A strong grip is when a golfer can see 3 knuckles or more in their lead hand. For example, a right handed golfer would be able to see at least 3 knuckles on the left hand at address. The right hand will typically sit more under the club. Both hands are rotated more towards the back leg or clockwise.
The great thing about the game of golf is that there are many stances, alignments, and grips that can be used and each one can produce success.
If you look at the greatest golfers of all time there are those that use strong grips and those that use weak grips. There are those that aim left and those that aim right. The greats have used closed stances and open stances.
At the end of the day, you can use a strong grip or weak grip and experience success.
Much of it has to do with the ability to make solid contact, control your start line and have enough speed to play the course.
It all comes down to match ups.
There are advantages that the strong grip gives the golfer and our goal today is to make those advantages clear and to provide some tips to play golf with a strong grip.
Strong Grip in Golf Swing: Overview
Advantages of the Strong Grip in Golf
- Potential greater club stability through impact
- Less rotation to hit a draw
- Typically provides more power
Potential Greater Club Stability Through Impact
The teachers of the past involved the golfer getting the toe up in the backswing and then the toe down through the swing.
The more recent instruction of some of the best golf instructors in the world like George Gankas encourage golfers to keep the club more closed and then rotate through the shot.
This provides the golfer with great club stability and takes away from the reliance on timing. The golfer is able to rotate hard through the shot, produce greater speed and ultimately have been club face control.
One of the goals of any swing is to be able to control the start line and the curve of the ball. The more club face stability there is in a golf swing, the better chance of this happening.
With the strong grip, the golfer can feel like he or she is in a powerful position to rotate back and through the ball and allow the club to stay stable through the swing.
If you follow any of the best juniors you will see a strong grip. The game has evolved to more and more golfers utilize the strong grip. Jon Rahm comes to mind.
He keeps his swing simple and short, but it sure has plenty of power. The club face stability and the reliance on club face stability is some of the best in the world of golf!
Want to learn how to hit a draw? (check out this post)
Less Rotation To Hit A Draw
Ask any amateur golfer who struggles with the slice what their number one wish in the game of golf is and more than likely you will hear if they could only hit a draw.
There is something about the draw shot that looks beautiful and simple. We know it can be simple to control and it is the opposite of the slice shot, which is attractive to those that are robbed by the distances taking away from the ugly, balloon like slice shot that many amateur struggle with.
The strong grip takes less effort to hit a draw as there is a good chance that the club face will be closed to the path.
The stronger grip puts the golfer in a position to ensure the club face is closed to the path.
The goal is to have a path that is 3 to 4 degrees right of the target line and a face that is 1 to 2 degrees right of the target line. This will produce a soft push draw that is a stock shot that a golfer can rely on!
Typically Provides More Power
To play golf at a high level, it takes a certain amount of speed and power. The saying of drive for show, putt for dough is becoming antiquated. The analytics have become clear in the past several years in the golf world on the importance of power.
While a golfer can hit power shots with a weak grip, most golfers, especially juniors or those that lack some strength will want to go with the strong grip in the golf swing.
With the left hand being turned more clockwise, it provides greater speed through the ball and allows the golf to release and utilize the hands through the shot.
Even if a stable face, there is still a release and the strong the grip, the higher probability of additional speed occurring through impact.
Best Golfers of All Time – Strong Grips
There have been some great golfers that have played with a strong grip. The ones that come to mind are Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Paul Azinger, and Zach Johnson. We also see more and more golfers with a strong left hand with the right hand sitting more on top.
The bottom line is that there isn’t one perfect grip, but there are some advantages to the strong grip. The one major disadvantage is the golfer might fight the hook shot with a strong grip.
Ben Hogan changed his grip and his swing at one point in his career to avoid the hook shot in golf.
Many professional golfers fear the hook shot and will make adjustments to avoid this shot. However, most amateurs should default to a strong grip, until they reach the point of fighting the hook shot.
Even then they can probably stay with the strong grip as long as they rotate through the shot and reduce the club head rotation through the shot. The strong grip, combined with a proper turn on the back swing and then turning through the shot is a difficult combination to beat.
Think of Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson as two great examples.
Strong Grip In Golf Swing – 5 Tips
Tip 1 – Keep the Grip in The Fingers
Regardless of the grip that you choose for your golf swing, it is important to keep the grip in your fingers. Keeping the grip in the hands will allow the hands to work properly and to mximize your speed.
Think of throwing a baseball, the only time a pitcher places the ball more in the palm is when they are trying to reduce the speed.
The goal with any golfer swing is to produce enough speed to play the course. Many golfers have to work and train for their speed. Keep it simple and keep your grip in your fingers. This will help you maximize your athletic ability and your speed.
Tip 2 – Train for Speed
Speaking of speed, once again regardless of your grip, it is important to train for speed.
Train for Speed – The key to lower scores.
Regardless of your current ability level or swing speed, we could all use additional speed.
This speed drill below will also help you improve your swing mechanics. It is worth checking it out regardless of your current ability level. The swing mechanic improvement along with the additional distance will help your game!
This can all be done in your backyard. You simply need enough space to swing a golf club. This is the ultimate at home training and one where you can see immediate results. You have your swing radar there to monitor your progress!
Let’s face it, regardless of the current state of your game we all want more speed. It has become very clear the need for speed in the golf swing and there are ways to add speed! The analytics on all levels of golf show how important speed and additional speed are in reducing golf scores.
It is time to start training for some additional speed. This is a drill and training protocol that I would highly recommend.
SPEED DRILL: Increase your swing speed through overspeed training
- Check out SuperSpeed Overspeed Training Protocols
- Train every other day for 10-15 minutes.
- See a 4-6% increase in swing speed as early as the first training protocol.
The number one thing that has helped me gain significant distance is the SuperSpeed Training System. This overspeed based system where you train every other day for about 10-15 minutes with different swing sticks can help you increase your swing speed by 5-8% which can be 20-30 yards. Who wouldn’t want an extra 20-30 yards. Plus it helps improve your mechanics.
SuperSpeed Golf – Use Discount Code Golfjourney365 for some savings!
The analytics are pretty clear on the importance of speed in the game of golf. Would you rather hit your approach shot from 130 yards of 160 yards? The answer is pretty simple!
We know that over the course of time, we will hit shots from 130 yards much closer than from 160 yards, whether we are an average amateur golfer, a scratch golfer, or a PGA Tour member!
The key is having shorter approach shots, so we can hit the ball closer to the hole and then make more putts! Speed is king in the game of golf! Make sure you check out SuperSpeed Golf!
Tip 3 – Rotate Through the Shot
The key to good golf is having a stock shot. One where the shot starts along a similar start line at least 7 out of 10 times. Whether your stock shot is a draw or fade, the key is to be able to produce a shot you can rely on.
You can gain a level of comfort and rely on this during pressure situations
I prefer the draw as it feels most natural and my strong grip sets up for a ince solid push draw that doesn’t take a significant amount of effort. I simply turn back, turn through and make sure I rotate left.
The club stays to the inside and the ball will start right and draw.
If you want the most amount of speed and consistency the rotation through the ball is essential!
Tip 4 – Squat and Turn
Too many golfers slide their hips forward because it might feel comfortable. If you have a strong grip, it is even more important to sit and turn. This will help you stabilize the club face.
If you get stuck with a strong grip, chances are you will start to battle a hook shot in golf.
This can lead to some disastrous shots. If you find yourself hooking too much, think turn and rotate more though the shot. This will help take out the early release and allow you to stabilize the club face.
Tip 5 – Keep the Hands Back
The tendency from the top is to pull down hard. As the golfer tries to generate speed, this feels powerful.
The reality is that if you can let the hands feel like they stay at the top even just for a second as the body starts to squat and turn you can get a whip like motion through the shot.
It helps the arms stay on an inside path and then rotation through the ball helps the club to stay stable through the shot.
Most golfers are seeking consistency. The strong grip, combined with the proper rotation and hand staying back for a split second can be the key to consistent golf.
The more you rely on throwing your hands or the release the greater amount of variability your bring into your swing. Learn to rotate and stabilize the club swing.
I would highly recommend the George Gankas approach or several other of the newer teachers on scene you seem to understand this approach.
I went with the George Gankas approach recently and have been pleasantly surprised with the distance and consistently I have experienced.
Follow my journey at this post.
Next Steps – Strong Grip in Golf
- Record your swing: Check out what your swing looks like and and determine if you have a strong grip or weak grip.
- Work on the three fundamentals in golf: Striking the ground consistently in the same spot, controlling your start line and curve and having enough speed.
- Measure your swing: The grip can impact your club face and your path. It can be helpful to know your swing path and club face direction at impact. In today’s golf world, even amateurs can have access to this technology and data with the technology now available.
A Launch Monitor is a great addition to your practice session. Stop guessing on your ball and club data and get the immediate feedback that you need to improve your game.
The professional golfers of today all have access to some great technology including launch monitors to help measure their swing and know their numbers. Can an amateur use this same or similar technology for game improvement? Yes, absolutely and I would highly recommend it.
Even if you aren’t going to go all out and build an indoor golf simulator like I did (see below), you can still pick up a launch monitor at a reasonable price and use it in your indoor net or taking to the course or driving range with you!
Know numbers like spin rate, ball speed, spin axis and other key information is vital to your growth. Sharing these numbers with your instructor can be helpful and help with equipment selection as well.
I would recommend one of the three launch monitors listed below:
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:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.