One of the most talked about aspects of the golf swing technique is the grip, it has been discussed for years with the consensus amongst professionals that almost every amateur golfer will possess a poor grip.

And while, for some this may be true, I am convinced that more golfers have a personally good grip for them.

Why?

Simple most golfers if left alone to find their own comfortable grip will place their hands on the club in a way that demonstrates the “strongest” position for them, leading to a more neutral and efficient grip.

After all, if you have got arthritis, for example, you wouldn´t be able to put your hands on the grip in the same way as a person without.

As Harvey Pennick once said, “regardless of how good your grip is, if your hands are “ugly” then you won´t have a pretty grip”.

So why the title of your grip is probably wrong?

Well, they probably are.

A common occurrence when I meet a new client for the first time is a quick check of their clubs; make, model, shaft flex, set make-up and of course condition of the grips.

Again many golfers have been convinced by friends, family or their pro to change or have a specific grip fitted.

Being a little less obsessed by the “technical expertise” of club fitters, (I am one myself by the way), and the importance of having a grip that would suit your hand size I believe firmly that you should instead have a grip that feels comfortable, one that gives you confidence.

Ii remember one client that came to me with brand new grips that a local club fitter had measured them for, they had spent an hour with this person and where eventually directed to an undersized grip.

This may seem like it is not a problem, except for one thing the client had explicitly told the club fitter that they felt too small, and they felt a lack of “control” over the club. But the club fitter went ahead and fitted the grips regardless.

In my opinion this is not the correct way to do a fitting, if the hand size of the client suggested that they should be fitted with an undersized grip that is fine, but if the client is 100% unhappy with the feel of the new grip then it should absolutely not be fitted.

If you have been taking lessons and your swing is improving, then your shot dispersion should also be improving, if it is not then you should take a look at your grips, you may be surprised to learn that the size of the grip can have a huge effect on how you impact the golf ball.

I have small hands but they are very active during my swing, so I feel more comfortable with a standard sized grip, thickened with an additional two and a half layers of masking tape underneath the grip.

When I use standard grips I find that my shots have a tendency to move left, even when I am trying to move the ball left to right.