# Loose grip or tight grip



## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Today is a little to cool an blustery to play, if called I'd be out there in a heart beat, so to compensate I've been watching Shawn Clements on youtube. One of his videoes he feels a good tight grip is the best. I've been taught that loose grip is best and I've been told that I over grip the club on occasions. So what do all of you prefer or reccommend?:dunno: now


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

For me it depends on the shot. For putting its a very light touch - grip too hard and the feel just isn't there. But if I gripped a driver the same the club would slip out of the hands, or twist at impact. 3/4 wedge would be somewhere in between.

Guess that's not too helpful...


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

I grip most as if I am holding a can of coke, not enought to crush it, but firm enough so it wont slip


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Big Hobbit said:


> For me it depends on the shot. For putting its a very light touch - grip too hard and the feel just isn't there. But if I gripped a driver the same the club would slip out of the hands, or twist at impact. 3/4 wedge would be somewhere in between.
> 
> Guess that's not too helpful...


It's helpful Brian. I just not sure if I'm asking the question properly


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

most people grip too tight, tight muscles are slow muscles
the traditional wisdom is if on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being strangle hold, you want to grip a 4 or a 5, just strong enough not to lose control


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

This is the link I watched: Weak Or Strong Grip? #1 Most Popular Golf Teacher on You Tube Shawn Clement - YouTube


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

don't confuse strong and weak with tight or loose
strong/weak refers to the roatation of the hands on the club, not the tightness/looseness of the grip
a strong grip refers to the V's created by your thumb and index finger pointing more to the rear shoulder, a weak grip refers to those V's pointing more to your chin

http://www.golfeneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Golf-grips.jpg


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

stevel1017 said:


> don't confuse strong and weak with tight or loose
> strong/weak refers to the roatation of the hands on the club, not the tightness/looseness of the grip
> a strong grip refers to the V's created by your thumb and index finger pointing more to the rear shoulder, a weak grip refers to those V's pointing more to your chin
> 
> http://www.golfeneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Golf-grips.jpg


I understand.., My hands after around will ache so I'm not holding the grip strong I'm strangling the club


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

The theory is if you hold the club out in front of you someone should be able to pull it from your hands. Its such a subjective thing.

But Stevel is right. If you have a tense grip your release would be slow and you'd lose power. My practice swing is only a slow 3/4 swing and is more about feeling loose than it being a genuine practice of the shot I'm about to hit.

Again a little subjective but if your grip is a stranglehold you'll see wear marks on your grips, especially the driver, fairly quickly.


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## GemmaD (Mar 27, 2012)

stevel1017 said:


> I grip most as if I am holding a can of coke, not enought to crush it, but firm enough so it wont slip


Really like this advice. I typically hold short shots hard and drives loose.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Analyzed my grip yesterday with my normal golf buddy and I do have a habit of squeezing the club when I'm trying to crush the ball. We were talking about where this so called problem arose and came to the conclusion the problem is not 99% me. All of us have at one point in playing this game played with the "KNOW IT ALL" He's a nice guy with good intentions but is always finding fault. Well I had him as my partner Saturday even my normal partner noticed how he nit picked at my golf swing. He did the same thing last year to me I guess he was getting to me. I was hitting the ball well on the range.


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## Silverbullet01 (Apr 3, 2012)

*Try this.*

Try hovering the club near the equator of the ball. Since doing this, my ball striking has been much better and your grip pressure remains constant pre-swing. The Golden Bear does it and everyone should give it a try.:thumbsup:


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Silverbullet01 said:


> Try hovering the club near the equator of the ball. Since doing this, my ball striking has been much better and your grip pressure remains constant pre-swing. The Golden Bear does it and everyone should give it a try.:thumbsup:


A golf course I used to play, (now closed), had wirey rough in a few spots. If you grounded the club behind the ball, the grass was so stiff it was likely to move the ball, thus a penalty. I was always a bit amazed that I could hover the club over the ball, take my backswing, adjust coming down and seemingly hit the ball pretty well. Sometimes, I don't hit it that well after grounding the club behind the ball in the middle of a fairway.


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## Silverbullet01 (Apr 3, 2012)

*I hear ya Dennis*



DennisM said:


> A golf course I used to play, (now closed), had wirey rough in a few spots. If you grounded the club behind the ball, the grass was so stiff it was likely to move the ball, thus a penalty. I was always a bit amazed that I could hover the club over the ball, take my backswing, adjust coming down and seemingly hit the ball pretty well. Sometimes, I don't hit it that well after grounding the club behind the ball in the middle of a fairway.


Also, I tend the draw the ball more when hovering the club above the grass. I can fade the ball also, which I'm working on every time I hit the course. I never realized how important the grip is during the swing. I've taken my right hand and faced it towards the target. I've had a strong grip forever.


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