What Are The Problems Of A Strong Golf Grip & How To Fix It

What Are The Problems Of A Strong Golf Grip & How To Fix It

The Importance Of Grip Strength

We’re not talking about physical strength here.

This isn’t about how tight you hold a club, although grip pressure is another vital ingredient in this cake, it is more about hand position.

A strong or weak grip refers to where your hand is on the club.

Interestingly, strong grips have become somewhat fashionable thanks to a growing number of golfers who “cup” their wrists at the top of the swing, think Dustin Johnson.

Many golfers are trying to employ that movement and a strong grip is essential here to square the face at impact.

What Is A Strong Grip

A strong top hand will allow the golfer to see more knuckles than usual at address.

Think of the palm of the hand being wrapped over the top of the grip. That hand position has some effects on the clubface as you get to impact.

A strong grip in the lower hand looks opposite. This is when the lower hand sits more off the side of the grip.

Think of the grip again sitting in the palm a little more and your hand not sitting over the middle of the grip. This article here goes into good detail on this.

How Does It Affect Your Golf Swing?

A strong grip is so called as it can reduce the input of the wrists as you come to impact.

This is a grip that can help players to sort of “block” the club through impact to ensure it is square.

n both of these lines you can see how it can cause problems or even aid your swing.

If you are “wristy”, it can dampen that, however it can also cause restriction in your swing if you’re not careful.

Some can use a strong grip to help control the clubface. You can also reduce your ability to shape the ball freely.

Why Is A Strong Grip Not Always Ideal?

The golf swing is a strange thing, with so many moving parts, something that isn’t ideal in general can be good for some.

If you are a golfer who has textbook fundamentals, then a strong grip is going to hinder your swing.

The grip is a vital cog in the machine of the golf swing. Unless you have built your swing to require a strong grip then you are probably making things harder for yourself by using one.

This is where a good coach can really set you straight.

What Are The Problems It Can Cause?

Lack Of Elevation In Your Shots

Your hands are vital in the golf swing for adding that little bit of extra power.

A good wrist hinge at the top of the swing works to “store power” and create lag, then an efficient release delivers that pent up speed. That speed helps lift the ball into the air.

Also, delivering the clubhead efficiently allows the grooves to do their thing and lift that ball into the air.

You will impart spin on the ball properly and you can even add some of that Hollywood backspin to impress your mates when the ball hits the dance floor.

Lowers The Loft Of Each Club

A strong grip can often de-loft your club, another contributor to the low ball flight, above.

In this instance we are talking about a stronger upper hand as that has more control on the loft of the club at impact. Too strong and you will increase shaft-lean through the ball.

This shaft-lean is a key factor in de-lofting the club at impact. As your hands press further ahead the dynamic loft on the club reduces.

Hitting The Ball With A Hook

Not only can a strong grip cause the de-lofting of the club, it can also cause you to deliver a closed face which is likely to cause a hook.

That reduced ability to control the clubface using your wrists can cause a blocking action which can really bring that hook into play.

Topping The Ball

Thinking about that added tension in the swing, that tension is centred on the wrists and in the arms.

This issue can cause golfers to deliver the club higher up the ball and reduce the bottom of the swing. It can lead to the ball being topped regularly and feel like it’s hard to get to the ball.

Short Game Issues

The scoring game requires more finesse and many of the issues mentioned above can be amplified in the short game.

Being unable to use your wrists efficiently can kill your short game. Reduced spin, reduced control and an inability to loft the ball can all cause significant problems.

In my experience of having an overly strong grip for a period, this was exactly where I saw my biggest issues.

I really struggled to gain any sort of consistency or control of the ball during this period in my game.

How To See If Your Grip Is Too Strong

The golf grip has had more books written about it than I care to imagine.

If the “v’s” between the base of your thumbs and forefingers are behind your head at address then you probably have a strong grip. Here is a more detailed description of various grips.

How To Move Towards A More Neutral Grip

Firstly, grip changes should always be talked through and supervised by a good coach.

They will help you get into the best position for your swing and will bring about solid changes more efficiently than if you try to do it on your own.

By bringing those v’s into a more central position, more toward your chin at address, you will be moving to a more neutral position.

It will feel very odd at first but it could be exactly what your game needs.

What Are The Pros Of A Strong Grip?

Who Should Play A Strong Grip?

The emerging modern golf swing, first made famous by Dustin Johnson is unique because of the “cupped wrist” that you can see at the top of the swing.

This unorthodox position requires a bit of manipulation from the top to impact and the strong grip can help here.

Is A Strong Grip Good For Seniors?

As the cruel inevitability of time chips away at your golf game, your grip can be one of the major issues.

A stronger grip can feel more secure in your hands and so this can start to feel better to older golfers.

Where Should The Ball Position Be For A Strong Grip?

Looking through various articles on this subject suggests that the jury is out on this one.

The reality is that you probably shouldn’t change your ball position for a stronger grip. It may need changed for other reasons but not for strengthening your grip.

What Should Your Takeaway Be Like?

You’ll notice that proponents of the modern swing take the club away with a hooded face. Collin Morikawa is a great example of this.

The club stays outside the hands with the face hooded rather than fanned out on the way up.

Do You Have To Use The Same Grip For Each Shot Type?

The simple answer to this is no. Some golfers find that a stronger grip for the more powerful shots are beneficial, whereas something a little weaker gives them more on the scoring game.

Many of the best bunker players tend to hit these shots with a very weak grip.

Strong Vs Neutral Grip

A strong grip is good for golfers who need help moving the ball from left to right.

A neutral grip, by definition, should suit most golfers as it is the most standard. Many coaches favour the strong grip for beginners as it can help them control the club better in the early days.

The strong grip can also be a great way to help golfers who come over the top top to the ball. It can promote a more in-to-out path into impact which is optimal.

Strong Vs Weak Grip

The weak grip is great for helping players who struggle with a slice. Many go to the strong grip to help solve the slice but this can actually make things worse.

Weak grips are helpful to those who like to play with their hands more.

If you are a creative golfer who likes to shape the ball with freedom then you may feel that the weak grip feels better.

What you find is that most golfers have a neutral grip that slightly tends in one way or the other.

Can You Play Good Golf With A Strong Grip?

I’ve already mentioned Dustin Johnson and Collin Morikawa in this article. There is also Brooks Koepka and you will be seeing more and more top golfers coming through with stronger grips.

This seems to be a bit of a movement right now in the golfing world.

Given all of this, it certainly is possible to play good golf with a strong grip. The players who excel with this grip often tend to need a little extra help with their shortgame.

However, when they get that part right, incredible things can happen.

How Do You Stop Hooking The Ball With A Strong Grip?

Many golfers who play with a strong grip can complain of hooking the ball, as already mentioned.

This is when golf becomes an art as well as a science. You have to learn to control the clubface and figure out what makes that hook happen.

Again, you need a coach to help you navigate this.

You will need some drills to help you “hold off” that clubface through the ball and really nail that blocking action at impact to help you keep it square.

Can A Strong Grip Cause A Steep Swing?

 It seems that a stronger grip can help remedy a a steep swing. Whilst the grip is only a small part of the total move, it is vital.

It is just the start that can help you get into better positions and it can help you get into a more shallow swing path into the ball.

Does A Strong Grip Increase Distance?

Yes. The de-lofting and the more optimal in-to-out club path can really help bring more power and distance into the swing.

Some of the longest hitters in the professional game right now employ a stronger grip and that is absolutely no coincidence.

Can A Strong Grip Cause A Shank?

When you deliver the club to the ball from out to in and with the hosel first, the terrifying shank can happen.

You don’t want that, it can shake you to your core. As mentioned a few times, a stronger grip can help you with a more in to out being and should help reduce shanks.

Conclusion

The grip is something that most golfers should pay more attention to.

It should be the first thing that all coaches look at in their players and is often somewhere to go when you need to fix something.

Many golfers should consider a strong grip but it must be done with through a coach.

Avoid YouTube at all costs. Speak to a coach and play around with your grip under supervision.

You can see what will happen to your ball flight, trajectory and shape when you make small changes to your grip. Now is the time to do it, in the winter months to get it ready for 2023!