturally at your side. Bend over slightly at the waist to approximately 45 degrees with an athletic stance including a gentle knee bend.   Bring your hands together as if you were going to clap, notice how the hands work together.

Step 2.  Place the putter in each hand by clasping the fingers around the rubber grip however your hands come together.  This may mean that each person?s grip is different slightly, however it allows us to make a putting stroke with our major muscles in the shoulders versus using our minor muscles in our hands.

Step 3. Check and verify you?re naturally holding the putter  to see it feels like you are shaking hands with the putter with your fingers clasping around the rubber grip.

How hard?

Hold the putter in your hands naturally, like you are squeezing a tube of toothpaste and just putting enough paste on a toothbrush.  Look at your hands if your knuckles are white this is a good indicator that you have emptied the tube of toothpaste all over the bathroom floor.