Fundamentals Part 2: Grip and Setup

This section contains some of the most important information about the golf swing. Having a proper set up and grip is essential to having a solid and repeatable golf swing. Here are some of the more important factors in the setup:

-Feet are about shoulder width apart, but comfortable. Front foot slightly turned out, back food perpendicular to your target line.
-Knees should be flexed but not too much, and your upper body should be bent over from the hip sockets.
-Back should be relatively flat with your butt sticking out slightly.
-Arms should hang naturally from the shoulders.
-Weight distribution should be even and resting mostly on the balls of your feet.
-Club should be pointing toward your belt buckle.

Grip

How you grip the club is one of the most important fundamentals in golf because it is the only contact you have with the golf club, so it needs to be good. I will be explaining the grip for a right handed golfer.

Left hand first:

The club should be held in the middle of your left hand, not in the fingers and not in the palm. The pad of your left hand (on the pinky side) should rest directly on top (spine) of the club as the grip runs along the life line of your hand and out between the knuckles of your pointer and middle finger. You should be able to see two knuckles of your left hand at setup, and the "V" formed by your thumb and pointer finger should point towards your right shoulder.

Right hand:

Look at your right hand and find where each finger connects to your palm, this is where the grip will lie in your right hand. Your hands will fit together naturally with your left thumb fitting nicely between the palm pads of your right hand. The "V" formed by your right thumb and pointer finger will also point towards your right shoulder.

Connection of the hands:

I prefer my students to use either an interlocking grip or an overlapping grip and grip pressure should be light but not too light, maybe a 3 or 4 on a scale of 1-10. Lighter grip pressure lets the wrists work properly and gives you a chance to release the club at the right time.

Make sure these two fundamentals are correct, and you will have a much better chance at making a proper golf swing.

Good Luck!