Golf Misconceptions - Don't Grip the Club Lightly

[@jsusna1972]

So glad to see this video verifying what I have thought all along. If the club is held too loosely, the grip end of the club moves in your hands when you contact the ball. This has the effect of taking away a lot of the energy that can go into the ball. A firmer grip does not allow the grip to move and thus the club head delivers all its energy into the back of the ball. A too loose grip is like trying to hammer a nail into a board after wrapping the handle with several layers of foam. The handle end of the hammer squishes into the foam and the head can't deliver as much energy into the nail.

[@jeromebalbi9301]

OMG you're so right. I have been playing for 10 years. For an amateur I can hit a decent distance (240 yards with my driver) but I've always been struggling a lot with direction control. With every club, even wedges. I have always tried to be as relaxed as possible. But finally I discovered a few weeks ago that I was opening my grip at the top of my backswing. As a result, a very poor club face control and a face very closed at the end of my swing. I completely changed my grip. Now I grip it firmly and whilst the club is not touching the ground. I place the grip really stuck against my fingers (especially left hand) and I feel nothing moves during the swing. Improvement is massive ! So much easier to control trajectory !

[@gavinclancy1475]

Thanks Larry! To paraphrase Ben Hogan on Sam Snead who apparently made this comparison famous i.e. grip it like you're holding a bird. Hogan said "what Sam forgot to mention was that the bird is a hawk" ..according to Jackie Burke.

[@banditbaker1675]

Gavin, thank you for sharing Mr Hogans comment, I hadn't heard that one before. That is definitely going in my repertoire!

[@chrisrichardson5309]

is saw this have great benefits during my last lesson great stuff Larry.

[@mattcompton5726]

Hi Larry, I am loving the videos and the way you don’t pander to the old preconceived “ideals”. The firm grip pressure has changed my ballflight and driving. One question I have, should the firm pressure be maintained the whole way through the swing? I played today and was driving it noticeably further than before but was struggling with slightly fat iron shots, I am fairly shallow normally but struggled to hit clean iron shots from the fairway, what adjustments should I consider as I love the theory of the firmer pressure off the tee. Sorry for the long winded question! Matt

[@LarryCheungGolf]

Firm pressure whole way is a good start, you will recalibrate yourself and the chunks should disappear if you haven't had the issue before =)

[@greggireland5924]

Great stuff! Love the breaking up of golf instruction misconceptions (light grip, head still, etc) that will result in more effective and productive teaching and better golf swings.

[@banditbaker1675]

Larry thank you so much for this Series. The "Grip it lightly" instruction is so dumb arsed and you hear it constantly even from Golf Coaches who should know better. Even last week Chris Ryan (a respected coach from England) was advising golfers to grip the club lightly, it makes me want to SCREAM, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of physics would understand that if you are going to swing something at 100MPH you need to hold on TIGHT otherwise the damn thing is going to fly out of your hands. Even at my "Old mans" 90MPH (OK 80mph) I find that if I Grip the Club like a Scotsman Grips a Tenner then I get much better contact than when I Grip the club loosely.

[@banditbaker1675]

PS Larry, what shoes are you wearing in the vid? They look cool

[@LarryCheungGolf]

Nike runners =P Comfy too!

[@banditbaker1675]

@@LarryCheungGolf 👍

[@yooper9062]

@@banditbaker1675 I disagree the club should be held tight enough so it doesn't slip out of your hands but that's it. To me a light grip allows the club to naturally fall into the slot and rotate perfectly after impact. And by allowing the club to do these things you can create a shit ton of swing speed because the club is doing all of the work.

[@banditbaker1675]

@@yooper9062 You are welcome to your opinion, but I suspect that most golfers get a better strike when they have "loose" wrists and have a firm grip on the club with their fingers. The "fall into the slot" and "rotate perfectly after impact" you refer to are functions of having "loose" wrists. Unfortunately, many golfers misunderstand the instruction to have a firm grip (with the fingers) by adding in "firm" wrists, which for most shots other than Putting should be "loose" and "flexible" IMO

[@drbob6002]

😊

[@hbyrdut]

Hey Larry, hope you're doing well. Do you also prefer a firm grip when putting? 8 out of 10

[@LarryCheungGolf]

depends on the player =)

[@hbyrdut]

@@LarryCheungGolf Thanks.

[@bkirkwd52]

In Golf My Way, Jack Nicklaus said he was a firm gripper of the club.

[@Eric-zk2hu]

If you practice swinging with a mindset of gripping firmly from start to finish, from backswing all the way thru to the finish of your follow thru you won't tense up, you'll be like at no point am I going to let go of the grip, even when my follow thru ends I will still have a firm grip on the club. You can swing smoothly with a firm grip. Having a firm grip will help you to make a good body turn on your back swing because you know you can't just loosey goosey flop it back wrapping your arms close to you with elbows bent and the club coming out of your grip at the top like the old Bobby Jones swinging flexible hickory shafts.

[@seanmeyer5553]

Hey larry love the video. I have long suffered from lightly gripping the club. Do you feel a firm grip may help lead to more shaft lean and prevent early casting of the club?

[@LarryCheungGolf]

It could help, but not be the direct fix =)

[@michaelslinger6903]

Depends on your definition of firm or soft.

[@kle0515]

Thank you for the instructional video. I have one problem when gripping firmly with my left hand then the club face becomes close (toe point more to the left), therefore my shot land more to the left of a target. Do you have any fix for that?

[@LarryCheungGolf]

Gripping firmly shouldn't directly close the face, if it is, you have to probably re look at how you align your hands to the grip when you grip the club =)

[@dawgfan316]

I've always gripped the club tight. Glad to finally be vindicated!!! haha

[@LarryCheungGolf]

haha good stuff!!

[@TractionPhoto]

Hey Larry, Aimee from “golf with Aimee” mentions gripping more firmly with bottom pointer and thumb and top pinky. You are both exceptional at your craft. I am just wondering if your grip recommendation is more geared toward the swing style you teach toward or is 8/10 going to be better regardless of swing in your experience. Thanks!

[@LarryCheungGolf]

Regardless of how you swing, I like a firmer grip =)

[@TractionPhoto]

Thanks sir. Great work.

[@austinlauer1910]

Great stuff Larry 👍 loose grip is like an octopus 🤣🤣

[@patrickkennedy6886]

the 8 ediots that gave you a thumbs down , must be BAD GOLFERS........................

[@notsoprogolfers9219]

I think there is a common misconception between grip pressure and wrist flexibility. Gripping the club firmly is okay, but you need to make sure you have good mobility in your wrists. Your wrists need to be able to move freely, especially when it comes to releasing down toward impact. Do you agree with this, Larry?

[@LarryCheungGolf]

In my experience, more golfers tend to not be firm enough with their wrists and start hinging too much, leading to a list of issues =P

[@notsoprogolfers9219]

@@LarryCheungGolf Makes sense. Love the videos, my friend. I have been thinking about making the trip to you at some point for a lesson this year. I'm right over the Border in New York!

[@LarryCheungGolf]

@@notsoprogolfers9219 Thanks! Just shoot me an email, I try my best to fit out of town clients in =)

[@adl9705]

i agree with this, the only change i do aside from what you teach is that i dont tighten the grip i just have my hands firm on the club. if i tried to swing normally holding a bird in my hand, blood would get on my clothes.......... we dont want that... lol

[@mattmoore9790]

Light grip pressure is NOT a myth... Just because your grip pressure is light doesn’t mean you have to be loose in your wrists, arms, shoulders and everywhere else... Sorry, but this advice is very misguided Grip it light, and you will hit it longer... fact

[@LarryCheungGolf]

You don't have to apologize, we can agree to disagree =)

[@yooper9062]

I agree 100%. When I used to have a tight grip I was always trying to manipulate the club and force it's swing path. With a light grip the club just naturally falls in the slot and naturally rotates after impact.

[@EmanCp8r]

There's no such thing as firm or light, nobody knows how tightly you're gripping the club besides yourself. There are no short cuts, you have to learn to grip the club tight enough to prevent movement and not too tightly to inhibit the momentum. If you need somebody to tell you how hard to grip the club you haven't even started.

[@richardsdiaz1]

Thanks for this Larry. To be honest I’ve been hearing soft grip and “baby chick” my whole life. I’ve never really agreed with it but assumed I must be wrong for feeling that way. It’s nice to have confirmation that a good athletic swing requires a firm athletic grip! I’ll never listen to anyone who regurgitates that tired old maxim ever again!

[@LarryCheungGolf]

Firm grip all the way!!! =)

[@Lee-rd6qc]

In my Opinion, this video can be very misleading as the topic is very ‘subjective’ … tension - most often - is an enemy of the golf swing … gripping a club ‘too tight’ creates tension throughout the upper body. So, your content of this video does not provide the important clarity as to grip pressure … you discuss ‘too loose’ grip pressure … what’s too tight … what’s ‘just right’ … very tough topic, because of its subjectivity. To me, a good grip would be one that, while firm, does not introduce tension in the upper body … that offers the best counsel on such a ‘subjective’ topic.