This lesson changed how I think about the grip. I had treated it as a comfortable place to put my hands before the “real” swing began. My coach’s demonstration showed me that the grip is where I organize the clubface before the swing even starts. If the handle sits incorrectly or my hands are disconnected, I have to compensate later. If I build the grip carefully, I can swing more freely and return the clubface more consistently.
The markings on the glove make the lesson much easier to repeat. The blue line shows exactly where the handle should cross my fingers, the dots identify the finger sections, and the mark near the thumb side of my wrist helps position the butt end of the grip. Instead of guessing what the grip should feel like, I now have visible checkpoints I can use before every shot.
Before placing either hand on the club, I should make sure the clubface is square. I do not want to build a comfortable-looking grip around a face that is already open or closed.
The glove markings create a repeatable map for the handle and fingers
1. Lay the Club Across My Fingers
The first step is to lay the handle along the blue line on the glove before closing my hand. The handle should cross the lower portions of the fingers rather than running through the center of my palm.
The butt end of the grip finishes near the marked depression on the thumb side of my wrist. That wrist mark is an alignment reference, not a place where I should forcefully jam the club. When the butt is near that mark and the handle follows the blue line, the club naturally sits diagonally across my fingers.
Placing the handle here allows my fingers to wrap securely around it while preserving movement in my wrist. If the grip migrates too high into my palm, I may feel stable initially, but I will be more likely to squeeze, restrict my wrist hinge, and manipulate the clubface during the swing.
2. Close the Lead Hand Around the Handle
Once the club is resting on the blue line, I close the last three fingers of my lead hand around the handle. These fingers provide most of the security in the lead-hand grip. I then bring the fleshy heel pad over the top of the handle, trapping the grip between the fingers underneath and the heel pad above.If done properly, I can see that the anatomical snuffbox (marked by blue dot below) is on top of the middle of the butt of the club — I can use this to calibrate my position and make my grip stronger or weaker from this point.
- Lay the handle on the blue finger line
- Position the butt beside the thumb-side wrist mark
- Close the last three fingers around the handle
- Bring the heel pad over the top
- Place the lead thumb comfortably on the grip
- Bring the lead thumb and index finger closer together
Of note, the thumb and index finger should form a narrow, connected seam. They should not spread apart, but they also should not become the primary source of pressure. The last three fingers and heel pad secure the club while the thumb and index finger remain connected but relatively quiet.
3. Add My Trail Hand and Interlock
After the lead hand is secure, I place my trail hand on the club without disturbing the lead-hand position. I fit the handle into the fingers of my trail hand, especially the middle two fingers, and then interlock the trail-hand little finger with the lead-hand index finger.
Next, I bring the trail palm over the lead thumb. The hands should fit together closely enough that they feel like one unit. I do not want a visible gap between them or the lead thumb left uncovered. Like the lead hand, the trail thumb and index finger should form a compact seam rather than a wide opening.
- Place the handle across the trail-hand fingers
- Interlock the trail little finger with the lead index finger
- Close the middle fingers around the handle
- Fit the trail palm over the lead thumb
- Bring the trail thumb and index finger closer together
Grip Pressure: Secure but Soft
I need enough pressure to keep the handle from moving away from the glove’s blue line, but not so much that my wrists and forearms become rigid. A useful starting sensation is approximately four out of ten. Most of the security should come from the last three fingers and heel pad of the lead hand plus the middle two fingers of the trail hand. The thumbs and index fingers stay connected without squeezing like a clamp.
Stronger, Weaker and Ball Flight
“Strong” and “weak” describe how my hands are rotated around the handle, not how tightly I hold it. For a right-handed golfer, rotating the hands farther clockwise generally strengthens the grip; rotating them counterclockwise generally weakens it.
| Grip position | What I see | Possible right-handed pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Stronger | More of the back of the lead glove is visible; the V may point outside the trail shoulder | May help a face that stays open, but too much can contribute to pulls or hooks |
| Baseline | The glove markings look repeatable and the V points toward the trail shoulder | Best starting point when start line and curve are predictable |
| Weaker | Less of the back of the lead glove is visible; the V points closer to the chin or lead shoulder | May help a face that closes too quickly, but too much can contribute to pushes or fades |
I should not change my grip because of one poor shot. Alignment, swing path and strike location also influence ball flight. I should adjust the grip only after seeing the same pattern across several shots.
Final Check: Point the “V” Toward My Shoulder
Only after both hands are completely on the club do I perform the final checkpoint. The crease between each thumb and index finger creates a “V.” I keep the thumb and index finger close together so this shape is easy to see. For my right-handed grip, both “V” shapes should point generally toward my right, or trail, shoulder.
This is the final step because adding the trail hand can change the rotation of either hand. I build the entire grip first, then confirm that the hands are connected, the lead thumb is covered, both thumb-index gaps are narrow, both “V” shapes point in approximately the same direction, and the clubface remains square.
Practice Drills
| Drill | Repetitions | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Finger-line placement | 10 | Lay the grip directly on the blue line before closing the hand |
| Wrist-mark alignment | 10 | Butt beside the thumb-side mark while the handle remains in the fingers |
| Close and cover | 10 | Last three fingers close before the heel pad covers the handle |
| Add and interlock | 10 | Trail hand in the fingers, interlocked, with the lead thumb covered |
| Final V check | 10 | Build everything first, then point both V shapes toward the trail shoulder |
| Half-wedge shots | 10 balls | Rebuild the same grip and track start direction, curve and contact |
Remember: POINT
- P — Place it in the fingers: Lay the handle along the glove’s blue line
- O — Over with the heel pad: Close the fingers and bring the heel pad over the handle
- I — Interlock the trail hand: Join the hands and cover the lead thumb
- N — No excessive pressure: Hold securely without tightening the wrists or forearms
- T — Turn the V toward the trail shoulder: Make this the final check after both hands are completely on the club
Lesson from Coach Mike Lindfield.