Strong Grip vs Weak Grip in Golf: Complete Overview

Written by Todd in Online Golf Instruction

I am sure you have all heard the many different pieces of advice about the grip in golf.  Some advocate for the strong grip, while others promote a more neutral grip and there are those that even promote the weaker grip.  

So which grip is best for you and which grip should you use – a strong grip or a weak grip?

I will take you through the pros and cons of both a strong grip and a weak grip and hopefully you can decide what is best for you in the debate of strong grip vs weak grip in golf.  

I will start off by saying that I use a strong grip and often hit a draw shot, but can hit the fade when needed, especially with the driver and the 3 wood, but overall, the draw is my stock shot and I feel it is very reliable.  I never feel that I have to close the club face and can play a slight push draw.

To learn more about hitting a draw, make sure you check out this post, here.

Make sure you know the pros and cons of a strong grip and a weak grip

Here is the list of information that I will provide to help you make your decision for your game:

  • What is a strong grip and what is a weak grip?
  • Pros and Cons of the strong grip
  • Pros and Cons of the weak grip
  • Which Golf Instructors Promote A Strong Grip and Which Golf Instructors Promote a Weak Grip
  • Which Grip Do Pros Use?
  • Final Verdict
  • What is Next For You?

What is a strong grip and what is a weak grip?

First, let’s make sure we are on common ground.  A strong grip, for a right golfer, is when the hands are rotated more towards your right shoulder.  The golfer will be able to see 3 or more knuckles on the left hand as the left hand sits more on top or the club, while the right hand is more under the club.

For a weak grip, the hands sit turned more towards the front side of the body, and the golfer might only see 1 to 2 knuckles on the left hand with the right hand sitting more on top of the club.

A more neutral golf grip has about 2 to 2.5 knuckles showing on the left hand.

Another way to think of a strong grip vs a weak grip is where the “V’s” in the grip point to.  In a strong grip the V’s will point towards the right shoulder and in a weak grip the V’s will point more towards the left shoulder.

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

Pros and Cons of the strong grip

The strong grip has many benefits to it.  These include:

  • A sense of power in the hands as the hands can make the club rotate more through contact.
  • Easier to hit a draw shot with a strong grip.
  • Can help reduce the need for club head rotation though the shot.
  • Can also help reduce the slice.

The one that jumps out most to me is the ability to easily hit a draw with a strong grip.  As the golfer is approaching impact, it is easier for the golfer to make sure the club isn’t open to the path, thus producing a fade or a slice. 

While a draw can be hit with an open face, the key is that the clubface is closed relative to the swing path.  The strong grip in golf promotes this shot pattern as it is much easier to close the face to the path with a stronger grip.

Let’s face it, many amateurs still batter the slice.  The outside to in path can be a result of the clubface feeling really open, which results in an over the top slice that starts left and frequently curves way too far to the right. 

Hook vs Slice: What is the Difference?

This might be the number one reason most high handicap golfers should highly consider practicing with a strong grip.

The negatives to the strong grip include:

  • The draw shot can turn into a hook shot.
  • The strong grip might hurt the short grip, as there are some short game coaches that do promote the more neutral grip

Pros and Cons of the weak grip

The weak grip has benefits as well.  These include:

  • Ben Hogan’s favorite benefit to the weak grip is that is can help eliminate the hook shot.
  • Allows for a feeling of being able to really rotate the hands through the ball.
  • Can help eliminate the left side of the course.

Many golfers these days want to eliminate the pull shot and make sure that they are able to hit a push or a slight fade that helps keep the ugly pull from running a round of golf. 

With the weaker grip, the golf is able to rotate strongly through the ball without the fear of the hook or the pull shot.  Ben Hogan spent years battling the hook and was able to reinvent his game by moving to a weaker grip, which has been talked about at great length with the release of his book.

The negatives of the weak grip:

  • Ben Hogan’s book might have helped create a decade or more of golfers with weak grips that fight the slice.  I believe most golfers should start with the stronger grip and learn to hit a draw or hook and then work the grip back to more neutral.  This will help create a swing path that works and keeps the golfer from struggling with the dreaded slice.

Which Golf Instructors Promote A Strong Grip and Which Golf Instructors Promote a Weak Grip

One great thing about being a golfer today is the access to many of the best golf instructors throughout the world.  We have our top 5-6 golf instructors that we love to turn to for lessons or videos to help further develop the golf game and seek help when needed.  

Check out our top 5 online instructors post.

One of my all time favorite golf instructors due to his simplicity in teaching and a method that just makes sense is Mike Malaska.  He promotes a strong grip and an underhand tossing type of motion with the right hand.

Mike Malaska promotes a strong grip as it felt most natural to him as a young golfer until he was pushed out of this grip.  His main point is to find the grip that feels best and what works best to square up the face of the club. 

The timing can be more difficult with the weaker grip, find a way to put your hands on the club, so that the face tends to square itself.

Check out more about Mike Malaska Below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYiV0p5x9ho

Hogan is widely known for the weak grip.  Here is an excellent video showcasing the weaker grip and some of the benefits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEMFoqnNjXQ

Which Grip Do Pros Use?

The amazing thing about golf is that there are many different ways to play the game of golf.  There are golfers on tour that use a strong grip and those that use a weak grip. 

There are those that stay centered in the swing and those that load over the right leg.  There are those that turn the hips more and those with a slight slide in the golf swing. 

Bottom line is that the golfer has to have the right matchups with the path and the club face.  The start line and the curve of the ball is the ultimate read on what you did with the club face and the club path.  

Learning to read these shot patterns will help you improve and find the right grip for you.  If you find your ball is curving too much left to the right, try strengthening your grip.  If you find the ball surviving too much right to left, try weakening the grip. 

There are options for you!

Really Strong Grips

  • Arnold Palmer
  • Jon Rahm
  • Fred Couples
  • David Duval
  • Paul Azinger

Weak Grips

  • Ben Hogan
  • Matt Wolfe
  • Jim Furyk

Overall, you will see more strong grips on the PGA Tour vs weaker grips. 

Final Verdict

In studying the many different grips and swings on the PGA Tour, I would recommend starting with a strong grip, you can always weaken it slightly, but the strong grip will get the game going in the right direction. 

Even if you end up playing a power fade at some point, learning to turn the ball over from right to left is a key to becoming an elite golfer.  This often starts with the grip and the ability to turn the clubface producing a right to left spin on the ball.  Give the strong grip a chance!

Looking to get better? 

We have the right formula for you.  It is a combination of steps you can take.  Here is the process we believe in 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:

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