Holding a golf club properly is the foundation for a consistent, repeatable golf swing. It doesn’t matter if you’re an avid golfer or brand new to the game, mastering the basics is key.
Let’s get one thing clear – holding a golf club is more than just gripping the club. While the golf grip is very important, there are other fundamentals when it comes to holding a golf club that should be taken into consideration. We’ll still go over the right golf grip in this article, but we’ll also cover the importance of the right golf stance, distance of club to ball, alignment, and more.
Follow these tips to set up your golf swing for success!
How to Hold a Golf Club Like a Pro
Establish a Proper Golf Grip
The first lesson most players learn in golf is how to grip the club properly.
As legendary ball striker Ben Hogan once said, “A good grip is one that allows you return the clubface squarely to the ball at impact, with a minimum of effort and without having to rely on complicated compensations. It is the starting point of a fundamentally sound swing.”
Most amateur golfers have a weak grip that leads to a nasty slice. In general, most amateurs can benefit from having a slightly stronger grip – and getting into a more neutral position.
To simplify the step-by-step process, make sure to read our full guide on how to grip a golf club. Then, check your grip positions in practice to avoid developing any bad habits.
Maintain Consistent Grip Pressure
How your hands grip the club is key, but don’t forget to think about how much pressure you’re applying too.
One of the biggest mistakes many golfers make is changing their grip pressure throughout the swing. Too many golfers unconsciously grip the club tighter mid-swing, which adds extra tension and can negatively impact your tempo and timing in the golf swing.
Think of grip pressure as a scale from 1-10: for most shots, you want a 5-6, so the club doesn’t move in your hands. But any more than a six and you’ll likely add tension, which can limit your backswing, not to mention change your timing.
You might consider increasing grip pressure to 7-8 if you’re hitting from the thick rough to avoid the club closing at impact. But in general, you want moderate grip pressure and to maintain it throughout the swing for best results.
Watch Your Distance From Golf Club to Ball
Another crucial component of holding the golf club is how far you stand from the ball.
If you stand too far away, you’re likely to get a hunched back, sacrifice your posture, and lead to some swing issues. If you stand too close to the ball, you’ll be too upright and might not be able to make consistent contact (resulting in a lot of thin and fat shots).
So, how far should you stand from the golf ball? It depends on the club you’re hitting, height, and posture.
In general, you want a hand’s width of distance between the butt-end of the club and your body. This will allow you to make a comfortable swing with enough room to maneuver while not getting close to your lower body.
Your arms should hang naturally straight down from your shoulders. Then bend your knees slightly and keep your back relatively straight (to avoid C or S posture).
When you look down at your body from the address position, you want to see a small portion of the inside of your left arm (assuming you’re a right-handed golfer). This will allow you to have plenty of room to swing, transfer weight to your lower body, and get through the shot.
If any of these positions feel uncomfortable, it might be from a lack of flexibility. Consider adding in these golf stretches to your daily routine and/or these golf exercises as well.
Get the Proper Stance
Once you grip the golf club properly and are the right distance away, then it’s time to focus on your stance. Similar to how far away you’ll be from the ball, the width of your stance is club dependent.
You’ll have several stances depending on the club you’re hitting.
- Driver: Wider than shoulder width stance, possibly flaring your feet externally slightly for a bigger turn.
- Fairway woods and hybrids: Slightly narrower than driver – about shoulder width apart. If your hybrids need help, make sure to check out the AnyLie Hybrid, which is the easiest club to hit and can rescue you from all sorts of trouble.
- Irons: Shoulder width apart, as you need plenty of stability for approach shots.
- Wedges and short game: Less than shoulder width apart. This makes it easier to swing in a more controlled motion, as distance isn’t the goal with these shots.
The Right Lower Body Alignment
The final component that impacts how you hold a golf club is your lower body (feet) alignment. You can grip it properly, have perfect posture, and a solid stance, but things can go poorly if the lower body isn’t aligned correctly.
Most golfers make one big mistake that can cause a ton of trouble – aiming too far right. When this happens, it’s easy to get steep and swing from an over the top position. Which typically leads to poor contact and a lot of slices.
Spend a ton of time at the driving range checking your alignment, making sure your feet are square. Avoid getting too closed or too open so you can build a more consistent, repeatable golf swing.
Once you have all these setup positions dialed, you can start your golf swing with confidence. To help you master the start of the golf swing, check out this YouTube video with Eric Cogorno and Erika Larkin.
Practice These Fundamentals to Hold the Golf Club
Hopefully, you have a much better understanding of how to hold a golf club aside from just your grip. While a grip is very important, don’t forget to consider stance, distance from the ball, and alignment.
If you’re a new golfer, practice your setup position in the mirror at home to check these aspects. The more consistent you are during practice routines, the more it will translate to the golf course.
If you need more help fixing your setup and swing, check out Swing Fix AI. Using our powerful Performance Golf app, you can easily record your swing and get fast fixes. Our artificial intelligence will provide immediate feedback and drills to help you swing the club more consistently.
