Ask any golf instructor and they will tell you the grip is the important, and most overlooked, aspect of the golf swing. A good grip will naturally keep the club face in a good position and allow the rest of the swing to work as intended. A poor grip gets everything out of alignment and leaves almost no chance for producing consistently good shots. The following five tips will help you to double check your grip and be sure you are on track.
Three Knuckles. For a right handed golfer, you should be able to look down at address and see at least three knuckles on your left hand. If you can see only one or two knuckles, your grip is in a weak position and you will likely have trouble creating power in your swing. Rotate your left hand around the grip until you can see at least three knuckles.
Interlock. For women golfers, it is usually best to use the interlocking grip where the pointer finger of your left hand interlocks with the pinky finger on your right hand. The overlapping grip is also popular with some golfers, but usually requires bigger hands to use effectively. Unless you have particularly large hands, stick with the interlock grip for best control over the club.
Lighten Up. One of the most common grip mistakes is simply squeezing the life out of the club. Tension in your fingers slows down the club as it swings and makes it more difficult to achieve solid contact. A good rule of thumb is to look at your hands after a round of golf. If they are blistered and even a little sore, you are probably holding on too tight.
Move Down an Inch. Holding on to the very end of the club makes it harder to control, and can contribute to holding on too tightly as well. Move your grip about an inch down the club to where the butt end of the club is sticking out just slightly from your top hand. This way you will have full control over the club as you swing, and also should be able to use a light grip more easily.
Wear a Glove. Using a golf glove helps you to keep control during the swing without squeezing too tightly. If you don't use a glove and your hands get slightly sweaty, you will have to hold on even tighter during your swing. As a good habit, try taking your glove off in between each shot to let it air out. That will keep the glove dry during the round, and help it to last longer as well.
If you overlook the importance of your grip when working on your golf swing, you run the risk of developing some very poor habits. The grip should be the very first place you look for improvement in your game. When you are confident that you have a grip that will hold up for the long run, move on to working on your swing itself.