8 Grip
Grip size
If the handle is the wrong thickness, the hands will not pass the knuckle check no matter how carefully you place them.
The situation
The handle feels like a pencil, or like a fence post. Shots are a mix of hot faces and fingers that ache, and you have never checked the thickness. Grip size is not a personality. It is whether your lead fingers can meet the palm.
A check you can do
Take the lead-hand hold as you would for a shot. The fingertips should brush the pad of the palm. If they dig deep into the pad, the handle is thin for that hand. If they stop short and never meet the pad, the handle is thick. Do this before you decide the grip is weak or the slice is a swing.
The fix
- 01Fingers dig in: add thickness You need a larger grip, or more tape under the one you have. A thicker hold quiets the hands. It can also leave the face open if you overdo it, so repeat the knuckle count after you change it.
- 02Fingers never arrive: take thickness away You need less tape or a thinner grip. A handle that is too big fights a square face. The lead hand never gets to the two-knuckle look because the fingers cannot close.
- 03Check the trail hand too Both hands should pass the same test. A trail hand that is swimming on a thick handle will squeeze, and that squeeze is the pressure problem.
- 04Change one club and hit a small pile of balls Do not regrip a whole set on a guess. Repeat the fingertip test after the change. The contact should be duller in the fingers and the face should still hold.
- 05Treat the grip as part of the club A worn, shiny, or wrong-sized handle is a reason to plan a regrip, not a reason to invent a new swing. When you are looking at used clubs, check the handle before you fall for the head.
used clubs link later