Grip Pressure in Golf (Complete Overview)

Written by Todd in Online Golf Instruction

One of the more challenging parts about learning the game of golf is that many of the common pieces of advice are now being questioned.

With today’s technology and ability to have a deeper understanding of what is taking place in the golf swing, we are finally getting to the bottom of what good players do and how this can impact the amateur golfer.

Some of these traditional pieces of advice that have been questioned include:

  • Shift off the ball in the backswing
  • Keep your head down
  • Roll your wrist through the shot
  • Pull down from the top
  • Have a light grip pressure

Yes, you read that right…have a light grip pressure.  For years we heard that we are supposed to grip the club as if we were holding a bird.

Grip Pressure in Golf

“Hold the club as if you had a little baby bird in your hand”

Sam Snead

Which leads us to our question for today.

How much pressure should a golf grip have?

There are two different camps when it comes to the golf grip.  There are experts that will tell you to grip it at a 2 to 3 on a scale of 1-10 and others that will tell you to grip it at a 10 while keeping your shoulders and jaw relaxed.

For years, the advice was to grip it light as if you were holding a bird or like you were gripping a tube of toothpaste and only wanted to slightly have the toothpaste exit the tube.

Many golfers may have played with a light grip and have played some great golf, but now this approach is being questioned by some top golfers in the world.  One that has a ton of distance and has won a US Open: Bryson DeChambeau

Depending on who you believe, it appears that a number of different grip tensions have been used over the years.

Why Grip It Light?

Those that promote gripping it lightly believe that if you grip the club too tight, you will restrict the speed in the hands and forearms and hurt your overall distance or your distance control.

For years, golfers were taught to have a neutral grip that was light where you could feel the club moving back and forth through the hands to allow the golf club to have a full range of motion.

Another reason for the light grip centered around clubhead lag and getting the club to train the hands.  If the grip was too tight, they believed you would struggle to create lag and then maintain that lag throughout the golf swing.

Finally, they also believe that it could hurt your wrist hinge, taking away control and overall distance in the golf swing because if the grip was too tight one would not be able to properly hinge and unhinge the wrist in the golf swing.

Recap:

  • Allows the hands and arms to operate with little tension for more speed
  • Better distance control with wedges
  • Potentially more lag
  • Potentially better wrist hinge

Weak grip in golf (5 Advantages)

Why Grip It Firm?

The thought process is that by taking a tighter grip, the body and mind have comfort that the club will not fly out of the hands, allowing the golfer to swing faster and create more speed through the swing.

Quotes on this topic:

“This may run against what you’ve been told in the past, but gripping strength correlates to overall strength, and gripping firmer sends signals to your brain that your club isn’t going anywhere, which means it’ll allow you to swing faster”

Bryson DeChambau (www.golfmagazine.com)

Another quote on this topic, by a golfer who has revolutionized the game with his added swing speed.

I have shaken hands with many long hitters and elite golfers who I asked to use their golf grip pressure.  All of them, without exception, cut off thh circulation in my hand.  I have NEVER seen a loose grip produce long drives and tight dispersions or good putting.  The key is a firm grip without excess tension in the neck, shoulders and upper arms.  When I was the world long drive champion, I was 180 pounds and couldn’t bench press the bar.  No one could understand why I out hit all of the 6-5” 250 pound muscle men.  A team of bio mechanical engineers studied me and surmised 100th percentile grip strength was the answer.”

Monte Scheinblum (Instagram Comment)

Recap:

  • More speed
  • Allows the body to move faster with fear or losing the club
  • Grip strength is key to speed and power
  • Best golfers have displayed a firm grip pressure when asked to shake hands

So what grip pressure should you use?

There are people in both camps when it comes to the pressure on the grip.  My recommendation is to test it out and see what works best for you.  Like everything in golf, we can experiment to see where we get the results we are seeking.

You will want to experiment in the following areas:

  • Driver
  • Fairway Woods
  • Long Irons
  • Short Irons
  • Wedges
  • Chipping
  • Putting

Just yesterday I tested out a firm grip and was pleased with the results.  Here are some takeaways from my experience:

  • I had a similar speed with my driver.
  • On drivers where I really went at the ball, I hit it straighter.
  • With irons, I felt more club head control.
  • My stock shot draw seemed more consistent.
  • I had less hooking of the ball (I often fight the hook or overdraw)

Strong grip in golf (5 Advantages)

Test it out on the course as well. During your next practice round, try shots with different grip pressures.

How to test it out?

I would recommend getting 100 golf balls at the driving range.  Take your time and worth through the bucket of balls, hitting 10 at a time with one grip pressure and one club and then switching to the other grip pressure and the same club.  

Take notes and analyze your start line, curve of the ball, total distance and distance control.

I was able to use my Skytrak Launch Monitor to measure the following with each swing:

  • Ball Speed
  • Swing Speed
  • Launch Angle
  • Spin Rate
  • Spin Axis
  • Carry and Total Distance

If you were interested in a Skytrak, check out the links below:

One of the quickest ways to lower your score is to gain more distance with your driver.  One way to do this might be the firmer grip in the golf swing.  Bryson knows a thing about distance and gaining speed int he swing.

Open stance in golf (5 Advantages)

If you are looking for a way to train, I would highly recommend the SuperSpeed System detailed below.

#1 Recommendation: OverSpeed Training

I spent many years wondering how I can increase my swing speed.  When I was playing junior golf, we weren’t fortunate enough to have some of the training aids and knowledge that is now available.  Smart people have studied the golf swing and have created training aids and protocols to help all golfers increase their distance!

At around the same time, the statistics from the PGA Tour have become more clear and the importance of speed is acknowledged by many to be a key to being the best on the PGA Tour.

Within the past several years, there have been several products hit the market to make speed gains possible.  While many people for many years waited for the latest driver to come out to gain an additional 5-10 yards, you can now do this even with your current clubs.

Did you know that with the SuperSpeed Training System you can gain 5-8% increase in swing speed as early as the first training session?  This would allow you to gain somewhere between 10 and 30 yards depending on your current swing speed.

SuperSpeed Golf – Use Discount Code Golfjourney365 for some savings!

The SuperSpeed Training System is based on three different swing speed sticks all weighing at different weights.  There is a green club that is 10% lighter than the average driver, the blue club which is 5% lighter and the red club which is actually 5% heavier!

Following their prescribe protocols (see video below) the golfer completes the training every other day.  The total time to complete most of their protocols is between 10-15 minutes.  Most people can find the time to make this happen.  The golfer will also need a swing radar to measure their progress. 

The science behind the SuperSpeed Training System is based on overspeed training.  Overspeed training has been around for several decades now and has been used by olympic athletics in the sport of Track and Field.  

The science behind this overspeed training is based on the premise that your brain will only allow your body to move as fast as it feels it can stop safely!  So, you get to work and swing the clubs as fast as possible, retraining your brain to allow you to swing your driver faster.

For more permanent results, the golfer should continue these training protocols for several months.  The initial 5-8% is great and can become more permanent with the right length of training.  The golfer can expect to continue to break down barriers every several months at a 1-2% increase.

If you want to hit your 5 iron 200 yards, it will take some serious work for most people.  However, the system is there and there are ways to accomplish this goal.

My own experience has been an increase of 7-10 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 106-109.  My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months.  I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before!

Phil Mickelson has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed.  There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age!  

Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here!

Original Swing SpeedAfter 4-6 WeeksNew Carry DistanceTotal Distance
95102245265
100108259279
105113271291
110118283303
The SuperSpeed and Skytrak combo is a great way for golf improvement!

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently.  About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage.  I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer.  I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day.  I can practice or play rounds of golf.  I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you?  I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor.  Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed.  Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier.  Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system?  It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

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