The only connection a golfer has with a club is through their hands. If your hands are not positioned on the club properly, you really can’t expect to hit a great shot. The good news is that the grip is something any golfer can perfect.
We will be honest and tell you that working on your grip is a bit boring, and there is nothing like learning how to stripe 250-yard drives. However, if you want to see your ball fly past that 250 yards sign a bit more often, you will need a proper grip.
Strong, Weak and Neutral Grip: What You Need To Know
Grip talk can get a bit overwhelming and confusing. We will do our best to help you understand the golf grip as simply as possible. This will help you can make real changes in your game. Throughout this guide, we will explain the grip from the perspective of a right-handed golfer. Left-handed players simply need to reverse everything we say.
What’s a strong golf grip?
A strong golf grip is one in which the left hand is rotated more towards the right. This will put the left hand more over the top of the club. In turn, this makes it so that the right hand is rotated more towards the right and ends up under the club.
With a strong golf grip, players give their right hand a bit more control in the swing. Most of the time, you want to keep the right hand out of it as this can develop inconsistency. However, for a golfer that slices the ball, a strong grip can give the necessary power to turn the club over and get it heading towards a target.
Pros
- Can help to fix a slice
- Gives golfers with less strength some added power
- Good for learning how to hit a draw
Cons
- Allows the right hand to have a very active role in the swing
What’s a weak golf grip?
A weak golf grip is essentially the opposite of a strong golf grip. The left hand will be rotated more towards the left, and as a result, the right hand can also rotate more left. This grip leaves the player looking like their right hand covers the top of the club’s grip.
The weak grip takes the right hand out of the game a bit. This allows golfers to control more of their swing with the left hand. For example, when golfers try to hit a fade, the weak golf grip can be an excellent consideration. However, most players won’t consistently use a weak grip in their next round of play.
Pros
- Can help fix a hook
- Helps golfers control grip pressure
- Good for hitting a slight fade
Cons
- May not give the right hand enough power in the swing
What’s a neutral golf grip?
The neutral grip is a golf grip that most players will strive for. When your hands are in the neutral position, you can swing the club with full power and speed. In addition, the clubhead can rotate as it should through impact. The neutral golf grip will help golfers keep the club face square at impact.
With a neutral grip, your left hand will be set on the club just to the right of the center. This allows the right hand to fit on the club in the same general position, where the thumb fits into the palm of the right hand.
Neutral golf grips can be hard to obtain at first. When you practice them, you can get your hands positioned precisely as they should be on the grip, in a neutral position. There are also several grip training devices that can help perfect the neutral grip.
Pros
- Gives a golfer the best chance at a straight shot
- More consistent way to play
- Will cause less fatigue in the hands
Cons
- Can be hard to achieve initially
What’s the difference between a strong, weak and neutral golf grip?
The main difference between the strong, weak, and neutral golf grip is the left-hand position on the golf club. When your left hand is rotated a certain way on the club, it can impact where the right hand is placed and how the club head will react.
Most of the time, when an amateur looks at the hands of another player on a club, they will focus on the position of the right hand. There is where it is easiest to see where the hands are. It only takes a second to identify if they are in the neutral, strong, or weak position.
However, if you want to change your game, the change needs to come from your left hand. The left hand needs to rotate left or right to allow the right hand to sit on the club a certain way.
Should I play with a weak, neutral or strong grip?
So many golfers keep circling back to whether or not a weak, neutral or strong grip is the best overall choice. Generally speaking, most golfers should strive for a neutral grip. With a neutral positioning of the hands, players have the highest chance of hitting consistent golf shots. However, there are times that a strong or weak grip makes sense.
- When trying to learn to hit a fade, weakining the grip a bit can help take the right hand out of it and leave the clubface slightly open.
- Golfers trying to recover from a major slice problem in their long game, can use a strong grip to activate the right hand to turn the club over.
- New golfers sometimes need a bit of extra strength in the golf club and will use a stronger grip to feel as though they have more control.
- Players that hook the ball or turn it over too quickly can use a weaker grip to control the club head.
Ultimately you will want to work your way back towards a neutral grip. If this takes a bit of time and you must first practice with a strong or weak grip to get you there, that is entirely acceptable and understandable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about the grip and how it will impact your golf game. Remember that without the proper grip on the club, you may as well leave the club where it is and not even swing it back. The grip is our only connection, and it makes a tremendous difference in performance.
How does a strong golf grip or weak golf grip affect my play?
A strong golf grip or weak golf grip impacts ball flight. A weak golf grip will typically lead to a fade or a left-to-right type ball flight. The strong golf grip leads to more of a hook or draw.
Ball flight is a major consideration when checking a golfer’s grip to see if it is effective. The way your hands are positioned on the club impacts the club face angle tremendously, which will control the ball flight.
Should I change my grip?
Golfers should change their grip if they find something very inconsistent in their swing. In fact, as soon as you start struggling on the golf course, the first things to look at are the grip and the stance or setup.
So many players skip right over to swing plane and tempo and speed when most issues in the golf swing are found in the setup, stance, and grip. If you find that your grip is not neutral, try to work it back to this.
Plenty of golfers play with a strong grip their entire life, and it works for them. The key is to find a consistent grip that helps you control your misses.
Is my grip the same for every club?
Most golfers will keep their grip consistent from the driver all the way down to the pitching wedge. However, the putter grip is typically considerably different. With a putter, there is minimal movement or speed, and therefore you can hold the club in various ways, and it will still work out just fine.
What happens if a golf grip is too strong?
You may start hitting shots to the left if a golf grip is too strong. The majority of golfers with a strong grip struggle with a slice. They grip the club stronger with their hands rotated more under the club to turn the clubface over and fix the slice.
The only problem with this is that sometimes you can overdue this motion and end up causing the grip to strengthen a bit too much. The ball will start going out straight and then hooking to the left when this happens.
Is it better to have a strong or weak golf grip?
The strong and weak golf grip are equally good. However, a strong golf grip is better for a player who slices the ball, and a weak golf grip is better for a player who hooks the ball. Tailoring your grip selection to the type of ball flight you typically experience is the smartest way to choose your grip.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now feel more confident about your ability to choose a golf grip for your game. The strong, weak, and neutral grip can all be a good fit for your game; the key is to find the one that most closely matches your needs as a player and allows for the best overall consistency in performance.
Always experiment with a grip change on the driving range; taking this to the course right away can result in other issues and more unnecessary changes.
