Make A Coffee And Check Your Golf Grip... Get Into The Habit Of Trying This Drill (At Home)

Not having enough time to practice is a fair enough excuse, but there are ways to improve your golf game at home. In fact, there are a number of household items that can improve your golf, and there is a really good way to cement good habits around one of the most important areas of the game: the grip.

It's always worth reminding yourself of the step by step guide to the perfect golf grip, for so many destructive shots stem from faults in this department.

Once you have established a grip that works for you - and it's possible to play with a strong and weak golf grip - here's a drill that you can work on at home... every day. Doing so will embed really good habits.

GRIP CHECK DRILL

Russell Covey

Russell's students having notched up wins in the Spanish, French, Dutch, Scottish and English Amateur Championships and St Andrews Links Trophy. In 2021, he was named PGA Specialist Professional and PGA Specialist Coach.

1. The common fault

On the practice ground or driving range, we can sometimes be guilty of hitting balls without taking our hands off the club between shots. When you’re looking straight down at your grip, you might think it’s fine when, in fact, it’s not.

One common fault I see is where the hands work in opposite directions (as pictured below). I don’t mind seeing them slightly off to the side, but they should really be working together as a unit rather than fighting against each other.

2. Grip check

A good way to check your golf grip in the comfort of your own home is to hold the club out in front of you on a kitchen table or similar. One thumb should sit on top of the other and you should be able to see two knuckles on each hand.

Now for the bit that will get you into good habits, both on the range and out on the course. Take your hands off, put the club down, and repeat - again and again.

3. Establish good habits (at home)

This is what we're looking for (see below) with everything lined up. Using a kitchen table can really help you to see what you're doing, and by getting used to taking your hands on and off, on and off, on and off, you're going to establish good habits.

Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler are always really good at this; they'll frequently hold the club up in front of them as it's the best way to check your golf grip.

FAQS

What is a strong golf grip?

For a right-handed golfer, a strong golf grip will display as your top and bottom hands being turned too much to the right. With this type of grip, you will see three/four knuckles on the left hand and none on the right.

A strong grip tends to promote active hands through impact, which leads to inconsistency due to a lack of control. Shutting the clubface down like this means golfers who have a strong grip tend to hit a lot of right-to-left shots (hooks).

What is a weak golf grip?

This is where both hands are wrapped too far round to the left-hand side of the grip (right for left-handers). This type of grip makes it difficult to release the club effectively, meaning the club tends to be open at impact.

As a result, golfers with weak grips tend to hit a lot of pushes, fades, and slices.