Over the years, I notice many of my playing partners hold the golf club in a death grip. Their fear, as I asked them, is they are afraid the club will fly out of their hands. I further asked if this had ever happened and their immediate response was no. With such a quick answer, I often wonder why they felt they needed to strangle their hold on the golf club. Gripping our golf club with the correct amount of pressure is important for executing a perfect golf swing. Movement and control is hindered if we grip the club too tight and I know this from personal experience.

There is a fine line between gripping too tight and too loose when holding a golf club. The exact pressure is partly relative, however there is a test you can do to establish what works best for you. Before then, listen to what Butch Harmon has to say:

Finding the right grip pressure is not difficult. I stumbled across Tom Watson’s technique to establish my grip pressure year’s ago. It is very simple and easy for anyone to replicate. Here is what Watson says:

STRESS TEST: (1) Grip the club just firmly enough so it doesn’t slip down when you hold it vertically. (2) Lower it to horizontal to set the final pressure.

If I could check your grip pressure, I’m pretty sure it would be too tight, and then you wouldn’t be able to make a rhythmic swing — or get your best accuracy and distance. Here’s a quick way to test it.

Hold the club vertically in front of you. Let it slide down through your fingers. That grip pressure is too light. Firm it up just enough so that the club doesn’t fall through. That’s your starting point.

Now, with that same pressure, raise the club again, but this time lower it to horizontal (right). This will increase the pressure to the level you should use when you address the ball.

I want most of the gripping pressure in the last three fingers of my left hand, especially the little finger. Try to maintain this pressure during your swing. It will tighten naturally, but thinking about keeping the pressure constant is a good goal.

Golf Digest: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/watson_gd0804

As you can see, Watson’s explanation is very simple. Here is a video that helps show you what he is talking about:

Determining your perfect grip pressure is very important! It determines/enhance club control, swing mechanics, and ball contact. It is interesting how one simple thing as grip pressure affects so many aspects of our golf swing. However, it does so I recommend you spend a bit of time determining the correct grip pressure for your game.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!